this Salutation Some think because the work of the Ministry meets with much malice and froward opposition from wicked men which made Paul pray that God would deliver him from unreasonable absurd men who are led only by humours and passions not by Reason and Religion Therefore seeing those that do faithfully discharge their trust meet with little favour and love from men hence it is that he doth in a peculiar manner pray for mercy to them Others they think the word is inserted because of the great difficulty of the Ministry it being a burden too heavy even for Angels shoulders Insomuch that Chrysostome thought Few Church-officers could be saved Seeing then the work is so great so much grace is required to manage it and the best have failings therefore they need the mercy prayed for But this by the way Come we to the Text. In that we may consider the Matter prayed for And the Efficient Cause from whom it is to come The Matter and Benefit is set down in two words which though but two yet comprehend all that a godly heart can desire the first is Grace the second Peace In the original there is a defect and therefore most do supply it by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as our Translators Grace be to you Though the Apostle Peter in the salutations of both his Epistles expresseth the word and that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be multiplied and so Estius would supply it here but there is no inconvenience to keep to the former Interpretation 2. There is the Cause of this which is two-fold God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ All these parts shall be opened as we take them in order only let us first take notice of the Manner and End of this Salutation in the general That it is not for any earthly or worldly thing but what is spiritual The Grecians they used commonly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in their Salutations as the Latines Salve and are relating only to temporal welfare And indeed the Heathens knew no better but the Apostle would lift up our hearts to higher things The Apostle James Chap. 1. 1. writing to the dispersed Tribes useth the word only Greeting which made Cajetan among other reasons reject it as not Canonical as if such a Salutation savoured of an humane spirit But this is no Argument For the Apostles gathered together in a Councel at Jerusalem sending a Letter to the Churches abroad use no more Salutation than that only in that we are to comprehend whatsoever is more expresly in Pauls Salutation Seeing then it s only spiritual things which Paul here doth wish to them Observe That spiritual mercies and priviledges are to be desired above all earthly and worldly ones what soever The Grace of God and Gospel peace is infinitely to be preferred before any outward advantage Psal 4. 6 7. when David had represented the natural desire of every man unregenerated Who will shew us any good He presently demonstrates the clean contrary disposition of those that are godly and spiritual Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us and Thou hast put more gladness into my heart then they have had when their wine or oyl increaseth By David you may judge of all the faithfull they esteem more of the love of God and the sense or perswasion of this more than the whole world Let the prophane bruitish men of the world say as some did in Chrysostomes time whom he reproveth Give me that which is sweet although it choke me So let me have my pleasures my lusts though they damn me The godly on the other side if raised up to this heavenly transfiguration as it were to have the spirit of Adoption enabling them to call God Father and to walk under the light of his grace and favour they will say It is good to be here So that the desires and earnest longings of mens hearts do divide the world into two parts Some and they are only few who with David say As the Hart panteth after the water-brooks so do their souls after God Yea Their souls break for the longing they have to God at all times But then others they seek the things of this world in the first place Let them have their pleasures their wealth their honours then with the Reubenites they will sit down and go no further because they see the Land is a good and pleasant Land never desiring to go into Canaan To open this Doctrine consider First That all the while a man is meerly natural and dead in his sins he is not affected with nor can he desire any spiritual mercy Even as dead men are not affected with pleasant sights or melodious sounds No wonder then though we do out of the Gospel shew such all the glory of Heaven yet they will not fall down and worship Christ because they are no wayes sensible or apprehensive of a better good Can a Worm that crawleth upon the ground live the life of an Angel or a man Alas that knoweth nothing but to crawl on the ground and feed on the dust of the earth Thus it is with every carnal man speak to him of the savour of God of the light of his countenance he knoweth no more what you mean than the bruit beast doth what reason is Besides sinne hath so infected and polluted the heart and appetite of every natural man that he calleth good evil and evil good he takes sweet for bitter and bitter for sweet That as the Swine loveth to wallow in its mire and delighteth in that more than in the sweetest garden that is Or as they say of those blind Beetles that live in muck and dung but sweet things do presently kill them thus it is with every natural man he is not only not affected but he is contrarily disposed to heavenly things Rom. 8. The wisdome of the flesh is enmity against God The wisdome the best understanding parts and knowledge that he hath is as full of malice against holy things as a Toad of poison The Greek word doth not only signifie his intellectual but his practical wisdom and affection he doth not say He hath savoury knowledge of heavenly things Sapientia est sapida scientia And as Bernard Sapiens est cui res sapiunt prout sunt Heavenly things savour as heavenly earthly things as earthly But in every natural man his appetite and taste is wholly disordered he finds no excellency loveliness in heavenly things which yet to a gracious heart are matter of exceeding delight and ravishment Hence in the second place Till a man be regenerated till he be made a new creature and endowed with an heavenly heart he is no sutable subject for these heavenly things Every one then as he is affected and disposed so he judgeth if earthly then all his affections move that way if heavenly then they are turned the contrary way As you see in mixed and compounded bodies
to take away his mercies that is the effects of his mercy not the attribute of mercy This you must diligently attend to because the effects of Gods mercy are more and less but the attribute in God cannot be so God is not more or less mercifull neither doth Mercy as an attribute oppose Justice as an attribute but the effects of Gods Mercy may be and are contrary to the effects of his Justice 3. We must distinguish between Gods general mercy and his special His general mercy is extended to all the creatures The whole world is full of his mercies Psal 33. 5. So his mercy is said to be over all his works Would the world subsist for a moment when the Inhabitants thereof are so full of rebellion against God were it not for his mercy All that we see we hear we taste we feel is nothing but mercy His special mercy is to rational creatures men and Angels and that again is two-fold More special and most special More special is the vouchsafing of the Gospel and means of grace both to the wicked and the good This Kingdom of Heaven is set open for both But then there is the most special mercy and that is vouchsafed only to the elect by which means they are converted justified and shall be glorified and of this it is the Apostle speaks Rom. 9. 15. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy Thus much may suffice for the Doctrinal information about this truth Let us in the next place take notice what is comprehended in this expression Father of mercies For this is a box of ointment to be opened and bestowed upon poor souls and while this glory of God doth pass by we can see but the back parts of it First When he is said to be the Father of mercies this implieth That he only giveth mercies and receiveth none So that as the father giveth being to the child but receiveth nothing of the child Thus God he is the Father of mercies because he is absolutely sufficient in himself he needeth nothing from any because then there would be a superiour to God And this consideration may greatly aggravate the glorious Nature of God in being mercifull in that he himself is like the Sun giving light but receiving none at all We cannot say of Angels they are the Fathers of mercies because though they be ministring spirits to serve us An Angel was sent to comfort Christ yet they need mercy as well as we The river needs the spring but the spring is the last and needeth not the river and so Angels and men they need mercy every way but God he needeth none only he is the giver of all It being more blessed to give than to receive even in this sense Secondly When he is called the Father of mercies it implieth The voluntariness and readiness in God to it Psal 103. Like as a father pitieth his children c. We do not intreat or hire a father to pity a miserable child his own bowels perswade him to it Now this is much more in God For as the Psalmist argueth He that made the eye shall not he see So he that giveth bowels and pity to parents shall not he much rather be mercifull So that as it is for holiness if all the holiness of men and Angels were put together it would be but a drop to what is in God So if all the mercy and all the compassions of all the fathers and mothers in the world were joyned together it would be nothing to God Oh what dishonour doth thy unbelieving fearfull heart do to this mercifull Father Thou thinkest he hath but the mercy of a man thou judgest of his bowels according to thy own no Gods mercie is as much above thy sinnes and miseries as his Essence is above thy being O nomen misericordia sub quo nemini desperandum But of that more presently Only when he is called a Father of mercies that denoteth the readiness in God and willingness in him and this is remarkable in Gods mercies over what is in mans our mercy is many times because the object miserable is of our own flesh and nature with us It moveth the heart to see one of the same nature with us to be thus miserable but God he is infinitly above man he hath no communion in nature with us and yet he is merciful Again Mercy amongst men is often because we have been under such miseries ourselves They that have the pain of the stone commiserate those that are in the like manner troubled because they know what it is Thus many eminent Ministers of the Gospel are exercised with soul-temptations and desertions that they may know how to mourn with bleeding bowels over those that are so tempted Thus the mercy of Christ as Mediator differs from the mercy of God as absolutely considered For he was tempted like us in all things sinne only excepted Heb. 4. 15. and the reason of this the Apostle giveth That he might be touched with a feeling of our infirmities Christ knoweth what the meaning is of every groan and every sigh that comes from a child in darkness crying out Why hath my God forsaken me Thus Christ as Mediator is mercifull in another way then God is yet this advanceth still the mercy of God that whereas his blessed and perfect Nature cannot know experimentally what it is to be miserable what it is to need mercy yet for all that his breasts are full and no womon is in greater pain to be eased of her burden then God to bestow his mercies Thirdly In that he is a Father of mercies a Father there is implied That he doth lay our misery to heart For although he cannot be passionately affected as man nor is sensible of our infirmities as Christ was yet this doth not hinder but that our misery is taken notice of as really so as to be succoured by him as if it were in the most compassionate Father that is That expression of God concerning the Israelites miseries under bondage is remarkable Exod. 2. 24 25. He heard their groaning he remembred his Covenant he looked upon his children he had respect or knew them See here ears eyes memory and mind all are affected with their trouble So Isa 63. 9. it is said In all their afflictions he was afflicted As then anger against wicked men though in God it be not the ebulsition of bloud about the heart or accompanied with a pale countenance yet it is more really and dreadfull in God than in man Therefore better have all the men of the world angry with thee than God So it is in his mercy in him mercy though it have not humane concomitants yet it 's more real operative and efficacious than all the mercifull fathers in the world is and thou hadst better have God shew mercy to thee than all the men of the world For In the fourth place when he is said to be the Father of mercies there
is implied The real and lively working of it The father though he pity his child yet cannot give him the mercy of health much less the mercy of grace Ministers though they be spiritual Fathers they can only pray for mercy preach of mercy but to give you pardon of sinne to give you comfort of conscience and assurance that they cannot do but God is the Father of these mercies he can give joy to the soul and neither Devil or sinne can discomfort As the whole creation came out of the womb of nothing at first when God said Let there be light immediately there was light and as God is called The Father of rain Job 38. 28. because he can open the bottles of Heaven and refresh the parched earth when he pleaseth so also he is the Father of mercies because he can turn thy darkness into light thy hell into Heaven yea he doth it that so what many Sermons many Ordinances could not do that God suddenly and insuperably doth he comforts irresistibly as well as converts irresistibly But of this more in the next property viz. A God of all consolation Fifthly In that he is the Father of mercies there is implied That it 's onely from himself that he pitieth us that he hath something within him to provoke to compassion when we have enough to provoke him And this is represented in that precious Parable of the Prodigal sonne returning to his Father Though there was cause enough from the sonne to alienate the Father to upbraid him with his prodigality and rebellion saying Whence come you Where are all the goods I gave you Yet for all that The Father runneth to meet him kisseth and imbraceth him who might have chastized him receiving him with as much readiness as if he had never been such a prodigal sonne but what moved him all this while The affection of a Father It 's not then for the godly soul to be poring and puzling it self alwayes what is there in me that may make God shew mercy to me What have I What find I in me that may prevail with God Oh foolish and unwise Christian Think rather what is in God to love thee to pity thee I will go to my Father saith the Prodigal Though I have lost the obedience of a son yet he hath not the bowels of a Father the bowels of a Father are ready to beget him again Think what a fountain his goodness is to issue forth rivers of mercies So that it is with thee as some parched dry wilderness it hath no springs no streams to refresh it self with till clouds from above fall upon it Thus thy heart is scorched and even burning like hell till God give thee not a drop of water but Christs bloud to cool thy afflicted soul Thus you see what is in this a Father of mercies a Father In the second place what briefly is in the object a Father of mercies in the plural number and that implieth 1. That there is no mercy but it comes from God Every good and perfect gift is from him Jam. 1. For if so be any creature were the original of mercy though it be but the least as to that particular it would be the Father of mercy if the Sunne of it self were the highest cause of giving light to thee if it were not God that did cause this Sunne to shine on thee that Sunne would be the father of the mercy of light Although therefore God hath appointed natural causes moral causes yea and supernatural means of mercy and comfort to thee yet take heed of calling these Father Thy food would not be a mercy to thee thy house a mercy no thy senses thy understanding would not be a mercy to thee were it not for this Father of mercies So that wheresoever and whensoever thou meetest with any mercy look higher than the creature see an hand from Heaven giving it thee As Gerson a devout Papist speaketh of his Parents how that they to teach him while a child That every mercy was from God had a devise that from the roof of the chamber should be conveyed to him every apple or nut or such childish refreshments he desired but Christ himself Matth. 5. when he pressed against carefull distrustfull thoughts he saith Your heavenly Father knoweth what you want So that it is not thy own natural father that is a mercy to thee but thy Father in Heaven As that good man in Ecclesiastical History when they brought him news his father was dead Define blasphemias loqui pater eminens immortalis est Thus are we to call nothing a Father of mercy to us but God himself So that what our Saviour saith Mat. 23. 9. Call no man father on earth in respect of faith and obedience neither are we in respect of our mercies Oh but how difficult is it not to have other fathers of mercies besides him SERM. XXXIII Of the Multitude Variety Properties and Objects of Gods Mercies 2 COR. 1. 3. The Father of mercies VVE are further to explicate what is comprehended in this sweet and comfortable Attribute The Father of mercies We have already declared what is in the word Father and gave one instance what is in the word mercies The second thing comprized in it is the multitude of them he doth not say The Father of mercy but of mercies it is not one or two but mercies many mercies innumerable mercies that he is Father of Even as David doth sometimes call God The God of his salvations in the plural number because of the frequent and many deliverances God vouchsafed to him The Lord therefore is not straitned in mercy no more than in power but as nothing is impossible to him so every kind of mercy is easily producible by him The multitude of Gods mercies is that which David doth often mention Psal 106. 7 45. Psal 51. 1. And indeed were not these mercies many our sins would be more than they and exceed them in number David complaineth That his iniquities were more than the hairs of his head and yet at another time acknowledgeth that such were the benefits of God towards him that he is never able to reckon them up We cannot then come and say to God about mercies as Esau did to his father about blessings Hast thou but one blessing O my father Hast thou but one mercy Woe would be to us if God had not multitude of mercies for we have multitude of sins and miseries Oh then let the broken humble heart who groaneth under this that he hath many sins they are not one or two but many yea the multitudes of them are like so many locusts and caterpillars in Egypt he cannot look this way or that way but sinne doth compasse him about Let such remember that there are more mercies for them then sins against them If thou hast multitude of sins God hath multitude of mercies to cover them so as thou doest not cover them but confess and bewail
thousands abide under the power of Satan and sinne Therefore when Gods mercy is spoken of in pardoning of sinne it is perpetually in respect of us not of Christ Thus you see judging of Gods mercy without Scripture-light into how many Doctrinal errors it may plunge us 4. For want of Scripture-direction the Papist and Antinomian oppose the mercy of God but in extream contrary wayes Though God be mercifull yet he hath so ordained that none shall partake of his mercies in time but those who by his grace are inabled to believe and repent as the way to salvation Now the Papist injureth the mercy of God for he will have his Faith Repentance with other holy works the merit and cause of his salvation disdaining to have eternal life as meer alms from God But the Antinomian to avoid this Scilla falls into Charybdis he affirmeth a mercy and that of Justification even while we are sinners before we do either believe or repent But the Scripture-mercy lieth between both In the next place Let us consider What Practical Danger we are in by conceiving of God as a mercifull God without Scripture-information And First We are apt to flatter our selves with Gods mercy though we allow our selves in our sins and iniquities whereas the Scripture speaks not a drop of mercy to such Have you not many dreadfull examples of Gods anger and terrour as well as mercy What was the casting of all the Angels into eternal blackness for one sinfull thought and that the first which they were guilty of giving them no space to repent no day of grace affording no means for their recovery Is not this an instance of Gods severity But you will say This was to Angels he is more mercifull to man But consider that example of Gods Justice in drowning the whole world save eight persons Doth not that proclaim God is just and angry against sinne as well as mercifull not to spare the whole world because it had corrupted its wayes but to drown such an innumerable company of men women and children yea to destroy the whole earth as it were Oh who can stand before the anger of God! Have we not also a formidable demonstration of Gods anger against Sodome and Gomorrah when fire and brimstone was rained from Heaven to destroy those Cities and all that did belong to them What had the little children done They could not be guilty of those unclean vices but God cutteth off all Many other instances of Gods wrath we have in Scripture especially the day of Judgement will be a dreadfull manifestation of it to the wicked and therefore the Scripture will informe us in that as well as of Gods mercy A second Practical Errour I shall conclude with that necessarily accompanieth the thoughts of Gods mercy without Scripture-direction is to encourage a mans self in his sinnes because God is mercifull Every wicked person turneth this honey into gall Paul speaketh of some who made those wretched inferences Let us sinne that grace may abound Take heed then of having any such wicked thought arising in thy heart God is mercifull therefore I will go to my lusts again Oh no the Scripture represents Gods mercies for another end to repent and be converted from thy evil wayes Rom. 2 Knowest thou not the goodnesse of God would lead thee to repentance Oh then do not abuse the mercy of God! for there is a time coming when there will be no more mercy It 's called the day of wrath thou shalt meet with nothing but terrour Ezek. 8. 18. The Scripture speaks of vessels of mercy and vessels of wrath and there is no greater sign of a vessel of wrath one fitted and prepared for destruction then to grow wanton by the mercies of God to be evil because he is good so much mercy abused will one day be turned into so much vengeance SERM. XXXVI That God not only can but doth actually comfort his People and how he doth it 2 COR. 1. 4. Who comforteth us in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we our selves are comforted of God IN the former verse we had the Reasons of our blessing of God set down by the description of that glorious attribute of his The Father of mercies c. In this verse the Apostle doth further amplifie the cause of this duty of Thanksgiving viz. from the effect and fruit of this property of his He is not only a God of consolation habitually and potentially as it were He is not a fountain sealed up but this Sunne doth alwayes irradiate its beams As he is a God of consolation so he doth comfort So that in the words we have the Effect or Causality attributed to God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who is comforting that doth never cease to do it that never withdraweth his consolations It 's his nature to be alwayes comforting As the Devil is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because he is alwayes tempting The word in humane Authors is used frequently of him who calleth another to him but in the New Testament either of him that intreateth and prayeth or of him that exhorteth or as in the Text of him that comforteth 2. The Subject of this consolation us That is either generally all believers or us Apostles and Officers in the Church For the Apostle might speak this to obviate that scandal which many were ready to take at the afflictions and persecutions of the Apostles as if they were hated of God and were nothing but impostors Therefore some part of this Chapter is a narrative of his pressures and apologetical in declaring the great goodness of God thereby to the Church 3. The particular wherein in tribulation Light can come into this dark dungeon 4. The Extent of this All our tribulation God can turn the hardest stones into bread All either of mind or body 5. The consequent Effect of this That we may be able to comfort them c. God many times doth in an exemplary manner exercise the Ministers of the Gospel that they may experimentally be able to instruct such who are tempted We begin with that efficiency given to God who comforteth is comforting and observe That as God is the God of all comfort so he doth actually put forth this comfort to those that are his Gods attributes may be truly affirmed of him though they never be put forth into act God would have been Omnipotent Mercifull Wise though he had not created the world only the creation of the world did demonstrate those Attributes Thus God may be called The God of comfort or a mercifull Father in respect of his Nature and Inclination though actually he doth not comfort any but God is a fountain communicating himself into streams of comfort he will make his people taste and feel what he is by Nature Now when it 's said That God comforteth you must understand this both in temporal and spiritual comforts
for they have not returned to glorifie me It is love to our selves it 's a self-seeking that makes us pray but it would argue love to God and an honouring of him when we returne praises to him It is therefore the duties of Ministers to press you upon the duty of praising of God as well as of praying unto him Many are horribly negligent in both some are more often in prayer then they are in thanksgiving Whereas God is said to inhabit the praises of his people Psalm 22. 3. as well as he is the God that heareth prayers Psalm 65. 2. God dwelleth in the praises of Israel that is in or amongst Israel continually praising of him or else it is to shew that as a man dwelleth in his house constantly residing there so God is daily administring matter of praises to his people implying thereby that there is no time no place no condition wherein we ought not to bless and praise God Those many Psalmes which David made declare how necessary a duty it is and how much the people of God are to exercise themselves therein Hence it is that David professeth he will never intermit this duty as we are to pray without ceasing so to praise God without ceasing Psalm 145. 1 2. I will bless thy name for ever and ever I will bless thee every day See what an ardent affection David hath to this For although the Apostle James saith Is any man afflicted let him pray is any man merry let him sing Psalmes James 5. 13. implying thereby that there are speciall times wherein one duty is to be exercised more than another yet there is no time wherein the Lord doth not give his people occasion to give thanks to him That your hearts may be both rightly instructed in the manner of this duty and awed against all slothfullness therein take notice of these ensuing particulars 1. What is required to this Duty And 2. The Motives thereunto And First To praise God there is required an acknowledgement by faith that God and God alone is the Author of all the mercies both temporall and spirituall that we do enjoy Hence an Atheist can never be thankfull because he owneth no God the giver of mercies And the practicall Atheist who liveth as if there were no God he like the Swine eateth indeed upon the fruite that he findeth upon the ground but never looketh up to the tree from whence it falleth Now this practicall Atheisme doth raign every where and that causeth the universall ingratitude that is in the world men take these mercies as so many debts belonging to them They look upon them as the things of a naturall course not as the dispensations of a free and voluntary Agent even the great God who giveth them and denyeth them at his pleasure David therefore in his Psalmes doth so often magnifie God by many glorious Titles thereby professing that From God cometh every good and perfect gift Hence also the Apostle James Cap. 4. 15. maketh it the duty of every one in their daily resolutions to buy and sell or to go to such a place to say if the Lord will declaring hereby that it is from God that we are inabled to performe any naturall or civill action I also add that it must be an acknowledgment of God alone because in spirituall mercies many corrupt Teachers have divided the kingdome between Gods gracious power and mans mans free-will Therefore the Papists the Socinians the Arminians these do either in whole or in part destroy the very foundation of thanksgiving to God in respect of spirituall mercies especially in that whereby one man differs from another That which the Apostle doth so evidently attribute to God only 1 Cor. 4. 7. that they appropriate to themselves the good use of free-will or the improving of grace offered is made mans work and then certainly we are to glory more in our selves then in God But if we are to give God thankes for every morsell of bread we eate shall we not much rather for every spirituall mercy to the soul It was Tullies observation that though their Ancestors praised God for their prosperity and success yet they never did for their vertuous actions thinking that absurd as if unless they were not done by their own power there was no commendation due to them and too much of this Heathenish and Philosophicall leaven doth still soure the minds of many Learned men in the Church Know then so much as thou settest up a free-will beyond Scripture bounds so farre thou takest off from the duty of praising and blessing of God Besides we say God must be acknowledged in every mercy temporall and spirituall Thou that prayest God would give thee thy daily bread wilt thou not praise God when he doth it yet how sottish and brutish are many persons and Families when they go to meales and rise from meales and no thankes or praises are given to God should not the example of Christ move thee when he had but some loaves of Barly and a little Fish yet he blessed God before he did eate thereof How then cometh it about that there should be such unthankfull wretches that take their food and yet never thank God that giveth it Thou wouldst account that poore man a proud or unworthy person to whom thou shouldst give some food in his necessity and he never so much as open his mouth to give one word of thankfullness to thee Thou dealest more frowardly and wickedly with God And if for temporall mercies then much more for spirituall if thy meate thy drink thy rayment be Gods mercy much more is thy regeneration thy justification which do so far transcend the power of nature 2. To this duty of praising God is not only required These generall acts of faith whereby we own him for the Jehova and the Creator of Heaven and Earth but also those particular Acts whereby we do apply and appropriate him as our God in particular For it is this particular applying Act of faith that maketh the heart full of praise and thanksgivihg Therefore you may observe David in his Psalmes not only calling God a buckler a refuge a strong tower but his buckler his strong tower his God Neither can we be thankfull in spirituall mercies about pardon of sinne support in temptations till with Paul Gal. 2 we say Who loved us and gave himself for us and this is one reason why we urge the People to take heed of diffidence not to give way to distrust and doubtfull perplexities of soul because while these are predominant they cannot walk thankfully and give the glory that is due to him 3. Love to God Because he heareth our prayers will raise up the heart exceedingly to thanksgiving Psal 116. 1. I will love the Lord because he hath heard my supplications That God should hear the prayers of one so unworthy and polluted as thou art that God should do thee good who art so evill this freeness
