the life we live so far as it is gratious and it ought to be so in all things is more in Christ and from Christ and what we expect to receive from Christ then in and from our selves when we think with our selves as the Apostle said Gal. 2.20 Nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God Therefore interest Christ in all that ye do Look unto him for assistance in every thing Phil. 4.13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me and for acceptance of all 1 Pet. 2.5 Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house an holy Priesthood to offer up spiritual Sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ Let us go on thus leaning upon our Beloved The heart of Christ was much upon this that all that are in a state of Union with him should learn this and live under the actual consideration of it Joh. 15.4 5 Abide in me and I in you as the Branch cannot bear fruit of it self except it abide in the Vine no more can ye except ye abide in me I am the Vine ye are the Branches he that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit for without me ye can do nothing And the more this is learned and accordingly reduced into practice the more the Soul will prosper It is worth our noting that true growth is noted by our growing in Christ Eph. 4.15 But speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things which is the Head even Christ 2 Pet. 3.18 But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ As if to grow in parts in duties or any thing else without growing in him were a swelling rather then a growth The swelling of the Leg or Arm is no good sign that the party grows stronger It is thus indeed whiles we are full of our own strength our Souls prosper not 1 Sam. 2.9 for by strength shall no Man prevail Therefore a prospering Soul though it hath and when it hath put on the whole Armour of God yet it is not to trust thereto but to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Eph. 6.10 Certainly the more deeply this principle is engraven in our hearts and the more we act according to it the better it will be with us He that laboured more abundantly then they all that could say He had finished his course fought the good fight and kept the faith was he that said Not I but the grace of God that was with me 1 Cor. 15.10 Happy are those Souls and more happy they are like to be that are so trained up in a continual sensibleness of their own insufficiency as to what is spiritually good that still there is a looking up for more supplies that we may exercise what we have Phil. 1.19 and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ What Paul prayed for the Thessalonians 2 Thes 3.5 The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and the patient waiting for Christ i. e. into the exercise thereof A Soul that would prosper must pray for it self Yea and for that which Paul desired others to pray on his behalf Eph. 6.18 19 Praying alwaies with all Prayer and Supplication that utterance may be given unto me Paul had already a great gift of utterance and memory and had great experience of Gods presence with him in the exercise thereof having preached so well and so long now twenty five years together yet desires their prayers not only for the continuance of these gifts but also for the actual exercise of them so often as ever there was occasion of using them And no doubt Paul did pray thus for himself as often as he was to preach and as little doubt there is but that he did his work so much the better for it and with the better success Thus ye have what I have to say concerning the first thing proposed What concerns the prosperity of the Soul in general wherein it consists and when a Man may be said to prosper SERMON IV. I Now proceed more particularly to demonstrate that in truth and reality the Soul doth prosper according to the degree and measure wherein the Soul abounds in them 1. The Soul prospers when it is full of Praises to God So kept from day to day under the Law of thankfulness that it abounds in thanksgiving to God Col. 2.7 Abounding therein with thanksgiving It is possible some may think otherwise that this is no such great matter but let these following particulars be duely considered and I hope ye will acknowledge it to be as I say Consider then 1. Though it be true that there are some solemn Seasons which call for solemn Praises when God hath abounded in the expressions of his love to us and Fatherly care for us in some special favour bestowed upon us giving us to experience the truth of what David found Psal 31.7 I will rejoice and be glad in thy mercy for thou hast considered my trouble and known my Soul in adversity Though I say this be true yet we are under express obligation to make it part and a great part of our business every day Heb. 13.15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of Praise to God continually that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his Name It was David's resolution to keep his heart under the power and authority of this Law Psal 145.2 Every day will I bless thee and I will praise thy Name for ever and ever 2. Though it be true likewise that there be some days when the Lord calls to mourning As Isa 22.12 Yet the saddest hours that the all-disposing Providence of the most wise God brings us into bring no discharge from this duty Neither need we look for it for these two duties are very well consistent together Otherwise we may be sure that God who gives a command sometimes to Mourn would never have given us a command alwaies to Rejoyce if these two had been contrary one to another And besides even in those daies when divine Dispensations call for mourning when things go most cross to our desires and affections yet we have matter of Thanksgiving if it were but for this That it is never so bad with us but it might be worse Paul acknowledgeth this to be a mercy that he had less cause of sorrow then he might have had Phil. 2.27 For indeed he was sick nigh unto death but God had mercy on him and not on him only but on me also lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow Psal 118.18 19 The Lord hath chastened me sore but he hath not given me over unto death Open to me the gates of righteousness I will go in to them and I will praise the Lord. This needs not seem strange at all for even then when
