the Providences of God have very much appearance of contradiction to the Promises and are therefore most sadly cross to our hopes and expectations a gratious person if his Soul prosper and be kept in a gratious frame may by the eye of Faith foresee the good hand of God working even then for good unto him David in one of the saddest days that ever befell him as dark as it was with him had a glimmering of this 2 Sam. 16.12 Let Shimei alone said he let him curse it may be the Lord will look upon mine affliction and will requite me good for his cursing me this day I can tell you of one whose spiritual sight was clear in this matter One that when sad tydings were brought him that cut deep and went near his heart Well saith he I will go and bless God for that good which in due time I believe he will work out by the heavy burden now laid upon me He did believe there would Honey be found at the end of that Rod. These persons knew full well that all things that do befall the Lords Covenant people are either blessings in their own nature or are turned into blessings in the Issue Psal 25.10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his Covenant and his Testimonies He always hath and ever will so order all things as that they shall all work to bring electing love and glorifying love together This Jacob experienced Compare Gen. 42.36 Joseph is not and Simeon is not and will ye take Benjamin away All these things are against me with Gen. 48.16 The Angel which redeemed me from all evil bless the Lads And David did hope to find it so when his condition was very low and his spirit very much sunk and fallen Psal 42.11 Why art thou cast down O my Soul and why art thou disquieted within me Hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God Thus ye have the first Particular that it is our duty every day Though we are sometimes called to Mourning yet we are always called to Thansgiving therefore we ought to resolve with David Psal 34.1 I will bless the Lord at all times his praise shall continually be in my mouth 2. When the Soul is always habitually prepared and as the matter requires abounds in the actual performance of this duty it is in a prosperous and spiritually thriving frame This will appear if we enquire into the nature of Religious Thanksgiving For these three things we shall find necessarily required to the essence of it 1. A Cordial acknowledging of God alone as the Supreme cause and first mover in all the good we have of what kind soever it be by what hand soever it is conveyed unto us This is necessary for we shall never pay our Rent to him whom we do not acknowledge our Landlord We have cause to say of every thing the least thing we receive as Psal 118.23 This is the Lords doing 2. A real sensibleness that it is the Almighty goodness of God and that alone that sets his all-disposing Providence on work to give forth any thing the least thing unto us that may be any way useful unto us And this in conjunction with an humble sense of our own unworthiness to live in the thoughts of such a God who hath all the World to care for for our good even the least good Thus did Jacob Gen. 32.10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy Servant Gen. 33.5 The Children which God hath graciously given thy Servant 3. An hearty and humble resignation of our selves to live unto God because of his goodness unto us This is the Law of thankfulness and so far as a thankful heart lives under this Law so far he must be able to say as Paul did Phil. 1.21 To me to live is Christ These thing are essential to the acceptable discharge of this duty and so far as Men fail in any of them so far they come short in the due performance thereof And this being duly considered it is very evident that that work of praising God so as to give him the praises due unto his name as the expression is Psal 29.2 is so humbling so melting so self-abasing so God-exalting taking all from Self and giving all to God so heart-engaging and obliging that it cannot be otherwise but that the Soul doth prosper yea exceedingly prosper when it is faithful therein Read 2 Sam. 7. vers 10. to the end And 1 Chron. 29. from vers 10. to the end of the 19th And ye shall find in both those Chapters that David's heart was never more after Gods own heart nor ever did his Soul more eminently prosper then at that time when it was so warm in this duty And this would be farther taken notice of that we never read in all the Scripture so far as I can find that any whose Soul was not at least in a capacity of prospering whatever they might do formally did ever set themselves seriously about it We find Saul sometime sacrificing and now and then enquiring after God We read of Ahab humbling himself and walking in Sack-cloth but not a word of Praising God either by the one or by the other No marvel for pure need may drive a Man to his prayers As Jon. 1.5 Then the Mariners were afraid and cryed every Man to his God But it is pure Grace that makes a Man thankful as thankfulness hath been described in its Essential parts Formal thanksgivings are common and with some more common then formal prayers But neither the one nor the other signifie any thing with God Job 35.13 Surely God will not hear vanity neither will the Almighty regard it A mouthful of words is but a mouthful worth no more with God then a mouthful of wind It is certain there is no more real thankfulness then there is a real resignation of our selves to God to live unto him 2 Tim. 3.2 Vnthankful and unholy are conjoined Though they may be somewhat distinguished yet they are not divided Eph. 5.4 Neither filthiness nor foolish talking nor jesting which are not convenient but rather giving of thanks Ye may collect from thence that a thankful Soul is a mortified Soul It is true we read that the Pharisee began with a Lord I thank thee Luk. 18.11 but he stumbled at the Threshold for read over all that he saith to the end and ye will find that he doth not so much praise God as commend himself I shall conclude this with Eph. 5.19 20 Speaking to your selves in Psalms Giving thanks always for all things to God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ These two verses speak fully to that which I aim at for observe the connexion between them and ye will find the Apostle makes giving of thanks always for all things an effect
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