of glory and rejoycing to us So likewise Gal. 6. 4. the Apostle pressing every man to try his own works to examine his intentions therein giveth this as the consequent fruit thereof That then he shall have rejoycing in himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a kind of glorying and boasting in himself To clear this truth let us first shew what is required to this glorying and then in what respects it is lawfull and allowed us And for the former First It is necessary to this rejoycing and glorying in the first place That we have an high esteem of the excellency and worth of that grace we discover to be in us If so be we are to rejoyce in these outward mercies which yet are only for the body what matter of joy should it be to find those spiritual workings of Gods Spirit in us which are of eternal concernment What Solomon saith concerning the esteem of wisdom which is indeed nothing but grace we should all make good Prov. 2. 4. If thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hid treasures That soul then which can rejoyce in the discovery of grace must esteem of it more than all the treasures of the world To say O Lord I had rather find my self sanctified I had rather see the powerfull workings of grace upon me then to be made the greatest or richest man in the world we have many exhortations to examine our selves and try our hearts to see if we can find this precious jewel in our souls Now none will be cordial to examine and search herein but those who look upon it as the greatest treasure Did the woman in the Gospel make such diligent search for a lost groat only and call her neighbours to rejoyce with her when she had found it How large and boundless then should our thoughts be about the excellency of grace And indeed to the godly soul this is the great question it labours to study and to resolve Whether it be in the state of grace or no knowing that this onely is the most blessed and happy estate in the world Secondly As we must highly esteem this work of grace so we must have a Certainty and perswasion that we have obtained it Had not Paul known that his heart had been sincere that he was not acted by carnal wisdome he could never have rejoyced For Philosophers make joy to be in that good thing we do possesse and also the knowledge thereof This Text then doth abundantly declare that the people of God may have a certain knowledge of the work of grace So that although the heart be indeed deceitfull and full of hypocrisie yet when sanctified it hath some measure of truth and sincerity in it and so far doth not deceive us He then that would rejoyce in the grace of God wrought in him must presse after assurance must endeavour after a certain perswasion of the truth of grace in him And although this perswasion be not justifying faith yea it is separable from it A man may be justified may be sanctified and not know it yet it is such a priviledge yea and duty also that we should diligently take heed of all those things that may weaken our assurance that may make us to doubt and question whether Jesus Christ be in us or no. Thirdly A sure perswasion of the goodnesse and integrity of our hearts is not enough but it must be upon right grounds and in a Scripture-demonstration For if it be a false perswasion it may produce indeed a rejoycing but a false rejoycing also It is more than probable that Paul while a persecutor being zealously affected to the tradition of his fathers and thinking himself bound as he professeth to do what he did against Christ and his members could then say His rejoycing was the testimony of his conscience being perswaded that in those wayes he glorified God And therefore some do extend that profession of his before the Council That he had lived in all good conscience before God untill that day And if this be so then we see plainly That every perswasion though never so confident is not enough to make us rejoyce but we must look to Scripture-grounds Doth not experience confirm this Take any heretical person any erroneous person though it be to the destruction of the very fundamentals of Religion yet he will proclaim a rejoycing in his heart from the good testimony of his conscience So that an erroneous conscience satisfied doth bring peace and rejoycing but it is an erroneous joy It is either from meer humane principles or from diabolical delusions But this will come in more properly when we come to the ground or reason it self of Paul's rejoycing Fourthly To this rejoycing there is required The Spirit of God enabling us thereunto So that the same spirit which doth seal to us the assurance of our estate doth also cause comfort in us The Spirit of God doth enlighten and sanctifie after this it doth seal and comfort And this latter work of Gods Spirit is necessary as well as the other For we see it lieth not in the power of Gods people to have comfort when they will Hence Gal. 5. Joy is the fruit of the Spirit and it 's called Joy in the holy Ghost not only objectively because it is a joy in spiritual objects but also efficiently because it is wrought by him Hence it is that the Spirit of God mouldeth the heart for comfort removeth fears and doubts restraineth and keepeth off Satan whereby no sinne no Devil is able to deject and cast down because God comforteth â—Thus you see what goeth to rejoycing in the graces of God and thereby an holy glorying in them Now let us see in what respect it is lawfull thus to rejoyce And First It is lawfull to rejoyce in them as they are the effects and fruits of Gods favour and love as they signifie the cause from whence they come Rahab could not but rejoyce to see the thread that was a signe of such a great mercy designed for her If then the godly man have that spiritual skill as to difference between trusting in his graces as any way causes of his salvation and thankfully receiving them assignes from which he may be perswaded of it then doth he hit the mark It is usually said from Luther That we are to take heed not onely of evil deeds but of good and holy works also because the heart is apt to be carried away with pride and self-confidence insensibly yet this much not so deterre the people of God that they may not take comfort from their graces For how can they see them and not rejoyce because they are the pledge of Gods favour it self and of an interest in Christ So that though their graces be weak and full of imperfections yet they manifest that to be ours which is fully perfect and hath no fault at all in it Imperfect graces do manifest Gods perfect grace to
the surety if he hath undertaken for thee and performed for thee what was required by the Law then thou maist pleade though not for my sake yet for Christs sake let thy promise be made good to me But the troubled soul will object very plausibly against this Though Gods promises are made good in Christ yet there is the duty of faith and repentance required of me so that if I do not beleeve if I do not repent there is no promise through Christs blood established that will do me any good what is it your meaning that though I am a sinner and while I abide in my sins I should pleade the promise of God in Christ Is not this to dash my soul at the Antinomian rock This deserveth a full answer And first It must be acknowledged that in this point it is hard to sail between the Scylla and Charybdis of the Arminian errour on one hand and Antinomian on the other side For the Arminians they indeed make Christ to be the atonement for our sins but so that we must beleeve and repent all which is true But then if it be asked how come we to beleeve and to repent here they fly in part at least to our own free will for they deny that faith is purchased by Christs death so that by their doctrine the whole fruit of Christs death standeth suspense and indeterminate till it be determined by our faith Christs death is made effectuall to us by our beleeving and this beleeving is not wrought in us by Christs Spirit nor is it bestowed on us as the fruit of his death but only we joyning with the grace of God do make the redimibility which was before faith by faith to be actual redemption And the Papist he erreth more grosly herein for he addeth further that our faith and repentance yea all holy works are causal conditions such as are meritorious and have an inward condignity and proportion to the reward Thus generally the Papists though some of them deny this merit and causality But the Antinomian falleth into another extremity for he doth so offer Christ and his promises to a man as if nothing at all were required on mans part and therefore tels a sinner that it is his duty while a sinner and abiding in that state to receive the promise yea one goeth so far as to say that Christ did beleeve for us Christ did repent for us and therefore that we are not bound to beleeve or repent but only to rest on Christ that he hath done these things for us Thus you see here are two extreme opinions and it is very hard for the soul in its first troubles and pangs to be guided out of this wildernesse how many have been seduced by Antinomian errours under the specious pretence of free grace and how many again have fallen into Armintan and Popish principles thinking that way to asswage their bleeding hearts but the Scripture truth doth lie between these two for Christ and so the promises are not applicable to sinners as sinners whether they beleeve or not beleeve whether they repent or not repent but do require indispensably of all grown persons faith and repentance but yet on the other side this faith and repentance of ours have no merit or dignity in them nor are they the effect and fruit of our own will and power but are the gifts of Gods grace and the consequent of Christs death so that Christ did not only die for our sins he did not only dye to confirm the promises to us but he died also to give us faith and repentance that by them we might be qualified subjects for such glorious mercies Hence the Scripture maketh faith and repentance to be the gifts of Gods grace as well as remission and pardon of sinne These duties then are necessarily required of us that the promises may be made good to us against the Antinomians yet these duties are Gods gift and the work of his spirit not the issues of our free-will against the Arminians Therefore in the second place when a Christian cometh to make use of a promise he must not oppose Christ and his duties but compose them together he must subordinate his duties to Christ We complain that the Popish doctrines oppose Christ and duties even as the Apostle argueth against the Galathians who by works of the Law made Christ of none effect and we cannot deny but the heart of man is so prone to put confidence in what we do and although we disclaim the merit of works yet to have a secret rest of the soul upon them that it is very difficult to keep within our bounds but yet we are also to know that every thing in Christianity is very hard to flesh and bloud Any thing graciously done is exact and accurately commensurated to the rule of God whereas such is the instability and unrulinesse of man naturally that he is apt to run from one extreme to another and while he seeketh to avoid one to fall into another our duty therefore is to rest upon Christ alone in the promises as the meritorious and fundamentall cause yet diligently to pursue after holinesse as that which qualifieth the subject for the glorious things promised God hath required these duties of thee therefore be thou as faithful and diligent in the performance of them as if there were no Christ no Mediatour And again be thou as wholly recumbent on Christ as if thou hadst no faith no repentance at all distinguish between the necessary presence of them and the causality of them Thus it ought to be the wisedome and skill of Ministers so to preach and exalt Christ as thereby no duties are to be omitted or neglected And again so powerfully and exactly to presse duties that Christ be not in the least manner disrobed of his glory for although Christ interposeth between the Fathers wrath and us yet you must not so understand it as if by our sins we could not provoke Christ as if through our unbeleef and impenitency we might not cause him of a lamb to be like a roaring lion We must not apprehend Christ to have only mercy in him and all wrath to be in God the Father only for observe that counsel given to the people of Israel concerning this Angel who was to guide them which is Christ Exod. 23. 21. Beware of him and obey his voice provoke him not for my Name is in him Though then the promises are established upon Christ yet take heed of provoking him by impenitency for even Christ will be a judge against thee because of thy disobedience Well let all this be granted yet still the tender and broken heart will object I dare not lay hold on the promises they do not belong to me I finde so much unworthinesse so much dulnesse and stupidity that though others may pleade the promise yet my heart is so full of fears and confusion that I dare not do it What
some by election also and that there are persevering sons and apostatizing wherein election maketh the difference which opinion some attribute to Austin is wholly inconsistent with Scripture and Austin himself in other places if that were his opinion The godly then are to look upon the grace of God wrought in them as the effect of Gods immutable and unchangeable love which will certainly obtain its end Secondly Their certainty of salvation and so of perseverance therein is built upon the many promises of God which are made to this very end as that famous one Jer. 32. 40. I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me What can be more pregnant than this God covenants he will not turn from them and withall to put such fear in their hearts that they shall not turn from him So also Phil. 1. 6. being confident of this very thing that he who hath begun a good work in you will also finish it His confidence was not in them for alas we should prove the prodigals and lose all but it is in Gods grace and that because he had begun for none shall say of him he began to build and could not finish So that the wisedom mercy and glory of God is interested in our perseverance and indeed if our sinnes should hinder him from continuance of his grace why did they not from the beginning at first were we not then objects of his displeasure So that in our conversion the greatest work was done then we had as Chrysostome saith upon the place the beginning and root of what was to come Lastly The union that is between Christ and a beleever being indissoluble doth necessarily infer the certainty of his salvation a member of Christs body shall not be taken from him and thrown into hell for from this union as their bodies shall necessarily rise to glory so their souls also shall be prepared for the same SERM. CXL Of Swearing 2 COR. 1. 23. Moreover I call God to record upon my soul that to spare you I came not as yet to Corinth THe Apostle having made a short but happy and admirable digression occasioned from his discourse vers 17. about the calumny of levity and carnal reasonings and motives concerning his promise to come to them doth in this verse return to that matter again plainly informing of them that it was not any inconstancy or carnal respect in himself that made him delay his coming but the fault was wholly in themselves they were not yet prepared for his coming which for the greater confirmation and authority he doth attest with a solemn and sacred Oath It is true Chrysostome doth beginne the second Chapter at this Text and so the Syriack Yea Beza saith We ought to beginne the second Chapter here In which respect Calvin and Musculus comment upon it accordingly but the matter is not worth a contest In the words you may observe 1. An Oath And 2. The Matter of an Oath 1. The Oath is a very compleat and perfect one I call God to witnesse upon my soul Of the Oath first As for Pelagians and others who affirm an Oath to be unlawfull under the Gospel at least and that in these or the like expressions Paul doth not swear because he doth not use the Preposition per or by or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Greek it 's an absurdity afterwards to be refelled The Oath in the Text is an Assertory Oath wherein God is expresly called upon as a witnesse and withall an Execration is added Upon my soul that is Let God damn my soul if it be not true he doth not mention his soul as part of the Oath as if that were a witnesse as well as God but he mentioneth it as a pawn or pledge and so it is lawfull to name some creatures that we love or are dear to us in an oath not that we may swear by them but as pledges So that this Oath is both Assertory and Execratory not that these make two distinct kindes of Oaths for one doth necessarily imply the other He that calleth upon God as a Witnesse doth thereby imply him a Judge and an Avenger if he swear falsly Onely I call it an Execratory Oath as well as an Assertory because the Execration is mentioned whereas for the most part in Oaths it is not expressed If you say What reason or urgent necessity was here for Paul thus to make such a deliberate and solemn Oath I answer Very great The adversaries of Paul did accuse him and traduce him for a vain and inconstant person which hereby did redound to the dishonour of the Ministry the hinderance of the Gospel the destruction of Christs Church therefore it was necessary for him to take this Oath That no carnal motive made him delay his promise but a wise and spiritual consideration of their good Thus at another time speaking of his earnest affections to his brethren after the flesh Rom. 9. 1. he sweareth after this manner I speake the truth in Christ I lie not my conscience also bearing witnesse in the Holy Ghost So in this Epistle again 2 Corinth 11. 20. As the truth of Christ is in me Rom. 1. 9. For God is my witnesse that I make mention of you alwayes in my prayers Gal. 1. 20. The things that I write unto you behold before God I lie not Thus you see by many instances the holy Apostle making use of an Oath but alwayes upon necessary occasions for Gods glory and the edification of others From whence observe That it is lawfull even under the Gospel to swear after a right and godly manner upon necessary and urgent occasions I say under the Gospel for some have granted it lawfull under the Old Testament as they say to circumcise to sacrifice was but under the Gospel they hold it absolutely forbidden So that the handling of this truth about swearing or a lawfull oath is of great importance both for doctrinal information against Pelagians Socinians some Anabaptists who hold it unlawfull under the Gospel As also of direction to know wherein an Oath doth consist and whether many formes used commonly by people are oaths or no. And then withall it is of great practical use if possible to remove that ungodly and wicked custome of ordinary swearing without any due consideration of the nature of an oath For how general and epidemical is this sinne Old and young yea little children can swear as soon as speake rich and poore yea men glory in their oaths and deride at the strictnesse of such who will be so precise as to abstaine from them They looke upon oathes as the glory of their speech and becoming a Gentleman But Solomon's description of a godly man will abide good when such prophane miscreants shall lie for ever roaring in hell
though it be thy duty to humble thy self for sinne to confess and bewail thy iniquities yet it is also a duty To rejoyce in the Lord alwayes and till the heart be fitted by this joy thou canst nor bless God with that hearty affection as thou oughtst to do Psal 103. David saith Blesse the Lord O my soul and all within thee praise his holy Name All within thee You see to praise God is heart-work as well as lip-work all within us must move and be affected Thy heart cannot boil over as the Psalmist sometimes expresseth it unless this fire of joy doth inflame it Oh then know that a grieving disquieted soul cannot bless God it hinders you from that duty which the Apostle presseth Col. 3. 16. Admonishing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing with grace in your hearts What an Heaven is such an heart where there are these spiritual hymns and psalms But alas how often is thy heart like an howling wilderness where the cries and dolefull sounds of unbelieving and distrustfull fears do torment thee Sixthly To blesse God there is required faith and a resting of the soul upon God as a reconciled Father Alas can the damned in hell bless God Could Cain or Judas bless God By no means because there is no faith there is no resting upon God as a Father Hence you see the Apostle addeth The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Father of all mercies To cursed and condemned sinners God is not a Father of mercies but of vengeance and fury a God of dreadfull judgments who is said to be angry with the wicked all the day long Hence David doth so often in the Psalms exercise those appropriating and applying acts of faith My God and my Tower my strong help and defence It was his faith that made him so thankfull For what is it to hear of Christ and all spiritual mercies by him if faith doth not apply them and make them my own And then we are stirred up to give God thanks for them insomuch that faith hath the greatest influence into our thankfulness Seventhly Faith of adherence is not enough to make the heart so throughly and affectionately thankefull as it should be unlesse also there be as some call it faith of evidence or a good and true perswasion that God is our God It 's the reflecting acts of the soul whereby it knoweth and is assured that God hath pardoned my sinne and hath forgiveth my iniquities that are like oil to the lamp of this duty David in some Psalms dependeth upon God and so many times the choisest of Gods servants they are supported to rest on him to build their hopes on Christ but then wanting this assurance not feeling this love of God shed abroad in their souls hence they are not fervent and zealous in these duties of blessing and thanksgiving as they ought to be Do you not see many of Gods people more forward to duties of humiliation and mourning more attending to self-debasement and self-abhorrency then they are to faith joy and blessing of God the one they are constantly in the other unless provoked and forced as it were they seldom accomplish Now this ought not to be so we are to rejoyce as well as tremble we are to put both together we are to bless God for pardon of sinne as well as confess sinne we are to rejoyce in giving of thanks as well as to humble our souls in acknowledging of our sinfulness Thou often saist Lord pity me Lord shew mercy to me but how seldom dost thou say O Lord I bless thee For thy mercy endureth for ever My heart hath been full of sorrow for sinne and now it is full of joy for the pardon of it I have prayed that my corruptions may be subdued and I bless God that prayer is graciously answered If you winne a mercy by prayer and do not wear it by praise you greatly offend God SERM. XXX Of Praising God and that for all but especially for spiritual Mercies 2 COR. 1. 3. Blessed be God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ c. FRom the method that Paul useth here and in the beginning of most of his other Epistles we have observed the Duty that lieth upon all the people of God to bē carefull and conscientious in this duty of blessing and praising of God which is as the legal ointment for the High-priest compounded of choice and sweet ingredients It 's an Angelical work to blesse God There remain further particulars that are constituent of this comfortable and profitable duty As First The heart that is duly fitted to praise God though it be thankefull for every mercy even the least mercy yet it keeps an order in its thankesgiving according to the dignity of its objects so that it praiseth God chiefly and principally for spiritual mercies and then secondarily for temporal mercies And this argueth the difficulty of this duty and that also only the regenerate and spiritual man can in a Scripture-way blesse God for he only doth preferre heavenly things above earthly When the Psalmist had spoken of outward mercies to a people Psal 144. 12 13 15. great mercies in sons and daughters rich abundance and plenty he corrects all at last Happy is that people that is in such a case yea happy is that people whose God is the Lord. So that you see all the outward desirable mercies that are are but in a subordination to Gods favour When thou art breaking forth after this manner I bless God for my children for my health for my outward contents Oh but above all Lord that I have any spiritual mercy that thou hast loved my soul converted me to thy self saved me from the evil wayes of the world in this my soul is overwhelmed So then as we see it is in matter of Petition Seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven Thus it is also in Thanksgiving whatsoever heavenly mercy God hath bestowed on thee bless God for that in the first place Thus the Apostle doth praise God in a most divine manner Eph. 1. 3. Blessed be God who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ Insomuch that this may be a good Touchstone of the truth of grace in thee whether thy soul be most affected and enlarged towards God for soul-soul-mercies that thou canst truly say O Lord in that thou hast made me in a saving manner to know thee in that thou hast revealed thy Son to me I do more rejoyce in this and bless thee for it then if thou hadst given me all the glory of the world Doest thou see a natural worldly man boast in his riches in his birth in his greatness above others and knoweth nothing at all of Gods favour and spiritual mercy to his soul This is like a beast that is crowned with Garlands but yet prepared for the slaughter Canst thou say O Lord I judge all the outward mercies I have to be but husks and empty
sake and in his own Name but we are in Christs Name So that you see the redundancy of that paternal relation to Christ in his benefits even to us also Other properties we might enlarge in but it is easie to the good heart to suggest them to its self as the eternity and the unchangeablenesse of this relation to them as it was also to Christ Hence 1 Pet. 1. Christ being from all eternity and unchangeably fore-ordained to be their Head they were also then comprehended in that gracious Decree of God Only this difference you must alwayes observe That God becometh our Father otherwise than Christ for the Father begat him from eternity not by grace and from his meer free-will as if he might have 〈◊〉 begotten him No for he was the Sonne of his Father by a necessity oâ— immutability though some adde we may say his generation was both by nature and free-will as not being inconsistent with one another but as for us God makes us his sons from his meer good pleasure he might have refused to adopt any one to his Sonne he took infinite delight in his only Sonne which was from all eternity So that it was the riches of his grace and the freeness of his bounty to adopt us for his sons with Christ his natural Son Use of Instruction Is God our Father by being the Father of Christ Doth our union with Christ intitle us to that Father and other unspeakable benefits which he hath Then let the Christian soul meditate on this more Adam and Angels were the sons of God but that was by creation God is thy Father upon a more certain and enduring ground which is union with Christ What enemies are you to your own peace and grace while you look upon your selves as divided from Christ If the wife make her self a distinct person from her husband she hath no benefit by the Law she cannot recover any advantages but all must be done in her husbands name and in his title Thus it should be with thee pray in Christs name comfort thy self in Christ meditate upon God in Christ The time is coming when Christ only will be in request when at the day of Judgement the voice shall be Go ye cursed because not in Christ Depart into everlasting fire because not in Christ This then speaketh nothing but terror to the ungodly who are not branches in him they cannot have the least comfortable or hopefull thought of God being not in Christ they have none of Christs righteousness SERM. XXXII How God is a mercifull Father the Father of all mercies to his children 2 COR. 1. 3. Blessed be God the Father of mercies THe next considerable motive in God who is thus to be blessed is from his relative Attribute to us The Father of mercies if every mercy be a stream issuing from him the fountain if every favour be a ray which hath its emanation from that Sun then no wonder if always and in all things we are to bless and praise him It s Bernards observation he doth not say Pater ultionum c. the Father of revenge and of judgments which yet he is to all wicked men but of mercies that is to such as fear him So that the Apostle doth here represent God in the most sweet and lovely relation that may be to the truly godly They must not think fury and vengeance is in him towards them though sinners but that through Christ all enmity is taken away and they may with boldness come to him as to a Father even as the child doth securely rest in his Fathers bosome The words have no difficulty they are a fountain opened no stone is to be removed that the wearied soul may drink thereof Observe That God is a Father of mercies or a mercifull Father to those that are his So that our work will be to treat of that Attribute of God which renders the meditation and thoughts of him comfortable to us For if he be holy but not mercifull if infinite but not mercifull if omnipotent but not mercifull he would be a consuming fire to us It is good therefore for the contrite sinner to hear of this Attribute ineffabili desiderio teneor cum audio bonus Dominus To open this rich treasure that is able to enrich all who will come and take of it Consider First That God hath such an Attribute of mercy The Scripture doth not only represent him Wise Just and Almighty but Mercifull also Jam. 5. 11. God is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He is very pitifull and of tender mercy The former word is from the bowels that use to move when we are affected compassionately with any miserable object So that Gods mercies they are bowel-mercies he doth not only do good to us but to speak after the manner of men he is compassionately affected unto us while he doth so Hence Luke 1. 78. they are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The bowles of mercy But whether mercy may be attributed to God properly is disputed The Socinians they deny mercy to be an essential property to God even as they do vindicative Justice The Stoicks they denied mercy to their wise man Seneca grants clementia and benignitas but not misericordia for they defined mercy to be egritudo animi a sickness and grief of the mind which ariseth from anothers misery And why is it called misericordia Yarch Austin but because it doth make miserum cor Therefore if we stick to these definitions of mercy as it is in man who hath compassion because he hath passion we are not to attribute it to God but seclude all humane imperfections and look upon it as an Attribute in God whereby he doth will to help and relieve such as are in misery so it is â—â—ivently in him and as there is none good but God so we may say there is none mercifull but God The mercy then of God is infinite as his own nature and do has rarre transcend all our sins and miseries as the Heavens do a mole-hill only there is not perturbation in the holy Nature of God which we find in our compassions Anselme expresseth it well Thou art mercifull O God Secundum nos non secundum te secundum sensum nostrum non tuum cum tu respicis nos miseros nos sentimus miserationis effectum tu non miseriae affectum God then is mercifull as well as just and thousands of places in the Scripture speak of this mercy of God very largely 2. It is good to know that the mercy of God is taken in Scripture sometimes Actively for that essential Attribute in him as Exod. 34. 6 7. where the Lord himself proclaimed his own Name Mercifull Grucious Long-suffering c. Though Divines do give notional differences between his Goodness Mercy Grace and Long-suffering yet I shall not attend to that Or Passively for the effects of his mercy as here in the Text The Father of mercies so when God doth threaten