Testament yet he is blessed whose Soul prospers For as it is said of every Man in his civil capacity In his best estate he is altogether vanity Psal 39.5 He is subject to changes none can tell what a day may bring forth Here we have no continuing City Heb. 13.14 So it may truly be said of a person whose Soul prospers whatever his outward condition be he is altogether blessed Psal 94.12 Blessed is the Man whom thou chastenest O Lord and teachest him out of thy Law When instruction hearkened to goes with correction the Soul prospers he is a blessed Man In Job 1. we have a description of Job's prosperous estate First it is said That he was a Man fearing God But we have farther as it were an Inventory given in of his outward condition He had so many Sheep so many Oxen so many Asses so many Camells c. These were a superadded blessing to Job This is set down to shew the praise of Job's patience who bare such a change so as he did 'T is very true a Man may easily over-rate and over-value his worldly estate Verily if Soul-prosperity do not go before outward prosperity outward prosperity is but like a Cypher and signifies nothing if a figure don't go before it A Man may write a sheet of Paper full of Cyphers but all do not make One When Soul-prosperity goes before God hath done much for such persons They have the Earth they shall have Heaven They have the Nether Springs they shall have the Upper Springs so that if it were asked them as Christ did his Disciples Luk. 22.35 Lacked ye any thing They must answer if they will speak as the matter is as the Disciples did They want nothing God hath not dealt so with all those that have shot the gulph and are past danger for Eternity Many of them are cut short yea they may say many times as Peter did Luk. 5.5 We have fished all night and caught nothing Laboured hard and caught not so much as a Sprat for their breakfast Many a Man that labours all the week hath very much ado to bring both ends together his Gettings and his Expences The wants of some are so many that they often know not what to do and the wants of others are so few that they want nothing but to know how to improve what they have To know how to abound is a far greater blessing then to abound Eccl. 3.14 whatsoever God doth is for ever If God give a Man an outward worldly estate it is for ever What to enjoy it for ever No things seen are but for Time But in respect of the use or abuse of them they are forever Now to speak to that which in particular John desires for his friend Gaius That he might be in health Gaius was not sick now that 's clear from vers 6. He did not keep his Bed nor his Chamber nor his House for John adviseth him to bring the Brethren on their way after a godly sort But he was a sickly Man Note Those that have much of the heart of God and live much in the love of God may feel much of the hand of God as in other troubles so in long continued bodily weaknesses That they may be sick is no marvel for they must dye but we speak of long continued weakness Timothy was such a Man 1 Tim. 5.23 It is observed of Calvin that in his latter days he was very sickly and weak contracted as 't was thought by eating too much Alöes Thuanus saith he was so seven years before his death We find Job observed this in his days Job 21.25 One dyes in the bitterness of his Soul never eats his bread with pleasure One dyes What one Even one good Man as well as one bad Man He speaks indifferently of either all things fall alike to all The good Man dyes in bitterness and pain seldom made a good meal Thus ye see it hath been And I note this only for this purpose that we may see that no new thing befalls them with whom God deals so at this day but that which hath been the lott of those whose Souls have prospered 1 Cor. 10.13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to Man 2. Gaius was very well with respect to his Spiritual state but he was weakly and sickly therefore John prays that he might be in health Hence note Note A healthy constitution of Body though a Man may be bless'd without it yet in it self is a very great and desirable blessing It is a comprehensive blessing It is the Epitome and Abridgment of all outward blessings It is like Salt that Seasons every Meat It is too true this is not so feelingly acknowledged as it ought to be by those that do enjoy it But when as it is in Job a Man's bones are chastened with a multitude of pains and a Man is worn away with pining sickness it is rare to find such a person that doth not set an higher price on health then he did before And verily it is a very great blessing whether it be by preservation from sickness or by recovery out of sickness 1. If it be by preservation from