now at an end Now are these things hid from thine eyes And questionlesse so may it be with some particular persons whom God in his just judgment hath given up to final impenitence so delivering them up unto Satan and themselves as that from thenceforth they never shall know the things belonging to their peace The doubtful supposal of a despairing sinner answered and satisfied Obj. But what then may some say may not this be our case And if so then it is in vain for us to strive to seek for what is not to be found to knock at that door which is shut uppon us as it shall not be opened A. In answer to this I shall deal as tenderly as I may so as I may not discourage or dishearten any soul that intertaines but a thought of returning and coming in unto God that begins so much as to cast a glance heaven-ward Wherein I shall do no other then what the Lord Jesus himself doth of whom it was prophecied that he should not quench the smoaking flax Matth. 12.20 Such was and is the gracious lenity and clemency of the Lord Jesus in his dealing with poor sinners in whom there are as yet onely some weak desires after grace some slender beginnings of conversion and faith And so shall I deal with all such Gods revealed will the onely Rule to walk by 1. Willing them in the first place to take notice what is their Rule to walk by Not the secret but the revealed will of God Secret things belong unto the Lord but those things which are revealed to us and to our children for ever Deut. 29.29 This is that which we are to look at and take notice of And therefore let not any upon this account disquiet and trouble their own soules with such anxious disquisitions as neither they nor any other for them whether man or Angel is able to resolve But apply themselves to the use of means This will men do as concerning their temporall estates They ne-over stand prying into Gods decree to enquire what portion in his secret purpose he hath layed out for them but they set about the work of their calling applying themselves to the use of means And so do you touching your spirituall and eternall estates Stand not to enquire how God hath diposed of you in his secret purpose but go about the work of your general calling apply your selves to the use of such means as God hath appointed to bring you home to himself by so waiting upon his good will and pleasure This is that which the Lord requires you to do And therefore in obedience to his command do it with that Poor impotent person John 5. lying at the pool untill the Angell shall come down and stir the waters attending upon Ordinances untill God by his spirit concurring with them shall please to work effectually by them inclining your hearts to look towards himself giving you a sight and sense of your own sinfulnesse and miserie making you to see and feel the need you have of Jesus Christ and heginning to draw your hearts towards him Which when you find let this be a comfortable evidence unto you that your day is not yet past Onely be not you now wanting to this grace of God The motions of the Spirit to be intertained in giving intertainment to these motions of the spirit in opening of the doore of your hearts that so the Lord Jesus who is now knocking at them may enter in Which in the feare of God be ye now perswaded to do Not knowing but that this may be the last knock this the last sermon that ever we shall heare or the last mention of the spirit that ever you shall feele Now therefore even now before you goe from this place strike up the Covenant betwixt Jesus Christ and your soules accepting and receiving him in all those Gospell Relations not onely as a Saviour casting your soules upon him so as to rest upon the alsufficiencie of his merit for the pardon of sin and eternall salvation but also as a Lord a Husband a Head giving your selves up undo him to be guided and governed by him by his word and Spirit so receiving him into your hearts as that he may dwell in you and rule over you and that for ever This being done now know you for your comfort that you are through grace and mercie exempted out of this black list Where Christ is received the day of grace is not past out of the number of those from whose eies the things belonging to their peace are hid God having thus revealed his Sonne Christ not onely to you but in you as the Apostle saith of himself Gal. 1.16 not oneiy revealed him to your eares but to your hearts as by his word so by his spirit inclining your hearts to close with him to receive him upon these Gospel tearms now he hath made you to know the things which belong unto your peace Which whilest he hath hid from others he hath revealed to you For which differencing mercie to close up all in a word blesse you God Vse Blesse God for his differencing mercy giving unto him the glorie of this his free grace which hath put such a difference betwixt you and others This doth our Saviour in the behalfe of his Disciples in the Text forecited Math. 11.25 I thanke thei O father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes The great miseries of his Kingdome God had revealed them unto the poore and simpler sort of people the poore received the Gospell whilest in the meane time they were hid from the Scribes and Pharises men worldly wise and learned And this our Saviour there acknowledgeth to be his work an art of his meere good will and pleasure Even so father for so it seemed good in thy sight v. 26. And the like doe you for your selves Seeing God hath now revealed unto you those things which he hath hid from others many others who upon a Naturall or Civill account are far your betters being preferred before you as in place and estate so in understanding and worldly wisedome Give ye unto him the glorie of this mercie acknowledging it to be an art of his free grace a singular favour vouchsafed unto you For which let your soules for ever bless him praising and magnifying him who hath thus now made you Children of light whereas others the greatest part of the world still sit in darknesse in the shaddow of death some of them having their eies already closed up so as they neither do nor ever shall see the things belonging unto their peace being already doomed and adjudged to everlasting darknesse You are now called into that marvellous light as Saint Peter calleth the grace of the Gospell 1 Pet. 2.