which yet David in every Psalm almost though never so cast down doth in some degrees and sparks as it were discover but here is nothing but disconsolateness yet this Heman was a godly man a Penman of some Psalms yea he was accounted one of the most eminent wise men that lived in that age for 1 King 4. 30 31. Solomons wisdom is said to exceed all others yea four wise men are instanced whom Solomon did surpass and this Heman was one Whereas then we are apt to judge such as want the sense of Gods comfort and go in a disconsolate manner fools and melancholly such as will go out of their wits You see here a godly man and one of the wisest men in Solomons times yet afflicted with the terrors of the Lord and can obtain no comfort This then being laid down as a foundation let us consider what is to be said to the doubt To answer the Objection you must know in what sense this is a doctrinal truth That God comforteth his in all their troubles and to that purpose observe these particulars 1. That comfort especially when we are sensibly affected and enlarged therewith is not of the essence of grace nor is it absolutely necessary to salvation It is indeed for the benè esse and is like oil to the wheels it doth wonderfully quicken and expedite the soul in wayes of holiness but yet a man may be in the state of grace and may have an unquestionable claim to Heaven yet for all that be destitute of such sensible comfort for these consolations do commonly flow from assurance of Gods grace and the sense of his love shed abroad in their hearts Now it is not this assurance that doth justifie us but it supposeth us justified already we may rest on Christ we may believe on him and yet want this faith of evidence as some call it while we have the faith of adherence and dependance Seeing therefore that this comfort is not an inseparable quality from a godly man we must then understand the promises of God for comfort as we do of other things which are separable from true grace God promiseth health outward peace long life yea of all outward mercies godliness hath a promise but yet the godly do not alwayes partake of these there are many of them sick weak poor and distressed though under such promises And the reason is because these are not necessary to salvation They are not required as Christ and grace is for then no godly man should be without them yea they may be an impediment an hinderance and therefore it 's a mercy sometimes when God denieth them Thus it is in regard of our comforts it is for our good to be sometimes without them God in much mercy suffereth his people to be in darknesse and to have no light So that you may no more wonder to see them sometimes without joy then to see them sometimes without the outward mercies of the world Yet you must understand when I thus compare these soul-consolations to bodily ones that I make them not of the same nature with temporal outward mercies as if they were no more spiritual than wealth or health are No I do not compare them in their nature but in their property of separability they neither are of the essence of grace nor of absolute necessity to salvation and herein they are alike otherwise these consolations they are spiritual mercies seated in the soul and have intimate connexion with the graces of Gods Spirit Gerson calls them Gratiae gratis datae and indeed they are the gifts of Gods Spirit and are highly to be prized yet as degrees in grace are of Gods Spirit but not necessary to salvation the truth of grace is but not every degree of grace for then no godly man could be saved that is weak in faith and in other graces Thus it is with this comfort in some respect They are gifts of God they are wrought by his Spirit yet so as that they do not necessarily accompany our salvation and in this sense you must understand the Doctrine 2. There is a two-fold joy which I may call a direct and reflex one The one is when we are carried with delight to that which is holy and good The other is when we know and feel that we are thus carried out joy is a fruit of faith 1 Pet. 1. 8. In whom believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable Now as faith acteth two wayes so also doth joy Faith acteth directly by going directly to Christ and then faith acts reflexly by looking upon this that I do rest on Christ Thus there is a joy that doth directly go to God and Christ by way of delight and enlargement being thus apprehended by faith Of such a joy in holy things Solomon speaketh Prov. 21. 15. The Prophet Isaiah also Chap. 64. 5. And then there is a joy flowing from the apprehension of this that we do delight in holy things For a man may rejoyce to find he can rejoyce in what is good a man may be comforted in finding that Christ and heavenly objects are matter of delight to him Now as it is with those two acts of faith the former which is the direct one that is absolutely necessary by that we are justified by that Christ is made ours by that we are in him and he in us but the latter is not of the same necessity It is no where said If ye know that ye do believe and if ye be assured that ye do believe but if ye do believe then ye shall be saved It would be sad with many of Gods children if none were justified but he that knoweth he believeth Thus it is also for joy joy in its direct acts it 's a necessary grace It is our duty to rejoyce in God and heavenly things as well as love them And indeed there cannot be any grace of love but there is also the grace of joy Hence Gal. 5. joy is made the fruit of the Spirit with other graces And Rom. 14. The Kingdom of Heaven is said to consist in righteousness and in joy in the holy Ghost So that there is a joy which being a grace is part of the new creature and there cannot be godliness without it as is our love so is our joy But then there is joy as a priviledge which as you heard ariseth from the knowledge of our being in the state of grace and this is communicable at Gods pleasure Those that have the most of Gods grace may for a time have the least of it in sense as we see in Christ himself So that we are to distinguish between joy as a grace and joy as a priviledge It 's of the latter the Doctrine is to be understood 3. Yet further The joy that Gods people partake of may be considered either as seated in the soul or as in the sensitive part The one is rational and spiritual The other is sensitive and corporeal For the
it had beene better if Gods help had come sooner if he had not deferred so long but this is as if the patient should take upon him to direct the Physician when is the fittest time for the administration of his medicinal helpe Fourthly The people of God aggravate their mercies By comparing them with others miseries I have health how many are in paines and exquisite torments I have sufficiency and fullnesse how many Lazar's are there that would be glad of the crummes that fall from my Table As those Lepers that were ready to be famished but unexpectedly met with full provision in the Syrian's Camps said We doe not well 2 King 7. 9. let us informe the Kings houshold For alas they were ready to eat their own children through the famine while these had all plenty In the same manner mayest thou reflect with thy self How many are there even of the deare servants of God that are naked hungry persecuted and destitute of all hope There is scarce any so afflicted or in a low condition but he may look upon others who are more miserable than he This therefore will greatly sharpen thy affections to blesse God When thou shalt compare thy mercies with others miseries especially if you doe consider it in spirituals How many thousands sit in Paganisme and know nothing of Christ How many lye roaring in hell for the same sinnes or lesse sinnes it may be that thou hast committed Thus if thou set thy self to aggravate the mercy of God from every consideration thou wilt finde the circumstances will increase upon thee as the widows oyl did and thou wilt see thou hast more cause to blesse Ood then ever thou didst apprehend at first If I say thou didst this thou wouldst no more complaine of the coldnesse and chilnesse that is upon thy heart Nothing doth so much dull the heart as resting in generals blessing God in generals Take every mercy as thou wouldst some Watch or curious worke of Art and view every piece every part or as those that hehold some admirable Image they are intentive to every part thereof to observe the beauty life and proportion thereof Oh it is this and this onely will draw out thy soul and make thee have rivers of water flowing from thee It is this that will make thee say with Elihu Job 32. 18. I am full of matter the Spirit within me constraineth me my belly is as wine which hath no vent it is ready to burst like new bottles Thus five words of praise coming from an heart aggravating Gods mercy are more effectual then five hundred in a formal general way SERM. LXXV Privative and preventing Mercies are to be accounted of as Positive 2 COR. 1. 10. Who delivered us from so great a death and doth deliver IN this Text we have Paul celebrating the goodness of God to him in that extream trouble mentioned before wherein was observed First The holy thankefull temper of Paul studying to aggravate the mercy of God He leaveth out nothing unexpressed which may not make for the great exaltation of Gods goodness towards him There remaineth a second Doctrine which is That the children of God are to account of the privative and preventing mercies as much as positive Paul cals this deliverance a deliverance from such a death so great a death yet he was not actually killed he was onely in danger of it but because had not the mercy of God prevented death had surely seised on him Therefore this mercy of preventing death he doth judge to be as it were a positive deliverance from it That as we see God doth deal with his people He accepteth of a willing mind for the deed And Heb. 11. 17. Abraham is said to offer up his onely begotten sonne because it was in the immediate disposition and preparation of his heart he had done it had not God prevented it So it is here with the people of God Those mercies which keep off the dangers that are immediately issuing out upon us they take as if the mercy was it self positively done to them Divines have a saying Plures sunt gratiae privativae quà m positivae There are more privative favours of God than positive and this they apply to spiritual things And indeed if we consider how many sins God may keep thee from which others fall into how many temptations God doth preserve thee in which swallow up others we must needs acknowledge that we are no more able to reckon up these preventing mercies of God than we can count the stars or reckon up the sand upon the sea-shore That this truth may affect us and cause us more to imploy our thoughts in a thankfull way towards God concerning all that evil which might come upon us if God did not interpose Let us take notice of these particulars First That there are some mercies God doth vouchsafe to his people which do suppose evil to be actually come upon them As when Joseph was delivered out of prison Jonah out of the whales belly the Lord did not prevent which he could have done if he had pleased but suffered them to overtake those children of his Yea all the troubles which do befall the godly he could have prevented them if he had pleased He that can deliver out of them can also stop them from coming but God out of wise ends both relating to his own glory and the good of his people doth bring these exercises upon them Then on the other side There are mercies which do not suppose evil actually to come upon us but ready and prepared to fall on us if the Lord did not forbid That as we see it was with the Angel when he had his drawn sword and was ready to strike Jerusalem with the plague as well as other places the Lord did mercifully command the Angel to put up his sword Now no doubt but David did account this preventing mercy this stopping of the plague to be as great as if they had been delivered in the midst of it For in regard of the preparation to this judgement they were but as so many dead corpses So that the people of God are of too narrow and streightned a spirit when they look onely to what troubles they have been in and God hath delivered them Oh consider further how many might have fallen upon thee yea would certainly have bruised thee had not the Lord kept them off Secondly These preventing mercies do empty themselves in a two-fold chanel For they are either Temporal evils or Spiritual evils that these mercies do relate unto and thus preventing mercies do compasse us about all the day long what evil might not have fallen upon thee every moment This disease that casualty such a sudden and unexpected calamity Insomuch that thou canst not hear of any misery fallen upon any living but it also might have come upon thee Doth any sit mourning and wringing their hands crying out O ye that passe by see if
there be any afflicted with bitterness as I am And is not this thy case Is not thy house a house of mourning for dead fathers or dead husbands as well as others Is not all this from the preventing mercy of God The second chanel in which these mercies may be discovered is In spiritual things And certainly here we may cry out also That they are more than can be numbred For what sinne what temptations what terrours and troubles of heart what wounds and gashes of soul do any of the godly fall into and thou mayest not also be plunged into the same Who maketh thee to differ Why must not the branch ingraffed in insult over that which is broken off but take heed and tremble Is it not because God may break off those also Oh then with bleeding and melting hearts acknowledge and say O Lord what would have become of me if left to such a passion if forsaken in such a temptation Why is it that I have not the guilt the condemnation that others lie under Is it not because thy goodness did keep me Even as David was preserved in respect of that businesâ— of the men of Keilah he asketh of God Whether they would deliver him into Saul's hands and God telleth him they would certainly do it thereupon David will not commit himself to them It is thus often in respect of thy soul if thou go to such a place if thou art put into such a temptation if placed in such a condition or relation God knoweth that this would prove a snare to thee it would be a ruine to thee Therefore the Lord doth so order by his mercy that thou shalt not come into that condition Divines have one kind of grace that they call Gratia praeveniens which doth prevent us it cometh upon us before we have any thought any will or desire about it As God said He was found of those that sought him not And truly such preventing grace we do not only need at our first conversion but all our life long as much as our daily bread Grace must prevent our mind our will our affections otherwise some sinne some lust or other would immediately fasten upon us Let then the godly soul remember what a deep and vast ocean this is of preventing grace the bottome whereof thou canst never dive into As Paul said By the grace of God I am what I am so saith Austin he might have added By the grace of God I am not what I am not It 's the grace of God that thou art not a withered tree a barren wilderness It is the grace of God keepeth thee from Hypocrisie and from Apostasie what a sinner and evil wretch thou art not it is wholly by the grace of God Thirdly Although the godly do thus judge of preventing mercies as well as of positive mercies yet because we are apt to account of mercies by sense and feeling we have hence it is That the godly are exceedingly-forgetfull many times about preventing mercies It is often said We never prize a mercy till we want it How precious is health to a diseased man ease to a tormented man And so also we never account any evil grievous but while we feel it while it is upon our backs and thereupon we are most sensible of such mercies which do take off this burden from us Thus it is indeed because we judge of all things according to our sense but if we did let judgement work then the godly soul would be likewise greatly enlarged for the keeping of evil as well as removing of it The evil we never felt yet because ready to come upon us had not the mercy of God kept it off is affectionately taken notice of by that soul which delights to search out the works of God towards it The godly ought not be so bruitish as to be taught only by thorns or to be like the horse which must have alwayes the bit and bridle Preventing mercy is as real a mercy as a positive one God is as truly good in keeping of evil from thee as removing of it Shall God therefore lose such of his glory and honour because thou wilt judge only by sense Fourthly That therefore the children of God may know It is their duty to go further in the way of praise to God then usually they do Let them consider these ensuing rules concerning preventing mercies And 1. Perswade thy self of this That whatsoever evil thou hast deserved by thy sinnes and is not brought upon thee look upon this as a preventing mercy and be affected wit it as much as with any positive mercy And truly this very particular may be like a live coal from the Altar to warm and purifie thy heart For hast thou not deserved all the curses threatned in the Law As soon as ever as thou hast sinned may not the Law of God immediately challenge thee take thee by the throat and hale thee to hell Well if so consider this preventing mercy of God that keepeth thee from them Mayest thou not truly say remembring the deserts of thy sinne not onely the God who deliuereth from so great a death but also so great an hell and so great a damnation Were not thy heart like a clod of earth like a stone how greatly wouldst thou be affected in this particular saying It 's the Lords mercy I am not in the grave It 's the Lords mercy I am not roaring in hell for the Law curseth me I have transgressed that there is nothing keepeth off the execution of that dreadfull sentence but the meer mercy of God And therefore if thou wert dead and raised again if damned in hell and yet delivered out Would not thy mouth and heart be filled all over with blessing and praising of God Why not then when God keepeth thee out of this destruction every moment It 's observed as the demonstration of Gods great power and mercy that the waters of the sea being higher than the earth yet they are so checked and bounded by the power of God that they do not overflow the earth This is the meer preventing mercy of God Insomuch that Luther said The Inhabitants of the earth are as wonderfully preserved from destruction by the sea as the people of Israel were in their passage to Canaan when the waters stood like walls on both sides And thus it is in any mercy we enjoy if we consider what the Law threatens how that curseth what we have deserved It 's a wonder of wonders that every houre we doe not fall into hell Therefore if thou findest thy heart not affected with these preventing mercies lay this particular close to thy soul 2. Consider That whatsoever evil doth actually fall upon any other in the world and not on thee this is a preventing mercy Is another sick and not thou Is another poor not thou This is a privative mercy For what reason can there be given of thy difference from others but onely
object matter into spiritual and temporal Spiritual are such as concern the welfare of the soul Temporal are such as relate to the body and the outward man for there is no external mercy but God hath promised it to the godly Therefore godlinesse is said to have the promise of this life and that which is to come 1 Tim. 4. 8. In deed in the Old Testament temporal promises were more frequent and spiritual more rare and many times shadowed out by the temporal ones In the New Testament spiritual promises are farre more frequent and temporal ones more rare yet the New Testament doth abundantly testifie this That all things are the godly mans whether life or death 1 Cor. 3. 23. and that onely they have the promise of this life as well as that which is to come And certainly If God hath given us Christ as the Apostle argueth Rom. 18. how shall he not with him give us all things else So that we see the treasure of a Christian it lieth in Gods promises both for this life and the life to come So that as it falleth out sometimes a man may have little money for his present use and yet be very rich in bonds and bils Thus it is sometimes with a godly man though he hath a promise of all things yet for the present he may want all things As Abraham had a promise for the possession of the Land of Canaan and yet for the present had not where to set his foot as upon his own ground Onely we must distinguish between the spirituall and temporal promises these later are not absolutely promised but with the exception of the Crosse and with this limitation when they are good for us For seeing these earthly mercies are not ablutely and as indipensably necessary as Christand grace are so therefore no wonder if they be not absolutely promised If a godly man could not be saved unlesse he had riches and wealth unlesse he had health and strength then he was as sure to have them as he hath Christ but that not being so therefore it is that they have Christ and yet many times want other things They have the Ocean when they cannot have a drop Again Temporal good things are not absolutely good but conditionally and upon supposition though they may be good in themselves yet not to thee As wine may be in it self comforting but not unto a man in a feaver Thus it may be if thou shouldst have riches they would doe thee hurt if thou shouldst have health and strength thy corruptions also would be the stronger Those things are not called good because they make us good no we may make them good or evil But now Christ is such an infinite good that thy having of him can never be hurtfull to thee Yea when he finds thee evil he can make thee good It is good to informe our selves thus about the nature of temporal promises for we are ready to murmure and repine when we find not these promises made good to us whereas we should rather be thankfull and rejoyce in that God will not give us that which would doe us so much hurt And certainly if thou wert spiritual as thou shouldst be this would be enough to thee that spiritual things are absolutely promised that thou art sure to have Christ to have Heaven how sad and afflicted soever thy portion may be in this world Doth it not argue thy heart to be too carnal when thou mournest for want of outward mercies and yet Christ is thine God hath sanctified thee God hath converted thee Alas hath not God in this done more for thee than the greatest Emperours in the world that have not godlinesse What if thou hast not riches the greatnesse others have It may be they have not the Christ the grace that God hath bestowed on thee Onely when we say spiritual things are absolutely promised you must distinguish of spiritual things some are essential and necessarily conjoyned with eternal glory so that if he have them not he cannot be saved such is Regeneration and Justification Againe others doe much conduce to our eternal happinesse but are not inseparably joyned with it such are the degrees of grace spiritual consolation and joy as also the assurance of Gods favour These are precions-advantages more to be desired than the gold of Ophir but they are not absolutely promised to every godly man In the second general place We are to know that the promises of God they are the executions in time of what he had decreed to doe from all eternity Insomuch that from Gods promise we may argue to his predestination when God promiseth Justification and pardon of sinne to thee it is because he hath purposed this according to the counsel of his own will So when he promiseth to give grace to thee and the encrease thereof it is because he hath in mercy ordained thee for this If you ask then why is it such and such promises are fullfilled You must not have recourse to mans free-will or any workes that he doth but to the will of God and his gracious counsel Hence some expound that place Titus 1. 2. where it is said That God who cannot lie had promised eternal life before the world began of his decree to promise for it is not proper to say God promised before the world was Seeing then there was no men to whom the promise could be made therefore say they the meaning is He decreed to promise But there is another interpretation more probable which is to render the Greek words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before the ancient ages alluding to the first promise that God made to Adam upon his fall concerning the womans seed which was Christ For till that promise was manifested there was no difference in respect of hope and comfort between lost mankind and the Apostate Angels The promises then of God are but Gods predestination put into execution Hence in the third place No wicked men have any promises of God belong to them Therefore the state of the Heathens Ephes 2. is said to be without Christ and without the promises which argueth as desperate a condition as when those of the old world were without the Ark there was a necessity of perishing It is true all wicked men who live within the Church they cannot in that sense be said to be without the promises as Heathens are for they are under the offer of promises they are under the external dispensation of them and because they manifest an outward acceptance of Gods offer with the conditions tendered therefore we may call them the children of the promise in an externall sense In which sense Rom. 9. 4. the Apostle speaking of the Israelites in the general saith Of whom is the service of God and the promises In this sense many were the seed of Abraham not onely after the flesh but of the promise also else circumcision the seal of the promise had not been
then Say Lord though I am noworthy to be helped yet thy promise is worthy to be made good O Lord though I have sinned yet thy promise hath not sinned But more of this in the next particular which is the Predicate in the Proposition SERM. CXXVI How all the Promises are confirmed in Christ 2 COR. 1. 20. For all the promises of God in him are Yea and in him Amen unto the glory of God by us HAving dispatched the Subject in this Proposition we proceed to the Predicate that which is affirmed of the promises of God and that is their stability and immutability they are Yea and Amen with the meritorious or fundamental cause In him that is Christ Some indeed take the latter clause viz. in him they are Amen with relation to the final cause and so explain it of our duty that we are to set our Amen to the truth of Gods promises In the former expression is denoted the certainty and firmnesse of the promises when they are said to be Yea. In the latter our duty and what obligation lieth upon us in reference to them viz. that we should set to our seal of Amen giving our assent of confirmation and this will greatly redound to Gods glory Calvin goeth in this latter explication as being most congruous and adapted to the Apostles meaning Though he confesseth he will not be contentious if the common path be trodden in I shall therefore follow our Translators which seem to go the genuine way It is affirmed of Gods promises that they are Yea by that you heard the Apostle meaneth a constant affirmation and verity Hath God promised any good thing to an humbled soule This will alwayes be Yea God will alwayes grant it he will say Yea yea How comfortable would this meditation be to a gracious heart How often doth thy trembling desponding soul go into his presence fearing that God will give a Nay to thee Because thou art apt to change and to be mutable therefore thou fearest God will be so also Now the Apostle for the greater certainty sake doth double his expression to the same sense In him they are Amen In him they are Yea In him they are Amen The one is a Greek word the other Hebrew and it is to shew that both to Jew and Greeke the promises are confirmed in Christ For whereas the Jewes perswasion was That the Messias should come onely to their Nation therefore the Apostles dared not to preach Christ to the Gentiles till Peter was confirmed by a vision from above By Christ this partition wall is broken down so that the promises of grace are made to the believing Gentile as well as the believing Jew To the Gentile the promises are Yea to the Jewes they are Amen To this purpose the Apostle also Galat. 4. 6. speaking of the Spirit of Adoption which is sent into the hearts of believers addeth That thereby we are enabled to call him Abba Father Father for the Gentile Abba for the Jew So that whereas the believing Gentile might have doubted whether he being as a dog the childrens bread should belong to him Hereby is certified that Christ is a Christ to them the promises are promises to them as well as to the Jewes The word Amen is used sometimes nominally Thus Christ is called the Amen Revel 3. 14. These things saith the Amen well then may the promises be Amen in Christ seeing Christ is the Amen Sometimes it is used adverbially and so is to be understood by way of desire and wish Let it be so or by way of attestation and confirmation It is so Hence translated by the Interpreters of the Old Testament sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When it beginneth a speech it is a note of affirmation as often our Saviour Amen Amen I say unto you c. When it concludeth then it is a note of confirmation and in this sense Calvin and others take it as our duty by way of consent confirming the promise as you heard The Rabbines speak of a two-fold Amen a perfect Amen and an imperfect The imperfect Amen they make three-fold Amen Pupillum when one saith Amen to the prayer he doth not understand Amen subreptitium when a man saith it before the end of a prayer Amen sectile when a man saith Amen but distracted and divided in his thoughts so that he doth not attend to what he saith Amen And certainly this latter Amen most are guilty of that use to say it The words being thus explained the Observation is That in Christ alone all the promises of God are confirmed and made good Thus you have also at another time asserted by the Apostle Rom. 15. 8. I say that Jesus Christ was a Minister of circumcision for the truth of God to confirme the promises made unto the fathers and that the Gentiles might glorifie God for his mercy This is a notable place which the Apostle affirmeth with much vehemency This I say and the matter is this that by Christ all promises both to Jewes and Gentiles are confirmed The Jewes they were apt to thinke that by their own workes the promises were confirmed Yea how secretly doth this Pharisaical sinne lodge in our breasts as if the promises were performed not for Christs sake but our own sake This is that Ivy-sinne which adhering so close to our natures doth secretly consume and devour all Insomuch that we may say the whole Gospel consisteth in this truth and that the whole treasure of Christian consolation is bound up in this And therefore that we may both understand and be affected with it consider these things First By the promises of God we mean the promises of grace onely There is no grace to a sinner but through Christ and hereby we exclude the promises by works or the Covenant of works of which we spake the last day Although the Law doth continue still in its force to us Christians as it is a Rule to order our conversation by yet as it is a Covenant so it is abolished No man being able to plead eternal life by a Doe this but by believing and therefore the Law as a Covenant is so farre from being established or made good by Christ that it is directly opposite to him So that the Law and the promise are made by the Apostle two contra-distinct wayes of justification He that seeketh to be justified by the Law falleth off from Christ and maketh him to be of none effect Thus the promise by workes is contrary to the promise of grace through Christ yet there have been some alwayes in the Church who have endeavoured to joyn those things which God hath put so farre asunder and that is the Law and the Gospel the promise of works and the promise of grace by which confusion they have made void the grace of God For if Gods promise be not solely of the grace of God and every way of grace then it is not