sickness prize it as a very great mercy It is left upon Record as a very signal Providence and gracious Priviledge vouchsafed to the people of Israel when they were in Egypt where there was so much Sickness Plague and Death Yet Psal 105. there was not one feeble person among them when they came forth for it is said Exod. 12.27 they were able to come for thon foot six hundred thousand Persons And ought it not to be esteemed at this day in this place as a great mercy by those Families which God is pleased to preserve from those sicknesses that some are under If ye do not labour to improve this so that God may not repent that he hath spared you ye do not well 2. It is a very great mercy to have health by recovery from sickness and weakness Hezekiah judged it so Isa 38.19 The living shall praise thee as I do this day David speaks to this Psal 103.5 My Soul praise thou the Lord. He renews thy strength as the Eagle The Eagle as it is said all Birds of prey do casts her feathers once a year new feathers grow up again and then she is fresh and lusty and mounts up as high as before Now that health is so great a blessing will appear in this because while the Lord gives it he puts a very great price into the Man's hands that hath it to further his Soul-prosperity A weakly sickly person is under many disadvantages as to that For observe 1. Weakness long continued infirmity often deprives a person of the publick Ordinances Possibly some may at this day by weakness be deprived of such Meetings as this which we are to reckon publick Ordinances not in respect of the Place but Administration Isa 38.22 What shall be the sign that
day to day To set our selves under the actual consideration of God's All-seeing eye who hath absolute Soveraignty over us to whom alone we must stand or fall who can tell us all our thoughts and will render to every Man according to his works and therefore hath a Book of remembrance for those that think upon him and fear his name Mal. 3.16 And hath a bag for iniquity wherein he doth as it were seal up mens sins to bring them forth as Evidences and charge them upon every one as the matter requires And as God is said to have a Book and a Bag so he is said to have a Bottle Psal 56.8 Put my tears into thy bottle are they not in thy book This I say we should charge upon our hearts and renew this charge from day to day till we have some power over them For though it be true that God alone hath the Soveraignty over and is the great disposer of our hearts yet under him we may do much What Man is there whose conscience will not tell him if he consult with it that when his heart is flat and dead alienated from all serious thoughts of the presence of God with him that this is his own neglect his own willful neglect for he knows that when he hath a business to manage of any considerable concernment for his outward estate he can easily command his heart to think on it yea and cannot put it out of his mind when he would so that The abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep Eccl. 5.12 Therefore let us not neglect any longer to exercise that authority which God hath given us over our hearts if we desire our Souls should continue to prosper We must serve him in righteousness and holiness all our days and every day But all we do will come very far short not only of what it ought to be but of what it might be unless we do what we do before him as in his sight Luk. 1.75 Thus of the Second Direction 3. Spiritualize the Providences of every day I mean improve them to some spiritual advantage so as thereby some gracious impressions may be wrought upon your hearts that thereby the duties of the day may be better performed principles of godliness more seasonably exercised and the workings and stirrings of corruption more timely checkt and throughly mortified This will exceedingly help scarce any thing more to preserve the Soul in its thriving and prospering frame Consider then that every day in respect of the Providences of God it is filled up withal is either one of those two days mentioned Eccles 7.14 Either a day of Prosperity or a day of Adversity Or else like that day mentioned Zech. 14.6 Neither clear nor dark but mixt mercies given in one part of the day and crosses taking their turn in the other Now it hath been experienced to be a great means of promoting and preserving Soul-prosperity to spiritualize both the one and the other 1. If the day be a day of Prosperity i. e. if no evil befalls us but that according to the promise Psal 121.7 8 The Lord shall preserve thee from evil The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in When God blesseth the beginning and ending of what we undertake this hath enough in it to raise up in our hearts high thoughts of God that he should load us with benefits Psal 68.19 Such as may be very effectual to keep us under those obligations which his bounty and goodness lays upon us Thus it wrought in David Psal 116. He is reckoning up the mercies of God toward him Then ver 5. He exalteth God in his heart And ver 7. His Soul retires into God and takes up its rest and satisfaction in him alone And ver 9. He heightens his resolution Thus it was with David and thus it may be with us Especially when the thriving prospering Soul hath ground and reason enough to see the present mercies of what kind soever they be as having relation unto and being pledges of Eternal mercies This sweetens them and heightens them how little soever how common soever they be that they may say as David 2 Sam. 7.18 Who am I and what is my father's house This makes them more heart-melting more heart-obliging then otherwise they would be or possibly can be to any Soul that is either dead in sin or in a dying withering languishing condition Six pence received only as a six pence doth not affect the heart like that which is received as an earnest of a greater Sum which shall certainly upon such a day be given to us so it is here when we can conclude that he who kept us this day from evil that it hath not grieved us as Jabes prayed 1 Chron. 