Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	full_a	lord_n	psal_n	2,435	5	7.5110	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34877	A supplement to Knowledge and practice wherein the main things necessary to be known and believed in order to salvation are more fully explained, and several new directions given for the promoting of real holiness both of heart and life : to which is added a serious disswasive from some of the reigning and customary sins of the times, viz. swearing, lying, pride, gluttony, drunkenness, uncleanness, discontent, covetousness and earthly-mindedness, anger and malice, idleness / by Samuel Cradock ... useful for the instruction of private families.	Cradock, Samuel, 1621?-1706.	1679 (1679)	Wing C6756; ESTC R15332	329,893	408

the encrease of their Graces and so for the furtherance of their glory Thirdly They have good assurance that all things shall work together for their good Rom. 8.28 And therefore no cause to complain Fourthly Though godliness hath the promises of this life as well as of that to come 1 Tim. 4.8 Yet those promises of Temporal blessings must be understood with this limitation viz. That they shall be made good to them so far forth as God shall see it good and convenient for his Children in this life and no further Fifthly The prosperity of wicked men in this World is many ways very hurtfull and extremely disadvantagious to them in reference to their Eternal condition Outward sufferings with Spiritual blessings are ordinarily the Lot of Gods Children here on Earth as outward prosperity with Spiritual calamity is very frequently the Lot of the ungodly The prosperity of fools destroys them saith Solomon Prov. 1.32 Sixthly There will be a day of Judgment wherein all things will be set right though here things oftentimes seem to be out of course Seventhly Eternity is long enough to punish the wicked and reward the Godly therefore let us not take our measures either of happiness or misery from the outward dispensations of this life The Consideration of this Attribute should make these impressions upon us First if God be just then this should make all impenitent sinners tremble Except men repent 't is not consistent with Gods justice they should be pardoned What great cause have ungodly impenitent sinners to tremble at the Justice of God which engages him to deal so severely with them and to punish them everlastingly as his Enemies O wretched sinner what aileth thee to make this just God thine enemy What folly What madness possesses thee that thou shouldst make a mock at sin and laugh at Hell and Damnation Shall not the Justice of God terrifie thee and keep thee off from those sinfull courses which expose thee to so certain a vengeance Secondly Gods Justice is a great consolation to the Righteous He will justifie them whom his Gospel justifies because he is just 1 John 1.9 If thou break off thy sins by repentance and apply thy self to Him for pardon in and through the merits of his Son He is just and therefore will make good his promise of pardon to thee Thirdly God being just let us bless his name for finding out a way whereby his Justice may be satisfied and so we poor sinners pardoned His Justice might have taken every one of us by the Throat and said Pay all thou owest and then what should we have done We could not have payed one Farthing of the Debt O let us for ever bless his Holy Name that he hath provided so good a surety for us who hath undertaken the payment of our Debt and to satisfie his justice in our behalf Fourthly Let us labour to imitate God in this Attribute of his Justice that is let us give to every one what of right is due to him Let us labour to give to God his due and to man his due Let us not rob God of his time allotted for his service Let us give him our Hearts and serve him with the best of our affections Let us give to man what is due to him not injuring any man wittingly and willingly And in case of wrong done let us labour to make satisfaction Non remittitur peccatum nisi restituatur ablatum Remember that the sin is notre mitted except that which is taken away wrongfully be restored IV. God is Mercifull Mercifull He is called The Father of Mercies 2 Cor. 1.3 Abundant in Mercy 1. Pet. 1.3 Rich in Mercy Eph. 2.4 And sayes the Psalmist Psal 145.8 9. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion slow to anger and of great mercy The Lord is good to all and his tender mercies are over all his works All the Attributes of God are glorious yet he rejoyceth most in the manifestation of his mercy and goodness Exod. 33.18 19. When Moses desired the Lord to shew him his glory He said I will make all my goodness pass before thee and I will proclaim the Name of the Lord before thee and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will shew mercy to whom I will shew mercy Isai 63.7 I will mention the loving kindnesses of the Lord and the praises of the Lord according to all that the Lord hath bestowed upon us and the great goodness toward the House of Israel which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies and according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses He delights not in the death of a sinner His mercy is so great to all that he will destroy none but for their wilfull sin The consideration of this Attribute should teach us these Lessons First Gods mercy should lead sinners to repentance It should shame them from their sins It should encourage them to repent as well as engage them to it O sinners remember we have to do with a mercifull God who hath not forbid any to come in but continueth to invite them who have often refused and will undoubtedly welcome and pardon all that will return and come in But mercy it self will have no mercy on the Impenitent Isai 27.11 It is a People of no understanding therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour Wo to all them against whom mercy it self shall rise up in Judgment There is mercy with thee that thou mayest be feared sayes the Psalmist Psal 130.4 Were there no hope of pardon Men would be as desperate as the Devils themselves But God is merciful He delighteth not in the death of a sinner Object But you will say how comes it to pass then that so many men are damned if God delights not in the death of a sinner Answ Divines tells us of voluntas Dei Antecedens Consequens that is the Antecedent and Consequent will of God By the former as a Law-giver He gives just and good Laws and wills that Men should obey them that they may be happy in so doing By the other if they will not obey as a just Judge he wills they should be punished So that their ruine is from themselves and not from God Secondly The Mercy of God should be the matter of our daily praises The meditation of God's Mercy should produce in us delightfull thoughts and should keep as it were a continual sweetness upon our hearts and cause us to study the most gratefull returns unto God They that live continually upon Mercy should be as it were turned into love and thankfullness It should become as it were their Nature and Constitution as the food men live upon will be seen in their Temperature health and strength O how unspeakable is the Mercy of God that provides so well for his Servants in this their Warfare and Pilgrimage through this World O

But does not the annexing of such a condition as this unto forgiveness lessen the grace and bounty of it Answer No in no wise For consider these things 1. The dispensing of pardon and forgiveness upon such a condition as faith in Christ which includes Gospel obedience is one of the most effectual means to introduce sanctity and holiness into the World For what more effectual way can there be to do it than to make it conditionally necessary to justification and salvation 2. Gods immutable holiness and justice is hereby made more illustrious and his solemn hatred and dislike of sin is more manifested For hereby 't is evident that God will save no man in his sins but from his sins Whom he justifies he will sanctify No mans sin is so forgiven that the least allowance is vouchsafed to it None but such as are sanctified can be accepted of him 3. Whatever is by the Gospel conditionally required of us is fully and freely given us Faith and every other grace is the gift of God We perform the condition required of us solely by the power of his grace freely given unto us And all the rewards of the Gospel are but the gracious remunerations of Gods own gifts and graces Free grace and divine bounty is the root that bears all And therefore the holiest men on earth have the greatest cause to be most humble For having received most they ought most to abase themselves 4. 'T is fit that all who shall be saved should be rationally satisfied of the excellency of that life the Gospel calls them unto For the precepts of the Gospel are framed and calculated for our advantage and benefit The commands of Christ are in no wise grievous to any man truly and rationally informed of his own interest The Gospel commands us to be sober righteous and godly and 't is rationally best for us so to be both in order to our own good and the good and benefit of others among whom we live And therefore 't is fit we should make a solemn choice of this life for our selves and seriously resolve as men of truth and fidelity to pursue it There ought to be sincerity of intention and endeavour in us to live this life though we do not arrive at perfection of action We should therefore examine what is the deliberate choice of our wills whether to be Sanctified by the Spirit of Christ as well as to be justified by his merits Christ will not judge of us by a suddain passionate choice but by our rational and advised choice And we must especially take heed of all degrees of insincerity and hypocrisie which of all sins under the Gospel does most dangerously border on a breach of the condition required Believe it those things that keep people usually from the good things of the Gospel are either