to be known ibid. All are not of equal necessity ibid. A latitude to be granted in the application of them 60 Of the twofold form of the Church internal and external ib. The marks of the visible not to be confounded with the properties of the invisible Church 61 Why Paul writeth to the Church and not to the Churches of Corinth 63 A Church is Gods people in a more peculiar manner 64 Seven things implied in the Churches being said to be of God 64 65 66 67 A Church sometimes gathered amongst the most prophane people 69 A Church may be a true one though defiled with many corruptions 70 Three propositions clearing it 73 Three reasons demonstrating it 76 What corruptions were in the Church of Corinth 71 72 The soundnesse and purity of a Church admits of degrees 73 The Church of God as 't is a Church doth farre surpasse all civil societies and temporal dignities 77 Three propositions clearing it 78 79 The grounds of it 79 80 'T is hard for Churches to keep within their proper bounds about Church administrations 80 'T is a Ministers duty by all lawfull means to promote the Church he is related to 81 All that are in the Church are Saints by profession 83 What is comprehended under Church-Saintship 84 85 All Saints ought to joyn themselves to Church communion 91 Yet some causes may excuse them 91 92 What are those sinfull grounds why many do not joyn themselves to Church communion 93 94 The best Churches changeable in their affections to their guides 464 Propositions clearing it 464 465 The causes of it 466 467 The Church esteems many things which the world despises 31 32 Church-officers Church-officers appointed by Christ as the head 28 Propositions clearing it 29 30 Two things Church-officers are to take heed of pride and idlenesse 30 31 How it concerns Church-officers to agree in matters of Religion 46 Three propositions clearing it 46 47 Three things conducing to that happy agreement 47 48 Comfort God a God of all Comfort to his 148 What is implied in that expression 149 What in the word Comfort 150 151 Propositions about the Comforts of God 152 It is so to be managed as to be made an antidote against despair and yet a curb to presumption ib. Comfort not to be judged of without Scripture-light 153 God actually Comforts his people 157 How God comforts his people 158 159 160 God a God of Comfort only to believers 161 Six propositions clearing the truth 162 163 164 165 God Comforts his people in all afflictions 166 167 No Philosophers ever had the true art or grounds of Comfort 169 God Comforts onely by the Scriptures 170 What are the grounds of Comfort in Scripture 171 172 173 How God is said to Comfort his people in all their afflictions notwithstanding they are oft disconsolate 174 175 176 177 Comfort not absolutely necessary to salvation 175 These only are fit to Comfort others who have the experimental work of Gods grace upon their own hearts 182 Four propositions clearing it 182 183 184 Four reasons confirming it 184 185 186 It is a special duty to Comfort the afflicted 187 Propositions clearing it 187 188 189 190 Two things required to the Comforting others in a right manner 190 191 The same grounds of Comforts which revive one may revive another also 191 What are the general grounds of Comfort in afflictions 192 193 Reasons of it 193 194 195 Our Comforts are and abound by Christ 209 210 How Christ makes our Comforts to abound in our sufferings for his sake 210 211 212 God commonly proportions our comforts to our sufferings 214 And sometimes makes them to exceed 215 The reasons of it 216 217 Why God often denies Comfort in trouble 217 218 Our Comfort is promoted by others suffering for Christ 223 224 225 226 227 'T is universal holiness that is the ground of Comfort 443 Communion Two sorts of Communion 251 Communion with the sufferers for Christ a good way to interest us in their glory ibid. Confidence self-confidence Self confidence a great sin 302 Propositions clearing the nature of Self confidence 302 303 304 A godly man sometimes guilty of it 309 310 Of the sinfulnesse of it 313 314 315 Confirme vide Establish Conscience Of the Conscience 384 The witness of a good Conscience a great ground of comfort 385 What is required to a good Conscience 385 386 387 388 389 How the Spirit witnesses with our Consciences 389 What are those effects of the Spirit by which our Consciences are rightly guided in witnessing to us 390 391 Distinctions concerning Conscience and its testimonies 392 393 Consolation vide Comfort Conversation Of a twofold Conversation 443 What is required to a good Conversation 445 446 Conversion A great deal of difference in the persons the Converted 42 And in the manner of their Conversion 43 The reasons of both 44 Corinth Of the City Corinth 68 D Day CHrist hath a solemn Day wherein great changes will be made 479 Wherein these great changes will be 479 480 481 482 c. Dead Of Gods raising the Dead 326 What it implies 328 329 Death The natural fear of Death not removed by grace 284 Propositions clearing it 285 286 Of what use the natural fear of Death is 286 There is a natural fear of Death in all though in some more in some lesse 288 When the fear of Death is sinfull 289 290 291 Deliverance Deliverance both temporal and spiritual from God 341 342 Despair Whence Despair arises 352 Dispensation All Gods Dispensations further the salvation of his people 242 c. Two sorts of Dispensations which conduce to that end 244 Vide Administrations E Earnest GRace the Earnest of glory 651 How grace and an Earnest differ 652 653 What is implied in the Earnest of Gods Spirit 654 655 656 They who have the Earnest of the Spirit cannot fall away 657 658 Education Education not to be rested upon 44 45 Ends. What are these inferiour Ends interposing betwixt God and us which we are apt to look upon 416 417 Enjoyments Temporal Enjoyments as well as spiritual mercies are the gift of God 369 Propositions clearing it 370 371 372 Reasons for it 373 Establish Wherein the Establishing worke of Gods grace lieth 607 608 609 610 611 612 Arguments proving all Establishing to be from God 613 The most eminent need Establishment as well as the weâ—kest 614 Demonstrations of it 615 616 617 'T is in Christ alone that we are Established 617 618 Reasons why we cannot Establish our selves 636 637 Experience Experience in former should encourage to trust in God for future mercies 345 Propositions clearing it 346 347 F Faith OF the different judgements which Faith and flesh put upon afflictions 274 c. The division of Faith as to the object 638 Whether in Faith and by Faith be oaths 665 Ministers have no power over a Christians Faith 684 A Christians Faith relates onely to God 694 Propositions clearing it 696 697 Father
as if he were in Hell already Can a man then believe this to be Gods Word and yet be so desperately mad as to live in a full contrariety to it If therefore this very Epistle be received as the Word of God that it 's no Apocryphal or humane Invention but Paul wrote it as inspired and directed by the Holy Ghost How can ye how dare ye reject the counsel and admonitions contained therein both as you are a Church and as you are particular persons But to enlarge this Doctrine consider these things First That the meer prefixing of a name though of some holy Authour is not enough barely of it self to confirm the Divine Authority of the Scripture For although indeed most of the Books both in the Old and New Testament have their names prefixed yet some of them have not as of Judges So in the New Testament the Epistle to the Hebrews hath not the name of its Authour But these are few only in respect of those whose Authours are known All the Prophets begin their Prophecies with their Names and the Authority they have by God that greater faith may be given to what they deliver If then the Authour of some Books be not known yet if these Books have all those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and marks which other Books have for their Canonical Authority then they are to be received as the Word of God Therefore I say a meer Inscription of the Name without other signs is not enough for there are false Gospels that go under the name of Thomas and Barnabas yea there is a third Epistle said to be of Paul to the Corinthians and Paul's Epistles to Seneca are mentioned by Austin and Hierom with some respect though both Papists and Protestants reject them as Apocryphal We must therefore besides the Name consider those other Arguments which prove the Divine Authority of the Scripture and see whether they be in it or not It doth appear that even in Paul's time there were some deceivers who would counterfeit Letters as if written by Paul and set his Name thereunto to get the more Authority This he informeth the Thessalonians of 2 Thess 2. 2. That they should not be shaken in mind by word or letter as from him c. You see there were some that preached the instant approach of Christs coming and they alledged Paul for it Paul said so and Paul wrote so Hence it is that to prevent such mistakes he doth so often mention his own hand in writing The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand 1 Cor. 16. 21. Gal. 6. 11. Col. 4. 18. 2 Thes 3. 17. Phil. 1. 9. he put his own hand as well as his own name to his Epistles Secondly Consider that Paul and so all other Pen-men of the holy Scripture they were not the principal Authours but instruments used by God and that not in a general or common way As when godly men make Sermons or write Books but in a peculiar and extraordinary manner So that there could not be any mistake or errour This is witnessed by Paul 2 Tim. 3. 16. All Scripture is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 given by inspiration All Scripture And although the Books of the Old Testament were it may be then only written yet it holds by proportion of all that shall afterwards be written Peter also confirmeth this 2 Pet. 1. 21. For the Prophese came not of old time by the will of man but holy men spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost The whole Word of God then came not by mens inventions neither was it any designe in them to make such a Canon or Rule for men to walk by but they were inspired by God both in the speaking and writing of it so that both for matter and words they were infallibly guided And therefore though Chrysostome and others do admit of some repugnancy in the holy Writers of the Bible in matters of lesse moment and say That this makes more to prove the Divine Authority of the Bible because hereby it doth appear that they did not all conspire and agree together yet this is dangerous to hold so For if they might erre in matters of Less moment why not in greater Besides the Text saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All Scripture that is the whole Scripture in all the parts of it So that the Bible it 's Gods Book it comes from him he hath commanded it as a Rule in which we must search and by which we are to order our lives Oh then with what reverence and respect should we receive it There we see the mind of God the will of God who would not think that there should be nothing done in the Church of God but what is according to the Bible the Doctrine of the Bible the Worship of the Bible the good Order of the Bible Yea that there should be nothing done in Nations in Cities in Towns in Villages in Families but what the Bible commands For that being the Word of God all Laws all humane Authority and Power are to submit to that And certainly this is an infinite mercy That in all things necessary to salvation we may know the will of God what he would have us to do It 's not then Paul or Peter but God himself whose Authority you despise when you will not obey the commands in their writings for they are but the Pen-men or rather those that did dictate it for Paul had some others sometimes to write his Epistles as it 's thought Tertius wrote that to the Romans Therefore because he wrote that to the Galatians with his own hand he takes notice of it Gal. 6. 11. that thereby they might be the more earnest against those false teachers that would bring in the Ceremonial Rites for Justification yet though the Holy Ghost did thus inspire and direct the holy Writers thereof both for matter and words that doth not hinder but that it was in a sutable way to their Gifts and Parts Therefore there is a great difference between the Prophet Isaiah's and Amos's Prophesies in respect of the style and so of Luke and John Hence thirdly Seeing the Scripture is thus inspired by God and the Pen-men were moved by him in the composing of it this should teach us to rest satisfied in the style and method of it For the style because it hath not the florid and Rhetorical Ornaments that humane Authours have therefore some have disdained it Yea how many had rather read some quaint English Books or Poets or Oratours rather than that Oh be ashamed of that curiosicy and vanity of thine if thou art not ashamed to believe in a crucified God in Christ though born in a manger Why of such a Scripture that doth in a plain but majesticall manner relate these things They say where mines of Gold are there groweth little Grass and few Flowers Thus where divine and holy matter is affectation of words and humane eloquence would be a
also in Church-administrations 2. Paul is an Apostle not by Gods just and angry will raising him up for the sinnes and punishment of a people but it was from Gods good pleasure And this consideration is very terrible God hath not only a permissive will but a just ordaining will of evil and ungodly Officers at some times to some people for wise and holy ends God in great anger doth will such Officers and Ministers to a people that shall be blind guides that shall be thieves and robbers that shall be ravening wolves and shall lead many to hell with themselves Sad and fearfull is the condition of such a people See a notable place for this 1 King 22. 22 23. where God is described as a just Judge sitting upon his Throne and an host ready to wait on him Now there was wicked Ahab who desired such Prophets that would speak no evil to him that would flatter him and thereupon see what God saith to the lying Spirit he bids him Go and be a lying Spirit in the mouth of all the Prophets and he shall perswade and prevail Thus the Lord still doth There are many people love not a Minister that will reprove sinne that will promote godliness and holiness but let them have a man that will let them be at ease in their sinnes and formality Now God in his just anger and by his provoked will brings such a Minister to such a people You would have such and God will have you have such and they shall perswade and prevail To this purpose also Jer. 5. 30 31. Now this will of God in ordering such Officers is sometimes to increase the condemnation of the Officer himself and to draw out his sins more They are Officers in the Church through the anger of God to themselves they will gnash their teeth that ever they were entrusted with such power for thereby they become more wicked Had not Judas better have been the poorest wretch in the Church of God then such an eminent Officer It is sometimes also for the wickedness and ungodliness of a people and therefore even those that are godly who live under such providential Ministers I call them providential Ministers because they are so by his providence in anger not by his approving will they are to consider two things 1. To bless and praise God that the lying Spirit in the Minister hath not prevailed on thee that he hath not led thee into the ditch that his poison hath not fallen on thee Oh admire Gods goodness herein And withall In the second place Humble thy self under Gods hand It is his will it should be so as yet the providence of God doth manifest him offended with such a people 3. The will of God doth imply that Paul was not an Apostle by chance or meer hap but that there was a directing hand of God in it And certainly such a consideration would much imbolden Paul for as he was by the will of God made an Apostle so by the same will he should continue and be preserved in the same notwithstanding all oppositions whatsoever And thus all the godly Ministers of the Gospel find the good will of God towards them that they were at first set apart for that function or by some providence of God brought to desire it They may find many times a peculiar will of God that sometimes when their friends would have it otherwise yet God would have them Ministers And thus also for their designation to such a people How many times are great discoveries of Gods will that where there was no likelihood yet God would have him Pastor to such a people It is of great use both for Minister and people to observe the special will of God For as in civil relations of husband and wife there God many times discovers a peculiar will of his bringing them together which made the Wiseman say Riches were an inheritance but a wife was the gift of God Riches and an inheritance are also the gift of God but those relations are in a more peculiar manner of him And it is good for those that are in such relations to quicken themselves by meditation on the will of God that brought such things about beyond all expectation or humane providence Thus also it ought to be in spiritual relations Oh it is good to lay to heart how the will of God hath been that thou shouldst live under a powerfull Ministry it may be all thy life time and it hath been denied to others who often have sought to God for such a mercy Act. 16. 6. You may there read that Paul while in his travails preached the Word every where where he came yet was forbidden to preach in Asia yet at the same time at the sixth verse There stood a man and cried Come over into Macedonia and help us See how the Spirit of God like the wind bloweth where it listeth commandeth Paul to one place and forbiddeth him another 4. It implieth That it was no merit or desert in Paul which advanced him to this Office For as believers John 13. are said Not to be born of the will of men or of the will of the flesh but of God which takes all from man and giveth all to God So it is in this work of the Ministry it is not because men have parts or learning or holiness that God sets them apart for such an Office but God himself God tels Jeremiah Chap. 1. 5. That he had sanctified him from the womb that is set him apart to be his Prophet and this was before any good at all could be in him And this also Paul himself acknowledgeth Gal. 1. 15. where he saith He was separated from the womb And observe how both the work of grace and his Apostleship came together and the fountain of all is made Gods pleasure When it pleased God to call me Thus you see that those who are raised up to be serviceable in the Church have all from God both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Potentia and Potestas as they are sometimes distinguished Hence it is that this will of God doth not reach only to the appointing of him to his Office but the inward preparing and fitting of him for that work Thus you see that all things necessary for a good Minister is comprehended in this That he is so by the will of God But you may say What if a Minister should at first enter into this Office meerly by the instigation of a corrupt will Nothing at first made him intend the Ministry but hopes of preferment and getting a livelihood in the world I answer It is indeed a most blessed thing when it is with a Minister as with Paul he was made an Apostle at the same time when God did also inwardly reveal his grace to him when from the youth the workings of sanctification and zeal to convert souls hath put them upon the Ministry but
there are sinfull and unjustifiable grounds of some persons who do not joyn themselves to any Church-society and that may be either from a Corrupt Opinions or a Corrupt Heart though they seldom be separated from one another First From a Corrupt Opinion As 1. Of those who call themselves Seekers confessing they cannot yet find a Church to which they may joyâ—… For they affirm That since the Apostles dayes there are no Churches and therefore till they can see Apostles Apostolical gifts and miracles with the like effusion of the holy Ghost upon persons they cannot own any Church But this is against those Texts of Scripture which speak of a perpetuity of the Ministry and the duty of receiving Sacraments till the coming of Christ which could not be if there were no Church 2. Another corrupt opinion is of those who call themselves high Attainers These make themselves above the Church-ordinances they need them not yea some Anabaptists in Germany made themselves above the Bible living wholly upon spiritual revelations and called those who would leave to the Scripture as a Rule Creaturistae as depending upon a creature But the Scripture and Ordinances are necessary to quicken grace in the most holy and there are none so spiritual but they need them daily to comfort or instruct them yet such have their publick Assemblies wherein they deliver their opinions to be received But if people ought to be above all Ministry and teaching then also above theirs And certainly if those places of being taught of God and having an unction which teacheth us all things be against our Ministry it is also against theirs 3. There may be a corrupt opinion which though it be not against Church-communion absolutely yet they judge it Arbitrary and not necessary Of this opinion Grotius seemed once to be for he is thought to be the Author of that Book which asserts Quod non semper communicandum per symbola and Rivet in his Dialysis against him chargeth this upon him that he was not a member of any Church acknowledging it a just hand of God upon him that at his death when a Minister was brought to him he was wholly sensless So that he who in his life time cared not for Church-communion could not have any benefit by a Minister of the Gospel at his death 4. The last corrupt opinion by which men may not joyn to a Church may be from a superstitious conceit whereby men thinking it impossible to have salvation in the world have imprisoned themselves as it were in Cells and holes of Rocks thereby to give themselves wholly to divine Contemplation Thus the Monks Eremites and Anchorites of old For though some of the most ancient are excused as being driven thereunto by persecution yet the latter seemed to be transported wholly with superstition and therefore in that they lived solely not coming to the publick Ordinances of God in a Church way it was not justifiable by Scripture Indeed if they took their times to come to publick Societies and receive Sacraments as Rivet affirmeth against Grotius Dialys pag. 106. pleading their example for being of no Church then they are to be excused à tanto though not à toto The second unlawfull ground of keeping from Communion with Church-assemblies is A prophane Atheistical disposition that look upon a Church and a Church-assembly as humane devices to keep men in awe or if they be not so eminently Atheistical yet their love to their lusts and pleasures to the world and contents thereof make them weary of the Sabbaths and publick Ordinances as those in Amos 8. 5. When will the Sabbath be over that we may set forth wheat to sell How many are there that comes as seldome as ever they can to these publick Assemblies and when they do come it 's but for custom and fashion not that they ever found any spiritual good or expect and desire any Therefore let the Use be of Instruction that as ye are not to rest in any Church forms or external Communion to think that the very bodily doing of them will save you So on the other side Take heed of voluntarily and wilfully neglecting the publick Assemblies How have the godly when banished and driven from them bewailed their misery whereas thou dost voluntarily absent thy self Think how it may lie upon thee at thy death when thou shalt remember the many Sabbaths the many Ordinances thou hast neglected and now if God would give thee but one day or one hour to make thy peace with him thou wouldst judge it a great mercy The second Observation is from the Universality All the Saints There are none so mean so inconsiderable but this Epistle is directed to them as well as the most eminent From whence observe That the soul of the poorest and meanest Saint is not to be neglected That as the rain falleth upon the least spire of grass as well as the choisest flowers so ought all ministerial planting and watering to be to the meanest plant in Christs garden as well as the chiefest Though Christian Religion doth not abolish civil Polity nor the distinctions and relations of Magistrate and Subject of Master and Servant but strictly enjoyneth their respective duties yet in respect of religious considerations all are but as one Thus the Apostle notably Gal. 3. 28. There is neither bond or free male or female but all are one mark that in Christ Christ looketh upon all as one man And certainly if Christ in shedding his bloud for his people had an equal respect to the meanest with the greatest he died for the godly servant as well as the godly master the godly poor man as well as the godly rich man Then it behoveth all Christians to imitate him in this Whosoever is a Saint though he be never so contemptible do thou own and imbrace such else we do not love the brotherhood we do not love a godly man because he is godly but because he is great or rich or may advantage thee in the world Paul will not except or leave out one of the Saints in all Acbaia SERM. XXII How Grace and Peace and such like spiritual Mercies and Priviledges are to be desired before any temporal Mercies whatsoever 2 COR. 1. 2. Grace be to you and Peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ HItherto we have considered the Inscription we now come to the Salutation which is in these words and it containeth matter of prayer It is not any earthly or temporal mercy he prayeth for but what is heavenly and spiritual The Apostle Paul doth constantly use this Salutation only in both those Epistles to Timothy and Titus which were Church-officers he interposeth Mercy between Grace and Peace Calvin thinketh he putteth it in his Salutation to Timothy because of his dear affection and love to him but why should he do it to Titus also Certainly it ought to be considered that only to Church-officers he useth
zealous was Paul in desiring this for the Jews We read of a notable expression Epist 3. of John ver 2. There he wisheth Gaius as much health to his body as he had in soul How excellent was his soul that was in better condition than his body SERM. XXIII Of the Name Nature and Preheminence of the Grace of God above all other things 2 COR. 1. 2. Grace be to you and Peace c. THe next thing considerable in these words are the particular mercies prayed for in this Salutation The first whereof and that which is the efficient cause of all other things is Grace The Common-place in Divinity De Gratia Dei of the grace of God is of a very vast extent and most of the Popish Arminian and Socinian errours arise from the mistake of the use of this word in the Scripture but it would be impertinent to grasp that whole controversie I shall not treat any more of it then what may relate to this Text. We may therefore briefly take notice of the use of it to our purpose That the first and most principal signification of it is the favour and mercy of God towards us for it answereth the Hebrew word Chen which comes of a root that signifieth to have mercy So that when the Scripture faith We are justified by grace we are called by grace we are saved by grace The Popish party doth grosly erre taking grace there for something in us wrought by the Spirit of God whereas it is indeed without us even the Attribute of mercy and grace in God So that the meaning is We obtain such glorious priviledges not because of any thing in our selves though never so holy but because of the meer grace and favour of God without us Grace then in the most frequent and principal signification of it denoteth the favour and goodness of God But then In the second place It is used sometimes for the Effects of this Grace For as mercy is sometimes taken for the attribute in God and sometimes for the effects of it So likewise is grace Hence it is that Gods grace is sometimes put for the Gospel and the preaching of the Word This being meerly from his grace that he vouchsafeth such a mercy to his people Act. 20. 24. Tit. 2. 11. Sometimes it is taken for the good success and special assistance that God giveth unto the preachers of it Act. 14. 26. 1 Cor. 15. 10. Yet not I but the grace of God viz. assisting and giving success to my ministerial labours Again It 's applied to those common gifts of Gods Spirit which were so wonderfully vouchsafed in those dayes To speak with tongues to work miracles these are called the grace of God though some would distinguish between 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 3. 10. 1 Pet. 4. 10. Yea the very function and offices in the Church are called Gods Grace as Paul did his Apostleship Rom. 1. 5. because it's the meer grace of God that hath appointed such Offices in the Church Lastly That which the Roman Church makes the more ordinary sence that indeed is sometimes but seldom to be found in Scripture viz. to signifie those habits and principles of holiness which are with in us There are some indeed who say The Scripture never useth the word Grace in this sense but some places seem to be clear Col. 3. 16. Col. 4. 6. Heb. 13. 9. 2 Pet. 3. 18. And therefore we may truly call that work of God in us Grace so that we do not make it to justifie or save for that is the grace of God without us Observe That the grace of God is to be desired by every one in the chiefest and first place This we should earnestly pray for that whatsoever God would deny us yet that he would give us his grace and favour We are I say to desire it not only above all temporal and earthly comforts above riches honours and long life but even above the sanctification and holiness of our souls which God worketh We are to desire his grace more than grace in our own hearts for this is the effect of that and this alone being imperfect in us could not justifie or save us Let us discover this rich treasure of Gods grace though the Apostle Ephes 2. 5. calls it The exceeding riches of his grace so that we can never speak to the full of it though we had the tongue of men and Angels still there is more in the grace of God than we are able to fathom We must therefore speak and understand as children about it till in Heaven this imperfection be done away And First We must know that God hath several attributes tending to the same thing yet do not ionally differ There is his Goodness whereby he is willing to communicate of his fulness to the creature Thus he was good to Adam making him so glorious a creature There is his Mercy and that is whereby he pitieth his creature being cast into misery There is also his Patience and Long-suffering which is extended to sinners that do for a long time rebell against him when he could if he pleased destroy them every moment in hell And lastly here is this property of Grace whereby he is called a gracious God And this the Scripture doth speak of as the most glorious and comfortable attribute and that doth imply these things 1. That whatsoever good God doth bestow upon us it cometh solely and originally from his meer bounty and good pleasure So that there is nothing in us that may in the least manner either merit with God or move him to be thus gracious So that we can never hear of this word Grace but it should presently humble and debase us it should make us condemn our selves and give all to God For if it be of grace than there was no motive in us God out of his own bowels doth this for us Rom. 1. 5 6. The Apostle speaketh very fully to this If of grace than it is not of works otherwise grace is no more grace So that to acknowledge the grace of God as Pelagians were forced to do and so Papists and Arminians do yet at last to divide between grace and our selves to make us co-workers with it yea to make it effectual this is to take all away really that we had given verbally before So that if it be Gods grace we must not give so much as the least sigh and desire to our selves all cometh meerly from the good pleasure of his own will 2. Grace doth not only thus imply a pure and only original from God himself excluding us but it supposeth also a manifest unworthiness in us and a contrary desert to what God bestoweth upon us Therefore grace in the Scripture language supposeth sinfulness in us that we deserve to be abhorred and cast out of Gods presence Hence justification and pardon of sinne are attributed to the grace of God