4.10 and hath given us quiet and comfortable rest this night can and certainly will keep us by his mighty power through faith unto salvation and this night's rest is a pledge unto us of Eternal rest in those heavenly mansions above in our Father's house And this conclusion though no Man else can yet thriving and prospering Souls may make 2. If the day be a day of Adversity a day filled up with sad tidings or sad events yet the Providences of such a day may be spiritualized to the spiritual advantage of the Soul By a believing consideration from what hand they come as Job did ch 1. ver 21 The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away For what cause A man for the punishment of his sin Lam. 3.39 What God aims at therein sc our profit that we might be partakers of his holiness From what principle David believed that it was in faithfulness to the interest of his Soul that God afflicted him Psal 119.75 A believing consideration I say of these things in such a sad and dark day will conduce to preserve the Soul in a prospering frame By melting down the will into the will of God and by raising up the heart in the exercise of faith hope and patience quietly to wait for support under benefit by and in due time such a deliverance from them all as they shall be able to say to the praise of God's free grace truth and faithfulness as Jacob notwithstanding all his troubles in his life-time which were neither few nor small did on his Death-bed That the Lord delivered him from all evil Gen. 48.16 3. If the day be a mixt day as most days are some comforts some crosses some things going for us and some things against us these parti-coloured Providences may be spiritualized for our Souls advantage and be unto us as the side-wind to the Ship that best fills all the Sails variety of gracious principles may be exercised In such a day we find enough to humble us enough to make us thankful and thoughtful what to render unto the Lord. That it is no worse That it is so well as the King of Spain said when he heard of the miscarriage of
was full of good works Peter finds a great many about her Corps weeping and telling him what good she had done whilst among them and shewed him not her own Wardrobe but the Coats she had made for them Doubtless she that had so many Tears shed for her when she was dead had many prayers put up for her while she was alive Perhaps they were not like to find another Dorcas It might be then as it is now All seek their own none the things of Christ. All look after their own particular interest These are like to be as that wicked Prince 2 Chron. 21.20 who lived undesired and dyed unlamented What will persons say of such Psal 49.19 They will bless them while they live in hope to get something by them but when they dye farewel they They were good for none but themselves But it was not so with Gaius it was not so with Dorcas It is Calvin's note He thinks God raised Dorcas to life out of respect to the poor people 2. Observe our Translation I wish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is in the margent I pray And the word is indifferently rendred Act. 27.29 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They wished for day But 2 Cor. 13.7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I pray God that ye do no evil and yet vers 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I wish your perfection Paul's wishes were his Prayers Note That it is no inconsiderable part of a Christians wisdom to be wary and well advised in what they wish for Wishing is like Praying We find in Scripture that very much guilt hath been contracted and very much folly expressed by wild and extravagant wishes I shall instance in the miscarriages of good people this way Job wisheth that he had never been born chap. 3. Jeremy wisheth that either he had never been born or dyed by and by chap. 20. Jonah wisheth he were dead and as much under ground as he was above ground chap. 4.9 David wisheth that he had dyed for Absolom But the saddest wish is that of Joshua chap. 7. v. 9. He was at prayer but forgate himself sadly Would God saith he we had not come over Jordan He wisheth that God had never made good his Promise of their coming into the Land of Canaan There is much folly expressed hereby Many persons please themselves if they may have liberty of wishing That they might wish for what they would have and have what they wish for then they would be in a brave condition A fond and foolish conceit this is Eccles 6.12 Who knows what is good for himself in this life The words are spoken question-wise and we are to understand them negatively That is only good for us in this life which is improved in order to our Eternal life Now God can carry on that course to bring us to Eternal happiness which he hath chosen his people to by adversity as well as prosperity Therefore this is the duty and wisdom of the people of God to leave it with God as it is Psal 47.4 Thou shalt choose our inheritance for us Wisdom is required to make a good choice in any thing God is the only wise God he will choose well Note this farther In three things God hath set us bounds Bounds to our Faith what to believe Bounds to our Actions what to do And bounds to our Prayers what to desire and what to ask And why should our Wishes be unbounded since they are like Prayers Idle wishes are at least as bad as idle words which no man can give account of Matth. 