in the enjoyment of thee therefore teach me thy statutes If God be our chiefest good and our utmost end it concerns us nearly to learn out the way how we may enjoy him John 17. 3. This is life eternal to know thee the only true God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent It concerns believers to study that wherein their eternal happiness consisteth and what is the way to get it Thou art blessed and therefore teach me thy statutes Secondly Subjectively and so again God is blessed either in an Active or in a Passive sense 1. In an Active sense And here we must distinguish again for so God is blessed either with respect to Himself or with respect to us 1. Blessed in himself as he hath the fulness of perfection and contentment Blessedness is often ascribed to God 1 Tim. 1. 11. The glorious Gospel of the blessed God I 'le open that place by and by 1 Tim. 6. 15. Who is the blessed and only Potentate the King of kings and Lord of lords Now how is God blessed in himself Gods blessedness is that Attribute by which the Lord from himself and in his own being is free from all misery and enjoyeth all good and is sufficient to himself and contented with himself and doth neither need nor desire the creature for any good that can accrue to him by us Or more shortly God's blessedness is the fruition of himself and his delighting in himself Mark it lieth not in the enjoyment of the Creature but in the enjoyment of himself God useth us but doth not enjoy us As we enjoy a thing for it self but we use it for another so uti and frui differ we use the means but enjoy the end God useth the creature in subserviency to his own glory So it is said Prov. 16. 4. God made all things for himself His happiness lieth in knowing himself in loving himself in delighting in himself But how is this used as an argument Blessed art thou O Lord therefore teach me thy statutes Either thus God that is blessed hath enough for himself surely there is enough in him for us too Gen. 17. 1. I am God alsufficient walk before me and be thou perfect I say if God finds satisfaction enough in himself our souls surely will find satisfaction in him That which will fill a Pottle or greater Measure will fill a Pint or a lesser Measure That which will satisfie a Prince and be enough for him in that estate will satisfie a Beggar and supply his wants God hath an infinite fulness of knowledg comfort and holiness therefore surely enough to satisfie us as empty as we are Therefore we should desire to receive of this fulness in Gods way Or again thus If God be blessed we had need to enquire after his statutes for these teach us the way how we may be blessed in Gods blessedness how we may be conformed to the nature of God and live the life of God and then surely we shall be happy enough 1. How we may be conformed to the nature of God 2 Pet. 1. 4. That we may be partakers of the Divine nature according to our measure that ours may be such as his is The promises or the word have an influence that way If we see a man hath a rich Trade and secret ways of gain every one would be acquainted with the mysteries and art of his getting and desirous to know it God is eternally blessed therefore we should study to be like him 2. That we may live the life of God Surely if we could learn to live such a life as God doth we should be happy However our prejudices darken it yet the life of God cannot be a gloomy life Now ignorance of Gods statutes is a great hinderance to the life of God Eph. 4. 18. Being alienated or estranged from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart Well then the consideration of this that God is blessed will certainly make us prize his statutes prize his word for by that we are conformed to the nature of God and to the life of God we are engaged in the same design wherein God himself is engaged God loves himself and acts for himself and pursueth his own glory Now when the word of God breaks in upon the heart we pursue the same design with God Men are prejudiced against a course of holiness it seems to look upon them with a sowr and austere face Surely God loves a pleasant life whoever is miserable he hath a full contentment Doth he that made all things want true joy and contentment Who should have happiness if God hath not Now when we learn Gods Statutes we come to be conformed to the nature of God we love what he loves and hate what he hates and then we begin to live the life of God The happiness of God lieth in loving himself enjoying himself and acting for his own glory and this is the fruit of grace to teach us to live as God lives to do as God doth to love him and enjoy him as our chiefest good and to glorifie him as out utmost end This is the first sense wherein God may be said to be actively blessed as he hath infinite complacency in himself 2. God is actively blessed with respect to us as he is the fountain of all blessedness He is not only blessedness it self but willing to communicate and give it out to the creature especially his Saints He fills all created things with his blessedness Psal. 145. 16. Thou openesâ—… thine hand and satisfiest the desire of every living thing There is not a Creature in the world but hath tasted of Gods bounty but especially the Saints Eph. 1. 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ. These are Vessels into which God is still pouring more until they be compleatly fill'd up Now this communicativeness that is in God without any irking of mind is a certain argument or encouragement to move us to seek of God grace to keep his statutes This is often urged in this case his communicativeness to all his creatures V. 64. The earth O Lord is full of thy mercy teach me thy statutes Thou art bountiful to all creatures and oh Lord shew thy bounty to me The same again v. 68. Thou art good and dost good teach me thy statutes Every good the more good it is the more it is diffusive of it self And it is a part of Gods blessedness that he is still of the giving-hand Acts 20. 35. Remember the words of the Lord Iesus how he said It is more blessed to give than to receive It was a maxim which Christ commended to his disciples Remember the words of the Lord Iesus that which he often inculcated That it is more blessed to give than to receive The words formally indeed are not found in any Evangelist only there we may
acts of Duty but by every act of Mercy what 's the argument he urgeth for Sion Zech. 3. 2. Is not this a brand pluckt out of the fire The Lord rebuke thee Satan Have not I delivered Sion and shall I suffer that to be destroyed which I have delivered the Lord urgeth his own mercy and his former kindness USE To quicken us not to grow weary of dealing with God Let us go often to God Men think it an uncivil importunity to require to do more when they have done already Solomon gives us that advice Prov. 25. 17. Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbours house lest he be weary of thee and so hate thee men waste by giving but God doth not when you have been with him and he hath done liberally for you yet he upbraids you not God that hath vouchsafed Grace you may desire the continuance of his Grace and to crown his own Grace II. Secondly Observe the mercy which he asks is Gods help in a course of holiness namely to walk worthy of the mercy Doct. 2. They that upon declaring their ways have found mercy with God their care should be to walk worthy of the mercy The Lord hath heard me what then teach me thy statutes So Psal 85. 8. The Lord will speak peace to his people but let them no more return unto folly Mark when God hath spoken peace when they have an answer of peace after you have prayed to God take heed of turning to folly do not lose the favour you have got walk more holily and more worthy of such a mercy Mat. 6. 12. forgive us our sins what then lead us not into temptation Upon supposition the Lord hath forgiven us our sins O let us not sin again Many would invite God to favour their ways when they have no respect to his ways which is in effect to make God a servant to our Lust but if you would have mercy from the Lord beg that you might walk worthy of the mercy The Children of God should do so upon a double ground in point of Prudence and Thankfulness In point of Prudence as they have smarted under their former folly and in point of Thankfulness as they have tasted the Lords Grace in his answer 1. When you have declared your way with brokenness and bitterness of heart you have experience of the evil of sin and when you know how bitter it is by sound remorse it is folly to return to it again Ioshua 22. 17. mark the reason Is the iniquitie of Peor too little for us from which we are not cleansed unto this day Our former sense of the evil of sin when declaring it should be a restraint to us else your cure is in vain A man that is recovered out of a deep disease is willing to escape the like again or as Christ said to the man that had an infirmity 38 years Go thy way sin no more lest a worse thing happen unto thee When a man hath had the bitter sense of the fruit of sin this will make him more cautious for the future they are foolish children that remember beating no longer than it smarts when they are scarce yet whole of the old wound Though God hath taken out the sting of the sin and granted us comfort yet remember your former smart that you may not fall into it again 2. Out of Thankfulness for Gods gracious answer Every answer of Grace leaves an obligation upon the sinner that he may not offend God again See what a holy argument is used Ezra 8. 13. Should we after such a deliverance as this break thy Commandment will you again relapse So Luke 7. 47. for her sins are forgiven her therefore she loved much Grace melts the heart When a man hath received much mercy from God his heart his wrought out into thankfulness and the more they have been in sin the more will they be in godliness when once they have tasted the sweetness of pardon and had an answer of Grace from God Thirdly Note They that would steer their course according to Gods holy Will had need of the conduct and assistance of his holy Spirit for he goes to God Lord teach me thy statutes Psal. 25. 4. Shew me thy ways O Lord teach me thy paths And Psal. 27. 11. Teach me thy way O Lord and lead me in a plain path because of mine enemies And Psal. 86. 11. Teach me thy way O Lord I will walk in thy truth unite my heart to fear thy name These places shew that he addrest himself to God that he might not follow any sinful course in the time of trouble and temptations that he might not dishonour God SERMON XXVIII PSALM CXIX 27. Make me to understand the way of thy precepts so shall I talk of thy wondrous works IN the former Verses the man of God layeth forth his calamitous condition and beggeth comfort and audience not meerly to prosper his affairs but to better his heart Many will invite God to favour their ways when they have no respect to his ways which in effect is to make him a servant to their lusts But David's chiefest care was about Duty rather than Success therefore he desireth God to direct him how to walk in the way of his precepts his heart was much upon that In the close of the former Verse he had said Teach me thy statutes And here again Make me to understand the way of thy precepts c. In the words there is 1. A Request 2. An Argument Wherein is intimated 1. The fruit of Divine Illumination He should thereby see his wondrous works 2. His duty thereupon Then will I talk of them The word signifieth also to meditate Sept I will exercise my self It should be his delight to think and speak of the admirable goodness of God and the divine excellencies of his word and the pleasures that result from the practice of it 3. He intimateth the sincerity of his desire propounding this as his end That I may talk that I may be useful and edifying in my converse with others 1. The first thing that I shall observe is That David doth so often beg again and again for understanding Doct. That a sound and saving knowledg of the Truths of the Gospel is such a blessing as the children and people of God think they can never enough ask of him We have abundant proof of it in so much of this Psalm as we have already gone over 1. What is a sound saving knowledg 1. Such as doth establish the heart against all delusions and keepeth us on Truth 's side Many have some scraps of knowledg loose and uncertain motions but they are not setled and grounded in the Truth and therefore the unlearned and unstable are joyned together 2 Pet. 3. 16. Which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest as they do also the other Scriptures to their own destruction Unskilful and unsetled Christians lye open to every fancy they have not such a stock
according to the Analogy of Faith and there is not a more powerful incentive of Duty Psal. 130. 5. There is forgiveness with thee that thou maist be feared Jer. 2. 11 12. The Grace of God that bringeth Salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly Lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present World Rom. 12. 1. I beseech you Brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living Sacrifice holy acceptable to God which is your reasonable Service This is true Divinity The flesh deviseth another Doctrine let us Sin that Grace may abound to make a carnal Pillow of Gods Mercy that they may sleep securely in sin yea a Dung-cart to carry away their filth God is Merciful but to those that count sin a burden and misery God is slow to Anger but yet angry when provoked abused Patience kindleth into Fury as water when the mouth of the Fountain or course of the River is stopped breaketh out with more violence God hath his Arrows of Displeasure to shoot at the wicked you must not fancy a God all Honey all sweetness He is the Father of Mercies but so that he is also a God of Vengeance Psal. 68. 19 20. Blessed be the Lord who daily leadeth us with Benefits even the God of our Salvation Selah He that is our God is the God of Salvation and unto God the Lord belong the issues from Death But God shall wound the hairy scalpe of his Enemies the mercy of God is large and free if men do not make themselves uncapable by their Impenitency 4. We must beg 1. The Application of these to me also We have heard that the Kings of Israel are merciful Kings 1 Kings 20. 31. Now we would feel it 1 Tim. 1. 15. This is a Faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Iesus Christ came into the World to save Sinners of whom I am chief Wind in our selves within the Covert of a Promise enter at the back door of a Promise there comes Virtue from Christ if but touched the Woman came behind him and touched the hem of his garment so we must seek the Application of this Vertue 2. Effectual Application Let it come unto me Mercy cometh unto us or we shall never come unto it 1 Pet. 1. 10. The Grace that cometh to us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Grace which is brought to you at the Revelation of Jesus Christ Gods Grace is brought home to our doors we seek not after it but it seeketh after us Salvation is gone forth saith the Prophet to find out lost sinners Wisdom hath sent forth her Maidens she crieth upon the high places of the City whoso is simple let him turn in hither Prov. 9. 3 4. God sends the Gospel up and down the Worldto offer his Grace to men it worketh out its way Use. Here is Incouragement and Direction to poor Creatures how to obtain Gods Mercy for their Comfort 1. Incouragement Mercy doth all with God it is the first cause that setteth every thing awork 1. Mercy is natural to God 2 Cor. 1. 3. Father of Mercies God is not merciful by Accident but by Nature the Sun doth not more naturally shine nor Fire more naturally burn nor Water more naturally flow than God doth naturally shew Mercy 2. It is pleasing to him Micah 7. 18. Who is a God like unto thee that Pardoneth Iniquity and passeth by the Transgression of the remnant of his Heritage he retaineth not his Anger for ever because he delighteth in Mercy Judgment is called his Strange work Isa. 28. 21. That he may do his work his strange work and bring to pass his Act his strange Act. Primitive Acts he is forced to but he rejoyceth to do good as Life-Honey droppeth of its own accord 3. It is plentiful in God he is rich in Mercy abundant in Goodness and Truth thy sins are like a spark of Fire that falleth into the Ocean it is quenched presently so are all thy sins in the Ocean of Gods Mercy there is not more water in the Sea than there is Mercy in God 4. It is the great wonder of the Divine Nature Every thing in God is wonderful especially his pardoning Mercy It is no such great wonder in God that he stretcheth out the Heavens like a Curtain since he is Omnipotent that he formed the Earth or the Waters since he is strong that he distinguished Times adorned the Heavens with so many Stars decked the Earth with such variety of Plants and Herbs since he is Wise that he hath set Bounds to the Sea Governeth the Waters since he is Lord of all that he made Man a living Creature since he is the Fountain of Life but that he can be Merciful to Sinners infinitely Merciful when infinitely Just. There is a conflict in the Attributes about us but Mercy rejoyceth over Iudgment Iames 2. 13. That he is so Gracious and condescending when his first Covenant seemed to bind him to destroy us that he that hateth sin is so ready to forgive it pardoneth it so often and punisheth it so seldom 5. He is Communicative it is over all his Works Psal. 145. 9. Not a Creature but subsisteth by Gods Mercy he loveth Man and Beast Psal. 36. 6. and 1 Tim. 4. 10. He is the Saviour of all men especially of those that believe the whole Earth is full of his goodness Lord shew it to me also he heareth the cry of Ravens 2. To direct us how to sue for it in a broken hearted manner there are two Exreams Self-confidence and Desperation Self-confidence challengeth a Debt and Despair shutteth out hopes of Mercy a proud Pharisee pleads his Works Luke 18. 11. Kain saith Gen. 4. 13. My Punishment is greater then I can bear The middle between both is the penitent Publican Luke 18. 13. He stood afar off and would not lift up so much as his eyes to Heaven but smote on his Breast saying God be merciful to me a Sinner Go to him that which with men is the worst Plea with God is the best SERMON XLVIII PSALM CXIX Verse 42. So shall I have wherewith to answer him that Reproacheth me for I trust in thy Word IN the former Verse we saw the man of God begging for Deliverance or Temporal Salvation from the Mercies of God according to his Word Salvation belongeth to the Lord and his Mercy can pardon great sins and fetch us off from great extremities and that according to the Word of God he had boasted of this there is his Request here is his Argument from the use and fruit of his Deliverance he should have something to reply to the Scoffs and Mocks of wicked men who insulted over him in his Distress and Calamity he had spoken of great things or the Promise and now desireth the Promise to be made good that he might have an Answer ready against their Reproaches So shall I have wherewith to answer him that