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
Paul had it Phil. 4.13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me And he exhorts all that when they have put on the whole armour of God and have every grace ready for exercise yet then to Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Eph. 6.10 11. 3. Let this be thought on too That though we ought to rest upon Christ for his assistance herein as if he were to do all and we our selves were to do nothing at all yet we ought so to stir up our selves and exercise our most serious thoughts and endeavours herein as if no help at all were to be expected from him Phil. 2.12 13. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling For it is God who worketh in you both to will and to do Thus I have shewed you the expressions in the Text leading me that way that what in a natural way is necessary for the health and well-fare of the body that in a spiritual way is as much necessary for the health well-fare and prosperity of the Soul And this I have shewed in four Particulars I told you when I entred first upon this use That when in the use of these means all begins to be well within the Soul begins to thrive and prosper Yet it may possibly have its fainting fits sometimes by reason of continued afflictions sometimes from a deep sense of invincible infirmities For the more of these gracious principles there are in the heart and the more they are exercised the more sad impression the least failing makes upon the heart No marvel if it be with such as it was with Jonah when the waters compassed him about and the reeds were wrapt about his head then he said his Soul fainted within him Jon. 2.5 6 7. And David had like to have done so when false witnesses were risen up against him I had fainted saith he unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living Psal 27.12 13. Now as when Nature is almost spent and bodily strength fails there is need of relief by some comfortable Cordials As that poor Man 1 Sam. 30.12 being faint David's Men gave him something and then his spirits came to him which it seems were departing from him Now as the Lord Jesus was very tender over those that came from far to hear him and had been three days with him lest they should faint in their way homeward and therefore he wrought a miracle to relieve them Matth. 15.32 So without doubt he is as tender to prevent Soul-fainting Isa 57 15 16 to revive the Spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones For I will not contend for ever neither will I be always wroth for the spirit should fail before me and the Souls which I have made Something therefore must be said to this Therefore though I cannot descend to particulars that would be too great a work I shall only give some general rules which may be indifferently applyed to all cases Let then every Soul that is ready to faint 1. Do as Jonah did in the place before quoted chap. 2. ver 7 My Soul fainted within and I remembred the Lord. Remembrance implies dependence Psal 20.7 But we will remember the name of the Lord our God This is prescribed for a fainting Soul Isa 50.10 Who is among you that feareth the Lord and obeyeth the voice of his servant that walketh in darkness and hath no light Let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God Now we must know that the Name of the Lord may have reference to that name Exod. 34.5 6 7 The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious c. This is very chearing For a fainting Soul may sometimes take encouragement from an Attribute of God when he doubts whether he may touch with a promise or no. Or it may have reference to that name Jer. 23 6 The Lord our Righteousness Certainly when a Soul seeth nothing in it self whereby it can challenge any interest in any ground of comfort yet because there is grace and mercy enough in the name of God and merit and righteousness enough in the Son of God such a Soul may see ground enough to resolve as Isa 8.17 I will wait upon the Lord that hideth his face from the house of Jacob and I will look for him Psal 34.5 They looked to him and were lightened and their faces were not ashamed Though all the clouds were not presently scattered yet they had some light And a little Candle in a dark room in a very dark night though it do not make it day as the Sun doth yet it is some reviving till the day do appear 2. Let it be well considered what God imposeth upon fainting Souls as one great part of their work in such a season Psal 55.22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved When thou art ready to faint under thy burden cast it upon me saith the Lord Matth. 11.28 Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden Do then as David did he hears the command speaking in general unto all Psal 27.8 Seek ye my face and seeth himself concerned in it and therefore resolves Thy face Lord will I seek It is observable that when Christ commanded the blind Man to come unto him Mar. 10.49 Be of good comfort say those that were by-standers the Master calls thee Such commands in this case may sometimes be of greater use then promises and more effectual for the silencing of doubts and discouragements For the best are apt when in the dark to dispute their interest in the promises till they have disputed themselves out of all heart to close with them But Commands are not to be disputed but obeyed See Luk. 5.5 There was discouragement enough They had fished all night and caught nothing nevertheless say they at thy word we will let down the Net 3. Taking it for granted that a fainting Soul in obedience to the command of Christ is willing if able to come to Christ and to close with him And if the question were put to him as it was to Rebecca Gen. 24.58 Wilt thou go with this man He would answer as she did I will go And hearing the terms whereon he promiseth to be ours can and doth yield unto them as heartily as Laban did to Jacob's and desire as he did Gen. 30.34 I would it might be according to thy word Then let every fainting Soul know his right and claim it and know his duty upon this account and set about it 1. Know his right and claim it What 's that Even the promises of God as his inheritance for those that yield to Christ's terms are received into the number of his adopted Children Joh. 1.12 And if Children then Heirs Rom. 8.17 Heirs of what See Gal. 3.29 And if ye be Christs then are ye Abraham's