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not undeservedly so stiled in as much as therein are revealed those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the wonderfull things of God As the Apostles auditors of them at the day of Penticost that they heard them speake the wonderfull workes of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 magnifica the magnificent great and admirable things of God Such are the ministers of the Gospell wherein those wonderfull acts and Counsels of God touching the salvation of his Elect by Christ are revealed and held forth A misterie which the Angels themselves do earnestly desire to looke into as Saint Peter telleth us 1 Pet. 11.2 Being much taken there with when they sawe it more clearly revealed under the Gospel then it had been under the Lawe they even stooped bowed down as it were for so the word there used properly signifieth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as desirous to prie and looke narrowly into it Now these are the things which God hath revealed unto you And for this do you praise and magnifie his name for ever Taking this as a pledge and assurance of what hereafter you shall see Faith an assurance of Vision Your eyes being thus opened to see Christ by faith here you shall see him hereafter when you shall have a full sight of him see him as he is see him in his glory Which when you shall do then shall ye be made like unto him as St. John assureth you 1 Joh. 3.2 like him in glorie When Christ who is our life shall appear then shall ye also appear with him in glory Col. 3.4 Which beautifull vision the Lord of his free grace and mercie in Jesus Christ vouchsafe to everie soul of us Amen FINIS
13.1.17.3 Thirdly Dreadful apostacy Dreadful apostacy and backsliding among many who being like stars fallen from heaven fallen from their Principles into dangerous destructive desperate damnable errours and heresies have not onely forsaken but also persecute that truth and that way which themselves before made profession of and walked in Fourthly And in the last place The hindrances of settlement and reformation The hindrance of settlement and reformation in the Church This the people of God in this Nation have desired looked longed for earnestly wrestling with God and man for the obtaining of it And they conceived to have had some return of their prayers in a hopeful beginning of it But now how are all those hopes dashed Reformation being turned to Deformation the wals of Jerusalem being broken down and no Nehemiah as yet undertaking the rebuilding of them And are not these just grounds of mourning A sufficient cause why they who wish well to Jerusalem to the Church of God in this Nation should with their Saviour here weep over it Such is the present state thereof Thirdly What like to be Beyond which if it be lawful for us to look what can we see or expect unlesse God in mercy step into us by vvay of a gracious prevention but even Jerusalems fate utter ruine and destruction were there no other but the first of these those many and sad Divisions which are on foot daily increasing among us what do they presage If we know it not let our Saviour tell it us Mark 3.24 If a Kingdom be divided against it self that Kingdome cannot stand And the naturalist will tell us no lesse Cor divisum mors est If the heart be divided the body cannot live Now then having thus approached to and looked upon this Nation what remains but that our eyes should move our hearts to pity and compassionate it to mourn over it Little else it is that private persons can do And this let them do Preces Lachrymae Prayers and tears are the Churches weapons which every one both may and ought to make use of And this let us as at other times so this day do All of us powring forth our souls before the Lord in an humble confession of our own sins and the sins of the Nation which have justly deserved what ever we either feel or fear begging it from him that he would graciously return unto us undertaking the Cure of this Sin-sick nation healing our breaches sanctifying and removing the judgements which lie upon us diverting those which further threaten us yet shewing us his salvation in carrying on that great and blessed work of Reformation in despite of all opposition from those accursed Balaamits whether Romes emissaries or others who seek and endeavour to frustrate it setting up the kingdome of his dear Son among us in a right way so making us yet a people to praise his name Thus have I done with the two first of these particulars The third is yet behind which my eye is principally upon which we have in the verse following VERSE XLII Saying If thou hadst known even thou at least in this thy day the things which belong unto thy peace A Most Affectionate and Pathetical Exclamation Part 3. The cause of Christs weeping Pathetica est ratio ideoque abrupta Calvin ad loc Passionate expressions often abrupt and therefore abrupt and defective Such oftimes are the speeches of men in Passion Specially in the passion of grief and sorrow wherein oftimes Vox faucibus haeret the tongue cleaveth to the roof of the mouth not able to expresse and utter what is in the breast Sorrow is a compression of the heart whereas joy doth dilate and open it grief doth compresse congeal and straighten it so as that which is within cannot readily get forth Hence is it that the expressions hereof are abrupt and broken And such is our Saviours here in the text His heart being full of grief and sorrow for the sin and misery of this people he expresseth himself in such an abrupt and broken way If thou hadst c. so leaving it with an Aposiopesis a Reticentia keeping in what should have made the sentence entire and full This defect is variously supplied The defect here how supplied by Expositors By some thus If thou hadst known c. Known so well as I thou wouldst have wept as well as I. By others thus If thou hadst known c. thou would not have done as thou hast done thou wouldst not have gone on to die and perish in thy sins By others thus If thou hadst known c. thou wouldst have hearkened to my counsel thou wouldst have been more studious of thy peace By Beza and Piscator with whom I choose to go along thus If thou hadst known c. Quam foelix esses beata How happie and blessed then mightst thou have been But this he leaveth out beaking off bruptly which he doth to intimate the greatnesse of his affection to shevv hovv earnestly he both vvished their good and bevvailed their misery If thou or O if thou as the former Translation hath it hadst known 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Obser Christs affection to an unworthy people the Iews Behold here then the affection of a tender hearted Saviour towards an obstinate and unworthy people The people of the Jews a rebellious people A people that had deserved as ill at the hands of Jesus Christ as ever people did or could have done They had abused his messengers his Ministers They had killed his Prophets and stoned those whom he sent unto them as he chargeth it upon them Matth. 