we are sooner made evil by evil Company than good by good Company 1 Cor. 15. 33. Be not deceived evil communications corrupt good manners evil words or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 evil converses corrupt good manners We convey a disease to others but not our health oh how carefull should we be of our friendship that we may converse with such as may go before us as examples of Piety and provoke us by their strictness heavenly-mindedness mortification and self-denial to more love to God zeal for his glory and care of our Salvation Especially doth this concern the Young who by their weakness of Judgment the vehemency of their Affections and want of Experience may be easily drawn into a snare 3. Our love to God should put us upon loving his People and making them our intimates for Religion influenceth all things our Relations common Imployments Friendships and Converses It is a smart question that of the Prophet 2 Chron. 19. 2. Shouldst thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord Surely a gracious heart cannot take them into his bosome he loveth 〈◊〉 with a love of good-will as seeking their good but not with a love of complacency as delighting in them Our Neighbour must be loved as our selves our natural Neighbour as our natural self with a love of Benevolence and our spiritual Neighbour as our spiritual self with a love of Complacency In opposition to Complacency we may hate our sinfull Neighbour as we must our selves The wicked is an abomination to the righteous Prov. 29. 26. the hatred of Abomination is opposite to the love of Complacency as odium inimicitiae to amor benevolentiae So David saith Psalm 139. 21 22. Do not I hate them O Lord that hate thee and am I not grieved with those that rise up against thee I hate them with a perfect hatred I count them mine enemies I cannot cry up a Confederacy with them they that have a kindness for God will be thus affected 3. There is a threefold Friendship Sinfull Civil and Religioâ—…s 1. Sinfull when men agree in Evil as Drunkards with Drunkards or Robbers with Robbers Prov. 1. 14. Cast in thy lot among us let us all have one purse When men conspire against the Truth and Interest of Christ in the World or league themselves against his People as Gebal and Ammon and Amalek Psalm 83. 3. divided in Interests but united in Hatred as Herod and Pilate against Christ. This is unitas contra unitatem as Austin or consortium factionis a bond of Iniquity or confederacy in evil Again 2. There is Civil Friendship built on natural Pleasure and Profit when men converse together for Trade or other civil Ends thus men are at liberty to choose their Company as their Interests and course of their Imployments leade them The Apostle saith a man must go out of the World if he should altogether abstain from the Company of the Wicked 1 Cor. 5. 9 10. I wrote to you in an Epistle not to company with Fornicators Yet not altogether with the Fornicators of this world or with the Covetous or Extortioners or Idolaters for then must ye needs go out of the world But 3. There is Religious Friendship which is built on Vertue and Grace and is called the unity of the Spirit Eph. 4. 3. Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace Now this is the firmest bond of all Sinfull Societies are soon dissolved Drunkards and prophane Fellows though they seem to unite and hold together yet upon every cross word they fall out and break and Civil Friendship which is built on Pleasure and Profit cannot be so firm as that which is built on Honesty and Godliness This is among the Good and Holy who are not so changeable as the Bad and Carnal and the ground of it is more lasting This is amicitia per se the other per accidens from constitution of Soul and likeness of Spirits The good we seek may be possessed without envy the Friends do not streighten and intrench upon one another Self-love and Envy soon breaketh our Friendship but these seek the good of another as much as their own delight in the Graces of one another 4. In Religious Friendship we owe a love to all that fear God Acts 4. 32. The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and one soul. Love is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the bond of perfectness Col. 3. 14. all things are bound together by a holy Society and preserved by it There is in Love a desire of Union and Fellowship with those whom we love 1 Sam. 18. 1. Ionathan's Soul was knit to the Soul of David and he loved him as his own Soul and the Apostle biddeth all Christians to be knit together in brotherly love Col. 2. 2. without this they are as a besome unbound they fall all to pieces 5. Though there must be a Friendship to all yet some are to be chosen for our Intimacy our Lord Christ had Peter Iames and Iohn Matth. 17. 1. Matth. 26. 37. He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee When he raised Iairus Daughter he suffered none to go in but Peter Iames and Iohn Luke 8. 51. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this may be because of sutableness or special inclination or their excellency of Grace sicut se habet simpliciter ad simpliciter ita magis ad magis 6. Our Converse with these must be improved to the use of Edifying to doe one another good by Reproof Advice Counsel Levit. 19. 17. Thou shalt not hate thy Brother in thy heart thou shalt in any wise reprove him and not suffer sin to be upon him This is kindness to his Soul Rom. 1. 11. I long to see you that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift to the end you may be established SERMON LXXII PSAL. CXIX 64. The Earth O Lord is full of thy Mercy teach me thy Statutes IN this Verse I observe 1. David's Petition Teach me thy Statutes 2. The Argument or Consideration which encourageth him to ask it of God The Earth O Lord is full of thy Mercy The sum and substance of this Verse will be comprised in these five Propositions I. That saving Knowledge is a Benefit that must be asked of God II. That this Benefit cannot be too often or sufficiently enough asked It is his continual request III. In asking we are encouraged by the Bounty or Mercy of God IV. That God is mercifull all his Creatures declare V. That his Goodness to all Creatures should confirm us in hoping for saving Grace or spiritual good things I Prop. That saving Knowledge is a Benefit that must be asked of God for three Reasons 1. God is the proper Authour of it 2. It is a singular Favour where he bestoweth it 3. Prayer is the appointed means to obtain it 1. God is the proper Authour of it The Fountain of Wisdome is not in Man himself but God giveth
special business and temptation Prov. 28. 26. He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool but he that walketh wisely shall be delivered that is he that followeth his own conceit soon falleth into a snare he that maketh his Bosome his Oracle and his own Wit his Counsel thinks himself wise enough without daily seeking to God to order his own business never succeedeth well but plungeth himself into manifold inconveniencies 2. From Gods manner of giving he is not weary and tyred with constant supplicants Iames 1. 5. If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him The Throne of Grace lyeth always open the oftner we frequent it the more welcome we frown upon one that often troubleth us with his suits but it is not so with God we may beg and beg again 3. The value of the benefit it self Saving knowledg or the light of the spirit keepeth alive the work of grace in our hearts Habitual graces will soon wither and decay without a continual influence the increase of sanctification cometh into the Soul by the increase of saving knowledg 2 Pet. 1. 2. Grace be multiplied unto you through the knowledg of God and of Iesus Christ our Lord. The more we grow thriving in knowledg the more we grow in grace and the heart and life is more engaged As we learn somewhat more of God in Christ our awe and love to him is increased Eph. 4. 20 21. Ye have not so learned Christ if so be that you have heard him and been taught of him as the truth is in Iesus that is if ye are taught and instructed by Christ himself in the Truth It is not every sort of hearing Christ or knowledg which will do us good Many learn him and know him who abuse that knowledg which they have of him but if he effectually teach us by his spirit then our knowledg is practical and operative we will practise what we know be careful to please God in all things 4. From the temper of a gracious heart a tast of this knowledg will make us desire a further supply that we may be taught more and the Soul may be more sanctified therefore doth David deal with God for the increase of saving knowledg We are contented with a little tast of heavenly Doctrine but holy men are not so shew me thy mind let me see thy Glory Hos. 6. 3. then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord. They are for growth as well as truth they experimentally know how good God is and the more they know him the more they see their Ignorance and that there is more behind to be known of him Before they had but a flying report of him now they are acquainted with him and have a nearer inspection into his ways and this is but little in comparison of what they desire We are bidden 2 Pet. 3. 18. Tâ—… grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ. Present measures do not satisfie them they must grow in knowledg as grow in grace more love to Christ more delight in his ways III. Prop. In asking any spiritual gift we are encouraged by the bounty and mercy of God David signifieth both 1. His bounty or benignity or that free inclination which is in God to do good to his Creatures 2. His mercy respects the Creature as affected with any misery Mercy properly is a proneness to succour and relieve a man in misery notwithstanding sin Now the larger thoughts of mercy the more hope partly because we have no plea of merit and therefore mercy is the Fountain of all the good which cometh to us from God We cannot come to him as a Debtor and therefore we must come to him as a free Benefactor Wherewith can we oblige God We have nothing to give to him but what is his own already and was first received from him all things come of thee and of thine own have we given thee 1 Chron. 29. 14. We pay the great Governour of the World out of his own Exchequer The Apostle maketh the challenge Rom. 11. 35. Who hath given him first and it shall be recompensed to him The Sun oweth nothing to the Beam but the Beam all to the Sun the Fountain oweth nothing to the Stream but the Stream hath all from the Fountain so we have all from God can bring nothing to him which was not his before and came from him Partly because there is a contrary Merit an ill-deserving upon us for which he might deny us any farther Mercies Psalm 25. 8. Good and upright is the Lord and therefore he will teach sinners in the way If the Sinner be weary of his wandring and would be directed of the Lord for the time to come God is upright he will not mislead us and he is good will readily lead us in a right Path. Sin shall not obstruct our Mercies and therefore must not keep the penitent supplicant back from confidence to be heard in his Prayer when he would be directed in the ready way to Happiness You would fain be reduced to a good Life after all your straying humbly lay your selves at God's feet 1 Kings 20. 31. We have heard that the Kings of the house of Israel are mercifull Kings let us I pray thee put sackcloath on our Loins and ropes upon our Heads and go out to the King of Israel peradventure he will save thy life If God were most tenacious we have cause to beat his Ears continually with our Suits and Supplications such is our want but he is good and ready to guide poor Creatures nay he is mercifull and former Sins shall be no obstruction to us if at length we are willing to return to our Duty IV. Prop. The universal Experience of the World possesseth all mens minds with this apprehension that God is a mercifull God The Earth O Lord is full of thy Mercy the World and every thing therein sets forth his Goodness to us The same is said in other places Psalm 33. 5. The Earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. If Earth what is Heaven Psalm 145. 9. His tender Mercy is over all his works 1. Let us see that every Creature is a Monument and Witness of God's Mercy and Goodness things animate and inanimate the Heavens and Earth and all things contained therein declare that there is a powerfull wise and good God There is no part of the World that we can set our Eyes upon but it speaketh Praise to God and the thoughts of his Bounty to the Creatures especially to Man for all things were either subjected to Man's dominion or created for his use and benefit If we look to the Heavens all serveth for the use and benefit of Mankind Psalm 8. 3 4. When I consider thy Heavens the work of thy fingers the Moon and the Stars which thou hast ordained What is man that thou
beast maketh its moan when 't is in pain But much more will his compassion shew it self to his people when they bemoan themselves in a spiritual manner Ier. 31. 18. 20. I have heard Ephraim bemoaning himself what then My bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. When Ephraim was bewailing his sins God taketh notice of it and returneth an answer full of fatherly affection that he would surely shew him mercy Gods compassion proceedeth from Love as the cause and produceth Relief as the effect Secondly The next word is Kindness that noteth the bounty of God or his free inclination to doe good without our merit and against our merit The cause is not in us but himself We draw an ill picture of God in our mind as always angry and ready to destroy No! The Lord is kind and that many times to the unthankfull and to the evil Luke 6. 35. We should all inlarge our thoughts more about Gods mercifull Nature that we may love him more that we may not keep off from him As long as we think he delighteth in the Creatures misery or seeketh occasions of man's ruine and destruction God is made hatefull No! You must conceive of him as one that is kind that doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the Children of men Lam. 3. 33. but is ready to doe good upon all occasions We need not fear any hurt from God but what we willingly bring upon our selves He destroyeth not humble Souls that lie at his feet and would have mercy upon his own terms Secondly What incouragement this is to the people of God 1. 'T is an incouragement because the object of mercy is misery Mercy is favour shewed to a miserable person Now the more sense of our misery especially of our true misery which is sin the greater hopes So that the broken-hearted are more capable of his mercy than others are God will revive the spirit of the contrite ones â—…sa 57. 15 16 17. He taketh care to comfort them and to look after them what ever be neglected Isa. 60. 2. None are so apt to presume of mercy as the careless nor none less capable of mercy or more deserve judgment While we make nothing of sin 't is easy to believe mercy In a time of peace sin is nothing Vanity and Carnality nothing a negligent course of profession nothing vain talk idle mispence of time pleasing the Flesh with all it craveth is nothing and there needeth no such niceness and strictness God is mercifull but when the conscience is awakened and we see our actions with their due aggravations especially at the hour of death and when earthly comforts fail then 't is hard to believe Gods mercy Sin is a blacker thing than they did imagine and they find it another manner of thing than ever they thought of and the same unbelief that now weakens their faith about their Duty and what belongeth to their Duty doth now weaken their faith about their comfort and what belongeth to their comfort Those that now question precepts will then question promises Well then the careless and negligent are not capable objects of the tenders of mercy but the sensible and the contrite and the serious these are the fittest objects though they think themselves farthest off from mercy Those that have a deep sense of their own unworthiness most see a need of mercy and most admire mercy Gen. 32. 10. They see that mercy doth all that there is somewhat of the pity and kindness of God in all things vouchsafed They apprehend they are alwayes in some necessity or in some dependance and they are unworthy and that it is at Gods mercy to continue or take away any comfort they have Health Liberty Strength all is dipt in mercy continued in mercy restored at mercy Secondly It is an incouragement to us because the Scripture saith so much of this mercy in God Id agit tota Scriptura ut credamus in Deum saith Luther 't is natural to him 1 Cor. 1. 3. The father of mercies not Pater ultionum but misericordiarum he is as just as he is mercifull but he delighteth in the exercise of one attribute more than the other Micah 7. 18. The other his strange work There is a fulness and plenty abundant mercy 1 Pet. 1. 3. and Psal. 51. 1. According to the multitude of thy tender mercies Our wants are many and so are our sins onely plentifull mercy can supply and overcome them They are tender mercies compared with those of a Father and Mother Of a Father Psal. 103. 13. As a Father pitieth his Children so doth the Lord pity those that fear him We need not much intreat a Father to pity his Child in misery An earthly Father may be ignorant of our misery as Iacob in Iosephs case an earthly Father pitieth foolishly but God wisely when 't is most for our benefit An earthly Fathers pity may goe no farther than affection and cannot always help his Children and relieve their misery But God as he is Metaphorically said to have the affection so he hath an alsufficient power to remove any evil present or avert that which is imminent With that of a Mother Isa. 49. 15. Can a Woman forget her sucking Child that she should not have compassion on the Son of her Womb yea they may forget yet I will not forget thee saith the Lord. In the general passions in Females are more vehement especially in humane Creatures the Mother expresseth the greatest tenderness and largeness of love God hath the Wisdome of a Father and Bowels of a Mother Mark 'T is not to an adopted Child but to her own Son her sucking Child that hangeth on her Breast cannot subsist without the Mothers care Mothers are wont to be most chary and tenderly affected towards them poor helpless Infants and Children that cannot shift for themselves Nature hath impressed this disposition on them Suppose some of them should be so unnaturall as to forget their sucking Babes which is a case rare to be found yet I will not forget you saith the Lord. They are durable compassions his compassions fail not Lam. 3. 22. They are continual mercies supplying daily wants pardoning daily failings bestowing daily mercies Oh that the miserable and the wretched those that find themselves so could believe this and plead this and cast themselves in the arms of this mercifull Father Surely the Penitent are not more ready to ask than he to give Therefore let us come boldly to the Throne of Grace Heb. 4. 16. Let not our Sins keep us from him our Misery rather than our Worthiness is an object of his mercy Thirdly His mercy is more to his People than to others There is a general mercy and a special mercy 1. There is a general mercy by which God sustaineth and helpeth any Creature that is in misery especially man so Christ calleth him mercifull as he sheweth himself kind to the unthankfull and evil