we take Peace in the same sphere with Grace and as that did relate chiefly to spiritual things so also must this Peace in the Text. By it therefore is meant the fruit of Gods grace and favour viz. a quiet serene and calm joyfull frame of soul arising from the sense of Gods peace through Christ whereby we walk comfortably boldly and not daunted under sinne afflictions or death it self A most blessed and choice mercy it is putting a believer into an Heaven while he is on this earth his heart keeping as it were a perpetual Sabbath and rest within So that whensoever the godly find diffidence fears disquietness perplexities troubles and dejections of soul all this ariseth because this peace doth not prevail and keep all under in our hearts This 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this Peace and tranquillity of spirit some philosophers especially the Stoicks did greatly aim at and accounted it the chiefest good but being ignorant of Christ and faith in him they took the shadow of it for the substance Observe That peace from God and Christ is earnestly to be prayed for as a special and choice mercy To have an heart so evangelically affected through the apprehension of Gods love as a Father in Christ that as the young child can sleep sweetly and safely in its mothers arms So can we as boldly and comfortably by faith throw our selves into the bosom of our heavenly Father Oh why are there such tormenting fears such tumultuous conflicts such warres and confusions in thy soul when such a priviledge as this may be obtained at Gods hand But to direct you to this Peace which is a spiritual Philosophers 〈◊〉 turning all into gold if we have this peace then they are afflictions of peace exercises of peace yea death is peace then This quiets and composeth all Let us first take notice of the nature of it briefly And First This peace lieth in the favour and grace of God so that his anger and wrath because of sinne is wholly removed For where Gods wrath is upon a man where his face is set against him that man hath no peace Isa 57. 21. There is no peace saith my God to the wicked Therefore though wicked men are for a while in carnal jollity and in much security crying Peace peace to themselves as 1 Thess 5. 3. even then destruction shall suddenly surprize them The very Heathen could say of a wicked man That though he might be securus yet he was never tutus Though he might cast away all care and fear bidding his soul as Dives to take its ease yet he is never safe for in the midst of this security he heareth that dreadfull voice Thou fool this night thy soul shall be taken away Let then the wicked men tremble and quake like Belshazzar for they may see not one but many hand-writings not in a wall but in the word of God fore-telling them without repentance of their certain damnation This peace therefore begins first in Heaven and so descends into a mans heart God removeth his anger because of our sins he is become a gracious and reconciled Father and hence we have peace Therefore Rom. 5. 1. it is called Peace with God insomuch that if we had peace with all the Potentates of the world if we had peace with the world which yet Christs Disciples shall never have yet this is nothing to peace with God For how many have ventured to obtain outward peace as Spira and others by breaking this peace and thereupon have plunged themselves into a very Hell What peace can any in the world give thee if God cause his anger to break out against thee Secondly This peace as it doth consistin reconciliation with God so also it hath the sense and perswasion of this it brings a man to some comfortable knowledge and evidence of this For although Gods anger be removed our sins be forgiven and on Gods part all controversies are removed against us yet if we do not know this if we are not assured our hearts are us much troubled and disquieted as if God indeed were our adversary Hence it is that the Spirit of God is sent into our hearts enabling us to call God Abba Father For if we could not do so it would be as the Sunne though it casts forth glorious beams of light yet a blind man because he cannot see it it is all one as if it were midnight so unless the Spirit of God doth make thee to discern those gifts of the Spirit in thee as by the light of the Sunne we come to see the â—…e so also though God be our Father though we be his dear children yet if we are not assured of this still this peace is not in our hearts it must be therefore in Gods favour and our assurance of this faith Thirdly This peace therefore is not procured or wrought by our own strength If we would give ten thousand worlds when our hearts are seorched and burn like hell through the sense of Gods displeasure we are not able to refresh our souls with one drop of it That as all the men of the world are not able to make the Sunne arise if God forbid it Neither can the parched wilderness water it self till God prepare clouds to empty themselves upon it Thus it is with it â—…umble contrite heart praying groaning crying out for this blessed peace in soul Alas it cannot come till God command it Therefore he is so often called the God of peace Rom. 16 20. Heb. 13. 20. And peace is made the fruit of Gods Spirit Gal. 5. 22. Hence it is that the Apostle in this Text prayeth for it unto God as knowing the Corinthians can never have it unless it be given them from above This therefore should oâ—â— us of our selves think not to have it by any works thou doest think not outward advantages can help then to it No it must be by a lowly humble dependance upon God Descendendo in Coelum ascenditur Fourthly As it is wrought by God so it is purchased by Christ our Mediatour For although he be also the efficient cause of peace called therefore Isai 9. The Prince of peace and The King of peace Heb. 7. 2. yet he is chiefly called our peace because by him our peace is purchased Ephes 2. 14. Colos 1. 20. Hence it was that upon Christs birth those Angels sang Glory be to God on High and peace on Earth good will towards men So that had it not been for Christ living and dying to remove the curse of the Law from us there had been no more hope of peace for us than the Devils and damned in Hell Though with Dives we had called but for a drop of water yet the gulph being not removed between God and us we could not have enjoyed it It 's then a peace through Christs bloud we have it at a very dear price Hence Isai 53. The chastisement of our peace is said to be upon him
the grace of Adoption yet the Apostle confirmeth that speech because we are all his creatures but the good Angels and good men are the sons of God in a more endeared respect We shall not insist long neither upon this though the Scripture make it the treasury of all our consolation only we may briefly consider What it is to be our Father And First It implieth his spiritual begetting us by the Word For before conversion the Devil is our Father we may say Our Father which art in Hell if we were to pray to him as our Saviour told the Pharisees not Abraham but the Devil was their Father and all because we have his likeness upon us and his works we do But when God by his Spirit doth change us and make us to partake of his Divine Nature then we are sons Sonnes by Adoption and sonnes by Regeneration It is not then every one that God is thus a Father to he must have the Image of God and his likeness Therefore though many call him Father yet he is a Judge and an enemy to them because they are contrary to him in nature and actions Secondly As God is thus a Father in respect of a metaphorical generation so also in regard of all his paternal love and care to those that are his No bowels of father or mother are comparable to his Therefore the Prophet Isaiah makes his love to transcend the mothers love and that to her sucking infant Isa 49. 50. Insomuch that all our doubts and fears may presently be subdued if we consider he is a Father Why art thou so disquieted as if like Melchizedech thou were without father and mother Thou art afraid of hell and condemnation but will a Father do thus Again thou doubtest about many earthly and sensible comforts what thou shalt eat or drink and doth not our Saviour say Matth. 6. 8. Your Father knoweth what ye have need of Improve then the relation of a Father think what care love and bowels God hath put into thy heart who art a father to thy children thou never doubtest of thy affections to them but many times of their affections and dutifulness to thee And is not this fatherly affection much more in God Thirdly He is not only our Father but he sendeth his Spirit into our hearts to assure us of this and to be more affected with it Rom. 8. 15. Gal. 4. 6. For whereas in nature there the child by a natural instinct is carried out to his father and to call upon him It is not thus in grace for when God is become our Father then we need the Spirit of God to assure us of this to make us believe it of our selves we should rather conclude he is our enemy and our Judge but this Spirit of God putteth a filial confidence into us Again it doth not only assure us but inableth us against all those doubts and jealousies we have to the contrary to cry Father that denoteth the soul is in a very great agony many objections and oppositions it hath but yet we are enabled against our hearts and against the Devils temptations thus to do Lastly He is a Father and therefore doth afflict us and chastise us for our good Insomuch that it is from his fatherly love to afflict us as well as to give us of his mercies and if as the Apostle urgeth Heb. 12. 9. We reverenced our fathers after the flesh when they chastized us how much rather our Father after the Spirit which cannot miscarry or erre in his afflictions upon us To this Doctrine let us adde the Extension of it Our Father Paul saith not my Father or the father of Abraham and such eminent Saints but our Father Observe God is a Father to the meanest and weakest believer as well as the strongest Hence our Saviour taught all the godly to say Our Father In this expression is implied First Appropriation and application It is not enough to acknowledge God a Father but we must bring this relation home to our hearts Our Father my Father and thy Father Secondly It implieth That God is so the Father of one believer that he is the Father of all the rest Earthly parents have sometimes so many children that they cannot provide for all at least so liberally but God can do as much for any one child of his as if he had no more his riches and inheritance is given to every one All his children are heirs and have as much as if there had been but one child Thirdly There is implied the unity and agreement of all believers amongstthemselves They have one Father why then should there be such divisions amongst them The Apostle Ephes 4. 6. urgeth this one God and Father of all one Lord one Spirit one God and Father These are brought as arguments of unity not meerly because they are one but one â—o believers All believers have but one Lord one Spirit one God and therefore are to manifest this unity Use From both the Doctrines joyned together of Direction with what Evangelical quiet and joyfull spirits we should live upon this divine truth Gods being our Father should be the Gospel harp to drive out every unbelieving and troublesome thought 1 John 1. 3. Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Sonne Jesus Christ Our fellowship it should be no new or strange thing to us SERM XXVIII Of the Dominion and Lordship of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 2 COR. 1. 2. And from the Lord Jesus Christ WE are arrived now to the last particular in this verse and that is the second Principle or Cause of this Grace and Peace prayed for which is Jesus Christ So that the Lord Christ is here conjoyned with God the Father in bestowing of these spiritual mercies In the words therefore we have the Description of Christ 1. By his Name Jesus 2. By his Office Christ Both which we have already considered in the former verse There remaineth therefore the Relation by which he is represented to us and that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lord. Paul here prayeth for Grace and Peace from Christ our Lord as well as from the Father which is a sure and strong argument of the Divine Nature of Christ for it is God alone that can give these spiritual mercies if Christ were not truly God he could not give these divine priviledges And hence also it followeth That it 's our duty to pray to Christ seeing he is the Author of such mercies The blasphemous Hereticks of late have differed among themselves Socinus and Franciscus Davidis about praying to Christ The later denying it lawfull to call upon Christ in prayer The other granting in the New Testament examples of it as when Stephen said Lord Jesus receive my Spirit c. So that it is lawfull but yet he saith There is no precept to command it But no wonder at this seeing he holdeth That prayer in the general was never a duty
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort THe Inscription hath been fully considered we proceed to the other parts of the Chapter which are 1. An Exordium 2. An Apologetical Narration against those calumnies that were charged upon him by the false Apostles This Text is part of the Exordium or his Introductory beginning to what matter he was delivering to them and it is by way of Doxclogie and Thanksgiving For the most part the Apostle begins his Epistles with cordial affectionate blessing and praising of God and that commonly for the gifts and graces which God had bestowed on them he writeth unto but here he blesseth God chiefly for those consolations and supports which he himself had from God and this he doth partly to give all glory and honour to God partly to animate and encourage all to suffer for Christ they would not be losers by it and partly to stop the mouths of his accusers when they should see that all the afflictions he underwent did turn to his and the Churches good Now in this Thanksgiving passage we may observe 1. The praise it self expressed in that word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Blessed 2. The Object of it God which is 1. Illustrated from his relative title to Christ The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ 2. From his Efficiency which is two-fold The Father of mercies 2. The God of all comfort So that this Text doth represent God in a most sweet comfortable and ravishing relation to us The Apostle stands as it were here upon Mount Gerizzim to bless the people of God we may here stand and see as it were the glory of God passe by It is not the God of all vengeance and fury It 's not the God terrible in his judgements that will not in any wise acquit the guilty but the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation Let then the troubled and grieved soul who looketh alwayes upon God as angry as ready to destroy bring with the widow its cruises and fill them with the pleasant oil that will runne out of this Text. Certainly if David say of Gods word in general That it 's sweeter than the honey or the honey-comb much more is it applicable to this verse I shall begin with the Praise it self in those words Blessed be God Paul you heard begins most of his Epistles in this manner and some have thought that all our prayers should begin with thanksgiving because the heart is hereby raised up sooner to Heaven The consideration of Gods love being like the fire that will put the soul into sweet distillations But certainly the method of prayer whether with confession first or thanksgiving is not commanded but left arbitrary Only this the soul must remember to be as diligent and carefull in praising of God as praying to God To open the word the Scripture speaks of a three-fold Blessing 1. Of Gods blessing of us 2. Of our blessing of God And these differ exceedingly For God blesseth us efficiently by exhibiting his mercies to us We bless God not by adding any good to him but declaratively only Gods benedicere is benefacere his words are works but our blessing as Aquinas on the place is only recognoscitium and expressivum an acknowledgment only and celebration of that goodness which God hath 3. There is mans blessing of man and that is two-fold either Charitativè Matth. 5. 44. which is to be done to our very enemies Psal 129. 8. Thus Job 31. 20. speaketh of it by way of comfort that the poor whom he had refreshed blessed him Or Potestativè and that is when Parents and Ministers such as are in Office and Power do bless their Inferiours and this God doth more solemnly ratifie and confirm Thus the Priests Numb 6. 23 24. were in a solemn manner to bless the people and in this sense the Apostle argueth The less is blessed of the better Heb. 7. 7. And because by blessing the greatness of a thing is set forth hence it is used sometimes for consecrating 1 Sam. 9. 13. Samuel is said to bless the Sacrifice So 1 Cor. 10. 15. The Cup of blessing which we bless Though we must not understand it of a Popish consecration although there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may seem to be one thing And because those who did bless others did commonly come with presents and gifts hence it is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used for gifts and the fruit of liberality 2 Cor. 9. 5 6. The Hebrew word to bless is observed by an Antiphrase to curse so it 's used three or four times in the beginning of Job and 1 King 21. Eustathius saith Aretius observeth also that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is sometimes used for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Heathens indeed had a superstition that they thought an ill omen in words hence was their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 expressing terrible things by gracefull names as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when they cursed so they called it Morbus sacer◠But the Scripture doth not attend to that superstition It is for gravities sake that it useth such an expression Though a learned man maketh that phrase in Job to be a Metonymy of the consequent because those do sometimes depart from others to whom they used to wish well saying valere Afterwards that word came to be used for a renouncing of all former friendship so he thinketh the word to bless might signifie that is to renounce God and not own his worship more But come we to the Observation which is That to bless and praise God for all his mercies is a duty that the people of God ought to be carefull and diligent in This cordial hearty blessing of God is greatly neglected some are borne down with the sense of their sins and unworthiness Some are greatly bowed down under the several afflictions God exerciseth them with Others are devoured with the worldly cares and discontents of their soul So that it is a very rare thing to meet with a Christian that walks with such a chearfull humble and thankfull spirit that he studieth all the mercies of God to him and is not willing any fragment should perish As Flies stick always upon the rugged parts of the glass and fall from that which is smooth Thus even Gods own children if they have any affliction if they want but one mercy they would have this doth more trouble and torture them than the thousand mercies they have from God do refresh and revive them That therefore we may make conscience of this duty and be much in that we may as the Apostle enjoyneth Col. 3. 17. In all things whether in word or deed be giving thanks to God Let us consider how much goeth to make a thankfull spirit what will enable us that we shall not alwayes lie among the tombs as it were affright our selves with our own sad thoughts but entertain
shels in comparison of that Manna that spiritual favour I am made partaker of As therefore the spiritual man when in outward miseries and straights is not so much grieved under those outward calamities as because he hath sinned and God is offended So neither in outward mercies is the same gracious soul so much affected with the comforts it enjoyeth as that the light of Gods countenance doth shine upon him that he hath an evidence of propriety and interest in Christ this he would not lose for all the Kingdoms of the world Let us press this the more because even the most holy are apt to be affected more with sensible mercies than spiritual Nature teacheth them the one but Grace the other For as we are apt to desire temporal things above spiritual so also to be affected with and bless God for one more than another But take these few Motives to provoke thee to bless God for spiritual mercies which are of two sorts External as the means of grace and the Ordinances or Internal the inward sanctification and justification of our persons As 1. That if thou hadst more mercies than Solomon if thou hadst all thy soul can desire in these outward things yet if without spiritual mercies thou judgest thy condition is cursed and to be lamented Therefore Psal 4. when the natural persons of the world cried out Who will shew us any good David as knowing a better and more solid good prayeth God would lift up the light of his countenance upon him And therefore he that hath the least drop of grace is more bound to bless God then he that may have all the glory and plenty in the world Oh then why art thou not more sollicitous saying what is this wealth without Gods favor What is it to say this house is mine this estate is mine but am not able to say God is mine but if God doth evidence himself to thee then over-look all thy outward comforts put the Ecce the Selah upon what is spiritual This is like the Sunne which is farre above all the Starres It is this that makes all outward mercies mercies they are no wayes good to thee but snares and temptations to draw out thy sins So that thy condemnation in hell will be the hotter if thou doest not enjoy spiritual mercies with them 2. Be in the first place affected with spiritual mercies Because Christ shewed his love to thee most in these it was for these he died The Scripture doth exceedingly commend to us the love of Christ in his death Now what are the effects of Christs death Are they chiefly to make us rich great or honoured in this world No it is for remission of sinne it 's for holiness and power over the Devil Certainly if Christ died to purchase these for thee thou art very unthankfull if thy heart be not most inlarged to bless God for them 3. Spiritual mercies are the chiefest object of our praises Because these onely can truly satisfie the soul these only are a sound cause of rejoycing The heart of a man is never satisfied with temporal mercies but the more he drinketh of them the more thirsty still he is When Solomon hath made an experience of all his Motto is That they are vexation of spirit as well as vanity whereas the pardon of sinne and the Spirit of Christ working in us these afford uninterrupted causes of joy 4. The soul-mercies will abide for ever thou canst not lose thy title and interest in them but all these earthly comforts are as the flower which presently withereth thou hast them to day and they may be removed to morrow Be sure then that thy blessing of God keepeth that method which the nature of mercies doth require above all things Let thy soul melt with joy in blessing of God for what he hath done to thy soul Lastly Consideration remembring and fixed meditation upon the mercies of God is that which will greatly inflame the soul to give all glory and honour to him The heart is not easily and quickly put into a blessing frame there must be polishing and fashioning of it and there is no such way for this as true consideration When David calls upon himself so much to glorifie God this implieth that he found his soul dull heavy and unfit for that duty The heart will not boil over in meditation unless it be long upon this fire Psal 45. 1. David there calls his inditing the boyling or bubling of his heart we are apt to forget Gods mercies or when we do think of them they are but transistory and ambulatory It is Gods goodnesse or I bless God and there is all whereas when we bless God our souls should be raised up into divine inflammations we should be as Elijah who was carried up to Heaven in a Chariot of fire whereas the soul is at other times abridged or epitomized but in short characters in the praises of God it should be voluminous as you see David in Psalms 103 104 105 106 and 107. very large in the enumeration of all Gods benefits which intimateth That the soul ought to be extended in all its dimensions while it sets upon this work And certainly meditation is like the birds sitting on the egge not leaving it till it hath produced a live young one This will so often work upon the soul that at last there will be heavenly and supernatural life for several aggravations will the meditating heart find in every blessing it doth possess As 1. It will admire the power and strength of God in every mercy especially in soul-mercies That God should change such a stubborn heart as thine was That God should give thee eyes to see that hast been blind so long That God should give thee life who wast dead and putrifying in the grave of sinne This will make thee wonder at the glorious power of God Again The Wisdome of God if that be considered in every mercy this will also greatly inlarge to thankefulnesse Gods mercies are not only mercies in themselves but they come in such fit seasons they are at such times and opportunities that this maketh them double mercies and so some have observed this difference between blessing and praising of God Blessing of God is because of the goodnesse of the mercy Praising is for the wisdome and curious workmanship of God as it were in that mercy As if a friend who also was himself the maker of a curious Watch should bestow it upon you as a gift you would not only thank him for his love but praise his skill and art likewise Thus we are not only to consider the mercies God giveth us but the wisdome that God demonstrateth at that very time making every mercy to be with an aggravation Again Meditation will inflame by apprehending of Gods freenesse in every mercy and our unworthinesse We could do nothing that may provoke God especially this we are to aggravate in our spiritual mercies as Paul doth often excluding
our works and giving all to the grace of God who worketh according to his own purpose and will Oh what coals of fire will this be in thy bosome To think why doth God do this to me What moveth him Is God necessitated to it Can he not do otherwise Would he be unjust if he did it not And this further will be aggravated when we consider the mercy comparatively with others that want such if for spiritual mercies we compare them with the damned Angels that are utterly cut off from the least crum of any spiritual mercy though so noble and excellent creatures may not this astonish thee And if thou sayest These are not of the same nature with thee How many are there of the same flesh and bloud in the same vicinity where thou livest of the fame calling and profession yea of the same parentage and yet they are forsaken by God and left to their natural deserts whereas he hath pitched his favour upon thee to justifie sanctifie and at last to glorifie thee Certainly thou art a stock and a stone if such discriminating mercy as this doth not affectionately possess thee In the last place The universality of the mercies thou enjoyest will much heighten in the consideration of them All that thou seest thou hearest thou eatest thou feelest yea thou thinkest and apprehendest is a mercy There is nothing within thee without thee or about thee but it is a mercy To hear is a mercy to see is a mercy to think without madness and distraction is a mercy Every thing that is not hell is a mercy to thee All the creatures as Psal 8. the Sunne the Sturres the beasts of the field are wholly mercies if then a man set himself to meditation after this manner will he not find the goodness of God like Ezekiels waters To ascend higher and higher till they come over his head But to finish at last this Subject take notice of the encouragements to this duty of a thankful blessing and praising soul that so if thy heart at last be throughly raised up to this duty thou mayest praise God for this truth that provoketh thee to praise him And First The more thou blessest God the more wilt thou have cause to blesse him For to the thankfull heart God multiplieth his mercies as many times because thou doest not take notice of his goodness to thee or lookest upon his mercies as a debt to thee or thou takest the mercies God hath given thee and usest them as weapons against him therefore he taketh away thy mercies from thee to make thee prize them the more whereas to the soul that taketh every mercy as the hen every drop of water and immediately looks up to Heaven that will take up every fragment that nothing be lost As thou blessest God declaratively God will bless thee really Christ will bless thee as he did those few loaves by multiplying of them Secondly Consider this is all thou canst do to God for all his several mercies What doth God require of thee after all that he hath done for thy soul and body Is it any thing else but to magnifie his name to give him the glory of it And this doth not at all adde unto the greatness of God he is not made the more perfect and blessed in himself by all the glory thou givest to him So that indeed it is the greatest glory that thou art capable of that God will accept of blessing from thee that he will own praises out of thy mouth that he doth not rebuke thee as Christ did the Devils when they confessed He was the Son of the living God Thirdly This blessing and praising of God will keep thee in a joyfull active and fruitfull way Those that sing at their work dispatch it with greater facility And thus it is the soul filled with cordial thankfulness to God doth more for God then many others who are clogged with dejecting and discouraging thoughts See whether the cause of all thy heaviness yea the prevailing of lusts and passions upon thee be not want of chearfull blessing of God The joy of the Lord is our strength Lastly Consider the example of David how unwearied he is in this work never thinking that his soul doth enough herein and therefore because he cannot discharge this duty to his desire he calls upon all the creatures of the world almost to help him therein yea the very Ice and Snow and such inanimate creatures how much more Angels and men must joyn with him to praise God In Austin's time some were named Deo gratias certainly we should so abound in this duty that it may be truly said unto God as Psal 22. Thou inhabitest the praises of Israel SERM. XXXI How Christ is the Sonne of God And how the consideration thereof is the foundation of all a Christians comfort 2 COR. 1. 3. Blessed be God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ THe Duty of Blessing with the Object of it being dispatched let us now come to that Amplification and Illustration which the Apostle ufeth in describing of it And The first is From a personal and relative respect The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Even the Father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That particle is by way of interpretation and explication What he meaneth by God viz. That he doth not take the word as it is often absolutely for the essence of the Divine Nature as common to the three Persons but relatively and in the distinct personality of the first Person and therefore said to be The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ For the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Stephanus observeth may be rendred by Et sed tunc etiam c. as the subject matter requireth The Apostle doth in other places delight to use this expression Rom. 15. 6. 2 Cor. 11. 31. Ephes 3. 14. In which places the Apostle seemeth with much affection and cordial enlargement to make mention of this relative Title in God the Father for this is the treasure of our comfort herein are all our mercies contained that we and Christ have the same Father he by Nature and we by Grace So that we are not to consider of Gods paternal relation to Christ as a speculative doctrinal truth but as practical and the ground of all consolation to us Hence John 20. 17. Christ by way of comfort tells them He ascends to his Father and their Father And indeed without Christ we cannot behold him as a Father but as a severe and dreadfull Judge Only when we say this Doctrine of the Fathers relation to Christ a Sonne is so full of comfort you must not understand it absolutely and nakedly as the second Person in the Trinity but as assuming the humane Nature into a Personal Subsistency Therefore he saith The Father of Jesus Christ which is the description of his Person in both his Natures So that we must not look upon the Sonne as the second Person alone in