a direct refusal of Christ or a sloathful carelesness unconcerned neglect of him or a prevailing falseness in the course of Gospel obedience I shall conclude all that I shall say upon this argument with these four particulars 1. Our Lord and Saviour did certainly perform all things that were required to be performed by him as our mediator 2. By reason of the high dignity of his person his obedience and sufferings are of more value and worth than the obedience and sufferings of all mankind would have been 3. These things being performed by him in our nature and wholly upon o●r account God accepts them for us though not as done by us and reckons all the benefits and advantages of them to us 4. If we desire to partake of the benefits of Christs active and passive obedience we must sincerly believe in him and take him for our Lord and Saviour and if our Faith be a true justifying Faith it will purify our hearts and reform our lives Having thus explained this Doctrine of the forgiveness of sins let us now consider what improvement we should make of it 1. Let us admire the infinite goodness of God that there is a possibility of pardon for the children of men who are naturally under wrath There is none for the Angels that fell 2. Let us often meditate upon and admire the way of it 1. No pardon to be obtained for man without a Mediator And where could fallen man have found a Mediator that would have undertaken his cause 2. No ordinary Mediator would suffice If all the holy Angels had joyned together it would have not been sufficient Only the eternal Son of God could effect it 3. Let us consider that Christ obtained our peace not by a bare mediation but by paying a price for us and making full satisfaction to the Will and Justice of God by his obedience and sufferings 3. Let us often admire the benefits of it 1. It is not only a great mercy in it self but the foundation of all other mercies 'T is the Queen of mercies that hath a glorious train of other mercies attending it Psal 32.1 Blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven whose iniquities are covered to whom the Lord imputeth not transgression None of the antient Philosophers ever gave such a definition of happiness 2. The sense of this mercy makes all afflictions more easie to be born What can hurt us if God be reconciled to us 3. Pardoning mercy brings healing with it unto the Soul Christ Sanctifies those by his Spirit whose pardon he procures by his Merits 4. It affords great comfort against death which is otherwise terrible of terribles 4. If pardoning mercy be so great a mercy let us often consider how vile and wretched those persons are who slight this mercy But who are they 1. All careless ones who neglect this great salvation and prefer the things of the World before it 2. All wicked and prophane ones who go on daily increasing their guilt not minding to make peace with God 3. All that rest on any thing besides Christs righteousness and intercession for the procuring their pardon with God 5. Let us all examine our selves whether we have obtained this blessedness or no. Many content themselves with weak grounds on which they build their hopes of pardon 1. They are not so bad as others They think they are sinners yet guilty but of few sins in comparison of what others are guilty of I answer Possibly they may not be so bad as others yet they may be in a very bad condition for all that out of which if they do not get they will be everlastingly miserable 2. Others think well of them Be it so But we shall not stand or fall by mans Judgment 3. They live civilly so they may do and yet be unconverted and without true conversion and regeneration no salvation is to be expected 6. Seeing God is ready to forgive let us all endeavor to secure this blessedness to our selves 1. Let us seek it as earnestly as ever we sought any thing in the World 2. those that must shortly be arraigned If a guilty Malefactor knew

Nature to us And First He hath revealed himself to be a pure simple immaterial invisible Being a Spirit of transcendent glory Joh. 4.24 not having any matter or corporcity nor being compounded as bodies are And therefore we should not Picture him to our Eye-sight nor represent him to our Fancies under any bodily shape or figure whatsoever but should raise our apprehensions to the highest and holyest to the purest and most Spiritual conceptions of him that we can possible frame We should labour to see this invisible God by the eye of Faith and observe his power and efficacy working in all his Creatures 'T is He that enlightens us by the Sun and warms us by the fire and makes our food to nourish us and his other Creatures to do us good The Schoolmen say There are Three ways of knowing God First Per viam eminentiae when we ascribe all possible perfections to him Secondly Per viam negationis when we remove from him all imperfections whatsoever Thirdly Per viam causationis when we see and acknowledge that all things that are made are made by him and