not by glances and wishes for the worst men may have some of these in their good mood and sober thoughts but by frequent deep and ponderous meditations You do not eye the mark Phil. 3. 14. nor mind your scope and great end 2 Cor. 4. 18. Certainly that which must be intended in every righteous action either formally or virtually that is by some noted explicite thought or by the unobserved act of some potent habit should be oftner thought of and longed for you do not live by Faith else For what is living by Faith but withdrawing the mind from present things to things to come looking beyond and above the world to eternity 2 Cor 5. 7. Heb. 11. 11. You are not acquainted with the insluence of the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation For he openeth the eyes of the mind Why That you may look above the Mists and Clouds of the lower World to those good things which we are to enjoy in Heaven Eph. 1. 17 18. and 1 Cor. 2. 12. Alas we are taken up with trifles and childish toys have our thoughts little exercised about these nobler objects Therefore is it that our diligence is so little for if they were oftner minded they would be more diligently sought after Phil. 3. 14. I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus Therefore is our patience so little for the bitterness of the Cross would be more sweetned if our minds and meditations were oftner set about Heaven and heavenly things Rom. 8. 18. Therefore are our Conversations so worldly Phil. 3. 19. our desires and longings so cold and weak so little mind to get home Phil. 1. 23 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 USE 2. To press us to eye the promised Blessedness more than we do The Promise is our warrant and the thing promised is the comfort solace and support of our Souls The Promise must be laid up in the heart with a firm strong assent and the thing promised ever kept in view I shall give you the Qualifications of this Expectation 1. It must be a serious and earnest Expectation Phil. 1. 20. According to my earnest expectation that in nothing I shall be ashamed Earnest expectation is that which exciteth the heart to be ever looking and longing for the things promised Our eyes are always looking to Heaven which is the seat and solace of our happiness David describeth his earnestness notably Psal. 130. 5 6. I waâ—…t for the Lord my soul doth wait and in his word do I hope My soul waiteth for the Lord more then they that watch for the morning I say more then they that watch for the morning The Priests that officiated in their turns never mist the performance of their daily offices there So David was still awakening his desires continuing his daily attendance on God and renewing his longings and hopes 2. It is a lively expectation 1 Pet. 1. 3. Begotten again unto a lively hope 'T is called lively from the effect such as will put life into us in our damps of spirit and greatest discouragements quickneth us to hasten home apace being animated by some chearful foretastes of what we expect 3. It is a constant and unconquerable Expectation not broken with present difficulties but sustaineth the Soul till our full and final deliverance cometh in hand Psal. 123. 2. As the eyes of servants look unto the hands of their masters and the eyes of maidens unto the hands of their mistress so our eyes wait on the Lord our God until he have mercy on us They never give over waiting and looking till God shew mercy 1 Pet. 1. 13. Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Iesus Christ. And Heb. 6. 11. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end 4. It is a sure and certain Hope as being built on God's truth and faithfulness 't is compared to an anchor sure and stedfast Heb. 6. 18. Why because of God's Word and Oath God is the Supreme Verity who can neither deceive or be deceived therefore we should rest satisfied with his Promise To a Promise that it be certain and firm three things are required that it be made seriously and heartily with a purpose to perform it That he that promiseth continue in this purpose without change of mind That it be in the power of him that promised to perform what is promised Now of all these things there can be no doubt if we believe the Scriptures to be the Word of God First Certainly God meaneth as he speaketh when he promiseth to give eternal life to the faithful Servants and Disciples of Jesus Christ. There is no question but that he is so minded when he who is Truth it self hath told the world of this for what needed God to court the Creature or tell them of an happiness which he never meant to bestow upon them If an honest Man hath promised any thing in his power we look he should be as good as his word Yea we have his Oath which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He sent his Son with a Commission from Heaven to assure us he is Amen the faithful Witness Rev. 3. 14. He wrought miracles to confirm his message dyed rose again and revived 1 Pet. 1. 21. Who by him do believe in God that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory that your faith and hope might be in God This message afterwards was confirmed by all kinds of signs and wonders wrought by them who went abroad in his Name to assure the world of this Not to believe God is serious is to make him a Lyar. Secondly That God doth continue his purpose there can be no doubt in them who consider his unchangeable Nature he may change his Dispensation but not his purposed Will Jam. 1. 17. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights with whom is no variableness neither shadow of turning Mal. 3. 6. I am the Lord I change not therefore the sons of Iacob are not consumed Thirdly That he is able to perform it since he can do what he will Rom. 4. 21. And being fully persuaded that what he had promised he was able also to perform So Phil. 3. 21. According to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things to himself The most difficult thing in our Hope is the raising of our Bodies after eaten by Worms and turned to dust 'T is a thing incredible and to flesh and blood wholly impossible but nothing is impossible to God 'T is within the reach and compass of Divine Omnipotency Well then the thing is sure in it self let us labour and suffer reproach wait with patience renounce the desires and delights of the flesh and with
the good of their souls returning friendly words for railing and evil speaking feeding and cloathing them when hungry thirsty or naked desiring pardon and grace This is our Rule but how few Christians comply with it and conquer their unruly Passions no rather justifie them by the greatness of their temptations and if they be kept from retaliating of injuries that 's rare Most have too great a coldness and indifference for enemies Prov. 24. 29. I will do so to him as he hath done to me I will render to the man according to his work This is to take the work out of God's hands to review the arrogance of Adam Be as Gods Generally Men are vindictive and transported with uncomely Passions when wronged by Men. 2 Sam. 16. 9. Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king let me go over I pray thee and take off his head This was the ruffling humor of Abishai But David was in a calmer cooler frame and temper of spirit no God bid him curse Many a man can bear afflictions but not injuries No Man is troubled at a showr of rain but if one cast a bucket or bason of water upon us we shall not let it pass if it be in the power of our hands without revenge 3. Using indirect means for our Relief 'T is better to pine away in affliction than to be freed from it by sin to be as a bottle in the smoke than to forget our duty Therefore no trouble should drive us to sin or to use sinful means for our escape though worn out with expectation let our duty hold our hands from evil Whatever our trouble be from the hand of God or Men we have no reason to go to the Devil to ease us of it as Saul goeth to the Witch of Endor 1 Sam. 28. 7. Seek me out a woman that hath a familiar spirit And to the Devil we go when we use bad means Carnal shifts are very natural to us and when we cannot trust God and depend upon him we presently are apt to take some indirect course of our own Affliction is often compared to a Prison and the sorrows which accompany it to Fetters and Chains Now God that puts us into Prison can only help us out again for he is the Governor and Judge of the world Now to use carnal shifts is an attempt to break Prison We are not able to hold out till God send an happy issue but take some carnal course of our own if the heart be not the better resolved thus it will be The Devil will make an advantage of our afflictions if he can he tempted Christ when he was hungry Mat. 4. 3. so he tempteth us when he seeth us needy disgraced reproached trampled under foot No though our Estate be low and the Fountain of our supplies be dryed up though our credit be smutched and blacked with slander and reproach though we be cast out as useless things as an old withered skin bottle counted unfit to hold Wine yet we must not forget God's Precepts We need not take a sinful course for the vindication of our credit from unjust reproaches Isa. 51. 7. Hearken unto me ye that know righteousness the people in whose heart is my law fear ye not the reproach of men neither be afraid of their revilings You that make reckoning of keeping close to my word that have my Law not only in your heads but in your hearts God hath his times to vindicate you you need not distrust the Providence of God under streights When Iacob was low he tells Laban My righteousness shall answer for me Gen. 30. 33. The hand of God will help us and reward honest labors without our being false or unfaithful to men We need not make a foul retreat in the day of tryal nor shift for our selves by complying with the lusts of Men nor wax weary of our duty as quite discouraged and disheartned Heb. 12. 3. as we are apt to do when troubles are grievous and long continued 4. Another Evil is desponding and distrustful thoughts of God David after all his experiences was surprized with these kind of thoughts 1 Sam. 27. 1. I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul He had a particular promise and assurance of the Kingdom and had seen much of God's care over him and yet after all this David doubteth of the Word of God and bewrayed his weakness of faith and affiance in him who had watched over him and delivered him out of many great and imminent dangers in a marvellous manner when there was less appearance of hope than now 1 Sam. 22. 5. So Psal. 31. 22. I said in my haste I am cut off from before thine eyes nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cryed unto thee God hath no more care and thought of me than if I were not This was said at the very time when deliverance was a coming Here David yielded a little to foolish haste and lost the stayedness of his faith So Psal. 77. 7 8. Will the Lord cast off for ever will he be favourable no more Is his mercy clean gone for ever doth his promise fail for evermore Questions to appearance full of despair and despondency yet there is some Faith couched under them Will the Lord cast off It implieth the soul cannot endure to be thrust from him Will he be favourable no more It implieth some former experience and desire of new proof Is his mercy clean gone I have deserved all this but God is merciful Will not Mercy help To appearance indeed Despair carrieth it from Faith That 's upmost 5. Questioning our Interest in God meerly because of the Cross. Our Lord hath taught us to say My God in the bitterest Agonies but few learn this Lesson Iudg. 6. 13. If God be with us why is all this befaln us As if they were never exercised with trouble who have God with them Sometimes we question the love of God because we have no afflictions and anon because we have nothing but afflictions as if God were not the God of the Vallies as well as of the Mountains and his love did change with our outward condition and worldly prosperity were a mark of grace which when lost our evidence were gone How hardly soever God dealeth with his People yet he loveth them Heb. 12. 6. Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth So Rev. 3. 19. As many as I love I rebuke and chasten A Father is a Father when he smileth and when he frowneth he may have love in his heart when a Rod in his hand And we have no reason to question our Adoption meerly because we are put under the correction and discipline of the Family 6. Not only despairing thoughts do arise but Atheistical thoughts as if there were no God no Providence no distinction between good and evil and it were in vain to serve him Psal. 73. 13. I have cleansed my heart in vain and washed my hands in
God 3. We shall never have such great and large thoughts of Gods tender mercy as when they arise from our own Experience and particular Observation to know God by hear-say will not work upon you as when we have seen him our selves as they said unto the Woman Iohn 4. 42. Now we believe not because of thy saying for we have heard him our selves and know that this is indeed the Christ the Saviour of the world We do not speak or think of God with any Sense and Life Affection and Admiration till we have studied his Nature and observed his Wayes otherwise we speak by Rote when we praise him for his mercies and 't is but an empty Complement Psal. 103. 1 2 3. Bless the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me bless his holy name Bless the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his benefits whoforgiveth all thy iniquities and healeth all thy diseases c. 4. Then will our own Experience inform us of the greatness and tenderness of mercy when we are sensible of our sins and miseries when a man seeth his Sins great his Dangers great then he will see Gods mercies towards him great also Psal. 86. 13. For great is thy mercy towards me for thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell We do not know the greatness of the Pardon but by the greatness of the Debt nor the greatness of our Protection and Deliverance but by the greatness of the Danger God continueth trouble upon his People that they may be sensible of the sweetness of the mercy and his help in their Deliverance Rom. 5. 8. But herein God commended his love to us that while we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us 5. When our sense of sins and miseries hath most recommended mercy to us we should magnifie it both with respect to Supplication and Gratulation 1. With respect to Supplication when we are under Fears and Discouragements we should oppose and set these great and tender mercies in the Balance against our doubts and fears Our Sins are many our Troubles great yet let us not be discouraged from Praying and making our supplication to God for God will pardon a penitent People and help a sensible Supplicant The more sensible of our misery the fitter Objects for mercy What is it that troubleth us fear of not speeding with God in Prayer you hear how soon he Relenteth when you Relent and lye at his feet for to what use doth pardoning mercy serve but to incourage broken-hearted sinners We have heard that the Kings of Israel are merciful Kings Benhadad having lost the day and in great fear of losing his life with his Kingdom his Friends comforted him with the Fame they had heard of Israels Kings 1 Kings 20. 31. We know most certainly 't is hard to raise up truly poor down-lost sinners how presumptuous soever they have been before God would have these by all means to be incouraged So that though you have many Objections from your unworthiness the multitude and greatness of your sins or is it the power of men and difficulty of our deliverance Gods mercy is beyond the proportion of their Cruelty The more violent and ungodly our Oppressors are the more hope of Gods pity towards us Psal. 86. 14 15. O God the proud are risen against me and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul and have not set thee before them but thou O Lord art a God full of compassion and gracious long-suffering and plenteous in mercy and truth 2. Let us magnifie it as to Gratulation Gen. 32. 10. I am not worthy of all the mercy c. Less than the least of all thy mercies Let us consider our unworthiness that God may have all the Glory Use. II. Is to press us to be Merciful we should be like God let us put on Bowels of mercy Col. 3. 12. Put on therefore as the elect of God holy and beloved bowels of mercies kindness humbleness of mind meekness long-suffering Luke 6. 36. Be ye therefore merciful as your heavenly father also is merciful SERMON CLXXV PSALM CXIX VER 161. Princes have persecuted me without a cause but my heart standeth in awe of thy Word IN this Verse we have First Davids Temptation Secondly The Godly Frame of his Spirit First In Davids Temptation take notice of 1. The Nature of it 't was a Persecution 2. The Instruments of it Saul and the Chief men about him Princes 3. The Malice and Groundlesness of it without a Cause Secondly The Godly Frame of his Heart but my heart c. And there we have 1. The Seat of his Affection my heart 2. The Kind of the Affection standeth in awe 3. The Object of it the Word of God First With Davids Temptation I will not meddle any further than an Introduction or the necessity of an Exposition enforceth me a little to reflect upon And 1. From the Nature of it Persecution is one of the ordinary Trials of Gods Children As God Chasteneth them because they are no better Isa. 27. 9. so the World Persecuteth them because they are so good Iohn 15. 19. This ever hath been and ever will be the Lot of Gods Children while there are two seeds in the World Gen. 3. 15. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed And the Apostle saith Gal. 4. 29. But as then he that was born after the flesh â—…uted him that was born after the spirit so 't is now The first place speaketh of the Antipathy between the Church and it 's open Opposites the second was in Abrahams Family and 't is brought to Comfort the true Members of the Christian Church against those Persecutions which they sustained from the false Apostles and such as adhered to the Iewish Synagogue Isaac was begotten by the Power of Gods Spirit according to the Tenour of the Promise Ishmael by the ordinary strength of Nature a Figure of the Regenerate and Unregenerate Iohn 1. 13. Persecution is a thing common to the Church in all Ages then and now therefore as they grow worse let us grow better and let us be content to take the ordinary way by the Cross to come to the Crown 2. The Instruments of his Trouble were Saul and his Chief men about him The man of God had said Many are my Persecutors Verse 157. now he sheweth they were not mean ones and of the inferiour sort but such as by their Power were able to crush him such as by their place should be a Refuge to him I observe the Trial is the sorer when our trouble cometh not only from the basest of the People but from the Rulers themselves No doubt a great part of the People followed Saul in his persecuting of David yet the Nobles most troubled him In the Primitive times lapidibus nos invadit inimicum vulgus the base Rif-raffe were most ready to stone the Christians but this was meer Brutish Rage a