them Secondly In this expression of Father of mercies is not only comprehended the multitude of them but the diversity also he is the Father of all kind of mercies God hath an unexhausted treasure of mercy Therefore the Scripture calls God rich in mercy Ephes 2. 4. Though God be rich in wisdom in power yet the Scripture calls him only rich in mercy as if herein he did most excell Now from this treasury arise all kinds of mercies Do not say God may by his mercy help me in this particular and in that respect he can give me bodily mercies but can he give soul mercies He can give private mercies but can he give publick mercies Yes we have too low and narrow thoughts of God if we limit him to any kind of mercy he can do the greatest as well as the least Let us instance in some kind of mercies As 1. There are common mercies and there are special mercies Common mercies are those the whole world is full of He maketh the Sunne to shine upon the good and the bad Therefore our Saviour presseth us To love our enemies because God is thus mercifull even to his enemies Is not the whole earth every Village every Town full of the common mercies of God How come so many to live to subsist upon his cost and charges Whence is it that all the people in the world are provided for Is it not from the mercy of God Lam. 3. 22. It 's the Lords mercies that we are not consumed That famine warre plague and other judgements do not sweep away all the inhabitants of the earth That the whole world doth not fall into ruines This is from Gods meer mercy That all are not roaring in hell it 's the mercy of God Now this common mercy is the more admirable if ye consider what kind of persons they are to whom he is thus mercifull even to his very enemies that hate God and if it lay in their power would destroy him that he should not have a being Oh the mercy of God that is continued to many a prophane beast and many a malicious Devil to what is good Why is it that every liar is not stricken dead with Ananias Why is it that every drunkard quaffing in his pots doth not see a terrible hand-writing in the wall against him Why is it that the earth doth not open to swallow thee up while thy mouth is full of cursing and swearing Is not all this from the mercy of God Oh how little doth this mercy of God lead you to repentance whereas it is vouchsafed to you for that end Let it not be despised because it is common For though God be thus often mercifull yet sometimes his judgements are terrible to prophane men They are suddenly destroyed while they are in their drunken fits and it is Gods mercy that what hath befallen others doth not also come upon thee but after thy impenitent heart Thou treasurest up wrath against the day of wrath Now is the day of mercy but then will be a day of wrath There are special mercies such as the godly are only partakers of To be called to be justified to be sanctified c. Oh what heart or tongue can express the happiness of those who have these mercies How sacrilegious are those Doctrines that do not make God wholly and solely the father of these mercies but they make themselves and their own free-will to be yoynt-fathers with God in these mercies But as Austin of old urged If I cannot make my self a man which is the lesser can I make my self an holy man which is the greater If there is not the least temporal mercy that thou canst procure by thy own power not a morsell of bread not a drop of water canst thou by thy own strength obtain the greatest of all Though it be said The sword of the Lord and of Gideon yet it cannot be said the vocation the justification by Paul and by Christ but Christ alone doth these things in us and for us though by his grace we are also sanctified and inabled to do that which is holy Again There are soul-mercies and there are bodily-mercies There are spiritual and there are temporal mercies now God is the Author of both We may sinne by unthankfulness for either of them if thou takest thy bodily-mercies as due thy health thy sleep thy preservation from daily dangers in this thou wrongest the goodness of God for if he take away his hand but for a moment thou canst not subsist And as for soul-mercies whether the natural ones of it as thy wit thy understanding thy fancy thy senses God is the Father of them Or the spiritual ones there he is much more if thou hast repentance faith assurance a gracious contented heart in every condition these are mercies of mercies but God alone is the Father of them Furthermore There are preventing or privative mercies and there are positive mercies Now the Rule is Plures sunt gratiae privativae quam positivae more privative favours than positive Did not God prevent what innumerable evils might arise every day to destroy thee When we pray for daily bread in that we comprehend all kind of outward bodily mercies so that if the Lords hand were not alwayes giving we could not abide a day Now seeing that by sinne we are made obnoxious to all the curses in the Law To be cursed at home and cursed abroad How manifold are Gods preventing mercies to us What evil might every day bring forth to thee What a sad night might every night be to thee if Gods preventing mercies did not compass thee about Lastly We might instance in private mercies and publick mercies But what hath already been spoken may abundantly confirm us That God is the Father of mercies In the next place Let us consider the Property of Gods mercy And 1. He is infinite in mercy as well as in other attributes So that this fountain can never be drawn dry he hath mercy enough for thee and me and for all the humbled sinners in the world If all the Nations of the world are but as a drop to him so neither are all the sins of the world but as a drop to his mercy No sins are too many or too great for Gods mercy And truly this consideration alone is that which doth revive and establish the drooping soul for if it were but the mercy of a creature if it were finite mercy that thou hadst to do with woe and again woe would be unto thee The Prophet Isaiah speaks fully to this Chap. 55. 7 8 9. where there is an encouragement given to the wicked To forsake his evil wayes because God will have mercy yea he will abundantly pardon or multiply to pardon and whereas the sinner might think Surely God will never do so to such an hainous and wretched sinner as I am the Prophet tells us Gods thoughts are not as our thoughts but as the Heavens are higher
we look we are in strong pangs and agonies of soul The Devil also taketh his opportunity then to cast in all his fiery darts Thus when the soul of a man is filled with fear doubts seeing no way but hell and damnation at such a time God comes in with his best wine then God delights to speak to the heart of such Psal 94. 19. In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul The Hebrew word signifieth perplexed thoughts like boughs on a tree intangled one with another that a man cannot part them such were his thoughts so intricate so enfolded one within another that he knew not what to resolve on what to determine yet the comforts of God did refresh his soul Thus new converts have many times more comfort then ever they shall have all their life time they needed them most then Again When the people of God have any great props and supports of comfort and joy taken away from them then commonly God comes in with more than ordinary comfort This makes him to be styled The Father of the fatherlesse and Judge of widows such who need help and comfort most When David was in danger of losing his life and Kingdom and that by his unnatural rebellious sonne Absolom when Shimei reviled him when he fled up and down with his Army with ashes on his head weeping and wailing as he went up the hill yet even at that time Psal 4. 6. he saith God had put more gladnesse into his heart then they could have in their harvest joy So the Disciples when they were to be parted from Christ he was not to be corporally present with them upon this how greatly did sorrow fill their hearts What should the sheep do without their Shepherd the Chickens without their Hen Yet saith our Saviour I will not leave you comfortlesse John 16. Christ would send his Spirit a Comforter in his room Thus you see Gods way when he taketh away the comfort of an Husband a Father a Friend he will be in stead of all these to us Those conditions which we thought would have broken our hearts he made even joyfull to us Lastly When God calleth his people to any high degrees of self-denial even to Martyrdome it felf then as their grief and fears would superabound so also their joyes ond comforts will be above them The Martyrs never felt such joy and delight in all their lives time as they did in a dark dungeon and in the flames of fire Therefore Gods children should not sinfully torture their souls with thoughts what if God should call them out to suffer to be imprisoned to be burnt at the stake Oh they should deny Christ over and over again prove wretched Apostates They must not judge thus according to their present disposition but remember that God will proportion strength and comfort to their exercises and give them Giants strength if he lay a Giants burden on them Fourthly God doth not only do good to his people in giving them joy but to shew how ready and willing he is the Scripture saith That it is a joy to God to do any good for us he rejoyceth to bestow his mercy upon us This is spoken after the manner of men to denote with what willingnesse he vouchsafeth his favours to us See what a wonderfull expression the Prophet useth Zephan 3. 17. while God is said to be in the midst of his people saving of them even because he doth thus he is said To rejoyce over them with joy to rest in his love and to joy over them with singing By this we see that while God giveth us grace and other mercies whereof joy is a chief one he himself rejoyceth therein Even as Aristotle observeth of a liberal man That he takes more joy in giving than he that receiveth the benefit can do in receiving of it God then giveth thee grace and joy not unwillingly not difficultly but he himself rejoyceth in making thy heart joyfull See a sweet place to confirme this also Isai 61. 5. At the Bridegroome rejoyceth over the Bride so shall thy God rejoyce over thee Fifthly This joy God giveth believers is a spiritual joy Worldly joy is like the culinary fire which goeth out if it have not daily fuell but this is like the elementary that needeth no pabulum but continueth of it self without such additaments Though friends die though the creatures break under us yet this joy abideth the same still It is a spiritual joy because seated in the spiritual part of a man most So that we do not speak here so much of a sensible bodily joy but of that which is rational and seated in the soul It is true when the soul is greatly affected by way of sympathy and redundancy it doth overflow even to the bodily part of a man also but the Subject wherein this joy is immediately and properly seated is in the soul and heart of a man Hence it is that the heart is so often said in the Scripture To rejoyce in the Lord which is the mind and the will Therefore as a godly soul may truly repent when yet it cannot shed bodily tears so it may truly rejoyce when it hath not a bodily gladnesse upon it So that as the Wiseman saith of carnal laughter that even in that the heart may be sad So also though in bodily sadnesse yet the conscience of a man may have great tranquillity and joy It is also a spiritual joy because the motives of it are chiefly from spiritual objects It 's joy in the Lord and joy in the holy Ghost Luke 10. 10. Our Saviour commanded his Disciples Not to rejoyce in that they could work miracles and cast out Devils but because their name was written in Heaven It 's spiritual also in its operations For whereas worldly joy enters into men as the Devils did into the Swine hurling them headlong into Hell This makes the heart more active more fruitfull It 's like the Spirit to Ezekiel's wings like the wind that made the dry bones gather together and live It 's like Elisha's fiery chariot mounting him up into Heaven whereas grief and sorrow are like the wormes that eat into the wood and devour the strength of it Lastly This joy is given by God to believers though formerly great and grievous sinners For we might think such as have been the chiefest of many thousands in sinning and blaspheming against God though God should have pity and mercy upon them yet he should never give them any comfort in this life You would think their former lusts pride uncleannesse and excesse of riot should be like a mill-stone alwayes about their neck They should go mourning to the grave never able to remove their sinnes out of their sight but thinking they pursue them as close every moment as Asahel did Joab to damn us Yet even to such after God becomes reconciled with them God it may be giveth more comfort than to others Great
And the Fontal Cause of all who is said to be God Of this later we have said enough already We shall therefore at this time dispatch the former That comfort by which the Apostles themselves were refreshed by that did they revive others even those that were farre inferiour to them both in gifts and graces So that as by the same Sunne both the rich and the poor do see one finds the sweetness of the light as well as the other Thus also by the same grounds of comfort that any godly man may be supported all may be Observe That those grounds of comfort which revive the heart of one godly man may also do another That which is wine to make glad the heart of Paul will also exhilarate the hearts of others who believe in Christ That which is honey to one cannot be gall to another This truth hath its great practical use And First Let us consider That there are general grounds of comfort for all the godly in all their tribulations and there are special particular ones The general grounds of comfort are such that all the godly may make use of at all times be they Jew or Gentile bond or free eye or foot in the body of Christ there is no difference no exemption this fountain is set open Neither is it like the pool of Bethesda wherein the first only that stept in could be healed for here all are invited to drink first and last and that abundantly There are Catholicon comforts that let our diseases be what they will be these are proper to cure us There are some promises so full of general comfort for every condition that they are made for the meridian of every godly man Let us give you some summary draught of them As 1. That all afflictions do come from the love of a Father to such as believe So that although they be grievous to flesh and bloud and have a bitter taste yet they come from a sweet root These thorns do grow upon a vine These bitter streams come from a sweet fountain Now this ground of comfort belongs to all that have an unfeigned love to God Canst thou make out thy evidence of being in Christ Is thy name to be found in the book of life Then this comfort thou mayest apply to thy self be thy condition or quality what it can be thou mayest boldly take this cordial and it is as proper for thee as a David or Paul any of those who are pillars in godliness Heb. 12. 6. For whom he loveth he chasteneth So that you see here is such an argument of comfort that every member of the body of Christ may use 2. Another general ground of comfort is The end and fruit of afflictions As they come from Gods love so they are to subdue sinne to bring us nearer to God Hence afflictions are compared to the fire that purgeth away the dross to winnowing that driveth away the chaff to pruning that cuts off the luxuriant branches and makes the other branches more fruitfull They are given by Christ the wise Physician of our souls as heavenly physick and admirable remedies to crucifie to sinne and to quicken to righteousnesse If God denieth thee such outward comforts thou desirest know that this very denial is for thy good and darest thou say Lord let me have them though they damn me Let me not be afflicted though it will do me good Quid â—…sit vâ—l prosit novit medicus non egrotus Thus the Apostle Rom. 8. All things shall work together for the good of those who love God The Apostle also speaketh notably of these afflictions in respect of the issue of them as well as of the original whence they flow Heb. 12. 9 10 11. where a three-fold advantage is said to come by them 1. By yeelding to the Father of Spirits chastising us we live Tribulations therefore are the way to make us live spiritually here and eternally hereafter If it were not for afflictions thou mightst die and be damned They have prevented much sinne They have been like a file to the iron to get off the rust They have been like the plowing and harrowing of the ground to fit thee to bring forth fruit And 2. God is said to chastise us for our profit which is expressed to be That we might be partakers of holinesse Tribulations then are very profitable and advantagious things though flesh and blood can hardly say so It may be thy afflictions have done thee more good than all the mercies thou ever hadst And therefore under every exercise examine What profit have I got Wherein am I made more holy And then 3. At the 11th verse after the grievous and burdensome way of them for the present afterwards they will yeeld a peaceable fruit of righteousnesse The chastening doth but seem grievous and that for the present but afterwards it makes more holy which is said to be the peaceable fruit of it The soul that raged and fretted finding the benefit begins then in a peaceable quiet manner to blesse and praise God for it This is a General comfort Every godly man may say this belongs to me in my afflictions as well as to any other 3. Not to be too large here The benefits and heavenly advantages which come from Christ being ours these also are comforts in common There is no fiery sword to keep out of this Paradise Rom. 8. Doth not the Apostle conclude those great priviledges of Justification of Perseverance in that state of conquest over all spiritual enemies and that from such general grounds as all the people of God may claim to it Because Christ died and because Christ is risen because he hath given us Christ and how then not with him all things else Is there any believer so weak so contemptible that Christ did not die for and rise for Is there any to whom the Father hath not given Christ If so you see that what comforted Paul may comfort you It is a vain Position of Papists that Paul speaketh so assuredly in that condition because of an extraordinary revelation that he had that Christ was his for he grounds his perswasion upon those general arguments which belong to every godly man Christ then and his presence with all his benefits is a cordial to every believer This Sunne of Righteousnesse ariseth with healing in his wings to the least believer as well as the greatest The The Dwarfe as well as the Gyant may hold this pearle in his hand But In the second place besides such general comforts which are as some say of Manna answering all dainties and was to every mans palate that which he most delighted in There are special and particular comforts for special and particular temptations So that as every disease needeth a peculiar remedy so every temptation a proper comfort And therefore that special comfort will not serve one in his temptation which doth another in a different one And hence
Christ though I have no comfort at all it is not my ease so much as thy glory I look at This will greatly indear thee to God Fifthly God may deny thee comfort to inform thee how much thou art beholding to Christ He suffered for thee and that without comfort He was willing to be deprived of it that so he might accomplish thy Redemption Now as Christ would be tempted like us so God will have us tempted like Christ that we might be the more thankfull to him Certainly all the paines on his body all the disgrace and reproach he went under was not equall to his being without comfort yet this he indured for thee Lastly Conclude on this That if comfort were absolutely necessary for thee at this time thou shouldst have it Rom. 8. How can he not but give us all other things who hath given us Christ Is comfort equall to Christ SERM. L. The Saints Sufferings are for the Churches good 2 COR. 1. 6. And whether we be afflicted it is for your consolation and salvation which is effectual in the induring the same sufferings which we also suffer or whether we be comforted it is for your consolation and salvation THis Verse is acknowledged by many Learned Expositors to be very difficult not so much from the matter for that is easie as from the grammatical disposition of the words there being several conjectures and divers adventures about the transposing of them In most of the Latin Copies there are three members in the disjunction whereas the Greek hath but two after this manner Whether we be afflicted whether we be comforted and whether we exhort But according to the Greek word which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this would make a tautology therefore no doubt this was inserted in the Latin Copies by some not diligently attending to what they did Then as for the Greek Chrysostome doth transpose the words otherwise then we do putting off the second member of the disjunction viz. Whether we be comforted c. to the next Verse Knowing that as you are partakers of the sufferings c. and then reduceth all the rest to the former part Some also blame Erasmus for adding in the Original it is Whether we be afflicted it is for your consolation which way our Translators also render And indeed the sense would runne well enough without it relating to those words Our hope of you is stedfast But this is not material for the sense is still the same Not therefore to trouble you with these grammatical difficulties seeing the scope and meaning of the Apostle is evident which is That whatsoever did befall him in his ministerial Office it was for their good and therefore they were to be so farre from being discouraged at his sufferings or to despise him for them as the false Apostles laboured to make them do that they ought rather to honour him and they themselves to be more animated in their sufferings for Christ And in this the Apostle doth so overflow with words that Erasmus absurdly giveth this prophane censure Intempestivae copiae affectatio as if he could teach the Spirit of God how to speak But no wonder at this presumption of his seeing in his Epistle to Barbirius purging himself from being a Lutheran much more from holding every thing that Luther wrote he addeth he would not be so addicted to Austin or Hierome vix etiam ipsi Paulo scarce even to Paul himself Whether this vix would preserve him from blasphemy let others judge But come we to the first member in this distribution wherein we have the condition supposed the consequent and effect of it with the amplification thereof I shall begin with the condition supposed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whether we be afflicted squeezed or pressed for the word signifieth such afflictions as are like the â—â—ail to the corn that doth bruise it The end of this in the general is for the good of the Church more particularly for their consolation and salvation From whence Observe That the afflictions and sufferings we indure for Christ do not only turn to our own good but to the good of Gods Church That they are for our own good hath been partly spoken to Yea every dispensation of God to those that fear him is a benefit and an advantage For if it be a mercy it is bonum Dei consolantis if an affliction it is bonum Dei admonentis as Austin But I am now to speak of the diffusive good by afflictions in respect of others That sufferings for Christ are of publique edification to the Church appeareth by two or three notable texts concerning what Paul speaketh of himself Phil. 1. 12. I would ye should understand that the things which hapned to me have fallen out rather to the furtherance of the Gospel I would ye should understand It is a truth that Believers should possesse themselves with For indeed it is a ridle that out of this strong one should come honey that out of darknesse should arise light from death come life The not understanding of this hath made so many Apostates thinking that the Kingdom of Christ and his waies would never hold because all the power of the world conspire to oppresse it but the Apostle would have them know that persecutions do not hinder but further the Gospel The treading and trampling on this Camomile makes it thrive the better Another remarkable text is 2 Tim. 2. 10. where the Apostle having shewed that though they did cast him into bonds yet the Word of God could not be bound no more then a man as Chrysostome observeth that cutteth off a branch from the tree can cut off the Sun-beams also from the Sun that may shine upon that branch he addeth that he doth indure all things for the elects sake that they may obtain salvation Oh wonderfull expression you might think Paul goeth too high these words become Christ rather Who can say this but Christ He suffereth for the elects sake that they may have salvation But Paul speaks this only as a Minister not a Mediatour as is more particularly to be urged His scope is to shew that it is not for any sinnes of his own any wickednesse that he hath committed but it is for the good of the Church that he thus suffereth So that Paul doth not only propagate the Gospel by preaching but by suffering when he cannot preach he doth most preach when his person is bound in chains then the Gospel is more enlarged As Herod by cutting off John Baptists head did in effect make John's tongue more speak and witness against him The last instance is Col. 1. 24. which place is the more famous because abused by the Papists to uphold a treasure or overplus in the sufferings of the Saints that they suffer more than they deserve and therefore the overplus is to be dispensed by Papal authority for the relief of such who want merits And here cometh in their doctrine
Only First Lay this as a foundation that when we say Our salvation is promoted by afflictions you must not understand this as if they of themselves did it but it is solely by the power and grace of God For in many Apostates and such who had not deep rooting sufferings did not promote their salvation but their damnation Even as to herbs not well rooted the heat of the Sun doth wither them So that some men falling into afflictions are like noisome herbs thrown into the fire which make the more unsavoury smell like earthen vessels that break in the fire They never discover their rottennesse their love to the world their unbelief so much as in those times It is true the Apostle saith Rom. 5. 3. That tribulation worketh patience But that is not to be understood of it self for in many it worketh impatience and unbelief but by the power of God moving in these waters there doth come healing So that the presence of God and his assistance is that alone which can turn these stones into bread Hence also afflictions do not advance our salvation as the Word preached doth for that alone is properly the instrumental cause in Gods hand both for sanctification and glorification as afflictions are onely occasional and set home by the Word It is true the Word it self doth not convert or save by any inherent virtue as the fire burneth but by the co-operation of God with it yet afflictions have not that efficacy or respect in the same way as the Word hath By sufferings then we are as the stone by its hewing and sawing prepared for that everlasting building in Heaven but it is the grace and power of God that doth polish and smooth us otherwise through tribulations we should enter even into the kingdom of hell But let us examine Wherein these heavenly sufferings do thus carry on our salvation And First They are a special means to humble us to bring us low in our own eyes to repent of all the evil we have done and to turn unto God As mad men are cast into prison kept in the dark and under all hardship to bring them to their mind again Thus doth God with those that are his So that it is an effect of his love to bring us into tribulations It is his love that maketh him to chastise us Heb. 12. O beatum cui Deus dignatur irasci Tertul. lib. de patientiâ O blessed is he to whom the Lord vouchsafeth to be angry And this is true not onely in afflictions meerly for sins but also in our sufferings for Christ For though the motive be thy faithfulnesse in owning of Christ and his way though it be not for thy sinnes principally but thy graces that thou art thus exercised yet God hath some respect to thy sinnes also Therefore such tribulations they are of a mixed consideration thy gracious love to Christ provoketh the adversary yet thy sinnes also God looketh at in this fiery tryal to purge them away Hence 1 Pet. 4 16 17. the Apostle encouraging believers to suffer as Christians and that by many arguments he bringeth one amongst the rest that relateth to their sinnes For judgement must begin at the house of God These persecutions he calls them judgements and that in respect of the godly which denoteth That although God did honour them as suffering for his truth yet he did also judge them in those sufferings for their sinnes It is then the duty of all Champions and sufferers for Christ as to rejoyce because they are accounted worthy to suffer for him So also by those tribulations to humble themselves to condemn and judge every sinne that they can discover It is a false and sinfull opinion of some mentioned by Raynardus Lib. de Martyrio that affirmed Whosoever did suffer for the faith of Christ his very Martyrdome was enough to cleanse him so that he was not bound in or before his sufferings to repent for such sinnes as his conscience might re-mind him of No were it possible for a man to give his body to be burnt for the truth and yet not to mourn for and bewail the sinnes he was guilty of such Martyrdome would not profit him So that as God commands the Israelites when they went to warre that they should cleanse the Camp of unclean things Thus also all those who suffer for Christ and in some sense may be said to fight the battels of the Lord it is their duty to arraigne themselves for their sinnes and to pray That this washing of them may take away their spots and filthinesse Secondly These afflictions for Christ do much promote our salvation Because they are a School to every believer whereby to know more of God and Christ of his grace and power then ever they did before These sufferings lead us into much experimental knowledge of God and his wayes These see the wonders of God in the depths A man not afflicted knoweth not what the experiences are that usually the godly find in such exercises Hence as David acknowledged Psal 119. Before he was afflicted he went astray Those afflictions did him more good than his mercies Thus also the godly who as Joh come like gold out of the fire they can truly say They would not be without those teachings those experiences they have had not for all the world especially this they are experimentally to observe How the power of God as Paul speaketh was perfect in his infirmities that the more his troubles did grow the more were the supports and comforts of God Insomuch that the afflicted soul wondereth and is amazed to see and feel the presence and power of God with it It hath that comfort that courage which it thought had been impossible for him ever to enjoy For as formerly you heard as afflictions abound so also do consolations and supports So that you must not expect God should give such extraordinary discoveries of himself but in extraordinary cases As we read of a notable instance of a woman Martyr in the primitive Heathenish persecutions who being great with child was delivered the day before she was to suffer and in her travail sending forth great and grievous groans The Jailor reproved her saying That if she did thus cry out about the bringing forth of a child how would she be able to suffer a cruel and tormenting death To whom she well replied That her present exercise was natural and ordinary and therefore expected but common supply in that case whereas her Martyrdome was extraordinary and therefore looked for extraordinary help and comfort from God This is to shew That the discoveries we have in our exercises and troubles under the unusual presence and consolations of God make us to say with Job They had heard of God with the ear but now they see him with the eye They did but know in a riddle now they do as it were face to face Thirdly These afflictions do promote and quicken to more grace