receive their being and all their powers and perfections from him Secondly God is an infinite Being for whatsoever hath no cause of being can have no bounds or limits of being set to it For the reason why any Being is bounded limited and confin'd to such a measure and degree of Being only is because the Author of its existence communicated and bestowed only so much being power and efficacy upon it and no more He that made it set limits and bounds to it that hitherto its Essence should go and extend and no further All things that receive their Being as all things Created do can have no more of being life power or vertue than is given them by the Author of their Nature And as they received their Being from him so they received their limitation to this or that set kind of Being also The First Being therefore that hath nothing to give it Being hath nothing to give it limits and as it were to confine it to this or that kind form and degree of Being As therefore the First Being could not be the cause of existence to it self so neither could it limit confine or bound it self And there was nothing else without it that could set bounds or limits to it It remains therefore that it must needs be an Essence unbounded unlimited and so absolutely infinite and immense Infinite in Life and so Eternal Infinite in Wisdom and so Omniscient Infinite in Power and so Omnipotent and infinite in Goodness and all perfections That Being therefore that hath more Power Wisdom and Goodness than all the World beside that is the Being we call God That Being that hath communicated to all things else the Being Power Life Virtue and all such perfections as they have is the God whom we acknowledg adore and worship We come now to consider the Attributes of God more Particularly which are those glorious excellencies Of the Attributes of God and proprieties of his Divine Essence which declare and manifest his Nature to us and whereby we are inabled in some measure to conceive aright of him And these are of Two sorts Incommunicable Communicable First Incommunicable which are such Attributes as agree to God alone and cannot belong to any Creature Such as are His Eternity Omnipresence Omnipotence Omniscience Secondly Communicable which are such Attributes which though they be infinite perfections in God yet some resemblances of them are found in the Creatures Such are His Wisdom Holiness Justice Mercy and Faithfulness I begin with His incommunicable Attributes And God is Eternal I. God is an Eternal Being and none is Eternal but himself Psal 90.2 From everlasting to everlasting thou art God That which had no cause had no beginning and that which had no beginning is Eternal Time which is a duration that hath beginning and end is competible to man and other visible Creatures A●viternity which is a duration that hath a beginning but no end is competible to good and evil Angels and to the Souls of men But Eternity which hath neither beginning nor end belongs only to God Isai 57.15 He is called The high and l●sty one who inhabiteth Eternity that is who alone is Eternal He speaks of Eternity as a House or Palace which a King inhabiteth or dwelleth in as his own peculiar Possession in which no other man has any right but himself And 2 Pet. 3.8 The Apostle says A Thousand years with him are but as one day and this is the first of his incommunicable Attributes He is Eternal Let us now consider what improvement we should make of this Attribute Gods Eternity should fill our Souls with admiring thoughts of him Who can think of Eternity without amazement Man is a Creature of few days and ere long shall be no more here Our Bodies are perishing but our Souls must last to Eternity Let us therefore mind things Eternal 2 Cor. 4.18 Whatever we neglect let us labour to secure to our selves Eternal happiness Zeuxi● that famous Painter said He did pingere aeternitati he drew his Pictures with such care that they might last if it were possible and be famous to Eternity Let us all so pray so read so live and do all that we do as those that desire to obtain a happy Eternity Nulla satis magna securitas ubi periclitatur aeternitas We can never be over carefull to secure our Eternal state in Bliss and happiness II. God is Omnipresent Omnipresent or every where present He is not confined or limited to any place Jer. 23.24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him saith the Lord Do not I fill Heaven and Earth The sweet Singer of Israel Psal 139.7 8 9 10. Cryes out Whither shall I go from thy Spirit Or whither shall I free from thy presence If I ascend up to Heaven thou art there if I make my Bed in Hell behold thou art there if I take the Wings of the Morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the Sea even there shall thy hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold me if I say the darkness shall cover me even the night shall be light about me yea the darkness hideth not from thee but the night shineth as the day the darkness and the light are both alike to thee Gods Omnipresence should imprint a constant awe of his Majesty upon our Souls We should always behave our selves as those that believed he stood by He is neither shut up in nor excluded out of any place nay he is beyond all place or space where any Creature is He is every where for his Essence is unbounded And further this should convince us that he is incomprehensible and that we cannot have a full adaequate and comprehensive knowledge of him (b) Non esset Deus magnus nisi esset major captu nostro Canst thou by searching