Doctrine they may have a liking to the holiness of it and have some consolation thereupon they have their beginnings and some good offers towards Sanctification but it brings nothing to perfection They may have such a hope of Heaven as that they may be said to taste the powers of the world to come Heb. 9. 5 6. Yet because it is not deeply rooted in the heart and only begets some raw motions and moves the lighter part of the soul and doth not shew it self in an uniform course of obedience therefore it is not with all the heart it may be it was but for a time or cast in upon some eminent trouble Therefore that is only believing and seeking God with all the heart when the Doctrine of life is so acknowledged to be true good and holy as to be closed with upon that account not only because of its suitableness to our eternal good and interest but as it is a rule of our duty and then it enters upon the heart when every faculty of it is subdued to God It is not some colouring of the out-side but a deep dye when it soaks into the whole soul and subdues the affections to God which is manifested by an uniform course of obedience Now David urgeth this to God as an argument I have sought thee with my whole heart Hence observe Doct. We may mention the good which is wrought in us and urge it to God in Prayer It is an useful case How may we mention our own gracious Qualifications and the good that is wrought in us Negatively 1. Not by way of boasting there is no such thing here no presumptuous boasting of his own perfections for it was accompanied with a deep sense of his weakness wandring and stragling condition he acknowledgeth his infirmities There is no such thing allowed as boasting the Apostles argument is convincing Why boastest thou what have we that we have not received If we can boast of any things it is that we are most in debt that we have received more 1 Cor. 1. We must glory in the Lord. 2. Not pleading of merit as if he had deserved any thing of God so the Pharisee speaks of his good works Luk. 18. 11. It is not to such a purpose as if we could challenge a reward as a due debt upon any good that we have done But Positively How then may we make mention of our Qualifications 1. We may mention what is wrought in us for Gods glory surely however we humble our selves we must not belye his bounty To be always complaining of spiritual evils it doth not argue a good temper of soul Psal. 116. 7. Return to thy rest O my soul for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee We may own the Lords bounty and take notice what good we have done to the glory of his grace Not I but the grace of God which was with me 1 Cor. 15. 10. 2. We may mention it to our own comfort thus Paul 2 Cor. 1. 12. Iesus Christ is our rejoicing but in one sense this is also our rejoicing the testimony of our conscience Wherefore is grace given us but for the furtherance of our comfort To bear false witness against our selves is naught Though the duties of the first Table neither begin nor end in us yet the whole Law of charity begins at home 3. For our own Vindication Thus Hezekiah Isa. 28. 3. Remember O Lord how I have walked before thee with a perfect heart This was his plea but I suppose it was not before God as a Iudg but before God as a witness he called God to witness that he had walked before him with a perfect heart He was slandered by Rabshakeh They thought when he broke down the Altars of Baal and cut down their Groves that he had cut down the Altars of the God of Israel therefore saith Rabshakeh speaking to the humour and discontent of the people and we must look upon it as a politick insinuation Is not this he whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away and demolished 2 King 18. 22. Now saith Hezekiah I have walked before thee with an upright heart Many a good Magistrate is often put upon such pleas for Gods honour in things distasteful to the popularity 4. What God hath wrought in us may be urged as an argument in prayer to obtain further grace many ways partly because God loves to crown his own mercies and make one to be a step to another We are endeared to God by his own mercies he is very tender and choise of them In whom he hath begun a good work he will perfect it Zach. 3. 2. Is not this a brand pluckt out of the fire What shall all my former mercies be in vain it is Gods own argument and he takes it well when his people urgeth it In many cases Deus donando debet by giving one mercy he makes himself a debter to give another Plutarch gives us a story of the Rhodians when they came to sue to the Romans for help that one urged what good turns they had done to the Romans but the people urged what good turns the Romans did to them and they obtained relief Such a plea is acceptable and honourable to God when we urge what God hath done for us And partly because sincerity by the consent of all hath the full room of an evidence and Gospel-plea in the Court of Justification When the business is how a sinner shall be accepted with God for a Law-plea we can only plead the merits of Christ and Gods mercy there all we have and can do is but dung and dross Phil. 3. 8 9. as to an acquittance from sin But as to our acquittance from hypocrisie as to the plea of a Gospel-evidence we may produce our sincerity and the fruits of our obedience to shew our title is good as the matter is ordered by the Lords grace that we have the Gospel-title To all the other our title is by the righteousness of Christ but the evidence of our title is sincere walking Secondly Let us come to Davids Request Let me not wander from thy Commandments It may be translated Make me not to err that is by the suspending of thy grace for that will necessarily follow The Septuagint read Do not repell from thy Commandments God seems to repell and cast off those that he doth not assist with his grace Here David saith I have sought thee Observe the mischief that an heart which truly seeketh God desireth to fly from sin or wandring from the path of obedience There is a communion with God but in the way of his Commandments therefore they do not desire establishment of their interest and happiness only but of Gods glory that they might not wander Hence observe Doct. 1. The more experience men have of the ways of God the more sensible will they be of their readiness to wander David a man of so much experience that sought God with his whole
to its natural temper and it is colder afterwards so the Soul returns to its byass and old bent again towards worldly things therefore there must be a constant desire kept up such as enjoy the Grace of God will still need and desire more this is the constant temper of their Souls they are always desiring and longing after Gods Precepts and more Grace to keep his Will 4. In those desires which they seem to have after holiness here is the defect they are not laborious He that longs for Gods Precepts will do his utmost endeavour that he may yield uniform Obedience to God The Scripture placeth much upon the Will. Macarius an ancient practical Writer puts this Question Who are those that have a will to God and Heavenly things and a will to the waters of Life What demonstrations can there be of a will Nothing but constant labour If there be such a will as to set you a work and a desire which makes you diligent Lazy Prayers and feeble Endeavours they do not argue any great strength of desire Alass when a man asketh Grace indifferently and coldly and is almost at an even point whether God hears him or no and doth not seek after that Grace and excites his soul this man hath not a desire because it is not laborious If it be not an operative desire it is but a velleity a will it is not All their Prayers are but the ejaculations of speculative fancy not the products of true Affection for that would be industrious Prov. 21. 25. The desire of the Sloathful killeth for his hands refuse to labour They do not manifest the life and strength of Love in their endeavours that they seem to have in their Prayers Cold Prayer they may put up for Grace that God may make them better and they wish it were better with them and that the Lord would bring them to a greater conformity But these are not laborious desires volens sed nolens they would but they will not that is to say O that I were at such an earthly place and never travel the way to get there So would I had learned such a Lesson yet like a lazy Boy they set not themselves in good earnest to do it They seem to will or wish therefore they are but Wouldings not Willings they do not in good earnest set themselves to get that Grace There is not such an invincible resolution to get through and a serious industry that they may attain those things they seem to long for 5. These wishes and desires which are in Carnal men are not permanent that overcome the desire of other things they will not absolutely set about it to be done whatever it cost them but such desires as are sincere overcome all earthly desires and delights whatever They would have Grace but yet would live as they do It is not such a desire as to controul other things but is controuled by them The desires of Grace is an underling and mastered by the desires of pleasures or profits of the World and other delights Many have a desire but it is easily subdued it is not prevalent Alass there may a faint desire be stirred up by enlightned Conscience and not by a fruit of a renewed Will A dictate of Conscience must be distinguished from a desire of the heart Illuminated Conscience tells them they must grow more holy and heavenly and wish they were so but the heart is not perfectly subdued to God they are directed by their interest they make not this the main and great interest of their lives David when he expresseth his desires mentions it thus Psal. 27. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life that is I will make this my business the chiefest matter of my care But now they that care not whether they have it yea or no this cannot be a desire Phil. 2. 12. We are bid to work out our Salvation mith fear and trembling We must carry on the business of godliness with a great deal of Solicitude but their affections sway them more to other things SERMON XLVI PSALM CXIX Verse 40. Behold I have longed after thy Precepts c. I Come now to a Second Use and that is Use 2. To press us to long after Holiness and Subjection to God Two Motives 1. You shall have these desires granted For a man to have his Will and whatsoever he desires what a happiness is that If his Soul be set upon holy things he shall have what he desires the Lord will not be wanting Prov. 10. 24. The fear of the wicked it shall come upon him but the desire of the Righteous shall be granted The desires of the Righteous are suitable to the constitution and frame of their heart He will grant the desires of their Souls Psal. 10. 17. A man that makes God his hearts delight shall have his hearts desire Psal. 37. 4. Delight thy self in the Lord and he shall give thee the desire of thy heart his business is to maintain Communion with God and his desires will not miscarry 2. When they are granted it shall do you no hurt Prov. 11. 23. The desire of the Righteous is only good but the expectation of the wicked is wrath It is the greatest Judgment to wicked men when God gives them a heart to desire a full affluence of earthly comforts Better to be denyed in mercy than to have our requests granted in anger but Grace will do us no hurt it will not increase our snares and temptations as other things do and therefore can never be given in anger but always in love Well then 1. Fix your desires 2. See they do not abate in you 1. Fix your desires and inlarge them to the full A Carnal man may be a shame to a Godly man because he is carried out so earnestly and with such uniform respect to earthly things 1 Cor. 12. 31. Covet earnestly the best gifts this is a holy Covetousness and a good diversion from that great Sin As the Covetous learn all the Arts of Thriving are always joyning house to house and field to field Isa. 5. 8. So should we add Faith to Faith and Obedience to Obedience Our enjoyments are better and therefore it should not be followed with a slacker hand The more a covetous man hath in the World the more he desires still Should not we forget the things that are behind and reach forth to the things that are before us Still here the Tast increaseth the Appetite like Sea-water that wets the Palate but inflames the Appetite Now shall not we be carried out with a holy Covetousness thus to God See what help and methods of increase they use how their desire carrieth them on in unwearied diligence They rise early sit up late eat the bread of sorrows Psal. 127. 2. and all to heap up a little pelf to themselves
is Grace which noteth the free bounty of God and excludeth all Means on the Creatures part Grace doth all gratis freely though there be no precedent Debt or Obligation or hope of Recompence whereby any thing can accrue to God His External Motive is our Misery his Internal Motive his own Grace Angels that never sinned are saved meerly out of Grace Men that were once miserable are saved not only out of Grace but out of Mercy 3. The next Notion is Long-Suffering or Slowness to Anger The Lord is not easily overcome by the wrongs or sins of the Creature he doth not only pity our Misery that is Mercy and do us good for nothing that is Grace but beareth long with our Infirmities that is slowness to Anger Certainly he is easily appeased and is hardly drawn to punish Men are ready to Anger slow to Mercy quickly inflamed and hardly appeased but it is quite the contrary with God It is good to observe the Difference between God and Man Man cannot make any thing of a suddain but destroyeth it in an instant When men are to make any thing they are long about it as building an house is a long work but plucking it down and undermining it is done in a short time but God is quick in making slow in destroying he made the World in six days he could have done it in a moment were it not that he would give us a Pattern of Labour and Order in all things now it hath continued for six thousand years and upwards as some account such is his long-suffering how many of us has God born with for ten twenty thirty years from childhood to grey hairs from the Cradle to the Grave the Angels were not indured in their sinful state but immdiately cast into Hell 4. Kindness and Bounty he is plenteous in goodness God is good and doth good his Communications to the Creature are free and full as the Sun giveth out Light and the Fountain water Thus you see reason why Mercies are plurally expressed 2. The Frequency of it Lam. 3. 23. His Mercies are new every morning that is renewed those that concern the Body and Soul not only merciful in saving once or twice but every day pardoneth our new sins and giveth to his repenting Children new Comforts There is a Throne of Grace open every day not once a year Heb. 4. 16. as it was to the High Priest under the Law The Golden Scepter is daily held out the Fountain is ever open not stopt up nor drawn dry God keepeth not Terms but keepeth a Court of Audience and every day we may come and sue out our Pardon and take out the comforts we stand in need of 3. The Variety of our Necessities both by reason of Misery and Sin so that not Mercy but Mercies will do us good We have not one Sin but many not one Misery but many therefore Mercies are needful for us 1. Our Miseries are many danger way-layeth us on every side therefore the Mercy of God is said to compass us about Psal. 32. 10. He that trusteth in the Lord Mercy shall compass him about On which side soever Temptation and Trouble maketh the assault Mercy is ready to make the defence Many are the Troubles of the Righteous but the Lord delivereth them out of them all Psal. 34. 19. Their troubles are many from Gods own hand Satans Temptations Malice of the wicked world therefore let thy mercies come to me 2. Our sins so many Provocations Transgressions from the Womb Isa. 48. 8. After Grace received we have our failings there remains much venom and evil of sin Psal. 51. 1 2. Have mercy upon me according to the greatness of thy mercy according to the multitude of thy tender mercy blot out my Transgressions where great sins great mercies many sins many mercies In that one fact how many ways did he sin No great sin can be committed alone but one evil act draweth on another as Links in a 〈◊〉 Adultery Blood and this by a King whose duty it was to punish it in others the more above the stroke of mans Justice the more liable to Gods This when he had many wives of his own a Crime committed out of want is not so heinous as that committed out of wantonness he took the poor mans one Ewe Lamb when he had many Flocks and Herds This was done not suddenly and in the heat of passion but in cool blood plotting his opportunities abusing Uriah his simplicity and sincerity to his own destruction his honesty in not returning to his House should have been a check upon David he maketh him drunk drew Ioab into the Conspiracy and Confederacy of his guilt many perished with Uriah in the attempt upon Rabbah 4. The many favours to be bestowed upon us as Food Cloathing Protection Liberty in our service and after all Eternal Life therefore Mercies which giveth us all things necessary to Life and Godliness 2 Pet. 1. 4. 2. The Effect Thy Salvation brought about in Gods way and upon Gods terms In temporal safety we must wait for Gods salvation such as God giveth God alloweth better be miserable than be saved upon other terms many would be safe from troubles but they would take their own way and so turn aside to crooked paths Those Martyrs spoken of in the Hebrews Chap. 11. 35. would not accept deliverance that they might obtain a better Resurrection to wince under trouble and fling off the burden ere it be taken off by God without any sin of ours otherwise we break Prison get out by the Window not by the Door we must take up our Cross as long as God will please to have us bear it David saith Thy Salvation 3. The warrant and ground of his expectation according to thy Word Gods mercy is to be expected according to the tenour of the Promise How is that 1. No temporal Blessing is absolutely to be expected for God hath reserved the liberty of trying and chastising his Children in outward things the Covenant is to be understood with the exception of the Cross and we can have no temporal benefit by it but as it is useful for us Psal. 89. 32 38. I will visit their Transgression with a Rod and their Iniquity with Stripes Nevertheless my Loving Kindness will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulness to fail God will use medicinal Discipline though not satisfie his Justice upon them 2. The Qualification of the Promise must be regarded by those that would have benefit by it Gods Covenant is made with his people 't is a mutual stipulation many would have comfort we plead promises of safety with God but forget promises of Obedience to him as Ephraim would tread out the Corn but not break the Clods Hosea 10. 11. There was food Deut. 25. 4. Thou shalt not muzzle the Ox which treadeth out the Corn. We mind our own Interest more than Gods Honour 3. A Word of Promise calleth for Faith and
Trust whatever contrariety appeareth in Gods Providence Gods word must bear up our hearts it is as a Pawn till the Deliverance come Gods mercy is the same still his word calleth for Trust the more we trust and hope in his mercy the better for us Psal. 13. 5. I have trusted in thy mercy my Soul shall rejoyce in thy Salvation Psal. 33. 22. Let thy mercy O Lord be upon us as we hope in thee And Psalm 32. 10. He that trusteth in the Lord Mercy shall compass him about The more clear is your claim when you trust your selves with him he is a merciful God and his word saith he will take care for them that fear him 4. All this trust must be set a work in Prayer so doth David and so saith the Word Psal. 50. 15. Call upon me in the day of Trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie my Name Ier. 29. 11 12. I know the thoughts that I think towards you saith the Lord thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end Then shall ye call upon me and ye shall go and pray unto me and I will hearken unto you Ezek. 36. 37. Thus saith the Lord God I will yet for this be enquired of by the House of Israel to do it for them 4. The effectual Application Let thy Mercies come also unto me 1. He beggeth Application unto me also God is every day scattering his Mercies abroad in the world and David would not be left out of Gods Care and blessed Provision but have his share also Esau's words are applicable upon this occasion Gen. 27. 38. Hast thou but one blessing O my Father Bless me even me also When the Earth is full of his goodness beg your share God is the Father of Mercies he hath not the less for bestowing as the Sun hath not less Light for us because others enjoy it with us God doth not wast by giving 2. He beggeth an effectual Application Let thy mercies come unto me the way was blocked up with sins and difficulties yet Mercy could clear all and find access to him or make out its way Let it come to me that is let it be performed or come to pass as it is rendred Iudges 13 12. Now let thy words come to pass to us Heb. Let it come here let it come home to me for my comfort and deliverance David elsewhere saith Psal. 23. 6. Mercy and Goodness shall follow me all my days go after him find him out in his wandrings So Psalm 116. 12. What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits towards me They found their way to him though shut up with sins and dangers Thus we see how to plead with God for temporal Salvation we must make Grace and nothing but Grace the ground of our hope and this according to the tenor of the word 2. As it is applicable to eternal Salvation and then 1. The ground of all is mercy or pity of the Creatures misery the Lord is not moved to bestow Grace upon Sinners for any goodness that he findeth in them or could foresee in them for he findeth none and could foresee nothing but what was the fruit of his own Grace Rom. 11. 35. Who hath given him first and it shall be recompensed unto him again It is the honour of God to begin all things as the River oweth all to the Fountain the Fountain nothing to the River as none can give him first so none can be profitable unto him for he needeth nothing Acts 17. 