22.37 And they intended to do no lesse to himself They had already rejected him and all the offers of grace and mercy which he had made unto them So unvvorthy of all grace favour vvere they Yet see hovv he pitieth and compassionateth them hovv earnestly he wisheth their welfare hovv passionately he bevvails their misery Oh if thou c. Like affection shall vve find the Lord elsewhere expressing to this people breaking forth sometimes into such affectionate exclamations professing his earnest desire of their happinesse and welfare So he doth Deut. 5.29 O that there were such an heart in them that they would fear me and keep my Commandements alwaies that it might go well with them and with their children for ever And again Deut. 32.29 O that they were wise that they understood this that they would consider their latter end How should one chase a thousand c. elsewhere we find him bewailing their obstinacy and misery as Psal 81.13 O that my people had hearkened unto me and Israel had walked in my statutes I should soon have subdued their enemies c. And the like Isai 48.18 O that thou hadst hearkened to my Commandments then had thy peace been as the river c. Thus doth the Lord as it were bewail the obstinacy and lament the misery of that people wishing
and favour which had been shewen to them And this was Jerusalems day The time of special grace and mercy offered unto them after a special manner and that by Christ himself wherein she had a special opportunity tendered unto her if she had but had the wisdome to accept it to lay hold of it and make use of it accordingly Even the time of her visitation as the 44th verse after the Text explains it But hinc illae lachrymae this was a matter of just lamentation The day was come and even now spent but Hierusalem had not an eye to see it a heart to make use of it And this i◠is which our Saviour here bewailes in them and exprobrates to them pities them for and upbraids them with O if thou even thou hadst known at least in this thy day the things which belong unto thy peace At least what it here importeth At least There is yet a further Emphasis in that Interjection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et quidèm in hâc die tuâ saith the vulgar even in this thy day Hoc saltem tuo die saith Beza whom our Translations follow At least in this thy day that is though thou hast along time stood it out refusing and rejecting many offers of grace yet O that at the length thou wer 't wise Or If at least If after that thou hast slain so many Prophets so many servants of mine which have been sent unto thee with conditions of peace yet thou wouldest receive me their Master hearkning to the message which I bring Or at least If after all the unkinde and ungrateful repulses which my self hath hitherto met with by thy obstinate rejecting of my Person and Doctrine yet if now at the length in this my last Expedition the last journey that ever I shall make unto thee the last time of asking now at the day of grace and salvation as to thee is expiring If now at last thou mightest yet know c. Thus our Saviour here maketh use of this circumstance as a further aggravation both of his sorrow and their sin their stupidity and obstinacy that in this day of grace wherein God was pleased to make such a gracious offer of mercy to them they should yet stand it out to the last so neglecting and letting slip the present opportunity as they had done many other by the imbracing whereof they might yet have been happy So sad a thing it is for a people not to take notice of the seasons of grace and mercy vouchsafed unto them Obs Not to take notice of the seasons of grace a sad thing for their spiritual and temporal felicity and welfare so as to make a wise use and improvement of them This our Saviour here so sadly lamenteth in Jerusalem And this we shall finde the Lord elsewhere sadly complaining of in this people the people of the Jews As Jeremy 8.7 Yea the storke in the heavens knoweth her appointed times and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observes the time of their coming but my people know not the judgments of the Lord. Those poor creatures with many other meerly by a natural instinct they observe the times and seasons of the year and so order their going and coming accordingly but that people knew not the judgment of the Lord they tooke no notice of the seasons of mercy and judgment they saw not the judgements of God hovering over their heads that so they might use timely means for the diverting of them And this the Lord there chargeth upon them as gross stupidity And the like regardlesness of seasons and opportunities and the workings and dispensations of Providence he elsewhere complains of against them for by the same Prophet Jer. 5.4 Surely these are poor they are foolish for they know not the way of the Lord nor the judgment o◠of their God And by the Prophet Isaiah the like Isai 5.11 12. Where he denounceth a woe upon that people for not regarding the wor◠of the Lord not considering the operation of hi◠hands they had no regard of providential dispensations no regard of times and seasons whether of mercy or judgment This is a gros◠and deplorable stupidity a just ground both of Lamentation and Exprobration This is th◠thing which our Saviour upbraideth the Pharisees and Sadduces with They were curious observers of times and seasons in natural things but in spiritual and heavenly they were altogether stupid So he telleth them Matth. 16.2 3. When it is evening ye say it will be fair weather because the skie is red c. They were very observant of the usual prognosticks of fair or foul weather they could discern the face of th◠skie But saith he can ye not discern the signs of the times they were not so wise as to take notice of the choisest times and seasons such as that then was being the time of the Messias his comming unto them So Saint Luke hath it as the Syriack also rendreth that of Saint Matthew Luke 12.56 How is it that ye do not discern this time This time of grace wherein the promised Messia cometh unto you whom you profest to have so long looked and waited for and which the Prophets have so clearly pointed out to you and is now evidenced unto you by so many manifest signs and tokens as were you not wilfully blinde you could not but see this to be that time This he chargeth them with as grosse stupiditie And so indeed it is when men shall not take notice of the accepted time the day of salvation not see what belongeth to their peace in their day in the times and seasons of Grace which God vouchsafeth unto them Especially when God is pleased to manifest and make known his minde and will to them after a more clear and evident manner Especially when more clearly held forth That was Jerusalems case here in the Text. God had made known to them the things belonging to their peace formerly he had sent his Prophets to them from time to time for that purpose but now he did it more clearly by sending his Son to speak to them to tender himself to them in person Now this rendred their neglect and contempt a great deal more heinous and inexcusable that even in this their day they should not know c. For them to have been ignorant hereof at any time heretofore under the Law had been inexcusable but much more under the Gospel Even as for men to stumble in the twilight it argueth heedlesnesse but much more to stumble at noon-day as the Prophet speaketh of Israel in another sense Isa 59.10 Thus where God is pleased to afford men but a little light such as that was under the Law which Saint Peter compareth to a Candle a Light shinning in a dark place as that place is by some expounded 2 Pet. 1.19 for men not to give heed unto that light and take notice of the minde of God which is held