his Disciples Matth. 13.16 17. Blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear for verily I say unto you that many Prophets and Righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see and have not seen them and to hear those things which ye hear and have not heard them It was meet that the glory of a clearer discovery of eternal life should be reserved to Christ himself Now the veil is done away 3. A less forcible influence and efficacy accompanied the old administration than doth the new The spirit of Christ is now poured forth more abundantly since his Ascension and a more mighty operation of the Spirit accompanies the ministry of the Gospel 2 Cor. 3.6 4. A more servile spirit acted in those who were under the old Administration they being drawn generally more by the terrors of the Law than by the promises of Grace 5. In respect of extent they much differ For the old was revealed but to few in comparison viz. to the Jews and their Proselytes whereas the grace of the Gospel is held forth to all Nations 6. The old Covenant was to last but for a time viz. till the time of reformation Heb. 9.10 but the new is to last unto the end of the world and shall never wax old or wear away 7. They differ in respect of their Sacraments Circumcision and the Passeover which were the chief Sacraments under the old Administration were bloody Sacraments for Christs blood was then to be shed But under the new our Sacraments are unbloody for Christs blood is shed 8. They differ as to the manner of their ratification The old was ratified by the blood of the Levitical Sacrifices the new by the blood of the Son of God Having thus spoken of the Covenant of Grace in the general and of the old and new dispensation thereof in particular let us now consider what use we are to make of this Doctrine 1. Let us bless God for making this Covenant with faln Man Let us consider the freeness of it There was nothing in us but our misery to move him to it And he made no such Covenant with the Angels that fell 2. Let us consider the sureness of it God hath confirmed it 1. by his word and promise 2. by his oath 3. by his sea 'T is indeed called sometimes a Covenant and sometimes a Testament A Covenant with reference to God the Father who hath made this gracious Covenant with the children of men and in it hath promised many great priviledges and blessings unto them that perform the conditions therein required He promises in this Covenant 1. That He will be our God Heb. 8.10 And that is a very large and comprehensive promise 2. That He will forgive all our sins And therefore when God shewed mercy to his people of Israel He is said to have remembred his Covenant Exod. 2.24 And the Saints of old did use in their approaches to God to plead this Covenant and to ground their Faith and Hope on it Psal 74.20 Jer. 14.21 3. That He will renew and sanctify our natures and write his Law upon our hearts 4. That He will put his fear into our hearts that we shall not depart from him Jer. 32.40 and so will preserve us by his grace and power from total and final Apostacy 5. That no outward thing that He sees good for us shall be wanting to us 6. That He will give us Eternal glory in the other life And as it is called a Covenant with reference to ●od so 't is called a Testament with reference to Christ who by his blood and death confirmed it and as a Testator bequeathed life and salvation to all penitent Believers He having all power and auth●rity given him both in Heaven and Earth Mat. 28.18 2. Let us bless God that we were born under the best dispensation of the Covenant of Grace 'T is an unvaluable mercy to be born under the new Covenant or Gospel dispensation This is called a bettter Covenant as being established on better promises Heb. 8.6 viz. more spiritual more clear and more extensive The old was a ministration of the letter 2 Cor. 3.6 7 8. It literally declared what was to be done but comparatively there was little spiritual ability afforded for the performing of the things injoyned I say comparatively the old had but a weak operation in respect of the new Not that the old had no Spiritual efficacy For many under it were eminent in Grace as Abraham Moses Josiah Hezekiah c. but the more plentiful effusion of the Spirit was reserved till Christs Ascension 3. As ever we expect to injoy the priviledges and benefits of the Covenant of Grace let us make conscience to perform the conditions therein