25. Neither is worshipped with mens hands as though he needeth any thing seeing he giveth to all life and breath and all things Nay we deserve the contrary to be cast into utter darkness Ezek. 36. 21 22. I do not this for your sakes I had pity for my Names sake which ye have prophaned among the Heathen 1 Pet. 1. 3. Of his abundant goodness he hath begotten us to a lively hope We have not a right notion of mercy unless we admire the plenty of it Eph. 2. 4. God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us when we were dead in trespasses and sins hath quickned us with Christ. There need many mercies from first to last for the saving of a poor sinner their natural misery is great Ezek. 16. 6. When I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood live yea I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood live Their actual Sins many Ier. 14. 7. Our iniquities testifie against us the way of their recovery by Christ is mysterious Iohn 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life The course taken for satisfying wronged Justice the Application involveth many mercies the renewing of their Natures Titus 3. 5. According to his mercy he saved us by the washing of Regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost The preserving of inherent Grace against temptations forgiving many sins after Conversion Isa. 55. 7. Let the wicked for sake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon The righteous fall seven times a day and riseth up again Prov. 24. 16. The great eternal good things to be bestowed on them Iude 21. Looking for the mercy of our Lord Iesus Christ unto eternal life So that from first to last there is nothing but a concatenation of mercies 2. The Effect Salvation This properly deserveth to be called so we are saved but in part before then from all evils from the greatest evil Hell before we are saved but we may be troubled again now no more sorrow when all opposition is broken and God is all in all and the Church presented as a prey snatched out of the teeth of Lions all former things are done away 3. This dispensed according to the Word Now what doth the Word say when a sinner repenteth all the Iniquities which he hath committed shall be forgotten there is abuse of Mercy noted Deut. 29. 19. If he shall bless himself and say I shall have Peace though I walk in the imagination of my heart I may go on in sin and cry God mercy and there is an end No Mercy issueth out it self for Salvation of men according to the Word these are Conclusions contrary to Grace Iude 4. There are certain men crept in unawares who were before of old ordained to this condemnation ungodly men turning the Grace of our God into Lasciviousness The Principle is true but the Conclusion is false certainly God is merciful there is no end nor measure nor bank nor bottom in his Mercy but throughout the whole Scriptures Mercy is only promised to the Penitent and those that come to God by Christ. Take mercy according to the Word
necessary 1. To know the Mind of God and understand our Duty A superficial Knowledge hath no efficacy and hold upon us therefore by deep Meditation Search and Study we come to be more thorowly acquainted with the Mind of God revealed in his Word We are bidden Prov. 2. 4. to dig for knowledge as for silver Mines do not lie in the surface but in the bowels of the earth Every day we should get more knowledge Rom. 12. 2. Be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God And Ephes. 5. 17. Be not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is Now we cannot know this without a serious search and enquiry into the Rule of Duty There must be an accurate search Spiritual Knowledge will not drop into our mouths There are many Clouds of Ignorance and Folly that yet hover in the Minds of Men and they are dispelled more and more by a sound study of the Scriptures 2. To keep up a fresh Remembrance of our Duty Oblivion and Inconsideration is a kind of Ignorance for the time Though we habitually know a thing yet we do not actually know a thing till we consider of it Eccles. 5. 1. They consider not that they do evil So Hosea 7. 2. They consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness That which we consider is always before us but that which we consider not is forgotten laid by and the Notions which we have about them are as it were laid asleep they work not But now frequent Meditation keepeth these things alive 3. Meditation is necessary to enkindle our Affections Affections are stirred by Thoughts as Thoughts by Objects The Truth cannot come home to our Hearts till we think of it again and again We have no other natural way to raise Affection and we must not think that Grace worketh like a Charm in a way contrary to the instituted Order of Nature No the Heart of Man must be besieged with frequent and powerful Thoughts before it will yield to God and give entertainment to his Truth and Ways There is no coming at the Heart but by the Mind and the Mind must be serious in what it represents to gain the Heart that is we must meditate The Devil watcheth our Postures he seeketh to catch these thoughts out of our Mind as soon as he seeth that we begin to be serious Mat. 13. 19. 4. Meditation is necessary to shew our Love I will lift up my hands also to thy commandments which I have loved and I will meditate in thy statutes Psal. 1. 2. His delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law doth he meditate day and night Psal. 119. 47. And I will delight my self in thy commandments which I have loved The Mind will muse upon what we love as Thoughts stir Affections so Affections stir up Thoughts for in all Moral things there is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a pleasing Object will be much revolved in our mind and frequently thought of The Use is for Direction to us When you have heard the Word remember what you hear and apply it to your selves by serious inculcative Thoughts So when you read the Word do not onely understand it but think of it again and again Deut. 32. 46. Set your hearts to all the words which I testifie among you this day saith Moses to the Israelites So Christ Luke 9. 44. Let these sayings sink into your hearts Truths never go to the quick of the Affections but by serious and ponderous Thoughts You will not lift up your Hands till the Truth sink into the Heart You read Chapters hear Sermon after Sermon they do not stir you or it is but a little for a fit like a Man that hath been a little warming himself by the Fire and goeth away and is colder than he was before Oh Christian this Means is not to be neglected no more than Reading and Hearing because of its great use both for first Conversion and continual Quickening 1. For first Conversion A Man cometh to himself by serious Thoughts of those great and important Truths which are delivered in the Word of God Luke 15. 17. And when he came to himself he said c. Psal. 22. 27. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord. Psal. 119. 59. I thought on my ways and turned my feet unto thy testimonies 2. For continual Quickening Musing maketh the Fire burn The greatest things will not move us if we do not think of them Rom. 8. 31. What shall we then say to these things If God be for us who can be against us Job 5. 27. Lo this we have searched so it is hear it and know thou it for thy good The benefit of sound Doctrine consists in the application thereof by the Hearers When Men have spent their time and strength to find a good Lesson for us shall not we think of it SERMON LV. PSAL. CXIX 49. Remember thy word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hope IN the Words Observe 1. His Prayer and humble Petition to God Remember thy word God is said to remember when he doth declare by the Effect that he doth remember He sometimes seemingly forgets his promise that is to appearance carrieth himself as one that doth forget 2. His Argument is taken 1. From his Interest Thy servant 2. From his Trust and Hope which is expressed 1. As warranted 2. As caused 1. As warranted by his Word that gave him ground of Hope and Comfort 2. As caused by his Influence upon which thou hast caused me to hope The Word his Warrant the Spirit his Anchor Would God raise up such an Hope meerly to defeat it The Word concurred to this Hope as it offered 1. A Command to believe 2. The Promise of the Eternal and Immutable God to build upon The Influence of his Grace concurred for he that maketh the Offer in the Word doth also work Faith in the Believer and inclineth his Heart to apply the Promise and trust in it for faith is the gift of God Ephes. 2. 8. In short here is a Promise believed and pleaded and both confirm our Faith in the fulfilling and granting of it Doct. That Believers may humbly challenge God upon his Word and seek the full performance of what he hath promised This Point that it may be managed with respect to this Text I shall give you these Considerations 1. That God delighteth to promise Mercy before he accomplish it Which sheweth these things 1. His abundant Love God's Heart is so kindly affected to his People that he cannot stay till the accomplishment of things but he must tell us aforehand what he meaneth to do for us Isa. 42. 9. Before they spring forth I will tell you of them Long before there was any sight of such things or means that might produce them So that his Promise is an eruption
art mindfull of him and the son of man that thou visitest him The lowest Heaven affordeth us Breath Winds Rain the middle or second Heaven affordeth us Heat Light Influence and the third Heaven an eternal Habitation if we serve God In Earth all the things daily in our view speak to God's praise if we had the leisure to hear them these Creatures and Works of his that are daily in our view represent him as a mercifull God This is the Lesson which is most legible in them whether we sit at home in our Houses or go abroad and consider Land or Water Go to the animate Creatures the Beasts of the Field Psalm 36. 6. Thou preservest Man and Beast Job 12. 7 8. But ask now the Beasts and they shall teach thee and the Fowls of the Aire shall declare unto thee Or speak to the Earth and it shall teach thee and the Fishes of the Sea shall declare unto thee Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this His Providence reacheth to an innumerable multitude of Creatures giving them Life and Motion and sustaining them and relieving their Necessities and doth largely bestow his Blessing upon them according to their Nature and Condition And this Goodness of God shineth forth in all his Creatures not onely what he doth to them themselves but in what he doth about them for Man's sake they were defiled with Man's Sin and therefore he might in justice have abolished them or made them useless to Man or Instruments of his Grief but they are continued for our Comfort that we might live in a well-furnished World Now come to Man himself good bad wicked godly His Sun shineth his Rain falleth on the evil and good just and unjust Matth. 5. 44. great Mercy is still continued to the fallen Creature even to the impenitent Acts 14. 17. Nevertheless he left not himself without witness in that be did good and gave us rain from Heaven and fruitfull seasons filling our hearts with food and gladness What was God's Witness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he doth good much patience is used mens Lives continued while they sin and means vouchsafed for their reclaiming Food Raiment Friends Habitations Health Ease Liberty afforded to them and all to shew that we have to doe with a most mercisull God who is willing to be reconciled to the sinning Creature Go to the godly and what is all their Experience but a constant course of Mercy David's admiration declares it Psalm 139. 17. How precious are thy thoughts to me O Lord how great is the sum of them if I should count them they are more in number than the sand He was in a maze when he thought of the various dispensations of God's Providence there was no getting out The Lord filleth up his Servants lives with great and various Mercies even in their Warfare and Pilgrimage here in this World abundance of unvaluable Mercies that if we do but consider what we do receive we must needs be confirmed in this Truth by our own Senses Every thing is a mercy to a Vessel of Mercy 2. Wherein God expresseth his Mercy to them in Creation and Providence 1. In creating them it was great Mercy that being infinitely perfect in himself from all Eternity and so not needing any thing he took the Creatures out of nothing which therefore could merit nothing and communicated his Goodness to them for thy pleasure they are and were created Revel 4. 11. 2. In preserving and continuing them so long as he seeth good the Heavens continue according to his Ordinance the Beasts and Fowls and Fishes continue according to his pleasure all the living Creatures need many things for their daily sustentation which their Creatour abundantly supplyeth to them and therefore the whole Earth is full of his Mercy One Creature the Scripture taketh notice of Luke 12. 24. Consider the Ravens for God feedeth them And Again Iob 37. 41. He feedeth the young Ravens when they cry and wander for lack of meat And Psalm 147. 9. He giveth to the Beast his food and to the young Ravens which cry Why is the Raven made such an instance of Providence above other Fowls or other living Creatures some say it is Animal sibi rapacissimum others other things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 casts its young out of the Nest assoon as they are able to fly and put to hard shifts for themselves all this sheweth his Mercy how ready he is to supply the miserable V. Prop. His Goodness to all the Creatures should confirm his People in hoping for saving Grace or spiritual good things Why all the business will be to shew you the force of this Argument and that it is a prop to Faith 1. We may reason from the less to the greater our Lord hath taught us so for food and cloathing Matth. 6. 28 29 30. And why take ye thought for raiment Consider the Lilies of the field how they grow they toile not neither do they spin And yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arayed like one of these Wherefore if God so cloath the grass of the field which to day is and to morrow is cast into the oven shall he not much more cloath you O ye of little faith From Fowls and Lilies they have no arts of tilling spinning are not of such account with God as Mankind as his People So for Protection Matth. 10. 29 30 31. Are not two Sparrows sold for a farthing and one of them shall not fall to the ground without your Father But the very hairs of your head are all numbred Fear ye not therefore ye are of more value than many Sparrows The Reasoning is good if he hath Mercy for Kites he hath also for Children who are not onely in a higher rank of Creatures but in a renewed Estate and reconciled to him by Christ become his Friends and Children whom he tendereth as the apple of his Eye much more when they come for spiritual Benefits pleasing to the Lord 1 Kings 3. 9 10. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people that I may discern between good and bad for who is able to judge this thy so great a people And the speech pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing Now all these amount to a strong probability if not a certainty It is a mistake to think that Faith onely goeth upon Certainties no sometimes it is mightily encouraged by Probabilities These must not be left out for if I want any spiritual Blessing is it not a great incouragement to remember God's mercifull Nature shining forth in all his Works if kind to his Creatures will he not be kind to me if he causeth his Sun to shine upon the Wicked will he not lift up the light of his Countenance upon my Soul if his Rain fall upon their Fields will he not let the Dew of his Grace fall upon my barren Heart Though
out into leaves the baits of the Flesh must be taken from us that our gust and rellish of heavenly Things may be recovered The Use is to caution us against our Murmurings and taxing of God's Providence How few are there that give him thanks for his seasonable Discipline and observe God's Faithfulness and the Benefit they have by Afflictions but rather murmur repine and fret through Impatience If it be good to be afflicted let us accept of it for Good is matter of choice Levit. 26. 41. If their uncircumcised hearts be humbled and they then accept of the punishment of their Iniquity Now all Affliction on this side Hell is good as 't is a lesser evil hic ure hic seca if God will cut here burn here lance here as a Chirurgion that we may not be destroyed for ever corrected that we may not be condemned 1 Cor. 11. 32. 'T is good as it is a means to Good for the end putteth a loveliness also upon the means though things in themselves be harsh and sowre We must not consider what things are in themselves but what they are in their reduction tendency and final use so all things are yours Crosses Deaths 1 Cor. 3. 18. all their Crosses yea sometimes their Sins and Snares by God's overruling We lose the benefit of our Affliction by our Murmurings Repinings Faintings carnal Sorrows and Fears an impatient distrustfull Mind spoileth the working of God Tribulation worketh Patience and Patience Experience 'T is not the bare Affliction worketh but the Affliction meekly born Let us not misconstrue God's present way of dealing with us there may be a seeming harshness in some of his dealings but yet all things considered you will find them full of Mercy and Truth Murmuring is a disorder in the Affections misinterpreting in the Understanding to prevent it 1. Consider you must not interpret the Covenant by God's Providence but God's Providence by his Covenant Certain it is that all New Covenant-dispensations be Mercy and Truth Psalm 25. 10. our Crosses not excepted by them God is pursuing his Covenant and eternal Purpose concerning our Salvation There is sometimes a seeming Contradiction between his Promises and his Providences Word and Works his Voice is sweet like Iacob's but his Hands rough like Esau's Goe into the Sanctuary and God will help you to reconcile things Psalm 73. 16 17. otherwise the difficulty will be too hard for you The Children of God that have suspected or displeased him have always found themselves in an Errour Isa. 49. 14 15. His Promise is the light side his Providence is the dark side of the Cloud Psalm 77. 19. Thy way is in the Sea and thy path in the deep waters and thy footsteps are not known We cannot trace him nor find out the reason of every thing which God doth onely in the general That he doth all things well Mark 7. 37. nay what is best 2. We must distinguish between a part of God's Work and the end of it We cannot understand God's Providence till he hath done his Work he is an impatient Spectatour that cannot tarry till the last Act wherein all Errours are reconciled Iohn 13. 7. What I do thou knowest not now but hereafter thou shalt know No wonder if we are much in the dark if we look onely to present sense and present appearance then his Purposes are hidden from us he bringeth one contrary out of another Light out of Darkness Meat out of the Eater God knoweth what he is a doing with you when you know not Ier. 29. 11. I know my thoughts to give you an expected end When we view Providences by pieces we know not God's mind for the present we see him it may be rending and tearing all things therefore let us not judge of God's Work by the beginnings till all work together Our present State may be very sad and uncomfortable and yet God is designing the choisest Mercies to us Psalm 31. 22. I said in my hast I am cut off from before thine eyes nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my Supplications when I cried unto thee Psalm 116. 11. I said in my hast all men are liars Hast never speaketh well of God nor his Promises nor maketh any good Comment upon his Dealings 3. We must distinguish between that which is really best for us and what we judge best for us Deuter. 8. 15 16. Who led thee through that great and terrible Wilderness wherein were fiery Serpents and Scorpions and Drought where there was no water who brought thee out water out of the Rock of Flint Who fed thee in the Wilderness with Manna which thy Fathers knew not that he might humble thee and that he might prove thee to doe thee good at the latter end Other Diet is more wholsome for our Souls than that which our sick Appetite craveth 'T is best with us many times when we are weakest 2 Cor. 12. 10. When I am weak then am I strong Worst when strongest 2 Cor. 26. 16. When he was strong his heart was lifted up to his own destruction Lot chose Sodom a fair and pleasant Situation but you know what inconveniencies he met with there Many times the Buffettings of Satan are better for us than a Condition free from Temptations so is Poverty Emptiness better than Fulness loss of Friends than the injoyment of them Use 2. Is of Information 1. By what note we may know whether God chastens us in anger yea or no whether our Crosses be Curses The Cross that maketh thee better cometh with a Blessing 't is not the sharpness of the Affliction we should look to but the improvement of it the bitter Waters may be made sweet by experiences of Grace if we are made more godly wise religious 't is a good Cross but if it leave us as careless and stupid or no better than we were before that Cross is but a preparation to another if it hath onely stirred up our Impatience done us no good God will follow his stroak and heat his Furnace hotter 2. It informeth us that 't is our Duty not onely to be good in Afflictions but we must be good after Afflictions David when escaped saith 'T is good for me that I have been afflicted Wicked men are somewhat good in Afflictions but assoon as they are delivered they return to their old Sins As Mettals are melted while they are in the Furnace but when they are taken out they return to their natural hardness but the godly are better afterwards 3. That every Condition is as the Heart is Afflictions are good if we have the grace to make a good use of them Look as the good Blessings of God by our Corruption are abused to wantonness and so made hurtfull to us so Crosses that are evil in themselves when sanctified are good All things are sanctified to us when we are sanctified to God Other things that would be Snares prove Helps and Incouragements are great Furtherances the Creature is