12.36 Many have gotten their death and destruction by getting what they wisht for They wished they might dye in the Wilderness and they did so Num. 14. Farther John here wisheth That Gaius might prosper John's wish was a prayer to God for him From hence we may take this note Note The well-being and prosperity of every man's outward condition is wholly at God's disposing Psal 127.1 Except the Lord build the house c. It is neither the care of the Master nor the faithfulness of the Servants nor any thing else that can do any thing at all if God say Nay If God doth not make the house to grow as David useth the expression 2 Sam. 23.5 certainly it will wither The Estate the House the Family will decay and in time come to nothing I note this that we may be all stirred up to acknowledge God to be the Fountain and Spring of all outward Blessings whatsoever And accordingly 1. As we desire any thing should succeed that we take in hand relating to our worldly affairs engage God in all that he may work with us therein We have Warrant in every thing to make known our requests to God Phil. 4.6 In every thing be it never so small engage God to be with us therein and say as Abraham's Servant did Gen. 24.11 Lord send me good speed every day 2. As we desire to prosper so serve the Providence of God wait upon him and keep his ways and believe his promises David gives his Son this counsel Keep the charge of the Lord that thou mayest prosper and have good success 1 Kings 2.3 And he had so while he did so It is spoken of such a person Psal 1.3 Whatsoever he doth shall prosper It shall turn to good in order to the furtherance of the Soul's prosperity 3. When the Lord is pleased to bless the labour of our hands to make our going out and our coming in the beginning and ending of what we go about successful give God the praise Sacrifice not to your own Net as that worldly person Psal 49.18 who bless'd himself No give God the glory though the matter be never so small Ruth 2.18 19 20. Naomi being brought into a low condition though she had been a woman of fashion when her daughter-in-law had sped well in gleaning O blessed be the Lord saith she Truly this would be well thought of Psal 73.4 Delight thy self in the Lord and he shall give thee thy hearts desire When God hath given us our hearts desire we should delight our selves in the Lord And the Mercy of God should raise us up to rejoyce in the God of our Mercies This would make every days Mercies to reach our Souls 4. I wish that thou mayest prosper c. It was well with Gaius already He prospered with the best prosperity but John wisheth that he might be royally blessed That mercy might compass him about on every side Hence Observe That though it be a just and measured truth That that Man is a blessed Man whose Soul prospers in what outward condition soever he be yet outward prosperity Soul-prosperity going before is a superadded blessing and may be sought for at the hands of God with submission to the will of God for our selves and in the behalf of others It is without all controversie Though a Man's outward condition were as low as Job's in the Old Testament and as Lazarus's in the New
which are of all others most dreadful and terrible 1. Such a Soul is designed to be driven away from God with his curse upon them Never to see his face To be Eternally separated from those everlasting joys which Souls that live and prosper in a most absolute fullness do enjoy in the enjoyment of God whilst the everlasting God enjoys his own blessed self If this were all the misery were unspeakable It is said Act. 20.37 38. that when Paul took his leave of his friends at Ephesus it was a very sad partting They all wept very sore fell upon Paul 's neck and kissed him sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake unto them that they should see his face no more If this were such an heart-breaking unto them it must needs be impossible for any that ever tasted in any measure how gracious the Lord is to bear so much as a thought of never seeing of never enjoying God more Ye know for a Man to lose his sight were very sad though he should have no pain in his eyes Solomon saith Eccles 7.11 Truly light is sweet and it is a pleasant thing to behold the Sun So that a Man would scarce think that the greatest Worldly prosperity were enough to repair that loss What then would this blind person think of his condition if besides the loss of his sight one should stand by and continually be dropping scalding Lead into his eyes Yet so it is here For 2. A lost unprosperous Soul is not only designed to be thus driven away from God but it is designed to the same misery and the same torment with the Devils and this they can neither escape nor endure None can answer that question Ezek. 22.14 Can thine heart endure or thine hands be strong in the day when I shall deal with thee No it cannot For who knoweth the power of thine anger even according to thy fear so is thy wrath Psal 90.11 None is able to express yea nor to conceive what a dreadful thing it is to be buried as it were alive