required which are these 1. Repentance which is a Grace necessary to prepare us to receive Christ 2. Faith in Christ We cannot become the Children of God but by Faith in Christ Jesus Gal. 3.26 3. Obedience which is a grace necessary to inable us to walk answerably to this holy Covenant Deut. 10.12 13. And now Israel what doth the Lord thy God require of thee but to fear the Lord thy God to walk in all his ways and to love him and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul To keep the Commandments of the Lord and his Statutes which I command thee this day for thy good CHAP. III. Of the Mediator between God and Man SECT I. Of the Titles of the Mediator I believe in Iesus Christ his only Son our Lord. JEsus Christ the only Son of God is the Mediator of the Covenant of Grace Concerning whom we shall inquire 1. What his Titles are by which he is called The Titles given him in the ancient Creed are four Jesus Christ the only Son of God our Lord of all which I shall speak in order 1. Jesus Jesus which signifies a Saviour God by an Angel gave him that name Matth. 1.21 He was designed by God the Father to perform for the Children of Men whatsoever is implied in his name Jesus denotes the work and business for which he came into the World The Angel told the Shepherds Luke 2.11 unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour who is Christ the Lord so 1 Tim. 1.15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the World to save Sinners and here let us consider how Jesus is a Saviour and why truly and properly so called This will more particularly appear if we consider the great evils he saves us from and the great benefits he hath purchased for us 1. He saves us from the guilt of sin By his exact Obedience to the Law and by his Sufferings and Passion he hath made satisfaction to the Justice of God for our sins He hath trod the Wine-press of his Fathers Wrath for us Rev. 19.15 He hath born our sins in his

Servant 4. The humble Soul is filled with an high admiring and affectionate gratitude to God as the free giver of all the mercies it enjoys 'T is very thankful for temporals but much more for spirituals and owns all to the free bounty and goodness of God The humble Soul is a great admirer of free grace and highly prizes our Lord Jesus Christ and his great undertaking for the redemption of Mankind 5. The humble Soul is patient under afflictions and clears God of any hard dealing in his proceedings against him He charges not Good foolishly how sharp soever his afflictions be 6. The humble person is patient under the neglects and disrespects he meets with from men 'T is not for me saith the humble Soul to expect or look for respect and esteem in the World 'T is enough for me if among those few good men I am acquainted with I find a tolerable kind acceptance 7. An humble person doth carefully watch over his thoughts words and actions lest Pride or vain-glory should steal in upon him and especially he fears lest he should be puffed up on the account of those actions that meet with some applause and acceptance in the world A man should alwayes endeavour to do things that deserve honour and esteem but then he should not assume the glory of them to himself If he do any thing tending to the honour of God and the good of the world he is very glad of it and heartily thankful to God for inabling him to do it But he gives God intirely the glory of it 8. The humble Soul hath a charitable opinion of others which he is the more induced to upon consideration of his own weaknesses and manifold failings Where there is the greatest humility commonly there is the greatest charity but where there is the highest Pride there usually is the greatest censoriousness and uncharitableness 9. An humble person strictly animadverts upon and observes his failings and defects in the good duties he performs He takes notice of the deadness coldness formality and the degrees of vain-glory that are apt to creep in upon him in the performance of them and all these are matter of humiliation to him And thus much of the nature of humility and the particulars wherein it evidenceth it self 3. I come now in the next place to shew the fruits benefits and advantages of this eminent grace 1. The humble man obtains grace favour and a blessing from God He gives grace that is he manifests his grace and favour to the humble The humble man doth not usurp the glory due to his Creator nor intercept the Tribute which ought to be paid to God but payes it willingly to the right owner And God hath declared that those that honour him he will honour The favour of God is alwayes accompanied with bounty and beneficence But his Favour is not to be measured by his heaping temp●ral things on us but by his blessing us with soul-Soul-mercies and spiritual blessings which have a reference to the life that is to come 2. The humble soul shall be sure of Gods direction Psal 25.9 He shall be guided first in the right way to Heaven which those that are wise in