it had been otherwise with them So far is he then from taking pleasure in the death and destruction of poor sinners God not taking pleasure in the death of sinners This do tyrants sometimes they take pleasure in their bloody executions feeding their eyes therewith as with pleasing spectacles But so doth not our God in the destruction of his creatures To this purpose that of the Prophet Ezekiel speaketh fully Ezek. 18.31 32. Where the Lord bewayling the perversnesse of the people of the Jews in running on headlong to their own destruction he expostulateth the matter with them vers 31. Why will ye die O ye house of Israel then he professeth that he was not delighted in their destruction or the destruction of any other vers 32. I have no pleasure in the death of him that dyeth No though wicked persons and so most worthy to die yet God taketh no pleasure in their death So he elsewhere explains it Ezek. 33.11 As I live saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked Object Why but doth not God will the death of the wicked How God willeth the death of the wicked Answ True he willeth it but he taketh no pleasure in it He willeth it as an act of Justice ordaining them to just condemnation for sin But he is not delighted in their destruction their misery Even as a just but merciful Judge he pronounceth the sentence of death upon a guiltie malefactor but it is with tears in his eyes God is delighted in mercy mercy pleaseth him as the Prophet hath it Micah 7.18 but so doth not the misery of his creature Appli Let it be taken notice of by every of us Not to the end that we should abuse this mercy Gods grace not to be turned into wantonnesse turn this grace into wantonnesse as Saint Jude saith of some in his time did Jude 4. taking occasion thereby to go on and continue in sin What shall we say then Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound God forbid saith the Apostle Rom. 6.1 Shall we therefore go on to provoke this God because he is so compassionate towards us so loath that we should perish what were this but to abuse this his lenitie and goodnesse to our own just condemnation But on the other hand let this goodnesse of God lead us unto repentance Gods goodnesse leading to repentance This is the right use of it as we may learn from the same Apostle Rom. 2.4 Be we hereby provoked to break off the course of our waies provoking sins and to come in unto this God by serious and unfeigned repentance This use will an ingennous child make of the indulgent affection of a tender hearted parent When he seeth the bowels of his father or mother yearning towards him bewailing his destructive courses if there be any spark of ingenuity left this cannot but work upon his heart and make him think of betaking himself to a new course which may be pleasing and contentful to so affectionate a parent Behold thus is our heavenly Father and thus is our blessed Saviour affected towards poor sinners And therefore let it have the like work upon every of us to provoke us to break off those sinfull wayes and courses which are so offensive to those pure eyes and come in unto our God by serious and unfeigned Repentance Christ still retaining the same affection towards poor sinners So doing now doubt not but we shall have comfortable experience of his grace and mercy What was the Lord Jesus so affected towards a stubborn and rebellious people that he so earnestly wisheth their good and so passionately bewaileth their calamity and will he not shew the like affection to poor penitent sinners such as by coming unto him seek for mercy from him Surely the Lord Jesus hath carried his bowels to heaven with him still retaining the same affection tovvards poor sinners that here he had upon earth Hovv ever he be not capable of expressing it in the like vvay He can hence forth weep no more All tears being wiped from his eyes as they shall be from the eyes of all his Saints vvhen they shall be translated to that blessed and glorious condition Yet still he retaineth the same affection towards poor sinners He that wept over Jerusalem here wishing that it had been othervvise vvith them then it vvas and vvas like to be he doth earnestly desire that those tears and that blood vvhich he here shed in the dayes of his flesh may be made effectual for the vvashing avvay the sins of poor sinners Which also they shall be to all those who turning away from them come unto him receiving him as their Saviour and Lord. But I shall not any longer dwell upon this which I take up from the general consideration of the words or from the manner of speaking Come we now to the matter taking a nearer and more particular veivve of this Lamentation The matter of this lamentation where the evil lamented Aggravations of it Wherein we shall take notice of two things the Evil of sin it self which our Saviour here bewaileth and secondly the Aggravations of that evil The evil bewailed is their stupidity their not knowing of what belonged to their peace The aggravations of that evil are two the one taken from the persons the other from the time The persons who were thus stupid Jerusalem If thou even thou The time the day of their visitation At least in this thy day These are the severals we have now to deal with Begin with the first The evil lamented The evil lamented their not knowing the things which belonged to their peace Here by way of explication three things Expli Three things are to be unfolded 1. What is here ment by peace 2. What were those things which belonged to Jerusalems peace 3. How it is said that they did not know those things Q. For the first What here meant by peace viz. All kind of happinesse by Peace here understand we prosperity felicity So the word was familiarly used among the Hebrews In as much as Peace is a comprehensive blessing they set forth all blessings under this Thus in their ordinary salutations they were wont to wish Peace Peace be unto thee and peace be unto thy house and peace be unto all that thou hast It is the salutation which David sends to Nabal 1 Sam. 25.6 And thus our Saviour sending forth his Apostles he puts this word into their mouthes directing them to salute the families where they came after that manner with an apprecation of peace Into whatsoever house ye enter ye shall first say Peace be to this hous Luk. 10.5 i. e. all kind of happinesse And so look we upon the word here in the text By peace understanding here all kind of felicitie Omnes foelicitatis partes as Calvin hath it all the parts and kinds of happinesse Happinesse both present and future
been should do this this is a thing which God cannot but take more heynously at our hands then at others So the Lord maketh his complaint concerning Israel Isaiah 1.2 3. I have nourished and brought up children and they have rebelled against me The oxe knoweth his owner c. But Israel doth not know my people doth not consider And may not he take up the like complaint against England God hath nourished and tendred us as children yet we have rebelled against him England hath not known England hath not considered Now this he cannot but take worse at our hands then at the hands of any other nation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And thou O England that thou shouldest do this that thou shouldest make such a return to thy God for all his mercies and favours This is an heinous aggravation of Englands sin And aggravating the sinne Threatning a proportionable judgment what can we expect but that it should also aggravate thy Judgment So it did Jerusalems here Her sin being uppon this account greater then the sin of any other place so was her Judgment as the verses following set it forth No one place that the hand of God fell so heavy upon as it did upon Jerusalem And have not we of this nation just cause to fear the like that in as much as our sins have exceeded the sins of other nations our judgments should exceed also And what is said of the Nation in general Application to the Town of Yarmouth in special let it be applied to this place in special Upon which it cannot be denied but God hath bestowed many singular mercies both Spiritual and Temporal Among other preserving us in the midst of this late fiery furnace which hath burnt so hot in most parts of the nation to this day continuing our peace and liberty not suffering the sword though shakē over us to break in upō us in an hostile way as it hath don upon māy other Cities Townes Now shal we stil persist and go on in our sinful provocations in sleighting of Ordinances profaning Sabbaths abusing creatures c. what can we expect but that as our sinnes upon this account shall be greater then the sins of other places who have not enjoyed the like mercies so should our judgments be Vse 2 For the preventing of which suffer a word of Exhortation Exhortation To indeavour an answerable return to mercies All of us be we excited to indeavour an answerable return to the mercies and favours bestowed upon us Publick mercies Private mercies Spiritual Temporal Take notice of all and study to answer all Looking upon these differencing and distinguishing mercies as so many obligations and Engagements upon us binding us to duty above others let it be our care to walk answerably In as much as God hath been pleased to exalt and prefer us above and before others let it be our endeavour to go before others in all grateful and exemplarie obedience That so these blessings which through the mercy and goodnesse of our God we have and do yet in so great a measure injoy may not be what otherwise they will as so many testimonies against us affording matter of a just Exprobration Which is a sad thing when God cometh to upbraid a people with his favours Mark it That is Jerusalems case the Text to whom our Saviour here speaketh as both Calvin and Beza taking it from Budaeus conceive of it not onely by way of Commiseration A sad thing for God to upbraid a people with his favours but also of Exprobration As pitying so upbraiding them Pitying them in regard of the Calamitie which he saw coming upon them but withall upbraiding them with the mercies and favours which God had bestowed upon them above others to which they had made a most unworthy return Even thou Thou whom I have done thus and thus for thou for whom I have done more then for any other place upon earth O it is a sad thing when God shall come thus to upbraid a people with his favours A thing which he is not ready and forward to do So much we may learn from St. James A thing which he is not ready to do Jam. 1.5 If any man lack wisedome let him ask it of God who giveth liberally and upbraideth not viz. those who receiving his blessings thankfully indeavour to make a right use of them But as for those who being ungrateful for them shall not walk in measure worthy of them them he will upbraid So he often doth ungrateful Israel as elsevvhere so Isaiah 5.1 2. vvhere comparing Israel to a vineyard Yet being provoked by ingratitude he will do it he reckons up what offices he had done to it in fencing and planting and mannuring of it c. accommodating it with all necessaries and conveniencies And this he doth by way of exprobration upbraiding them with those favours for which they had made so ill a requital And the like again Jer. 2.5 Thus saith the Lord what iniquity have your fathers found in me c. Neither said they where is the Lord that brought us up out of the land of Egypt that led us through the wilderness And so he goeth on reckoning up the many favours he had done for that Nation which he doth in an upbraiding way inasmuch as they had shewed themselves so ingrateful and forgetful as they had done And the like doth our Saviour to those Cities in the Text forenamed Mat. 11.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He began to upbraid them Be thankful for and walk worthy of publick mercies O take we heed that we do not give God just cause to do the like by us And therefore what special mercies and favours God is pleased to bestow upon us take notice of them be thankful for them endeavour to walk worthy of them This do we for publick And this do we for private mercies Private mercies Is it so that God is pleased to bless any of us above other of our brethren in any kinde Be it in our Bodies with health and strength In our Estates with larger portions of this worlds goods advancing us above the common ranke In our mindes inriching us with inward gifts and indowments of wit wisdome knowledg c. O take we heed that these be not a matter of exprobration to us that by our abusing of them not improving them not walking worthy of them we do not give God just cause to upbraid us with them Considering that in this case every of these mercies will be as so many several aggravations of our ingratitude This is that which the Lord by his Prophet Nathan tels King David 2 Sam. 12.7 8. Where reckoning up the many favours he had done and was ready to do for him how he had delivered him out of the hand of Saul how be had set him upon the Throne of Israel giving him his Masters House and Wives and the House of Israel and of Judah