and Troubles but have much peace and quietness of spirit in believing Rom. 15. 13. Now the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing 3. As Peace exceedeth Consolation so doth Joy exceed Peace and begets a more notable sense of it self in the Soul In Peace all things are quiet so as we feel no anxious tossings of mind no gripes and fears of an accusing Conscience but in Joy true Joy more some lively motions of heart accompanied with a more lively pleasure and delight In Peace the Soul is in such a condition as the Body is when nothing paineth us but in Joy as when the corporeal Senses are mightily moved with such things as delight and please them as at a Feast the Soul is filled with perpetual suavities so great many times as cannot be told 1 Pet. 1. 8. Ioy unspeakable and full of glory Well then This is Comfort if you consider it with respect to the sense of God's Love or the hopes of glory such a lightning and easing of the heart as sheweth it self in alacrity in God's service and courage in Tribulations 1. These Comforts though not absolutely necessary to Salvation yet conduce much to the well-being of a Christian and therefore not to be despised 'T is as Oyl to the Wheels Iob. 15. 11. If neglected and not sought after with earnest diligence they are despised which cannot be without great sin 2. It follows after holiness as heat doth fire The Oyl of grace will breed the Oyl of gladness There are certain spiritual Pleasures which do attend a course of Obedience Holiness is our work Comfort our reward Holiness is God's due Comfort our profit and interest Acts 9. 31. Walked in the fear of God and comfort of the Holy Ghost Grace carrieth us out to honour God Love to him breedeth Comfort 'T is strange if it be not so there is some unusual impediment 3. Though our main Comfort be in Heaven yet whilst we are here in the world we have some foregoing Consolation as an earnest and pledge of more to ensue and as the solace of our Pilgrimage Psal. 117. 54. Here is not onely the offer but the sealing of Pardon and Peace to the Soul 4. Comfort is more needfull at some time than at others and God dispenseth it suitably to our tryals necessities and wants In great Afflictions and Temptations there is a larger allowance because they need greater Comforts 2 Cor. 1. 5. a drop of Honey is not enough to sweeten a Hogshead of Vinegar The Lord reserveth the Comforts of his Spirit for such a time The more humble and frequent in Prayer Grace is more exercised drawn forth into the view of Conscience 2. Comfort is to be asked of God for 't is his proper gift 'T is his Name The God of all Comfort 2 Cor. 1. 3. and 2 Cor. 7. 6. The God that comforteth those that are cast down 'T is well that our Comforts are in the hand of God we should have little of it if it were in the disposal of the Creature Consider 1. That natural Comforts are the gifts of God 1 Tim. 1. 17. He giveth us richly all things to enjoy and sets forth the bounds of our habitation where and how much we shall have and giveth and taketh these things at his pleasure raising up some from the Dunghill pulling down others from the Throne of Glory 1 Sam. 2. 7 8. That Prosperity may never be without a Curb nor Adversity without a Comfort God will acquaint the World with such Spectacles now and then All things are at his dispose 2. That moderate delight and contentment that we have in our earthly Blessings is his allowance The Creature without God is like a deaf Nut when we crack it we find nothing Eccl. 2. 24 25. and Eccl. 3. 13. 'T is the gift of God and 't is one of the chiefest earthly mercies that in this valley of Tears where we meet with so many causes of grief and sorrow we take comfort in any thing Without this a Crown of Gold will sit no easier than a Crown of Thorns upon the head of him that weareth it yea a Palace becomes a Prison and every place an Hell to us 'T is not abundance of Honour that makes a man happy but Comfort Luk. 12. 15. If God send leanness into the Soul or a spark of his wrath into the Conscience all is as the white of an Egg unsavory A secret Curse eateth out all the contentment of it He that liveth in a Cottage is happier than he that liveth in a Palace if he have Comfort there 3. For spiritual Comfort which ariseth either from the sense of his Love or the hope of Glory we cannot have one drop of it but from God His Spirit is called the Comforter All the World cannot give it if he doth not give it us He hath an immediate and soveraign power over the hearts of men if he frown nothing can support us When the Sun is gone all the Candles in the World cannot make it day We can procure our own sorrow quickly bu the onely can comfort us None but Divine comforts are Authentick 3. The means of conveying and procuring this comfort 1. The means of conveying it on Gods part is his word David pleadeth that where the remedy of his misery was discovered and offered We read often in this Psalm how David revived his comfort by the Word and Rom. 15. 4. Comfort of the Scriptures There is the matter of true spiritual comfort 1 Cor. 14. 31. That all may learn and all be comforted This follows from the former God is the God of comfort And we should not have the heart to come to him unless he had opened the way to him by his promise The World cannot give it to us Philosophy cannot The word of God can And this comfort is both strong and full for measure and matter 1. Matter There the Death of Christ is laid down as the foundation of comfort If we consider God as Holiness it self and we nothing but a mass of sin and corruption you will see there can be no reconciliation without satisfaction given Mercy must see Justice contented one Attribute must not destroy another Justice hath no loss 't is fully satisfied in Christ and that 's the ground of our comfort 2 Cor. 1. 3. There are the promises of deliverance protection support the liberties and privileges of Christians laid forth These are the breasts of comfort Isa. 66. Suck of these and be satisfied In short our great comforts are God's presence with us while we are in these Houses of Clay Our presence with God in his Palace of Glory 1 Thes. 4. 17 18. We shall ever be with the Lord. And comfort one another with these words Secondly The means on our part receiving the sweet effects of Gods mercy and word and that is Prayer We cannot have it without dealing with God in an humble manner Whatever God giveth he will
heavy upon the Soul go humble your selves before the mercifull God and sue out his favour and reconciliation with you as David doth Psalm 51. 1. Have mercy upon me according to thy loving kindness according to the multitude of thy tender Mercies blot out my Transgressions You know not what a mercifull God may do for his underserving and ill-deserving People And partly when God is upon his judicial process and calleth a people to an account for their sins he still retaineth his mercifull nature Hab. 3. 2. In the midst of wrath he remembreth Mercy his wrath and indignation doth not so far transport him as that he should forget his mercifull nature and deal with his afflicted people without all moderation When God is justly angry for sin 't is a special time wherein to plead for Mercy Secondly he beggeth that it may come to him Let us see the meaning of the request and then what may be observed upon it Coming to him noteth a personal and effectual application 1. A personal Application as in the 41 vers of this Psalm Let thy mercies come to me also even thy Salvation according to thy word David would not be forgotten or left out or lost in the throng of mankind when mercy was distributing the blessing to them 2. Effectuall application that noteth 1. The removing of obstacles and hindrances 2. The obtaining the fruits and effects of this Mercy First The removing of obstacles Till there be way made the Mercy of God cannot come at us for the way is barricadoed and shut up by our sins as the Lord maketh a way for his Anger Psalm 78. 50. by removing the hindrances eating out the staff and the stay taking away that which letteth so the Lord maketh way for his Mercy or Mercy maketh way for it self when it removeth the obstruction sin is the great hindrance of Mercy We our selves raise the mists and the clouds which intercept the light of God's Countenance we build up the partition wall which separates between God and us yet Mercy finds the way Secondly The obtaining the fruits of Mercy The effects of God's tender Mercies are common or saving We read Psalm 145. 9. The Lord is good to all his tender Mercies are over all his works not a Creature which God hath made but the Lord pitieth it and supplyeth its wants But there are spiritual effects of the Lord 's tender Mercy his pardoning our sins restoring us to his grace and savour and repairing his Image in us Eph. 1. 3. Who hath blessed us with spiritual blessings in Heavenly places in Christ such Spiritual blessings as are a sure effect of God's favour never given in anger Riches may be given in anger so may also temporal deliverance but pardon of sin is never given in anger nor the spirit of the Lord Iesus to dwell in us Of spiritual blessings some are comfortable to us others honourable to God some fall in with our Interest others suite with God's end as pardon is of the first sort and the subjection of the Creature to God of the latter We are willing to be pardoned and freed from the curse of the Law and the flames of Hell but to be renewed to the Image of God and quickened to the life of Grace and put into a capacity to serve our Creator and Redeemer that we are not so earnest for and yet these are the undoubted pledges of the special mercy of God to us and absolutely necessary to the injoyment of the other relative benefits we must suppose David to intend both in his Prayer Let thy Mercy come unto me Once more these spiritual benefits may be considered as to the effects themselves and the sense that we have of our injoyment of them our safety dependeth upon the saving effects and fruits of God's special mercy and our peace joy and comfort upon the sense of them both are comprised in thâ—…t petition Let thy tender Mercies come unto me This being stated as the full meaning of the words let us observe 1. That 't is not enough to hear of somewhat of God's saving Mercies but we should beg that it may come unto us be effectually and sensibly communicated unto us that we may have experience of them in our own Souls the hearsay will do us little good without experience the hearsay is the first Incouragement we have heard the Kings of Israel are mercifull Kings that moved them to make the address in an humble and submissive manner for their life and safety 1 Kings 20. 31. Let us I pray thee put on sackcloth upon our loins and ropes upon our heads and go to the King of Israel We may reason at a better rate concerning the God of Israel we have heard that the God of Israel is a mercifull God that he delights in mercy but then let us try what he will doe for us Upon the participation of the saving effects and benefits of his mercy our comfort and Interest beginneth 1. We shall never have such admiring thoughts of mercy as when we have felt it our selves then we know the Grace of God in truth Col. 1. 6. A man that hath read of hony or heard of hony may know the sweetness of it by guess and imagination but a man that hath tasted of hony knoweth the sweetness of it in truth So by hearing or reading of the Grace and mercy of God in Christ we may guess that it is a sweet thing but he that hath had an experimental proof of the sweet effects and fruits of it in his own heart and all that is spoken of Gods pardoning and comforting of sinners is verified in himself this giveth him a more sensible demonstration of the worth and value of this priviledg then more admiring thoughts of Mercy when he can say as Paul 1 Tim. 1. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I was saved by mercy 2. We shall more love God Phil. 1. 9. I pray that your love may abound in all sense the Spiritual gust maketh love abound 3. We cannot speak of it with that fullness life sense and affection to others nor so movingly invite others to share with us as when the effects of his goodness are communicated to us Psal. 34. 8. O taste and see that the Lord is good a report of a report is a dead cold thing but a report from experience is lively and powerfull well then let it come to me 3. The sense or participation of God's saving Mercies is to believers the life of their lives the heaven they have upon Earth the joy and comfort of their Souls and the want of this is a kind of death to them for so David expresseth himself Let thy tender mercies come unto me that I may live The reasons are taken partly from the object and partly from the subject from the thing it self and from the disposition of a renewed heart 1. From the thing it self from the object and there first the value of this priviledge
will not fear what man shall do unto me And Psal. 121. 4. Behold he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep In both there is a negative Gradation his Eye-lids try the Children of Men the Lord waketh for us all Secondly That usually he doth protect his People against the Plots of the Proud and bringeth the Mischief they intend to others upon their own heads Job 15. 35. They conceive mischief and bring forth vanity and their belly prepareth deceit But to keep the Notion of the Text. Psal. 7. 15. He made a pit and digged it and is fallen into the ditch which he made Psal. 9. 15 16. The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth the wicked is snared by the work of his own hand They are sunk down into the pit they digged in the net which they hid is their own feet taken So Psal. 35. 7 8. For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit which without cause they have digged for my soul. Let destruction come upon him at unawares and let his net that he hath hid catch himself into that very destruction let him fall And Psal. 10. 2. Let them be taken in the device they have imagined And Psal. 57. 6. They have prepared a net for my steps my soul is bowed down they have digged a pit before me in the midst whereof they are fallen themselves All these places shew how usual it is that their devices do not succeed yea that the wicked cannot take a nearer course to ruine themselves than to seek the overthrow of God's Church and People All their Machinations turn to their own loss and the Mischief they design to others falls constantly on themselves As a Stone thrown up or an Arrow shut up against Heaven returneth upon the head of him that throweth it Their Acts and Attempts of hurting others are converted to their own ruine and destruction seizeth upon them by that very means by which they thought to bring it upon other Men. This God doth partly as they are proud as they despise God and his People Psal. 10. 4. The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God God is not in all his thoughts They are so confident of all they design that they will not so much as call upon God for a blessing this is so firmly laid that all things shall succeed They will not seek after God through the pride of their countenance or suppose they should pray 't is but as Balaam offering sacrifice to entice God to curse his own people The Lord tells us Prov. 21. 27. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination how much more when he bringeth it with a wicked mind Partly because of God's care and respect to his People The poor committeth himself unto thee thou art the helper of the fatherless Psal. 10. 14. He trusts his All with God who is the Patron of the innocent and oppressed USE To direct us to carry the Cause to God as David in the Text. Psal. 83. 2 3 4. For lo thine enemies make a tumult and they that hate thee have lift up the head They have taken crafty counsel against thy people and consulted against thy hidden ones They have said Come and let us cut them off from being a Nation that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance You must make the Lord the Party still against the wicked So Psal. 37. 12. The wicked plotteth against the just and gnasheth upon him with his teeth The wicked plotteth but do the just countermine him No the Lord interposeth he laugheth at him 'T is a mighty support to the soul to oppose his Justice to their wickedness his Omnipotency to their power his Wisdom to their craft his Love to their enmity They are in God's hands and cannot stir without him as if one designed to poyson me but cannot do it without my Fathers consent Wicked men are full of their boasts but their brags and threats are but as the brags of a man on the Scaffold who is ready to be executed Their day is coming 2dly When God doth so it must be acknowledged with thankfulness and praise yea though an old mercy Micah 6. 5. The Godly are preserved though there be Pits digged for them surely such experiences ought much to engage his Peoples hearts to him for it sheweth how mindful he is of their safety and welfare Blessed be God that yet we subsist that their devices are disappointed and their designs brought on them what they had projected against others Fourth Point That God's Law forbiddeth all Ungodly Treacherous Designs Attempts and Actions As contrary to Justice To design mischief and treachery against the life of any is the guise of wicked men As contrary to Sincerity and Godly Simplicity 2 Cor. 1. 12. For our rejoycing is this that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world and more abundantly to you wards Crafty and subtile dealings consenteth not with those that profess to direct their ways by the Word of God As contrary to Charity and Mercy which we owe to all men How God hath guarded the life of the innocent by his Precepts and what a base perverse spirit is it to dig Pits for them USE Here is some plea for Religion 'T is not Feralis Superstitio Tantum Religio potuit suadere malorum It is not a false unnatural unkind Superstition when men under pretence of it commit such evils digging Pits laying Mines and Barrels of Gunpowder that Religion should persuade aâ—…l this The world thinks that Religion is a sowr superstition that it makes men ill natur'd no it is the peaceable and meekest thing that can be A false Religion indeed efferates the mind begets a bloody spirit Jud. 11. Gone in the way of Caâ—…n in the way of blood and murther They that have either a false Religion or are false in the true Religion indeed they are ill-natured and possest with a rough spirit unfit for humane society The true Religion which God hath established in his Law is the meekest thing in all the world Fifth Point That the Innocent should not be much troubled to be maligned and hated by them who contemn Gods Laws Why For their Wickedness Fraudulency and Cruelty is a certain Prognostick of their ruine The more their sins are aggravated their judgment cometh the sooner God's Law is wronged as well as our Interest endangered 'T is a great ease to the Conscience of the Godly that they dig Pits for us without a cause Psal. 35. 7. The most Godly and Innocent may have Pits digged for them It enencourageth us in our Addresses to God that we have no Enemies but those who are Enemies to God also and his ways and the most wicked men are most violent against Godâ—…s people Who was it first raged against the Christians but Nero and what a Beast