their own eyes many times miserably err from What did many of those that were knowing and learned among the Jews and Gentiles being full of their own wisdom and learning account of the Gospel That which was in it self the wisest and most profound contrivance that ever was in the world and most efficacious instrument of mans conversion and salvation seemed to these men of wisdom meer foolishness 2. But it was the power of God unto Salvation Rom. 1.16 to all those that were brought thereby to believe in our Lord Jesus 2. The humble person God will guide in his worldly affairs and business whereas proud men who usually lean on their own understanding and disdain all counsel but what suiteth with their own wisdom very frequently miscarry Let us call our own experience to witness whether when in a deep sense of our own weakness and distrusting our own ability and wisdom to grapple with the difficulties we were to meet with we have humbly implored the divine directions and guidance and have committed our selves thereto I say let us consider whether we have not found God helping of us and casting our affairs better for us than we could have imagined or contrived our selves 3. An humble person is usually well thought of and spoken of by all that know him whereas a proud man is the mark of common obloquy If a man be proud almost every body is ready to pull him down Nay they that are proud themselves are ready enough to pull down others that are proud But the humble almost every body is willing to lift up 4. Not one dispensation of God will pass without doing us some good if we be humble Prosperity will better us and adversity will better us All winds will drive us on towards the haven of eternal happiness if we be truly humble 5. Humility keeps the soul in great tranquillity The passion of pride and haughtiness how it vexes and disquiets the minds of men but humility makes the Soul very submissive to the will of God shall not I submit sayes the humble soul to the will of my heavenly father whose will I pray daily may be fulfilled The cup that my heavenly Father giveth me to drink shall not I drink it What am I that I should not be crossed or reproached It is but what I deserve nay much less than I deserve by reason of my sins My present condition is not so troublesome or painful or uneasie but I deserve much more And shall not I be patient and content and submit to my Soveraign Lord to his wisdom as well as to his will who orders all things for the good of them that love and fear him And so much of the third particular the benefits and advantages of humility 4. I come now in the last place to prescribe some means for the attaining of it 1. Consider how highly God values and prizes this temper He dwells in the highest heavens and in the lowest hearts Isa 66.2 Isa 57.15 The ornament of a meek and quiet spirit is in his sight of great price 1 Pet. 3.4 And Mic. 6.18 sayes the Prophet He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what the Lord requires of thee namely to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God God takes no pleasure in us till he hath brought us to this frame and temper * Descendendo coelum ascenditur Cassiodor Nothing makes us so precious in Gods sight as Humility We are most precious in Gods eyes when we are most vile in our own An humble and a contrite spirit is more valued by him than all burnt-offerings and sacrifices 2. Consider the various means that God uses to work this so necessary a grace in the hearts of his own people

necessaries * Avaro deest tam quod habet quam quod non habet Haec est manifesta p●renesis ut locuples moriatis egen t is vivere fato neither decent apparel nor convenient food When they pinch their own bellies and the bellies of those they are to provide for Like the man described by Solomon Eccles 6.1 2. There is an evil which I have seen under the Sun and it is common among men A man to whom God hath given riches and wealth yet he hath not power to eat thereof but a stranger eateth it This is vanity and an evil disease And so likewise Eccles 4.8 There is one alone and there is not a second Yea he hath neither Child nor Brother yet there is no end of all his labour nor is his eye satisfied with riches Such men as one expresses it are like the Asse that carries Gold for others but it self feeds on thistles And so much of the Particulars wherein Covetousness expresses it self 3. I come now to consider the causes of Covetousness And they are such as these 1. False notions and apprehensions about riches and too high an esteem of the things of the World They think the happiness of man consists in having plenty and abundance And upon this conceit wealth so steals away their hearts that they make it their God They will tell you what Solomon sayes that money answereth all things Eccles 10.19 that is it will buy any thing that can be bought here and therefore they that have money in their purse have the world at their will But I shall tell them also what the