And saith he if that had been too little I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things then he cometh to expostulate the matter with him why he should so deal by his God as he had done Wherefore hast thou despised the Commandement of the Lord to do evil in his sight Thus God taketh the sins of his favourites more unkindly then the sins of any other And therefore is it so that God hath indeared any of us to himself by any special favours wherein he hath preferred us before others let us be so much the more watchful careful over our walkings that so he may never take up the like complaint against us as our Saviour here doth against Jerusalem O that thou even thou shouldest do thus and thus This it was that David took most heinously that his favourites and familiars should prove treacherous to him Psal 41.9 Yea mine own familiar friend in whom I trusted which did eat of my bread hath lift up his heel against me Some of his Courtiers friends Which our Saviour applieth unto Judas's dealing with himself Joh. 13.18 He that eateth bread with me hath lift up his heel against me This did exceedingly aggravate Judas's sin Had some of the Scribes or Pharisees done what he did it had been no strange thing But that Judas should do it one whom Christ had so far honoured as to admit him to so near an attendance upon his person to make him one of his Privy Counsel as it were this highly aggravated his offence O take heed lest the like aggravation lie against any of us And therfore the more gracious God hath been or shall be to any of us let us be the more grateful the more watchful the more careful to walk worthy of his mercies I have done with the former of these Circumstances these Aggravations Second Aggravation from the time Come we now to the latter which is taken from the Time and the Season In this thy day Q. And what is here meant by Jerusalems day The word Day explained A. Day in Scripture it hath divers senses and significations Literally and properly we meet with a Natural day and an Artificial day The one consisting of twenty four hours the Suns Revolution the other of the time of light from morning to evening Both which we finde in that one verse Gen. 1.5 And God called the light day and the darkness he called night And the evening and the morning were the first day By the first understanding the Artificial day by the latter the Natural But to let these pass as nothing to our purpose Tropically and improperly the word is diversly used 1. Sometimes for the time of mans life that space which he liveth upon earth Your father Abraham rejoyced to see my day saith our Saviour to the Jews John 8.56 the time of my manifestation in the flesh and abode upon earth I must work the work of him that sent me whilest is day John 9.4 that is whilest I live here upon earth 2. Sometimes it denotes the time of grace under the Gospel So the Apostle is conceived to use the word Rom. 13.12 where he saith The night is far spent the day is at hand The night the time of the Law which was a time of darkness and Ignorance wherein spiritual and heavenly mysteries were all clouded and vailed under shadows and figures In opposition thereunto the time of the Gospel is called the Day in regard of the clear manifestation of the grace of God and of the mysterie of salvation to all sorts not onely to Jews but Gentiles And so that other Text of the same Apostle is looked upon 1 Thes 5.5 Ye are the children of the day living in Gospel times As also that other prophetical Text Heb. 4.7 To day if ye will hear his voice saith David speaking of the time of the Gospel as it is there expounded 3. Sometimes it denotes any special opportunity apt and proper season for any transaction So that forenamed Text may be understood John 9.4 I must work whilest it is day that is whilest I have opportunity And so that other To day if ye will hear his voice whilest the time and season of grace lasteth whilest salvation is offered 4. And lastly by Day sometimes we are to understand a set time determined and appointed by God for some special purpose In this sense we find the word frequently used by the Prophets Jerusalems Day what the time of special grace And in these two last senses understand we the word here in the Text. Jerusalems Day was the time destinated and foreappointed by God and foretold by the Prophets wherein the light of the Gospel should shine forth unto her and that more clearly then ever heretofore and the offer of grace and mercy should be held forth unto her after a special manner Of this day this time the Prophets make frequent mention As the Prophet Isai chap. 60.1 Arise shine or be enlightned for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee So Zachary 9.9 Rejoyce greatly O daughter of Sion for thy King cometh unto thee Both which had their accomplishment in the coming of Christ in the flesh and particularly in his coming to Jerusalem at this time in this manner presenting himself to it as a King So he himself applies the latter of these Texts Matth. 21.4 5. And hereupon is this here called Jerusalems day the day that had been so often foretold the time wherein God did offer grace and mercy to her after a more special manner then ever he had done heretofore Before he had often made offers of that kind unto her as to the whole Nation of the Jews by sending his Prophets to her But now he doeth it by his Son So our Saviour sets it forth in that known parable of the Vineyard Matth. 21.33 c. A certain man planted a vineyard This vineyard was the Church of the Jews Isaiah 5.1 whom God took to be a peculiar people to himself performing like offices thereunto that the Husbandman would do to his vineyard Being thus planted he let it forth to husbandmen and went himself into a far Countrey God seemed to leave that Church wholly to the care of the Priests In process of time he sends his servants to the husbandmen that they might receive the fruits thereof verse 34. God sends his Prophets to this Church whom by the Parable goeth on they beat and slew vers 35. So they did the former Prophets many of them Againe he sent other servants moe then the first and they did unto them likewise verse 36. Before the Captivity he sent more Prophets to them then formerly who found no better entertainment then the former But last of all he sent unto them his son verse 37. God the Father sends his Son Christ into the world with a special messuage unto the Jews to require from them the fruits of all that grace