the Devil and his Instruments so that unless we have a faithful Guide a clear full and sure direction we shall certainly miscarry and every day run into the mouth of a thousand mischiefs Now God out of his abundant mercy hath given us a light a rule to walk by to set us clear from these Rocks and Precipices and to guide us safe to true happiness And what is this light it is his Word so David acknowledgeth in this Verse Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path Here you may observe 1 The double Notion by which the direction of the Word is set forth 2 You have the object or the matter wherein we are directed that also is exprest by a double Notion It is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path Let me explain these a little 1. The two Notions whereby the direction is exprest 't is a Light that 's a more general expression the other is more particular it is a Lamp possibly with allusion to the Lamp of the Sanctuary The use of a Lamp is to light in the night and the light shines in the day the Word of God is both a Light and Lamp it is of use to us by day and night in all conditions in Adversity in Prosperity in all the conditions we pass through in this world Chrysostom hath an observation but I doubt a little too curious 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith he The Law shineth in narrow limits within small bounds therefore that 's called a Lamp but Christ in the Gospel is called a Son of Righteousness 2. Let us come to the term by which the object is exprest Path and Feet By Path is meant our general choice and course of life the Law will direct to that not only so but it is a light to our feet that is will direct us in every step in every particular action Doct. That the Word of God is a clear and a full Rule to direct us in all the conditions and affairs of the present life It is a clear Rule for it is called a Lamp and it is a full Rule for it is a Lamp not only for our path but for our feet I shall speak of both severally that it is a Lamp and a Light First It is a clear Rule and therefore called a Light and that in three regards 1 By reason of its direction as it shews us the right way to our desired end He that would come to his journies end needs a way and needs a light to see and find it out Our end is eternal life and that to be enjoy'd in Heaven Prov. 6. 23. The commandment is a lamp and the law is light and reproofs of instruction are the way of life God hath stated the way that leads to eternal happiness by his wisdom and justice and revealed it in the Scriptures See that place Psal. 43. 3. O send out thy light and thy truth let them lead me let them bring me unto thy holy hill and to thy tabernacles We should have wandered up and down in various uncertainties and have neither pitched upon the right end or way but have lost our selves in a maze of perplexities if God had not sent forth his light and truth Austin reckons up 288 Opinions about the chiefest good Men are seeking out many inventions looking here and there to find happiness but God hath shewed the true way 2 'T is a light in regard of Conviction as it convinceth of all Errors and Mistakes both in judgment and practice Verum est Index sui obliqui In this respect it is said Eph. 5. 13. because of this convincing light that is in the word All things that are reproved are made manifest by the light for whatsoever doth make manifest is light It discovereth to us our sins as well as our duties light doth manifest itself and make all other things manifest Now this convictive power of the Word is double by way of prevention and by way of reproof 1. By way of Prevention The Word of God shews us our danger Pits Precipices and Stumbling-blocks that lie in our way to Heaven it shews us both our food and our poyson and therefore he that walks according to the direction of the Word is prevented from falling into a great deal of mischief 1 Iohn 2. 10 11. He that abideth in the light there is none occasion of stumbling in him But he that hateth his brother is in darkness and walketh in darkness and knoweth not whither he goeth because that darkness hath blinded his eyes The meaning of that place is this He that walks according to the light of Scripture and lives in obedience thereto avoids stumbling but he that is blinded by his own passion he wants his light knows not whither he goes neither in what way he goes respectu vioe respectu termini what will be the end of his going he mistakes the way sins for duties and good for evil or he mistakes the end thinking he is going to Heaven when he is in the High-way to Hell 2. By way of Humiliation and Reproof it discovers our sins to us in their own colours so as to affect the heart yea our secret sins which could not be found out by any other light 1 Cor. 14. 24 25. When he that believeth not or is unlearned comes in he is convinced of all he is judged of all The light of the Word it brings a Sinner upon his face makes him fall down acknowledging the Majesty of God in his Word God's Word it hath his signature upon it it is like himself and bewrayeth its Author by its convictive power and majesty so it 's notable Heb. 4. 12 13. The Word of God is quick and powerful c. And is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart Mark what he had said of the Word he proves the properties of the Word by the properties of God that God searcheth all things God's Word is like himself 3 It is light in regard of comfort Eccles. 11. 7. Truly the light is sweet and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun especially to those that have been shut up in darkness and kept in a dungeon O it 's a pleasant thing to behold the light again So is the Word of God light in this sense to relieve us in all the dark and gloomy passages of the present life 1. In outward darkness When all outward comforts fail and have spent their allowance the comforts of the Word are left there 's enough to support and strengthen our hearts in waiting upon God Psal. 23. 4. When I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me thy rod and thy staff they comfort me The staff and rod they are instruments of a Shepherd and Christ is our spiritual Shepherd so that this staff and rod are his Word and Spirit they are the instruments
lest ye forget the Covenant of the Lord your God Quest. But when should we renew our Covenant or our Oath of Allegiance to God 1. Partly when we stand in need of some special favor from God or when we draw nigh to him in some special duty As Iacob when God manifested himself to him and he had communion with him at Bethel then he vowed a Vow Gen. 28. 21. So Num. 21. 2. Israel vowed a Vow to the Lord when they were in some distress And Psal. 65. 14. I will pay the vows of my distress which I made when I was in trouble 2. Again after some special mercy when under some love pang of spiritual rejoycing and we have a deep sense of God's love to us or a new pledge of his love to us either in spiritual or temporal benefits and our soul melted out towards God in acts of spiritual rejoycing Psal 116. 8 9. For thou hast delivered my soul from death mine eyes from tears and my feet from falling I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living And when God breaks the force and power of Enemies when he makes the wrath of man turn to his praise then Psal. 76. 11. Vow and pay unto the Lord your God Those Pagan Mariners they made their Vows to God when the Lord deliver'd them from the storm Ionah 1. 16. 3. When all things go to ruine when the state of Religion is collapsed either in a Nation or in our hearts after some notable breaches of Covenant by a people or by a person and we have warped from God seem to have wrested our selves out of his arms then to bind our selves to him again and to renew our Vows for upon this occasion doth Iosiah enter into Covenant with God and cause the people to stand to the oath 2 Chron 34. 4 When we are to draw nigh to God in the use of the Seals of the New Covenant when a Man is to revive his own right in the Covenant of Grace so when we are to draw nigh to God in the Lord's Supper which is the New Testament in Christ's blood which is the Seal of the Covenant then we should solemnly bind our selves to the duty of it and swear to the Lord anew Use. To press you with all earnestness to enter into Covenant with God and then to keep it and make it good to be sensible of the Vow of God upon you and to keep firm in the bond of the holy Oath 1 First To enter into solemn Obligation to God a purpose of holy and close walking with God I shall press you hereunto 1. God's Laws are holy just and good therefore certainly we should not be backward to swear to him because we cannot bring our selves seriously to give up our selves to the Lord they are righteous Judgments Suppose you could be free yet subjection to God were to be chosen before liberty therefore when Christ invites us to take his yoke upon our selves he doth not so much urge his authority All things are given to me of my Father therefore come to me but he urgeth the sweetness of Obedience and the pleasure we may find in coming to him Mat. 11. 29. My yoke is easie and my burden is light If a Man were free to chuse whether he would be for God or no yet the perfection or well-being of the reasonable nature being so much concerned in obedience to God you should chuse those Laws before liberty What doth the Lord require of you to be holy just temperate often praying and praising his Name and are these things hard a Man is not a Man if he do not yield to these things Tit. 2. 12. All our duties are comprised in those three Adverbs soberly righteously godly by being sober a Man delights himself and by being just and righteous a Man delights others without this the World would be but like a Den of Thieves and by being godly he doth delight God If we had only leave to love God and serve him much more when we have a command to serve him to be often in communion with him it is the happiest life in the World There 's a great deal of pleasure sweetness and rational contentment doth accompany the exercise of these three graces Sobriety Righteousness Godliness 2. We are already obliged by God's command so that whether you resolve or no you are bound There are some things that are left free in our own power before the Vow passeth upon us as Acts 5. 4. Was it not in thy power Ay but there are other things that are not in our power God's right over the creature is valid whether he consent to it or no as the natural relation doth infer and enforce duty without consent This is the difference between voluntary and natural relations look as a Father is a Father whether the child own him or no in that quality and relation and without his consent a Father as a Father hath a right to command the child But there are duties that depend upon our consent as in the choice of an Husband or Master So here 's a natural relation between God and us he our Creator we his Creatures he our Superior and we his Inferior by reason of his authority and eternal right and God may urge this I am the Lord though he do not urge that I am the Lord thy God Sometimes I am the Lord Lev. 18. 5. his own Sovereignty Sometimes The Lord thy God ver 2. which argues our choice and consent to chuse him for our God therefore thou art not free 3. Actual consent and resolution on our part is required that the sense of our duty may be more explicite upon our heart 2 Chron. 30. 8. Yield your selves to the Lord. In the Original Give the Lord the hand that is strike hands with him enter into Covenant with him say Lord I will be for thee and thou for me chuse him for your portion and give up your selves to be the Lord's people Rom. 12. 1. Present your bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service He alludes to the Eucharistical Sacrifices All our offerings must not be sin-offerings but thank-offerings so present your selves Under the Law a Man he brought his thank-offering and laid his hand upon it Lord I am thine It was implied in your Baptism and it is but reason that you should own your Baptismal Vow when you come to years of discretion A bargain that is made for an Heir during his Non-age it is confirmed by him when he comes to age You were dedicated to God's service when you were young and knew not what you did now when you come to chuse your own way and at years of discretion you should stand to what was done in your Name to God therefore there must be a serious and solemn consent of your heart 4. It is for your profit to chuse the strictest Engagements Not only to approve the ways of God
spirit Be careful for the Soul that you may keep up a lively faith and a constant sense of blessedness to come and so rejoyce in God Oh how much time and pains do men waste in decking and trimming the Body when in the mean time they neglect their Souls We may all fall a weeping when we consider how little we look after this inner life to keep that in heart and vigour SERMON CXXVIII PSAL. CXIX VER 116 117. And let me not be ashamed of my hope Hold thou me up and I shall be safe and I will have respect unto thy Statutes continually IN the former Verse I observed David begs two things Confirmation in waiting and the full and final accomplishment of his hopes Something remains upon the 116th Verse Let me not be ashamed of my hope Hope follows faith and nourisheth it Faith assures there is a promise hope looks out for the accomplishment of it Now David having fixed his hope upon the mercies of God begs Let me not be ashamed that is that hope may not be disappointed for hope disappointed brings shame Man is conscious of the folly and rashness in conceiving such a hope Iob 6. 20. They were confounded because they had hoped they came thither and were ashamed They looked for water from the Brooks of Tema but when they were dried up they were confounded and ashamed That breeds shame when we are frustrated in our expectations There is a hope that will leave us ashamed and there is another hope that will not leave us ashamed for David goes to God and desires him to accomplish his hope There is a Christian hope that is founded upon the mercies and promises of God and encouraged by experience of God that will never deceive us I shall speak of that hope that will bring shame and confusion and that is twofold worldly hope and carnal security 1. Worldly hopes such as are built upon worldly men and worldly things Upon worldly men they are mutable and so may deceive us sometimes their minds may change the favour of man is a deceitful thing As Cardinal Wolsey said in his distress If I had served God as diligently as I have done the King he would not have given me over in my grey hairs but it 's a just reward for my study to do him service not regarding the service of God to do him pleasure Let God be true and every man a Liar A man makes way for shame that humours the lusts of others and wrongs his Conscience and first or last they will find it is better to put confidence in God than the greatest Potentates in the World Psal. 118. 8. and therefore it should be our chief care to apply our selves to God and study his pleasure rather than to please men and conform our selves to their uncertain minds and interests To attend God daily and be at his beck is a stable happiness the other is a poor thing to build upon Mens affections are mutable and so is their condition too Psal. 62. 9. Surely men of high degree are a lye and men of low degree are vanity Whoever trusts in men high or low are sure to be deceived in their expectations And therefore we should think of it beforehand lest we be left in the dirt when we think they should bear us out 1 Kings 1. 21. When my Lord the King shall sleep with his Fathers I and my Son Solomon shall be counted offenders When the Scene is shifted and new Actors come upon the Stage none so liable to be hated as those that promised to themselves a perpetual happiness by the favour of men This is a hope that will leave us ashamed And then worldly things they that hope in these for their happiness will be ashamed There are two remarkable Seasons when this hope leaves us ashamed in the time of distress of conscience and in the day of death In time of distress of conscience Psal. 39. 11. When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity thou makest his beauty to consume away like a Moth. When sin finds us out and Conscience goes to work upon the sense of its own guilt O then what will all the plenty of worldly Comforts do us good The Creatures then have spent their allowance and can help us no more What good will an Estate do And all the pomp and bravery of the World will be of no more use to us than a rich shoo to a gouty foot Prov. 18. 14. A wounded spirit who can bear But now he that hath chosen God for his portion in all distress and calamities can revive his hopes So also in the hour of death Iob 27. 8. What is the hope of the hypocrite though he hath gained when God shall take away his soul When God puts the Bond in suit though man hath gained where 's his hope when God delivers him over to the Executioner to Chains of darkness 2. Carnal security will leave us ashamed Men living in their sins hope they shall do well enough and expect mercy to bear all and pardon all though they be not so strict and nice as others yet they shall do as well as they This hope is compared to a Spiders Web Iob 8. 12. a poor slight thing that is gone with the blast of every temptation when the Besome comes both Spider and Web are swept away And it is said Iob 11. 20. The hope of the wicked is like the giving up of the Ghost and these in a moment take an everlasting farewel of their hopes So their hopes fail in the greatest extremity This carnal and secure hope in God presumption of his mercy it is but a waking dream as a dream fills men with vain delusions and phantasms It is notably set out by the Prophet Isai. 29. 8. They shall even be as when a hungry man dreameth and behold he eateth but he awaketh and his soul is empty There will an awakening time come and then the Dream of a hungry man torments him more Carnal men are like Dreamers that lose all as soon as they are awake though they dream of enjoying Scepters and Crowns yet they are in the midst of Bonds and Irons Vain elūsions do they please themselves with that make way for eternal sorrow and shame Let us see how this false hope of the wicked differs from the true hope of Gods Children First This hope is not indeed built upon God God hath the name but indeed they trust upon other things as those women the Prophet speaks of Isai. 4. 1. We will eat our own bread and wear our own apparel only let us be called by thy name to take away our reproach So they call their hope ◅fter Gods name but their hearts are born up with other things as appears because when outward things fail they are at a loss and begin to awake out of their dream especially in adistressed case when it pincheth hard Secondly It is not a serious and advised trust