thine He that could immediately be avenged on them he that could command legions of Devils to drag them to hell presently yet with much patience suffereth them God is so patient that as Tertullian Ipsa sibi detrahit â—â—de pat His patience detracteth from him he seemeth to be a loser by it For people sinne the more obstinately and wilfully because they meet with impunity Because vengeance is not speedily executed therefore the heart of the wicked is encouraged to evil Eccles 8. 11. It is true indeed if we speak properly we cannot attribute the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to God as if that were an attribute in him The Scripture useth other words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but never 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because God being most absolutely blessed and happy in himself he cannot be under any misery So as to be said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be patient under it neither can God be said to pati to suffer in a passive sense yet his goodness his forbearance these are called patience And from the patience of God we may be encouraged to a conformity thereunto Should God be as impatient of thee should he as little endure thy failings as thou canst his dispensations thou hadst been with Dives calling for a drop of water long before this time and not able to partake of it Christ also is a wonderfull examplar cause of patience for him to lay aside the manifestation of his glory to be born of a Virgin to be exposed to such an ignominious death in all which he did seem as Tertullian expresseth it Contumeliosus sibiipsi Injurious and reproachfull to himself which made the Marcionites say He had only a phantastical body thinking it a reproachfull and dishonourable thing to him to have a true real body of the Virgin Mary But this exinanition and emptying of himself doth the more commend and make his patience illustrious Hence 1 Pet. 2. 23. and in other places Christ is commended as a patern to us of patience in all our sufferings and certain never may we more shame and abhorre our selves for all our repining and impatient workings of soul then when we set Christ before our eyes he was as a sheep in the hands of the shearer that opened not his mouth Yet how much did he suffer both from God and man and that without any cause in respect of himself though justly in respect of Gods Covenant with him as our Surety Now though all this was for us enemies to him such who would contemn his love and be ready to crucifie him over and over again yet in these great agonies and unspeakable sufferings he is not impatient Thus we have heard of a patience greater than that of Job even of Christ himself and let his patience shame thee out of thy impatience SERM LIV. Motives exciting us to a patient Submission unto God under all the Afflictions he layes upon us 2 COR. 1. 6. Which is effectual in enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer WE are yet treating on the manner How the Salvation of believers is promoted by their sufferings which is said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In enduring or in patience in a patient enduring It is not my purpose I told you to enlarge my self according as this Subject of patience might require Some things have been spoken to declare the nature of it I shall adde at this time some motives and encouragements to be patient under the most extream sufferings we are put upon And First This consideration may greatly calm and compose our spirits If we sensibly affect our selves with what we have deserved All-impatiency and turbulency of heart ariseth because we are not throughly humbled under our own guilt and unworthinesse for if this were taken notice of we would wonder why dogs should have childrens bread why we should have the least drop of mercy who deserve the deluge of Gods wrath Doest thou at any time find repinings and frettings of heart within thee Do thou presently possesse thy soul with thy wretchednesse and unworthinesse Say Who am I Lord that it is no worse This is not hell nor everlasting damnation that I am in and yet I have a thousand times over deserved that It was this that quieted David's heart under that sour affliction he conflicted with when Absolom had made such a strong conspiracy against him 2 Sam. 16. 11. when Shimei cursed him with such a grievous curse that Abishai had no patience to bear it Why should this dead dog curse my Lord the King saith he let me go and take off his head Who but a David would have been avenged But what tameth Davids heart Let him alone let him curse for the Lord hath bidden him David knew that it was for his sins that Absolom rebelled Shimei cursed and therefore he dare not grudge nor mutter So 2 Sam. 15. 26. while David is compassed about with the same difficulties see how soft his heart is ready to receive any impression But if he say I have no delight in him behold here I am let him do to me as seemeth good to him Thus David's heart is like the vessel cast into the fire it may be put into any form or fashion and what is the reason of it A true humbled spirit under all its unworthinesse Thus the Church Lament 3. 22. though she be in such desolations that she cals to all the passengers who come by to see if there were ever any affliction like hers yet saith she It is of the Lords mercies that we are not consumed As wretched as we are we might be worse It is the Lords mercy that we do but taste of his cup of wrath that we do not drink up the dregs Here is a good patern to write after Let thy troubles and exercises be like Nebuchadnezzars furnace heated seven times hotter then ordinary yet thou wilt have cause to say if thou regard thy own guilt It is of the Lords mercy that it is no worse And vers 39. Wherefore doth a living man complain a man for the punishment of his sins Art thou a living man not a damned man and doest thou complain Think what if thy condition were like those that are chained up in everlasting darkness gnashing their teeth and roaring out for the endlesse torments that are upon them Wouldst thou not then judge this condition thou art in though afflicted and troublesome to be a mercy Certainly if the damned in hell are bound to acknowledge the justice of God and to give him the glory thereof though it be in their confusion How much rather art thou bound to give God the glory of all his Attributes in these dispensations to thee though bitter to flesh and blood Take heed then of being like Jonah of saying Thou doest well to be angry It is an ease to pour forth thy complaints For what doth God do thee any wrong Doth not the
worm that eateth up all thy comfort breed in thy own breast Is not thy destruction from thy own self Certainly if any thing this may stop thy mouth and quietly compose thy soul But Secondly Not only the apprehension of thy guilt may thus rebuke all storms within thee But the consideration of Gods goodnesse and mercy is admirable that doth thus alter and change the nature of these afflictions that are upon thee For whereas thou mightst have been suffering for thy sinnes thou now sufferest for God and a good cause Whereas they might have been a curse now they are made a blessing whereas they might have administred all sorrow and bitterness now thou art to account it all joy when thou fallest into divers temptations give not over sucking of this honey-comb till thou hast got all the sweetnesse out of it God maketh this crown of thorns a crown of gold That which might have been a stone is turned into bread The fruit of thy sinne is made a priviledge and an honour Hence the godly have alwayes looked upon their sufferings as a blessed thing as eminent expressions of Gods love to them Hence in all their troubles they have been more prepared and purified to blesse God As Bels cast into the fire do afterwards make a sweeter and clearer sound so that this is encouragement enough to consider how God changeth the nature of these troubles the fruit of sinne is made the fruit of Gods love to thee and also of righteousnesse to thy self Thirdly Be not dejected under sufferings for God but rejoyce with patience Because God will be with thee thou shalt have the presence and assistance of Christ and then Christ being in the ship with thee thou canst not suffer shipwrack Paul speaking of that admirable and strong constitution of grace whereby he was able to endure heats and cold he could abound and he could want be changed from one extream condition to another and yet be the same in heart and affection he addeth He can do all things through Christ that strengthneth him Phil. 4. 13. Thou hast the same power with Christ in some sense what he can do thou canst do as a little child inabled by a Gyant can do what the Gyant can do I can do all things Paul hath a kind of Omnipotency If then the troubles thou art to combate with were too strong for thee such as would overwhelm thee then thou mightst be impatient and discontented but be quiet and wait for the power of God See also how notably Paul speaketh to this 2 Cor. 12. 10. I take pleasure in my infirmities in reproaches in necessities For when I am weak then am I strong And vers 9. Gods strength is said to be perfected in Pauls weaknesse most gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest on me What wonders and paradoxes doth Paul speak His words are miracles he will most gladly glory and rejoyce in all his reproaches and why Because hereby Gods power will be the more manifested Thus you see great ground for patience because Cods power will come in and that very seasonably you will have grace to help in time of need Heb. 4. 16. The Pythagoreans called God Ipsam opportunitatem Oppornunity it self because he did alwayes come in seasonably to help How much more may Christians put forth their patience and faith in this particular Thou art sure to have his gracious power and assistance and thou art sure also to have it in the best season and most opportunely Let not then impatience so trouble the waters of affliction and bemud them that thou canst not see the face of God shining upon thee and his arm stretched out to help and deliver thee Fourthly As you have need of patience under these exercises So let it have its perfect work because of the unspeakable good that will redound to thee hereby If this be duly weighed thou wilt blesse God for thy sufferings more than for all thy mercies and outward safety thou wilt see that to lose father and mother and life it self is to winne them God doth by these sufferings bring in Novum inauditum modum salutis interire ne poreas a new and unheard of way of safety by making thee to die that thou mayest not perish We might heap up many places of Scripture that demonstrate the benefit of such sufferings So that the opinion of the Gnosticks which Tertullian confuteth was directly opposite to Scripture It seemeth the Gnostick was an hater of Martyrdome and accused Christ of severity and cruelty for requiring such things at the hand of his followers he thought Christ was injurious to his people if he expected such hard things from them but this made them charge Christ thus foolishly because they did not consider that those sufferings were advantages that it was no more a losse to the godly then it is to the grains of corn when thrown into the earth and die as it were there unlesse you do so to the corn it cannot bring forth fruit Thus the godly except they are thus afflicted except they have these tryals they are great losers and that in a two-fold respect For 1. Their spiritual good is promoted by the patient enduring of afflictions Our Saviour cals it John 15. The purging of the Vine that as the cutting of the luxuriant branches do not hinder but increase the fruit thereof Thus also do these tribulations they are like razors to cut off all superfluities and therefore compared so often to the fire which doth consume the drosse and make gold more purified Art thou then impatient because God taketh away thy corruptions from thee because he applieth such remedies that will kill thy lusts and make thee more believing and more heavenly minded Do you not see the diseased person under the Physicians care though for the present under austeer remedies The person complains and cries out yet afterwards when by this means he cometh to perfect health then he thanketh the Physician and rewards him Now all thy afflictions and tribulations for Gods cause are medicinal It is God the wise Physician that commandeth thee to be thus let blood Fear not therefore neither faint under it this is the way God taketh to sanctifie and cleanse thy soul this winnowing will deliver thee from thy chaff these bitter pils will kill those worms of pride vain-glory and other lusts within thee 2. It 's not onely thy spiritual good here But thy eternal good hereafter that is promoted by these sufferings It 's the salvation of thy soul that is interessed in these troubles so that thou art to be afraid as it were lest if thou art without these here thou shalt be without salvation hereafter Christ hath promised so much to him that shall lose any thing for his sake that it must be high Atheism not to believe it And if thou doest believe it and yet hadst rather have present pleasures
manner how thou bearest it Thirdly These truths about suffering for Christ are usefull even to such who enjoy all freedom and abundance because there is a two-fold Martyrdom Martyrium cordis and Martyrium corporis a Martyrdome of the heart and a Martyrdom of the body If therefore thou art not called to suffer bodily it is certain thou must suffer spiritually Habes quod in te occidas if others do not martyr thee thou art to martyr thy self Hence is that duty Of offering up our selves as a Sacrifice to God Hence it is we are commanded To deny our selves to take up our crosse to pull out the right eye to cut off the right hand and the constant practice of Christianity is To mortifie the flesh to crucifie the flesh Insomuch that the ancient Writers do frequently compare this soul-mortification to the bodily Martyrdom He that doth abstain from the seeming pleasures and profies of slane this man is a spiritual Martyr He that doth crucifie his will that doth subdue and conquer his corruptions it is as much from the grace of God as he that is enabled to lay down his life for Christs sake all these come from the same principle There is required an insuperable divine and efficacious power of grace to bring the heart to any holy duty to avoid any sinne from pure and holy motives It is therefore of consequence to hear of the consolations which God giveth in sufferings for if thou hast not corporal sufferings thou hast spiritual ones and therefore God he will proportion thy comforts to thy exercises Fourthly It is good to understand and possesse our souls with the afflictions of others that hereby we may acknowledge the mercy of God to us if he give us Sun-shine dayes when others have lived in trouble some times Say not then What are these Sermons of suffering to us who are not exercised for they greatly concern thee seeing that hereby thy heart is to be raised up to more thankfulness to more joy in blessing and praising of God Is it not a mercy that thou didst not live in Queen Maries dayes That thou art not one of those mentioned by the Apostle Who wandered in sheepskins and goatskins who had no setled aboad or quietnesse in any place They did eat their bread with trembling and drink with fear and astonishment flying from one place to another parents bereaved of children husbands of wives Now when thou shalt consider what sad times many of the people of God have lived in and thou hast daies of peace and abundance Is not this like fire in thy bosome to inflame thee with the love of God and constantly to blesse him Fifthly It is good to know the sufferings of others though thou art freed because none knoweth when the time of thy trial may come The times of the Churches peace and of her troubles are in Gods hands and these times are only known to himself Thou knowest not what heavy sufferings thou mayest be put upon ere thou diest and therefore it is good to be providing the whole armour of Christ before the day of fighting doth approach The Mariner hath not his instruments to provide in the midst of the storm but he doth prepare for it so neither is the souldier then to furnish himself with weapons when the enemy is approaching to him Do thou therefore hear much know much and be instructed much about the patience and sufferings of the Saints that when God shall call thee to it it may not seem a strange and a new thing to thee Use of Instruction not to be afraid to hear of and know all the difficulties and calamities which will accompany the powerfull way of owning Christ How carnal and self-seeking are our hearts with the Disciples to flee from Christ when he is carried to the Crosse We would receive good from Christ but not evil whereas if thou doest consider it thou shalt find the earthly and the worldly man is more afflicted and troubled in getting the things of the world then thou in obtaining of Heaven and what a shame is it that they shall be more patient and enduring for these worldly goods then thou art for heavenly Doth not the earthly man say to his gold what shall separate us from the love of it Doth he not say for the love of thee I am killed all the day long This is the golden Image that every one fals down and worships Oh then shame thy self saying How much can these suffer How much can these bear and for that which will damn them at last But my carnal fearfull heart is afraid to suffer for Christ who will give me eternal glory Shall the Devil have his martyrs the world its sufferers and shall not Christ have such as will leave all to have all by him again SERM. LIX The Ministers of the Gospel find much opposition from the carnal and worldly Professors Who are these carnal and worldly Professors 2 COR. 1. 8. Of our trouble which came to us in Asia THe next thing considerable in the Text is the description of that tribulation which did fall upon the Apostle which was so necessary and usefull to be known In which we have 1. The Nature of this exercise expressed in the name it hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. There is the place where in Afia 3. There is the aggravation of it Of which in its time The exercise it self is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beza in Annotat. in Cor. cap. 13. saith this word is properly rendred affliction not tribulation for that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rather than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hence he sheweth out of Tully that Affligo is properly to throw a thing to the ground so as to presse it down and therfore is the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word then signifieth not an ordinary trouble but such as doth most strictly constringe and bind pressing a man to the ground and this he saith did come upon him in Asia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not that it came by chance or fortune or by the meer malice and power of men no it came by the special appointment of God in much wisdome and mercy thereby propagating the Gospel For afflictions are so many arrows delivered out of Gods quiver which are sure to hit the mark they are destined unto Here is no more difficulty in the words only Expositors question What this trouble was he met with in Asia Where may we find any thing about the particulars of it Cajetan on the place acknowledgeth That concerning this trouble in Asia he could read nothing in any Book that was authentick yet it seemeth not to referre generally to all the troubles he met with in publishing of the Gospel but to some eminent singular one and therefore he saith the trouble not troubles in the plural number Some learned men therefore referre this to those passages mentioned in the former Epistle to the Corinthians 1 Cor.
Gods promise to doe such things for us yet if he had not the supreame power to order and worke all things when he pleaseth but were subordinate to some higher power then we could not trust in him Hence we justly charge the Papists with Idolatry for trusting in the Virgin Mary whom they call their hope in prayer as also in the other Saints For although they would elude by a distinction of trusting in one as the primary efficient cause and in one as a secondary and instrumental cause in which latter sense they onely trust in the Saints as they would perswade us yet that is against the very nature of divine trust which must have for its object onely that which is supreame and omnipotent So that unlesse they will distinguish of a primary God and a secondary God they cannot so distinguish about trusting in the same manner Even as it is with the other act of faith as it giveth a divine assent to any truth The Schoolmen generally say That the Ratio formalis fidei is Revelatio Divina and Suprema veritas So that we cannot with a Divine Faith believe upon any thing but a Divine Testimony Thus it is in this other act of faith which we call trusting It must be a Divine Promise a Divine Power else we cannot put this holy and divine trust in it As therefore the Psalmist said Some put their trust in their horses some in chariots but we will trust in the Name of the Lord Psal 20. 7. Thus let us Some trust in Angels some in Saints some in great men in wise men but we will trust in the Lord. From hence also it is that we do clearly confute the Socinian who denieth the Eternal Deity of Christ For if Christ were not God if he were onely the best of creatures yet as a creature it would be unlawfull to trust in him we should be guilty of great Idolatry to put confidence in him Now it is plainly a duty to trust in Christ as well as in God the Father Romans 15. 12. Though the root of Jesse yet in him shall the Gentiles trust and that is because he is not a meer man but God as well as man Ephesians 1. 12. So they are called The first fruits of Achaia who first trusted in Christ This then is a plain demonstration of the Godhead of Christ because it is our duty to trust in him You see by all these glorious properties in God which are the full reason of our trusting in him that it is not lawfull under any nice and subtil distinctions whatsoever to put our trust any where but in the Lord. Secondly As God is the object in whom we trust So the matter for which we are to trust in him is all the good things we want There is not any one mercy whether for soul or body but we are to trust in God alone for it Now the good things we want empty themselves in two streames The spiritual mercies and the temporal mercies and we are to trust in God for all these There is not a crumme of bread or a drop of drinke but we are to trust and depend on God for it We are not to trust in our labour in our barne and store but are to lie in prayer at the throne of grace every day as Lazarus did at Dives his gate even for a crum of spiritual mercies and they are of many sorts 1. That which is the ultimate and last end of all grace and holinesse here which is Eternal Life and Everlasting Glory The trusting in God for this is that which should keep up our hearts in all the streights we are to meet with 1 Corinth 15. If we had hope onely in this life saith the Apostle we were of all men most miserable So Titus 1. 2. and 3. 7. there is the hope of eternal life The trusting by faith and by hope are of so near union that one may well be brought to confirme the other Now let a Christian be frequently putting forth these vigorous trustings in Christ for everlasting glory what heavenly joyfull and undaunted resolutions will it work in him 2. There are mercies that are the meanes to lead to this end such as Justification and Sanctification of our natures daily remission of sinnes and a daily preservation in the state of grace that we may never fall away For these things we are certainly to trust for at Gods hand We have Gods promise for these things and who dare question whether God be thus able to keep us to salvation or no Thus remission of sinne is by faith in his blood Rom. 3. Yea the life of a godly man as to his spirituals and supernaturals is wholly in this trusting Thus the just you heard liveth by his faith And Paul professeth aloud That the life he did live Galat. 2. 20. though in the flesh was by faith in the Sonne of God Oh that this spiritual truth were received and digested more by the godly Doe you not look more into your selves then up to God Doe you not more live in the thoughts of your owne graces than of Gods promises Truly the right improving of this Doctrine about trusting in God it would be like Solomon's North-winde to blow away the rain to dispell all sinfull sorrow SERM. LXXII What is required in our trusting in God ex parte subjecti And of the excellency of this grace 2 COR. 1. 9. But in the Lord. WE are treating of this choice and necessary duty of trusting in God and severall things have been spoken to acquaint us with the nature thereof we proceed therefore and as we have told you what is required ex parte objecti to cause this trusting in the Lord from the next place let us declare what is ex parte objecti necessary to this duty And for the explicating of that there are these things concurrent to our trusting in the Lord. 1. There must be a serious and powerfull apprehension of our own inability yea and of the weakness of all Creatures to help us or to do good to us for till this foundation be laid that all power wisedome righteousness and whatsoever the Creature can affoard is but a shadow a reed that can do no good at all it is impossible that we should trust in the Lord. So that by this we may see the difficulty and rarity of this grace for how hard a matter is it thus to be affected about all the meanes that are in the world about all the Creatures we do injoy to look upon them but as those Instruments of Musick which cannot sound any longer then they are blown into How difficult to possess our soules with this principle to look upon thy self and all Creatures no otherwise then the poore creple that lay by the Poole side that could not at all help or move it self That do behold all things as Sarahs dead wombe or Ezekiels dry bones unless the Lord quicken and give
Nathan came to declare the good purpose of God towards him in raising up him and his posterity to glory see how humbly and in a self-emptied manner he addressed himself to God Who am I and what is my house that thou hast brought me hitherto As if he should say Oh Lord what am I and my family the meanest and most unworthy and wilt thou doe this to me Yea as if this were a small thing thou hast spoken of thy servants house for a great while to come and hast regarded me after the estate of a man of high degree What can David speake more Yea as it is 1 Sam. 7. he saith Is this the manner of men O Lord God implying that onely God vouchsafeth mercy to such as are unworthy As then he who would build high must lay a deep foundation So he that would exalt God on high must lay himselfe low And if it be thus for temporal mercies we are not worthy of a crumme of bread and though with Dives we should begg for a drop of water it might be denied us Then how much more in spiritual mercies if God bestow them upon us Shall not our affections be greatly kindled in blessing of God Take that fountain of all mercies the giving of the Lord Christ to believers to worke out their salvation by being made a curse for them How diligent is the Scripture to put an account as it were upon every passage therein That it should be as impossible for a believer to thinke of this love of the Father to us and not be ravished with it as for a man to carry hot coales in his bosome and they not burn him For the Scripture aggravateth it from the person who died for us even the onely begotten Sonne of God John 3. 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Sonne He so loved it if God would have denied any thing to mankinde it would have been this who would not think that he should rather suffer all men to be damned then to give up his Sonne to death And yet what astonishing love is here Dared a poor sinner of himself ever thought to have begged such a thing at Gods hand Rom. 8. 32. He spared not his owne Sonne Certainly thy heart may be amazed more than the Queene of Shebaes in seeing of Solomon's glory in meditating on this God to give his own Sonne his onely begotten Sonne his Sonne out of his bosome all which are aggravating circumstances If all the parts of the body if all the haires of thy head were turned into tongues could they speak enough of this goodnesse of God As God said to Abraham Now I know thou lovest me because thou hast not withholden thy onely sonne from me How much more may we conclude from Gods giving his Sonne to us As the Scripture aggravateth it thus from the quality of the person so also from the quality of those for whom Christ was thus given and that is for enemies and adversaries And here is an aggravating circumstance to enflame thy heart Rom. 5. 6. When we were without strength when we were enemies To die for righteous men to die for godly men would not have been such an aggravation but for sinners and enemies this is wonderfull Here then is another coale from the Altar to warme thy heart with when thou wouldest blesse God for Christ againe The Scripture to aggravate this mercy doth consider to what end he is given for us that is To die for us to die an ignominious death to be made accursed for us to bear the punishment of our sinnes upon himselfe This also doth deeply sinke into the heart This is like oyle to the Chariot wheeles of the soul This is like the Spirit in Ezekiel's wheele Thy heart cannot be quiet but it will exceedingly dilate it self in blessing of God for him That whereas he who would be our Saviour must purchase our salvation at so deare a rate yet he doth willingly make his soul an offering for our sinnes Lastly The Scripture aggravateth this comparatively That Christ did not take upon him the nature of Angels Heb. 2. 16. He did not so love them he died not for those Apostate Angels who yet were more glorious creatures than man and if redeemed would have brought God more glory but it was for sinfull wretched and weak man But this mercy of God in Christ can never be comprehended in the depth breadth and length thereof it being like Ezekiel's waters that will ascend higher and higher even till it covers our head We may instance in a second spiritual mercy viz. of Conversion or Effectual Calling us out of the damned world Oh the soul can never be affected with this How much doth it delight to speak of his owne vilenesse and unworthinesse once that so the riches of Gods grace in calling of us may be the more exalted We see it in Paul 1 Tim. 1. 13 15. how willing he is to speak what a blasphemous persecutour he had once been even the greatest and chiefest of sinners and therefore in him the grace of God was manifested even for the ages to come To this purpose also 1 Corinth 15. 8 9 10. he speaketh debasing himself That he was not meet to be called an Apostle because he persecuted the Church of God This discriminating and differing grace of God whereby God chooseth thee a poor contemptible worme and passeth by others many in the same Towne in the same family of the same profession yet converting grace layeth hold on thee and not on another As our Saviour said There were many widowes at that time besides she of Sarepta yet the Prophet was sent to her alone This comparative worke of grace passing by others and taking thee when if God would have regarded Externals or Internals there were richer there were more learned there were lesse vicious must for ever enlarge the soule yea so astonish her that she will cry out What shall I say to these things A third Aggravation of Gods mercy that the people of God take notice of is From the time and season that God doth it In the fullnesse of time God sent his Sonne And the Wiseman saith God doth every thing beautifull in its season To have mercy out of its due time is to give bread instead of stones It is like good Physick but not administred in its proper season Now the observing Christian who loveth to seek out the workes of God towards him and studieth all Gods dispensations towards him doth in this respect finde out infinite matter of praising of God that the Lord should put off to helpe so long that he should let Lazarus die and be buried all this is to make the soule affected with the seasonable timing of a mercy To have a mercy in its season maketh it a double mercy Onely you must remember that Gods seasons and fit opportunities are not alwayes well discerned by us We are ready to thinke