it such persons as were disposed to receive and imbrace the Doctrine of Peace the Doctrine of the Gospel where they met with such persons there their Peace should rest all the happinesse which they had wished to them should come upon them Now would we in like manner that that peace which is to be wished unto this Nation might thus rest upon it be we in this sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sons of Peace readily imbracing this Doctrine of peace the Gospel This it was as I have shewen you which above all other things belonged to Jerusalems peace her receiving of Christ and his Gospel Had she but done this happie had she been That England may be so have we a regard unto this In this our day make much of God's Religion make much of the Gospel which as yet through the goodnesse of God is continued unto us Let that at the length find such entertainment amongst us as it deserveth Let the Messengers thereof be received Let their feet be accounted as they are said to be Isa 52.7 Beautiful which bring good tidings which publish peace This do the Ministers of Jesus Christ who are Messengers of peace bringing those glad tidings of peace and reconciliation with God through Christ publishing salvation O! let their feet be beautiful Let their persons be welcom much more their message While you receive them into your houses receive that into your hearts shewing forth the power of it in your lives and conversations by so walking as becometh the Gospel In this way seek we the External peace welfare and happinesse of this Nation However in this our day Use 3. Spiritual and Eternal Peace to bee sought above all and that whilest the Day of Grace lasteth seeke wee our owne peace Eternall peace being all of us wise for our selves so wise as in this our day to know what belongeth to our peace the peace and happiness of our own soules our eternall salvation As yet through the mercie and goodnesse of God our day is continued to us The day of our lives Whereas the Sun is set upon many others before our eyes every day it goeth down upon some or other of our brethren our Relation our friends our associates and Companions It is night with them It is yet day with us And as the day of our lives so the day of grace and salvation is yet continued to us Yet doth the Sun of righteousnesse stand over our heads yet doth the light of the Gospel shine forth unto us yet is the Golden scepter of grace and salvation held forth unto us our day is yet continued Oh that in this our day whil'st the meanes of grace are continued unto us and we to the meanes we might all of us see and know the things which belong unto our peace Which word of Exhortation I desire it may come home to everie soule that heareth it It may bee and I feare it is so some and many of us have a long time shut our eyes against the light we have not seen we do not to this day see these things which do so nâ—arly concern us How many offers of grace and mercie have we sleighted and rejected God hath offered conditions of peace to us intreating beseeching us by his Ministers to be reconciled unto him striving with us by mercies by chastisements by word by the secret motions of his own Spirit And yet for all this we still stand out against him harden our hearts against him so as we wil not receive Jesus Christ upon Gospel tearms as our Saviour and Lord. Now unto all such be it spoken in the language of the text Oh that you even you at least in this your day did but know the things which belong unto your peace How ever you have most rebelliously and ingratefully withstood many offâ—rs of grace yet that now at the length whil'st this day of grace last's before the Sun set upon you and your eyes be closed up with everlasting darkness you would come in accept of these offers of grace not standing out any longer To that end consider first Motives that the time of your life and of Gods grace is but a day 1. The time of mans life and Ggds grace but a day This your day A day is of no long continuance specially a winters day A few houres the Sun is above the Horizon but then it setteth and leaveth a sable darknesse upon the face of the earth Such is the life of man a day and that to make the best of it a winters day stormy and short Brethren the time is short saith the Apostle speaking of the time of mans life upon earth 1 Cor 7.29 How short who knoweth oftimes doth the Sunn go down upon man before it be well up Oh therefore now up and be doing The day is a time for Action the night for rest Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour untill the evening Psal 104 23. And so is the day of this life This is the time for the working out of our salvation And therefore now set upon this work I must work the works of him that sent me whil'st it is day saith our Saviour in that John 9.4 the night cometh when no man can work The night of death There is no worke nor device nor knowledge nor wisedome in the grave whither thou goest saith the Preacher Eccles 9.10 And therefore as he there maketh the use of it whatsoever thy hand findeth to do do it with thy might Thus do we the work of the particular calling much more of the generall the working out of our salvation the making of our Calling and Election sure This do we and that in this our day To day if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts whil'st the day of life and the day of grace lasteth Behold now is the accepted time now is the day of salvation saith the Apostle to his Corinthians 2 Cor. 6.2 And therefore as he there presseth it upon them ver 1. Let not us receive the grace of God in vain This do they who injoy the outward meanes of salvation but are not bettered by them like the earth which receiveth the seed which is cast into it by the hand of the Husbandman and drinketh in the former and latter rain and yet remains barren Let not us so receive the grace of God tendred and held forth unto us in the preaching of the Gospel But let it into our hearts that taking root there it may bring forth Gospel-fruits in our lives And this do we now Now whil'st it is called to day Remembering that the time of grace and of our life is but a day 2. Our Day 2. And secondly remember that this is our day In this thy day This was Jerusalems day the Jews day wherein grace and mercie was offered unto them The next was the Gentiles day or the next was Gods day wherein he would visit them after another