Apostle sayes Godliness is profitable for all things which Money I am sure is not having the promises of this life and that which is to come 1 Tim. 4.8 Godliness makes men rich without riches rich in Faith and Holiness rich in this that God is reconciled to them in his Son and they have his favour shining upon them here and have a good title to Heaven hereafter I know the World is ready to say of a man that hath gotten wealth O such a man is made whereas except God give him grace with his riches he may thereby be marred He may be made indeed in one sense that is made more proud more imperious more irreligious more idle more luxurious than he was before but that is far from being any felicity to himself or any benefit to others The World has very little judgment in the true nature of good and evil That is truly good for a man which makes him better towards God and that is evil for him which makes him worse Indeed riches when honestly got are Gods blessings and so ought to be esteemed by us and we ought to be very thankful to God for them But by reason of the corruption of mans heart they are often to many men snares yea very dangerous snares Riches without grace usually hurt the Possessor I have seen riches reserved to the hurt of the owners thereof sayes Solomon Eccles 5.13 And not only to their hurt but to the hurt of many others round about them Many men had never been so great sinners nor had they dishonoured God nor hurt and corrupted others at so high a rate if they had not been so great and rich in this World Our Saviour therefore Mark 10.23 sayes How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the Kingdom of God that is that have riches but not grace to make a right use and improvement of them There are indeed great temptations in Poverty But I think we may truly say that if the temptations of Poverty have slain their thousands the temptations of riches have slain their ten thousands I know Solomon sayes no man can know love or hatred by these outward things Eccles 9.1 that is we cannot know Gods love or hatred to us by the meer outward dispensations either of riches or poverty prosperity or adversity but we may by the inward impressions that are made upon our hearts by those dispensations He to whom God giveth riches and withal an humble thankful charitable beneficent frame of heart to him they are given in mercy But he who hath riches and by them is made more proud insolent vain wanton intemperate oppressive injurious than he was before I think hath no great cause to imagine his riches are given him in mercy 2. Another cause of Covetousness is mans diffidence and distrust of Gods fatherly care and providence over them Ignorance of God and distrust of God usually go together They that know thy name will trust in thee saith the Psalmist Psal 9.10 For thou hast not forsaken them that seek thee They that know thy name that is thy nature and attributes they that know how infinitely wise gracious merciful faithful thou art will put their trust in thee but they that are ignorant of thee will not trust in thee but in their own wisdom and providence Men usually take it very ill when they see they are not trusted How much more may the great God of Heaven take it ill from us when he sees we dare not trust him It is an engagement upon the Almighty to speak with reverence to trust in him to depend on him and to cast our cares on him But it must needs be a great provocation to him to distrust him Therefore our Saviour in Mark 6. from 25. to the end charges his Disciples three several times to take no thought for their life what they should eat or drink or for their body what they should put on for about these things the Gentiles that knew not God nor acknowledged Providence inordinately carked and cared But those that professed themselves his Disciples should seek in the first place the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and for other things they should not be over anxious but believe that God in the use of lawfull and fair means would bestow them upon them as far forth as he saw to be good for them 3. Another cause of Covetousness is this men live by sense more than by Faith The Apostle tells us Heb. 11.2 that Faith is the evidence of things not seen that is it doth convincingly shew and demonstrate the reality of things not seen And 2 Cor. 4.18 He shews the different temper of the true Christian from the man of the World The true Christian chiefly minds the things unseen The men of the World mind chiefly the things seen The one minds things temporal the other things eternal Some persons have three eyes as one observes the eye of sense the eye of reason and the eye of faith Worldly men have the two former the eye of sense and reason but they want the eye of Faith They see what it is to have a good estate a good house a good stock to have pleasant accommodations for this life But for Heaven and the other life they never spake with any body that came from thence and they do not much give