have it so so still the Scripture cryeth down Works and Merits in the Creature in all these gracious influences They all come from Gods Bowels of Compassion to his Creatures labouring under difficulties He loveth to act as a free Agent in giving continuing and actuating the life of his Creatures whether natural or spiritual Yea Lastly any other principle would be against our Profit as well as Gods Glory Our Profit both as to duty and success we should never carry it dutifully to God if we did not acknowledge that all came from Grace Whence cometh impatience murmurings contempt of things afforded but from a secret opinion of our merit and deserving They that prescribe to God ascribe too much to themselves that prescribe to God for time measure 〈◊〉 kind are hasty and murmur under delays and suspensions of Grace And as to 〈◊〉 â—…hout this modest and humble claim God rejecteth the request for he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and giveth grace to the humble 1 Pet. 5. 5. Spiritual Pride is the worst of 〈◊〉 The humble supplicant may expect increase of Grace which is denied to othâ—… Psal. 147. 11. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him in those that hope in his mercy Such as fear God and serve him diligently and yet put all their Confidence in his Mercy these are those whom the Lord delights in to keep Communion with them and pour out his Blessings upon them This is enough to shew you 't is an humble modest Plea II. It is a Comfortable Incouraging Argument which that it may appear to you let us Consider 1. The Nature of it 2. The Kinds of it 3. The Proofs and Demonstrations of it 4. The End of it 1. The Nature of it The loving-kindness of God noteth his disposition to do good upon his own motives or his self-inclination to do good to his Creatures especially to his People 2 Sam. 7. 21. According to thine heart hast thou done this His Native willingness to imploy what goodness is in him for the good of his Creatures Now this doth much incourage poor sinners to draw nigh to God for such mercy as they stand in need of Justice giveth what is due but Mercy what is needed Justice seeks a fit Object Mercy and Loving-kindness a fit Occasion His Justice will not hinder his Mercy to be Bountiful 2. The Kinds of it Gods Loving-kindness is twofold General and Special 1 There is a General kindness and good-will from God as Creator to all his Creatures especially to Mankind the effects and fruits of this general kindness flow in the chanel of common Providence So 't is said Psal. 145. 9. The Lord is good to all and his tender mercies are over all his works God is good to all things to all persons he bestoweth many common Blessings upon the wicked as Natural Life and Being Health and Wealth c. So Psal. 147. 9. He giveth to the beasts his food to the young Ravens which cry To wicked men Matth. 5. 45. Common Blessings do not always argue a good People but they always argue a good God God giveth the Beasts their food in due season Psal. 104. 27 28. Now this is some ground of Hope and so improved Psal. 145. 15 16. if he heareth the cries of the Creatures he will hear the Prayers of the Saints if a Kite much more a Child You see the Lord doth not cast off the care of any living creature which he hath made but hath a constant eye of Providence upon them that their hunger may be satisfied and they may have that sort of good which is fitting for them and that in time and season before they are spent with wants and will he not answer the longings and expectations and cryes of his People and pity their faintings and give that Grace which they so earnestly seek 2 Over and above this common kindness there is a more intire special love and kindness towards Believers in Christ. This may be admired rather than expressed Psal. 36. 7. How excellent is thy loving-kindness O God! This is unto admiration his common kindness his preservation of Man and Beast This is the fruit of his Eternal love Ier. 31. 3. With everlasting love have I loved thee and therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee and this is expressed in blessing them with special and saving Benefits in Christ. The effects of his special kindness do all relate to Life and Godliness and are conveyed to us through the conduit of Christs Merit and Intercession in and by whom he doth fulfil in us all the good pleasure of his goodness 2 Thes. 1. 11 12. Now this special kindness must needs be a mighty incouragement to the Saints to come to him since he loveth them with such a free and special love for all that mercy they stand in need of The former speaketh the goodness of God to all his Creatures this to themselves in particular both together a notable support Yea though we have not yet any experience of the goodness of God yet since there is such a thing as self-inclication in God to do good to his People and besides this a readiness to express his love to all his Creatures more especially to every one without respect of Persons that cometh to him Psal. 86. 5. For thou Lord art good and ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy to all them that call upon thee take the cause and you do not know what you may find It may be your portion and lot 3. The Proofs and Demonstrations of this Loving-kindness 1 He hath given evident proof and infallible demonstration of it in Christ 1 Ioh. 4. 12. In this was manifested the love of God towards us because that God sent his onely begotten Son into the world that we might live through him The Cause or first motive was Love his Means was the sending of Christ to be a Propitiation his End Life Spiritual and Eternal This is such a glorious Instance and Manifestation of the Love of God that poor creatures are encouraged to draw nigh to God for such Mercy as they stand in need of 'T is an hidden Love here 's a convincing proof and real demonstration by so glorious an effect and fruit of it 'T was not a well-wishing love only nor a love concealed but manifested and that by a signal proof 2 The Instances of Gods Loving-kindness to others so that according to thy loving-kindness will be according to that Grace and Mercy which thou art wont to shew to others of thy servants All that have had to do with God will assure you that he is a gracious God full of Kindness and Mercy There are examples of it 1 Tim. 1. 16. And Eph. 2. 7. That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding â—…es of his grace in his kindness towards us through Christ Iesus Instances of Gods loving-kindness towards others have a peculiar fitness and efficacy to convince us how exceedingly gracious God is and so to
draw us to the same Fountain of Grace for Pardon and Life to our selves These Examples do more than the Doctrinal declaration because they do not onely shew that Mercy and Grace may be had but that it hath been attained unto by those who in all respects did judge themselves and were really unworthy of it as unable to lay hold of it and to make good use of it afterwards as we our selves The Ice is broken the Ford ridden before us therefore we may venture our Salvation and Acceptance with God upon the same Grace 3 His former love to our selves At first he took us with all our faults and betrothed us unto himself in Loving-kindness and tender Mercy Hosea 2. 19. and therefore he will still do us good freely and bountifully And so we may answer all Objections from Gods wonted goodness towards us When he hath entred into Covenant with us out of his Love and Bounty we may well expect that upon the same terms he should keep Covenant The continuance is more easily believed and asked than the beginning and first grant Psal. 36. 10. O continue thy loving-kindness unto them that know thee and thy righteousness to the upright in heart When by Experience we have found what it can do for unworthy creatures we may the better expect it should help us upon all occasions 4. The End why God exerciseth it which is his Glory even the glory of his Grace and Loving-kindness That that might be acknowledged and exemplified by those that are partakers of it even to be altogether glorious Eph. 1. 6. To the praise of his glorious grace wherein he hath accepted us in the beloved That it may be owned and esteemed as free and liberal and working of its own accord We only cross Gods End when we do not plead it admire it and esteem it highly and improve it for our Comfort for this is Gods End in the whole business of our Salvation from first to last that Men and Angels might be excited to set forth the praises of his rich Mercy and free Grace And here is a new incouragement to ask gracious supplies of God according to his Loving-kindness or upon the account of that Attribute even that his Grace may be more esteemed and exalted in our hearts Psal. 109. 21. But do thou for me O God the Lord for thy names-sake because thy mercy is good deliver thou me It concerneth him in point of his chief honour and glory to do good to his People that he may be known and owned to be a good and a gracious or loving God Use Well then If this be the great plea of the Saints 1. Let us meditate often of the Loving-kindness of God of his pitying and pardoning and lovingly intreating poor sinful and broken-hearted creatures that come to him This should be our daily Meditation bonum est primum potentissimum nomen Dei saith Damascene It is the first-born and chiefest name of God We cannot conceive of God by any thing that concerneth us so much as his Goodness by that we know him and for that we love him We admire him with Reverence for his other Titles but this doth first insinuate with us and command our respect to him The first Temptation that ever was in the World was to weaken the conceit of his Goodness in the heart of the creature as if God were envious harsh and sowre in his restraints still it is a great Temptation yet God is good to Israel Psal. 73. 1. Oh let us fortifie our Hearts with frequent thoughts of his Goodness and Loving-kindness As we should do this every day so especially upon the Sabbath day Psal. 92. 2. I will shew forth thy loving-kindness in the morning and thy faithfulness every night We should do this with all the advantage we can use more especially when we are in his presence conversing with him and ministring before him Psal. 48. 9. We have thought of thy loving-kindness O God in the midst of thy Temple We should often and seriously think when we come to God surely now we have to do with a loving and gracious God whether we wait upon him in Prayer or the Word or Sacraments if any prayer to make or comfort to expect 2. Observe the fruits and effects of it and value them They that are Students in Providence shall not seek long before they find God to be a God full of loving-kindness and tender Mercy Psal. 107. Whoso is wise and will observe these things even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. Few regard it or look after it but they that do pry into the course of his dealings shall not be without many instances of Gods love and free favour to them now when you have found it out value it Psal. 63. 3. Because thy loving-kindness is better than life my lips shall praise thee You shall have rich experiences such as will fill you with joy unspeakable and glorious to be esteemed above all comforts whatsoever 3. Praise God for it This should be a lively motive to praise him Psal. 138. 2. I will worship towards thy Temple and praise thy name for thy loving-kindness and for thy truth These two are the cause of all we have 't is without any deserving of ours only because we have to do with a gracious and faithful God Isa. 63. 7. I will mention the loving-kindness of the Lord and the praises of the Lord according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us and the great goodness towards the house of Israel which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies and according to the multitude of his loving-kindness The Prophet speaketh as if he could never find words enough or pregnant enough to express his sense of Gods gracious dealing so bountifully had he dealt with his People 4. Let us improve this loving-kindness and readiness of Gods Mercy to help penitent Supplicants 1. In a way of Trust the least degree of which is enough to keep the sinner from running away from him how grievous soever his offences and demerits be yet come to him say as David Psal. 51. 1. Have mercy upon me O God according to thy loving-kindness according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions Yea make it a ground of confidence and support Psal. 69. 16. Hear me O Lord for thy loving-kindness is good turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies 2. In a way of Fear that we may not interrupt the sense of it or stop the current of his good will Psal. 26. 3. Thy loving-kindness is before mine eyes and I have walked in thy truth 'T is the ground of all our Confidence lose not that the Lord taketh notice of them that trust in his goodness Nahum 1. 7. The Lord is good a strong hold in the day of trouble and he knoweth them that trust in him There is one word yet undiscussed According to thy Iudgment Some
and sinless Purity for so it is wholly unsuitable to them what should a carnal sensual heart do with heaven or how should they desire it that hate the Company of God the Communion of Saints the Image of God God maketh meet Col. 1. 12. Giving thanks to the Father who hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light There is jus haereditarium jus aptitudinale though they do not desire to be saved for it they would love holiness more Partly because those conceits that they have of the adjuncts of Salvation and that happiness and personal Contentment which results to them they do not practically esteem it as to value it above the delights of the flesh and the Vanities of the World and they do not think it worthy the pursuit but for the interests of the bodily Life cast off all care of it Heb. 12. 16. As Esau who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright Mar. 22. 5. They made light of it and went their wayes one to his Farm another to his Merchandise Use. I. It informeth us of two things 1. That wicked Men are the Authors of their own Ruine Salvation doth not fly from them but they fly from it they are far from the Law and therefore is Salvation far from them They will not take the course to be saved for they care not for God and his Statutes it is but just ut qui male vivit male pereat that they which despise Salvation should never see it 2. That the wicked buy the pleasures of sin at a dear rate since they defraud their own Souls of Salvation thereby Their loss you have in the Text Salvation is far from them and their gain is nothing but a little Temporal satisfaction and are these things worthy to be compared what is it maketh you wicked but the ease and sloth of the Flesh and the love of some carnal delight And are you contented to Perish for this Whoredom from God Use. II. Let it Exhort us to believe and improve this Truth for if men did surely believe it there would not be so many wicked men as there are neither would they dare to lye in sin as long as they do O! consider if the wicked have no part nor portion in the Salvation offered nor any jot of Gods Favour belonging to them the wicked should not flatter themselves with presumptuous hopes but break off their sins by Repentance 1. Gods Mercy will not help you though he be a God of Salvation yet he will not save the impenitent and such as go on still in their Trespasses Psal. 68. 19 20 21. Blessed be the Lord who daily loadeth us with benefits even the God of our salvation Selah He that is our God is the God of salvation and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death But God shall wound the head of his Enemies and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his Trespasses You must not fancy a God all honey and sweetness and that his Mercy should be exercised to the wrong of his Justice the Lord will not spare the abusers of Grace whoever he spareth Deut. 29. 19 20. And it shall come to pass when he heareth the words of this curse that if he bless himself in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of my heart to add drunkenness to thirst the Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his Iealousie shall smoke against that man and all the curses that are written in this book shall lye upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under Heaven 2. No Doctrine preached in the Church will bear you out not Law for that discovereth both Sin and the Curse Convinceth of sin Rom. 3. 20. By the Law is the knowledge of sin what is sin and who is the sinner that bindeth you over to the curse Gal. 3. 10. For as many as are of the law are under the curse for it is written Cursed is every one that continneth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them The Gospel that sheweth a Remedy against sin but upon Gods Terms that first with broken hearts we sue out our Pardon 1 Ioh. 1. 9. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrightcousness Sin must be condemned confessed before pardoned And then that in the way of Holiness we should seek Salvation and Eternal Life The Way and End must not be separated Rom. 6. 22. We must have our fruit unto holiness if we would have our end to be eternal life The pure and undefiled have only part in this salvation but it is far from the wicked Christ disclaims the unholy and unsanctified Mar. 7. 23. Depart from me ye that work iniquity You may as well expect the way to the West should bring you Eastward as to walk in the wayes of sin and hope to come to Heaven at last to think God will save us and suffer us to walk in our own ways or that this undefiled Inheritance shall be bestowed on dirty sinners this had been pleasing to flesh and blood but it is the Devils Covenant not Gods that Article you shall be saved and yet live in your sins is foisted in by Satan that false Deceiver to flatter men with vain Conceits 3. Do you hope of Repentance hereafter But in the mean time ye run a desperate hazard to leave the Soul at pawn in Satans hands it is not easie work to get it out again who would Poison himself upon a presumption that before it cometh to his heart he shall meet with an Antidote Judicial hardness is layed on them that withstand seasons of Grace Isa. 55. 6. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found call ye upon him while he is near Prov. 1. 24 25 26. Because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded but ye have set at nought all my counsels and would none of my reproofs I also will laugh at your calamity I will mock when your fear cometh None of those men that were bidden shall taste of my supper Luk. 14. 24. 4. The Heart is more hardened the longer you continue in this Course Heb. 3. 13. But exhort one another daily while it is called to day lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin Inveterate Diseases are seldom cured a tree that hath long stood and begun to wither is unfit to be Transplanted Ier. 13. 23. Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his spots then may ye also do good that are accustomed to do evil 5. There is a stint and measure as to Nations Gen. 15. 16. The iniquity of the Ammorites is not yet full Persons Vessels of Mercy Vessels of Dishonour Rom. 9. 22 23. What if God willing to shew his