They who would seek God so as he may be found they must seek him timely whilest he may be found So the Prophet Isaiah directs the Jewes Seek ye the Lord whilest he may be found Isai 55.6 with which agrees that of the Psalmist Psalm 32.6 For this shall every one pray unto thee in a time when thou maiest be found Tempore inveniendi in a time of Finding Clearly intimating that there may be a time wherein God though he be sought yet will not be found This is that he tells the Jews Isai 1.15 When ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you and when ye make many prayers I will not hear Not hear them when they pray no nor yet hear others praying for them So the Lord telleth his Prophet Jeremiah upon that account willing him to surcease his intercession on their behalfe Therefore pray not for this people neither lift up crie nor praier for them neither make intercession to me for I will not hear thee Jer. 7.16 And elsewhere he tells the Prophet Ezekiel concerning that Land Though these three men Noah Daniel and Job were in it they should deliver but their own souls Ezek. 14.14 20. So irrevocable is the sentence which God somtimes passeth upon obstinate and rebellious sinners such as have despised his grace and mercie that all means used for the procuring ana gaining his favour towards them shall be ineffectual and to no purpose Replic Replic Repentance at all times findes mercie True it may be said so long as they continue in their sins they can expect no other but repenting and forsaking them there is mercie to be found So it there followeth in that of Isaiah 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercie upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon And the Lord giveth all sinners to know so much by his prophet Ezekiel Chap. 18.21 33.14 which Texts for substance though not in expresse tearms speak what the former of them was cited for in our late public Lyturgie that At what time soever a sinner repenteth him of his sin God will qut away all his iniquities out of his remembrance Answ Repentance not promised to men at all times A. True plentie of such promises wee meet withall assuring mercie to repenting sinners but where is that promise that assures unto them Repentance when they will Qui promisit poenitenti veniam non promisit peccanti poenitentiam He that hath promised pardon to the sinner whensoever he repenteth hath not promised to give him grace to repent whensoever he will Saint Paul speaking of the Repentance of men ill affected to the truthes and Ministers of Christ he puts in a Peradventure about it 2 Tim. 2.25 If God peradventure will give them repentance This is God's gift and being so it dependeth not upon Man's will but His Will And elsewhere hee tells us of an heart that cannot repent So our former Translation not amisse renders that Text Rom. 2.5 where the Apostle speaking of and to such as despise the riches of Gods goodnesse not knowing that it should lead them to repentance he saith that After their hardnesse and impenitent heart they treasure to themselvs wrath against the day of wraths c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cor resipiscere nesciens as Beza translateth it A heart that knoweth not how to repent knoweth not how to go about this work And elsewhere we read of some upon whom this doom is passed That it is impossible for them to be renued again unto repentance Heb. 6.6 Such is the case of desperate and malicious Apostates whom God in his just judgment giveth up unto impenitent hearts that they cannot at least shall not repent Thus doth God in his just and righteous judgment as I said somtimes with-hold his grace from those that have sleighted and rejected it when it was offered Thenceforth hiding from their eies the things that belong unto their peace That he doth this and why he doth it you have seen Quest Q. But how doth he do it Answ 1. How God hideth from men the things belonging to their peace A. Here I shall not dare to attempt to follow God too close in tracing of those paths of his which Saint Paul calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viae impervestigabiles Rom. 11.33 How unsearchable are his judgments and his waies past finding out By the former Judgments as Grotius distinguisheth them understanding the Decrees of God by the latter the waies and means which he useth in the executing and bringing those decrees into act Both are to humane understanding inscrutable and untraceable fitter to bee admired and adored then curiously pried into Yet where God is pleased to hold forth a light unto us wee may safely follow him though it bee a far off And so shall I at the present in opening this great mysterie to you shewing you onely what is revealed and so may safely be asserted concerning it God hideth from the eies of men the things belonging to their peace Answ 1. By with-drawing the light 1. By taking away the light withdrawing and with-holding the meanes of grace from them This is one thing which the Lord threatneth against this unfruitfull Vineyard the people of the Jews sfaiah 5. ver 6. I will also command the cloudes that they rain no rain upon it That is as some saf ely if not somewhat too curiously expound it the means of grace and salvation should not bee continued unto that people as formerly He would bereave them of their Prophets take away their Teachers Which accordingly he did as may be collected from that Promise which the same Prophet maketh to the Church Isaiah 30.20 Though the Lord give you the bread of adversitie and the water of affliction yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more but thine eyes shall see thy teachers So it had beâ—n with that people Prophets had been very scarce among them So much we may take notke of from that of the Psalmist Psal 74.9 where the Church lying under a sad desolation is brought in complaining We see not our signes there is no more any Prophet neither is there a-mong us any that knoweth how long They wanted their Seers as the Prophets sometimes are called And by this meanes were the things which belonged to their peace hid from their eyes And by a like means came they here to be hid from Jerusalems Means of grace with-drawn from Jerusalem by withdrawing those means of grace from them which formerly they had injoied Christ himself being taken away he also ordered his Apostles after a while to withdraw from them So much is insinuated in that Parable of the Mariage feast where the first guests that were invited though sollicited by messenger after messenger refusing to come the servants are then ordered by the Master of the Feast to