under the Tomb-stone of the infinite wrath of the ever-living God Heb. 10.31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God Rev. 6.15 16 17 They shall hide themselves in the Dens and in the Rocks of the Mountains And say to the Mountains and Rocks fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand This is that which Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard nor can possibly enter into the heart of Man to conceive Ye find up and down in the Scripture that whatever is most terrible to sense is made use of to express the terribleness of it and yet comes far short of it Let but this one argument sink into your hearts and be if but once a week seriously thought on and possibly this alone may convince you of the truth of what I say That it is the most rational thing in the World for all those who believe they have immortal Souls in mortal Bodys to mind the well-fare and prosperity of their Souls above all things else in the World 4. Let me add one argument more It is the most rational thing in the World for every Man seriously to mind that which above all things else best answers God's great end in giving him his Being and with it all that is needful for support together with more understanding then the Beasts of the field And if ye ask what this is ye have an answer Prov. 16.4 God made all things for himself For the glorifying of his own blessed name Rom. 11 For of him and through him and to him are all things To whom be glory for ever Amen Now as no Man dishonours God but in doing that which tends to the ruine and destruction of his own Soul So no Man doth any thing or possibly can do any thing which really tends to the will-fare of his own Soul but therein he also glorifies God For instance To live in the exercise of Repentance confessing and humbling our Souls in the sight of God for our daily failings To live in the exercise of Faith applying our selves to Jesus Christ as interceding in our behalf for grace and mercy suitable to our daily necessities resting upon his truth and faithfulness in his promises notwithstanding all difficulties appearing in the way of accomplishment Walking in the fear of the Lord and fruitfulness in every good work These are all great fartherers of Soul-prosperity Josh 7.19 My Son give glory to God and make confession to him Revel 16.9 They repented not to give glory to God Rom. 4.19 20 but was strong in faith giving glory to God Isa 8.13 Sanctifie the Lord of Hosts himself and let him be your fear and let him be your dread Joh. 15.8 Herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit This is as certain as that Jesus Christ glorified his Father in finishing the work of Redemption and Salvation for lost sinners Joh. 17.4 Thus ye have the Inference made good Vse 2 If this be so That Soul prosperity is the most desirable prosperity and that it is therefore as ye have heard the most rational thing in the World to mind it above all things else Then be perswaded as the Prophet Isa adviseth ch 46.8 To remember this bring it again to mind resolve upon it and shew your selves to be Men that act according to principles of reason and not Brutes Let that sink into your hearts which ye may read Hos 11.4 The Lord there aggravates their unworthy dealing with him by this That though he knew their aversness to what he had required of them yet he had not drawn them to their duty by violence as unruly Bullocks to the yoak but in a way singularly obliging suitable to rational Creatures He had drawn them with the Cords of a Man with arguments from his bounty and goodness which of all others carry the highest grounds of reason with them why God should be obeyed This I say should be seriously considered that reflecting on our selves and finding that God deals thus with us draws us with the Cords of a Man in an argumentative way to perswaded us to this great duty O then let us be perswaded to stir up our selves with the uttermost bent of our endeavours from this day forward to mind it as the great business of our lives and pray as Gen. 9.27 that God would enlarge our hearts and fill them with desires and resolutions about this matter and diligently hearken to the counsel which God in his word prescribes you in this great affair To make way to acquaint you with what that is I must mind you a little of that which was more largely spoken unto when we first entred upon the explication of the point Two things were then endeavoured to be cleared
that this above all things else hath a powerful influence into its spiritual well-fare and prosperity For this keeps life in faith and heart in hope and enables the Soul to live in the exercise of them both and in the exercise of Repentance and keeps the heart warm with love to Christ In the exercise of which graces as hath been shewed Soul-prosperity doth consist and is much promoted 1 Joh. 3.3 And every one that hath this hope purifieth himself as he is pure Zech. 12.10 I will powre the spirit of grace and supplication and they shall look on him whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for him Luk. 7.47 Her sins which are many are forgiven for she loved much 2 Cor. 5.14 15 For the love of Christ constraineth us c. Therefore as ever we desire that our Souls should prosper let us be much in the meditation of the Materials whereof the garment of this Righteousness is made that we may distinctly understand it and let every humbled Sinner wrestling against the workings of his unbelief and making out after an interest in Christ adventure to apply it and to receive it as that which is freely offered unto him Rev. 22.17 And the Spirit and the Bride say Come and let him that heareth say Come And let him that is athirst Come and whosoever will let him take the Water of life freely And so put it on though by a weak and trembling faith and continue still to do it that so in due time when the only-wise God sees it best for us we may know we have it This is the way to find rest to our Souls For consider but these two things 1. That as the imputation of Adam's sin was the original of all ungodliness and the undoing of all our Souls so the imputation of this Righteousness to the Soul and the clothing of the Soul with it is the original of all the principles of godliness which are the life and prosperity of the Soul for by the merit of his death Christ purchased them all and by his intercession and pleading this he applyeth them all 2. Consider this That it is as great yea and greater satisfaction to Christ himself to see an humbled conflicting Soul receive it put it on apply it and plead it for what grace and mercy soever it stands in need of I say it is a greater satisfaction to Christ himself to see such a Soul do it then it is to the Soul it self that doth it though he know he hath done it so as is accepted Isa 53.11 He shall see of the travail of his Soul and be satisfied He accounts all the travails of his Soul all his sufferings all his obedience to the Law satisfied for in this And thus much of that Garment of Righteousness which is wrought for the Soul by Christ himself 2. The Soul that prospers must be clothed with the Garment of Righteousness wrought in the Soul by the Spirit of Christ The righteousness wrought in the Soul is the same with that which is called Saving grace and true holiness It is called Righteousness because it is the impression of God's Righteousness upon the Soul in the exercise whereof the Soul works unto God as the chiefest good and utmost end by a right rule set in the Word and therefore often expressed by Vprightness and Sincerity Every Soul that is clothed with the outward garment the Garment of Righteousness wrought for him is also clothed with the inward Garment of Righteousness wrought in him though all are not so well clothed with it as some are but in some measure All are For these two garments though they are distinguished yet they are always worn together and never divided Where Christ is Righteousness to the Soul he hath wrought this Righteousness in the Soul He that puts on Christ puts on The New Man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness Eph. 4.24 Hence it is that when those whose Souls did prosper are said to be righteous Persons as Noah Gen. 7.1 Abel Matth. 23.35 Abraham Isa 41.2 Zachary and Elizabeth Luk. 1.6 And Lot 2 Pet. 2.8 his Soul is said to be a righteous Soul And when it is said That the righteous shall shine as the Sun in the firmament Matth. 13.43 And enter into Eternal Life Matth. 25.46 We must understand it that they were clothed with both these Garments both that of Righteousness wrought for them and that of Righteousness wrought in them And whereas it is said 1 Cor. 6.9 That no unrighteous person can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven We must understand it of those who have not the double clothing of Righteousness He that hath not both hath neither And he that hath the one hath the other And so far as a Man knows that he is clothed with the One so far he knows that he is clothed with the Other and he that questions either will question both He that is in doubt that he hath not the One is in doubt that he hath not the Other In the prosecuting of this point something had need to be said to each of the four Particulars 1. I shall shew what the garment of Righteousness wrought in us is The materials whereof it is made 2. I shall shew that without this garment whatever profession is made of interest in that other Garment of Righteousness which is wrought for us the Soul cannot prosper 3. That the better the Soul is clothed with this garment the more it doth and the better it will prosper 4. Some Directions in reference to the clothing our selves with and well using of this Garment 1. What this Garment of Righteousness wrought in us is or the Materials whereof it is made Ye may take this brief description of it It is that Heaven-born Principle of spiritual life which contains in it the whole seed of God the universal principle of godliness enclining the heart seriously to endeavour that every known truth may be heartily submitted unto every gracious principle exercised every corruption mortified every duty performed every infirmity bewailed the conversation in all things rightly ordered every Providence improved and all as in the sight of God Ye see this garment is made up of several pieces I can do no less and I shall do more then speak a little to each of them 1. It is that Heaven-born principle of spiritual life which contains in it the universal principle of godliness As Original sin is a universal principle of Corruption levening throughout the whole lump of Man's nature So this principle of Righteousness wrought in the Soul graciously renews the whole Man though not wholly The new Creature is born at once though it grows by steps and degrees Therefore every one that thinks or desires to be clothed with it must put on the whole Armour of God Eph. 6.10 2 Pet. 1.5 6 7 Giving all diligence add to your faith vertue c. Col. 3.12 13 Put on as the elect of