the discriminating mercy of God he killeth and maketh alive he maketh poor and maketh rich So that all these things are distributed according to the wisdome and pleasure of God If so how then cometh it about that thou escapest such a misery and another doth not Afflictions rise not out of the dust neither doth preferment and honour God then giveth a cup of gladness and joy or a cup of gall and wormwood to drink off Now then look about thee and behold how many sit in darkness and have no light how many are bereaved of senses of their understandings and of all comforts even brought to be like Dives in hell asking for a drop of water and cannot obtain it but it is light in thy Goshen while darknesse with others Doth not this preventing mercy melt thy soul Art thou not made of brasse and iron if thy preservation from the miseries of others especially the damnable and sinfull wayes do not exceedingly move thee How canst thou carry such live coales in thy bosome as these thoughts are and not be wholly inflamed with them 3. Acknowledge this likewise That whatsoever God in justice might inflict upon thee and yet doth not therein is also preventing mercy It may amaze us to consider what objects of wrath and examples of Gods vengeance there have been in the world Cain was in the beginning of the world God made him like an Anatomy-lecture for all succeeding evil men to beware of his impieties Pharaoh also God saith of him For this cause have I raised thee up or as some contend I have kept thee alive in the midst of those many judgements that destroyed round about him Rom. 9. 17. Exod. 9. 16. Now let any thankfull godly heart meditate on these Histories Consider these examples Why wast not thou a Cain thou a Pharaoh Why should not God make thee an example of his wrath to be a pillar of salt to season others as well as others are to thee Oh the depths of this preventing mercy how incomprehensible and unsearchable are they Must not this astonish thee to think that whatsoever God in the way of wrath hath done to any man in the world the same God might have done to thee and no more have wronged thee than he did them Account this therefore upon the riches of his mercy that these things have not come upon thee Look upon all such mercies as priviledges and exemptions God doth otherwise with thee than many others he punisheth their sins he animadverteth their iniquities they are howling under his anger and thou art preserved It is true God is no accepter of persons and therefore Cain cannot expostulate with God why he did not make him Abel nor can Pharaoh complain of God because he was not David nor yet can Judas find fault with the Lord because he was not Peter because as Aquinas observeth well in things of meer bounty and liberality there cannot be any accepting of persons seeing that if no munificence to any at all were extended there was no cause of grievance And thus it is wholly with God he is no debtor nor obliged in any way of justice to man and therefore if he do what he pleaseth with his own Shall thy eye be evil because he is good So that God must needs be justified by these different dispensations onely thou whom the Lord doth thus spare and exempt from his way of wrath look upon it as so much mercy as if God had said to the damned in hell as he did to Lazarus in the grave Come forth 4. Not onely whatsoever God doth in a way of justice but also in a providential way which we call chance bring upon others and not upon thee this also is a preventing mercy We reade that if a man were cutting a tree and the Axes head fall off and kill another it is said The Lord delivered that man into his hand Exod. 21. 13. compared with Deut. 13. 19. Although to man there be such a thing as contingency and casualty such sad things fall out many times that no wisdom of man could fore-see yet in respect both of Gods knowledge and providence no thing is uncertain to God and therefore those casual things are as much under Gods providence as necessary things What can be more inconsiderable than an hair Yet not one of these fals from the head without Gods will This being so let a godly man but think with himself How many casual murders how many sudden and unexpected deaths have many met withall in the world What sad changes have been made in families in relations by some accidents that were never thought of yea it may be the like never fall out again Now then cast up thy accounts ô child of God see how much is owing to God in this very particular Count every such preventing mercy as much as a positive one 5. Whatsoever the frailty imbecillity and weaknesse of man would cast him into yet God keepeth thee from know this is a preventing mercy Man is such a poor infirm creature so many things are requisite to keep up life that we may wonder every man who goeth from home alive is not brought home dead at night How is it that this candle under so many puffs of wind is not extinguished How cometh this spark of fire to be kept in a sea of water So that thou mayest justly account every dayes life a resurrection from the dead Had man no other keeper or preserver than himself both in temporals and spirituals every moment he would die both in soul and body Say then O Lord my heart is affected my soul suffers violence within me If I had the tongue of men and Angels I could not exalt thy mercy according to the nature of it I look upon my self as brought out of the grave yea brought out of hell many times a day The Papists have an opinion about the Virgin Mary That she was borne in no original sinne nor ever committed any actual sinne and therefore say they when she called Christ her Redeemer that is by way of preservation not that she was actually redeemed from sinne but would necessarily have been if Christ had not preserved her This is an absurd and a foolish opinion Onely in the general we may say That Christ as he is a Redeemer to his people by actual deliverance so also by preservation Christ is a Saviour in that he preserveth thee from the sinnes thou wouldest have committed as well as those thou hast committed Yea all those iniquities thy heart thy temptations would have carried thee unto if God had not prevented thou art to blesse God for as well as the pardon of those sinnes actually committed by thee Fill thy soul therefore with the meditation of these things Say Lord what I am is a mercy what I am not is a mercy The removing of evil is a mercy the keeping of it off is likewise a mercy SERM. LXXVI Of the Necessity of Gods
his deare Son You see what the condition of every man is till converted it is said to be under the power of darkness How unspeakeable is the misery of all unregenerate men who are thus the Devils prisoners bound hand and foot that they are not able to shake off any one sinne they are accustomed unto neither are they willing to be delivered They do not mourne and groane after a Redeemer how inlarged therefore should the heart of a godly man be when he shall see himself thus delivered the time was I could not give over my loose and wanton wayes I could not part from my prophane and wicked Companions the time was I hated such as feared God I could not indure any holy strictness any family-duties The time was when the cares of the world did lord it over me so that neither praying or hearing or any holy Ordinances had any influence upon me being so greatly inslaved to those earthly thing but now blessed be God the snare is broken and my soul like a Bird is escaped I can now run with delight in the wayes of God Oh how blessed a deliverance is this to be saved from thy former impieties to be delivered out of thy old blindness and wickedness Seest thou not in what miserable bondage many persons are intangled in by their lust They have some convictions some terrors upon their conscience they cry out oh that they could never fall into such sinnes again and yet upon every temptation hideously relapse again Augustine before his full conversion to God complained of this captivity exceedingly If therefore God hath delivered thee from thy former unregenerate estate if he have made thee a new Creature then know the goodness of God towards thee is more then ever can be comprehended by thee It cannot enter into thy heart to conceive of the fullness thereof But because this deliverance is not compleate and perfect in this life as appeareth Rom. 7. where Paul complaineth of a captivity still he was plunged into he breaketh out at last into that affectionate expression Who will deliver me from the body of this death Oh how blessed and happy will that day be when thou shalt have no more thornes in thy side or rather in thy heart no more Jebusite to disquiet thee but all sinne with the effects thereof shall be wholly dryed up 3. There is a spirituall deliverance in respect of the continuall temptations we meet with in this world to draw us to sinne and to make us turne the back upon God That we may alwayes have Gods protection herein we are taught to pray even as often as for our daily bread that he would deliver us from evi'l Luke 11. 4. and herein the Lord doth vouchsafe more daily deliverance to us then we can possibly apprehend Every condition every mercy every affiction would be a temptation to us to allure us to sinne did not the Lord daily deliver What is it that keepeth thee from the Apostacy of others and so from the wounds and gashes of Conscience which usually fall thereupon but the meer delivering mercy of God Thus you see in how many particulars God doth deliver his people but as the Doctrine is It is not enough for God to deliver once unless he doth it daily continually never withdrawing his arme from under us and the grounds of the necessity of continued mercy are these 1. Because of our utter inability and impotency to continue the same to our selves If the Lord doth bestow such and such deliverances on us leaving us afterwards to our selves that we by our own wisdome and power should preserve our selves Alas This would immediately prove a ruine to us for we can no more continue the deliverance then we could procure it at first he that hath delivered must be the same that doth deliver It s not God that hath delivered and then we who do deliver Humble thy self therefore thankfully under all Gods mercifull dispensations towards thee say O Lord I depend on thee for daily bread for daily grace for daily pardon for daily preservation The same infinite power and wisdome is required to uphold thy mercy as was at first to bring it to thee 2. This continuance of mercy is requisite not only from our naturall imbecillity but also our morall unworthiness So that though the Lord hath delivered once and twice yet we are apt to be so unthankfull and forgetfull that the Lord may deliver no more Oh how often do we forfeit the good mercies that God vouchsafeth us how often have we provoked him to take away his good gifts from us but it is his mercy it is his goodness to continue them unto us Every day thou dost enough to make God take away all he had bestowed upon thee Even as when he had made man who revolted from him and was plunged into obstinate wickedness it is said Gen. 6. It repented him that he made man and it grieved him at the heart an expression to humane capacity to shew how unworthy a Subject man was now become of all that love God had shown to him and maist thou not feare when thou lookest upon thy own barrenness and unworthy dealings with God that God doth repent that ever he thus honoured thee that ever he thus blessed thee that ever he vouchsafed such grace to thee and so take all from thee Take Saul for an instance how many personall favours did the Lord bestow on him but at last God quite forsooke him because of his Hypocrisie ane Rebellion If therefore we consider how forgetfully and wretchedly we walk under Gods mercy we may evidently see that if the goodness of God did not continue them as well as at first bestow them we should quickly be stript of all How many not persons only but Churches for want of the continuance of Gods mercies are of Gardens become a very Wilderness Is God to the Nation of the Jewes as to the Churches of Asia as he was once so that the demerit which is upon us after mercies received our not improving of them for God may provoke God after the good he hath done for us to bring all evill upon us 3. It is necessary the Lord should continue mercies and deliverances as well as at first vouchsafe them to us because our dangers our temptations continue They that renew their disease daily must also renew their Physick They that fall daily need to be raised daily Iterated troubles need iterated deliverances It is true there are some mercies that cannot be iterated any more the benefits of them may but not the mercies themselves Thus the Creation of the world was at first and it would be absurd to pray that God would create it So the Incarnation of Christ this was once done that it cannot be done any more Gods Predestination likewise of his people was from all eternity neither can it be iterated But then there are other mercies which are duely to be
such a trouble that came in with so seasonable a deliverance and when thou knowest his name thus wilt thou not trust in him 3. It is a speciall way to keep the heart in a serene and quiet frame to exercise trust in God for the future Not only to bless God for the mercies we have and do enjoy but also as confidently and securely to trust in God for all future things that shall befall us as if we did for the present enjoy what we could desire We shall find that for want of this trusting in God for the future all our anxieties and disquietness doth arise We do continually create unto our selves constant molestations of spirit because we make suppositions about the future What if I should be brought into such a condition What if such a sad estate should befall me What if I be left unto such a temptation Thus constant conflicts about what is to come taketh off all joy and thankfullness for what we have for the present Therefore it is a speciall duty in the Children of God to be acting dependently upon God for the future as well as for the present Our Saviour Mat. 6. 25. doth by severall choise and precious Arguments indeavour to conquer that ill temper in his Disciples who were so sollicitous what would befall them to morrow how they should be cloathed hereafter how they should live hereafter Therefore the Child of God is to live with as much joy and contentation in respect of future things as if they were present And this is the reason why the promises in Scripture are sometimes expressed in the past tense and sometime in the present because we are also as much assured of every good thing promised as if we had it already in our hands 4. The good things we are to trust in the Lord for as future are both spirituall and temporall things Though Paul speakes here and David many times in his Psalmes of trusting in God for temporall mercies yet the most noble and excellent objects of our confidence is to be eternall glory or the injoying of God in that state of blessedness Hence it is that God is sometimes and everlasting glory is sometimes called our hope because in the expectation of these things the soul is daily supported and certainly if the Husbandman would not plow but in hope neither would a believer indure all those sufferings and afflictions for Christs sake but for this hope This trusting to have that unspeakable joy hereafter and to be for ever with God should be put forth more vigorously by us And we should find it excellently usefull to weane us from the world and to make us part with our dearest comforts for Christs sake yea as was hinted before we are to trust in God for these temporall things only as they are conducible thereby because God hath promised them no further and so farre they are absolutely promised insomuch that we may no more distrust God about temporall things so farre as necessary to our salvation then we may of spirituall and gracious things which may detect the Hypocrisie of our hearts whereby we please our selves as if we trusted on Christ for our justification and the salvation of our soules when in the mean while we distrust him about a morsell of bread or a drop of water Only it may be doubted how Paul and any godly man can trust in the Lord for the future about temporall mercies seeing that the godly may many times be without them and if Paul be delivered once by God it dothnot follow he must be delivered every time for then he could not have suffered Martyrdome as he did at last And why might not John the Baptist and James have trusted in the Lord to be delivered Which if they had done it had been a false trusting To this some say that we are as absolutely bound to trust in God for every temporall mercy as we are for any spirituall and that it is meerly for want of faith or trusting in God if we have not all the temporall deliverances we stand in need of If a man dye of the Plague they will say it is for want of faith in God but although no doubt the People of God are greatly to be blamed for their diffidence and for want of trusting in God they loose many outward mercies yet because temporall things are not so absolutely promised as spirituall therefore there cannot be such an absolute trusting for them Others they say that we are to trust in Gon conditionally To rest upon him for this and that mercy with this condition if God will But those that say we are absolutely to pray for temporall things these must also conclude that we are to trust in God for them absolutely likewise and therefore such do not like that expression by way of condition when we pray for these outward mercies They like not this expression in prayer Father if it be thy will recover such an one that is sick They think this is not a Prayer because from a conditionall supposition no certain thing is inferred Others therefore they conclude we are to pray absolutely for temporall things and by consequence we may also add to trust for them only there ought to be a submission in our spirits that if God give us not our requests we yield our selves up to his holy and wise will Thus with them though we may not pray with condition yet we ought with subordination and happily they that speak of this condition mean no more then subordination There is then a difference about trusting in God concerning spirituall and temporall things eternall glory absolutely and such a measure of grace as will beare us through all temptations that we shall not totally and finally be overcome by them temporall things with subordination yet so farre also absolutely ab out them that no good thing shall be withheld from us so that we may with Paul Rom. 8. in an holy triumph profess That neither life nor death neither things present or things to come shall separate us from the love of God in Christ SERM. LXXVIII Of Motives to trust in God and the Opposites to it Presumption and Despair 2 COR. 1. 10. In whom we trust he will yet deliver EXperiences of Gods mercies that are past you heard may justly excourage us to trust in God for the future Now although much hath been said concerning this necessary grace of trusting with the object in which and for which yet some particulars are to be added for further explication As First There are some peculiar and proper motives to trust in God which were the personal priviledges of some believers onely and there are general common ones which do belong to all the godly As for example when David in that place mentioned before argued that God who had delivered from the Bear and Lion would also from that uncircumcised Philistim We may very well conclude that David in that
that is not probable It is then for that deliverance vouchsafed to Paul that they are to be thankfull and the reason is clear because mercies vouchsafed to Paul were their mercies also From whence observe That the mercies vouchsafed to the pastors and guides of the Church are to be accounted the Churches mercies What advantage comes to the shepherd it redounds to the sheep The rain that fals upon the mountains descendeth to the benefit of the valleys Your life your comfort is bound up in theirs Paul indeed said We live if you stand fast It was his comfort his life to see them preserved from Apostasie by persecution 1 Thess 3. 8. And on the contrary the Church may say of her guides We stand fast if you live As mercies to the publick Magistrates are to be accounted the peoples mercies so the mercies of Church-officers are to be reckoned the Churches If the Pilotes be in danger it can never be well with the ship When Elijah was taken away the cry was The chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof So great a mercy was one Prophet accounted to be We have a notable instance of the holy care of the Philippians about their Pastor Epaphroditus Phil. 2. 26 27. when he was sick unto death how heavily did they lay it to heart Insomuch that Epaphroditus was exceedingly grieved that they had heard of his being sick he knew it would so greatly afflict them Yea Paul accounted it a mercy to him also that God did heal him For though Paul did recover many out of their diseases yet this gift was not when they pleased and it was least of all extended to those that were of their intimate acquaintance but rather to such as were brought to them that so the truth of their miracles might be more manifested Use of Instruction How happy and blessed a thing it is when people are able to do their duty herein To look upon all the favours and good providences of God to the Ministers of the Gospel as their own mercies their health encouragements preservations as their owne but how bitterly doth Satan fill the hearts of some men who out of love to their lusts and their errours look upon their godly guides as the greatest burthens and would heartily rejoyce in any evil that should befall them This is clean contrary to those gracious loving and indeared affections which ought to be in people to their spiritual shepherds SERM. LXXXIV Of our Glorying and Rejoycing in our Gifts and Graces Why and how it is lawfull and how not 2 COR. 1. 12. For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world and more abundantly to you-wards THis verse as appeareth by the raciocinative particular or note of inference For is brought in as a reason of something which went before But Interpreters do differ about the coherence thereof Some make this to be a reason of that hope and trust he formerly spake of which he had in God Though he did trust in Gods mercies yet not in them alone but in his own endeavours also Hence Aquinas from this saith That hope doth arise from the mercy of God and mans merits But this doth not consist with Scripture Others do make it part of his Apologetical Narration defending himself as against that crime of inconstancy and levity which was cast upon him because of his promise to come to them which yet he did not and therefore they think these words look backward and not forward Calvin and others which is most probable referre it to the words immediately preceding viz. their prayers and praises to God in his behalf This is given as a reason why they should be thus tender about him because he had obtained grace to be faithfull he had not sought himself or his own glory he had not walked in hypocrisie and fraud but had been kept by the grace of God in all sincerity in his conversation in the world not only at Corinth but every where else Now it is a great motive and encouragement to pray for such The Apostle useth this argument Heb. 13. 18. Pray for us for we trust we have a good conscience in all things The connexion then being thus discovered we come to the Text absolutely considered and therein we may consider 1. The ground and reason it self 2. That which is affirmed and predicated of it And this is set down in the fore-part of the verse and therefore we shall begin with it The words are This is our rejoycing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is rendred by most our glory or our boasting The Apostle doth very often use the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it seemeth to come of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the neck and so is a metaphore signifying for the most part pride and loftinesse taken from horses whose pride will be discovered by their neck and therefore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or as Homer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So that for the most part it is taken in an ill sense Hence Hesychius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and with Budaeus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a proud boaster and bragger but with Paul it is used sometimes in a good sense as here For the word is used in a three-fold sense gradual to one another 1. To rest and relie upon a thing 2. From thence to rejoyce and to be glad in it 3. From thence to declare and publish this with boasting Now though Paul did not put confidence and trust in his good and sincere conscience yet from the perceiving of that he did rejoyce Whereas then we see Paul rejoycing and glorying from the testimony and evidence of that grace he had in him We may observe That an holy glorying and rejoycing in the graces of God we perceive in us is allowed and lawfull I say an holy glorying for the heart may quickly degenerate into a proud sinfull boasting Therefore this truth must be warily bounded So that the dejected and tempted soul may be quickned to its duty of comfort and not to deny the work of grace that it may feel and the proud pharisaical spirit may be debased The valley must be exalted and the mountain made low It is true indeed we have the Scripture saying Let him that glorieth glory in the Lord. Let not the wise man glory in his wisdome 1 Cor. 1. 31 And if Abraham had not wherewith to glory who can have Yea the Apostle saith expresly Rom. 3. 27. That glorying is excluded by the law of faith But in what sense this is to be understood will appear when we come to manifest how many wayes it is not lawfull to glory or to rejoyce no not in our gifts and graces Only this Text maketh it plain that in some sense our graces may be matter
to charge it upon all other Ministers as if they were all alike It was for this that Paul doth not only apologize for himself but his Associates also But how unreasonable is this grant that some were truly blame-worthy must all be so If in the Old Testament there were many false prophets that daubed with untempered mortar that cried peace peace to sinners when destruction was at hand shall we therefore condemn the good Prophets who reproved even the greatest and most mighty for their sins Because Judas was a thief and for filthy lucre sake betrayed Christ shall we condemn all the Apostles making them to be no better Must Sylvanus and Timotheus be accused Because they thought Paul was inconstant and light yet thus it falleth out continually and that from these Grounds First The policy and enmity of false teachers who like Haman think it a small matter to destroy one Mordecai unlesse they root out the whole race of the Jews Thus the false Apostles concluded Though Paul was disgraced and vilified yet if Sylvanus and Timotheus be in esteem and authority our Kingdom will fall to the ground It is therefore the adversaries design to cast dung in the faces of all the faithfull Ministers of Christ that so there might not one be left that should be usefull in their place A second Ground is From the injudiciousnesse and indiscretion of people who are credulous and apt to believe all rumours and reports How could it be that the Pharisees by their calumniating Christ as an Impostor and a Blasphemer should prevail with the greater part of the people to be on their side because they were blinde and led by the blinde they would not make use of their own judgement they would not examine and try whether things were so or no. And then the third Ground is From the natural enmity that is in all wicked men to the Office of the Ministry when faithfully discharged That is a burden to them they must needs say with Ahab to such faithfull Michaiahs We hate him because he alwayes prophesieth evil Alas godly Ministers cannot give any comfort cannot promise peace to such ungodly persons therefore they have hatred against them and are glad to receive any false report concerning them Ministers are compared to Light and to salt now the Light must needs be offensive to distempered eyes and Salt to soars Thus if the Ministery be powerfull to enlighten to convince to reprove no ungodly man can endure this Therefore it is that the office of the Ministery when faithfully managed is so great a trouble to wicked men They are thievs therefore cannot endure this light they cry out with Ahab hast thou found mee O my enemy Every Sermon that is powerfull is as bitter as gall and wormwood to them and therefore there being such an enmity and ill-will against them it is no wonder if they be quickly prejudiced and will not believe there is a godly or faithfull Minister in the whole Church of God But I hasten to the Last Observation and that is It is a most blessed and happy thing when all the Ministers of God agree with one consent to advance Christ As Luke calleth it chap. 1. The mouth of all the holy Prophets which have been since the beginning of the world It was but one mouth as it were They all agreed in the same Doctrine Paul and Sylvanus and Timotheus they all preach the same Christ they were not yea or nay This accord and agreement among the Ministers of the Gospel is of so great concernment that our Saviour in his valedictory prayer doth with much efficacy and vigor press this Petition That his Disciples may be one and one in the most near manner imaginable even as the father and son are one I shall not enlarge on this because heretofore much spoken off only I shall instance in some usefull Effects and consequences of this happy Agreement Only before I do that we have cause to take notice of the goodness of God and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 manifold wisdome of God whereby he hath provided many Offices many Officers for his Church and those variously gifted and all for the spiritual benefit of our soules some are Barnabasses some are Boanergeses Thus as the Kings Daughter is said to be cloathed with needle work of divers colours so hath God richly adorned his Church with variety of abilities that if men be not converted the greater will be their condemnation For whereas Auditors are of divers appetites some are for doctrinal Preaching some for affectionate some are for legal terrible Sermons others for sweet Evangelical discourses if Christ send Embassadours thus qualified every way what can they look for who are not by these several baits allured and taken For this cause we have Christ himself upbraiding the Jews that no kinde of heavenly way would please no kinde of dressing the Word of life was acceptable to their palates Matth. 11. 18. John came neither eating nor drinking and they say he hath a devil The son of man came eating and drinking and they say Behold a friend of publicans and sinners Hereupon he compareth them to children playing in the markets saying we have piped to you and ye have not danced we have mourned unto you and ye have not lamented Thus nothing would do any good to them Admire then Gods goodness that hath thus abundantly provided for thee Do not simply and enviously compare one Ministers gifts above another but adore the mercy of God that useth all the different abilities of men for the Churches good This premised we may from the harmony and Agreement of Ministers in advancing Christs Kingdom see First The greater Confirmation of the truth If out of the mouth of two or three witnesses then how much more out of the mouth of many thousand witnesses is every truth abundantly confirmed How canst thou give way to any atheistical thoughts whether there be a God or a day of Judgment or an heaven or an hell when thou shalt hear so many thousands of Gods servants in all ages witness to this thing All the Prophets and Apostles men renouned for holiness for miracles they all preached the same Doctrines that we do to you And therefore consider with thy self what a cloud of witnesses thou gainsayest by thy unbelief 2. The greater consent and harmony the greater defence there is for the truth The old rule is vis unita fortior Our Saviour confirmeth it when he saith A Kingdome divided against it self cannot stand What advantages do the enemies of Gods Church make by the Divisions and different Judgments of men in the Reformed Church The Papist doth confidently conclude that all will turn to them at last for say they you have so many Sects amongst you and one saith he hath the spirit of God and another he hath but all contrary to one another Now although it were easie to recriminate yet this difference
of God like Peters Angel doth break up all the strong bars of any prison we are in any difficulty we are afflicted with As Dalilah gathered Sampson loved her when he would manifest where his strength was so may we assure our selves of Gods love to us by revealing his promises oh if you bring the promises you binde the hands as it were of the Almighty he can do nothing against his promises when therefore any thoughts of Gods Majesty of Gods purity and holinesse may affright thee run to his promise and as the people of Israel when amazed under the terrible lightnings and thundrings at Gods presence in giving the Law cried out Let not God speak any more to us but Moses so do thou let not thy Majesty speak thy Justice speak thy Holinesse speak but thy Promise let that speak and we will hear Lastly The freenesse of Gods grace is made very glorious and resplendent in the promises of grace Free-grace is more than love or goodnesse and bounty for Adam while in the state of integrity had those but free-grace is only where a miserable and hopelesse sinner is Now to such an one belong only curses and threatnings when therefore in stead of a threatning like a roaring lion to devour thee thou meetest with a gracious promise to embrace thee this must needs rejoyce thy heart Go to the spring head of every promise and thou wilt finde it to be alone free-grace The Scripture useth these Arguments as equivalent to have a thing by grace to have it by a promise and to have it by faith for grace is the originall and fountain Promises are on Gods part the active and communicative means faith on our part is the receptive and applicative so that when we enjoy any mercy by Gods promise thereby is excluded all works and all boasting and thus God is altogether exalted and man debased Again if we come to the second particular there we shall see how that our Amen subscribed to the promises or our firm beleeving in them doth give glory to God and this is the more to be pressed because we are apt to have low thoughts of faith as we see in Popery where Charity is far preferred before it and withall to beleeve is accounted an easie thing Thus also the Papists charge us as if we made the way to heaven a broad way because we say they must beleeve that is the soul and life of all And further it is good to presse this because the people of God look upon faith as was hinted before only as their ease not as bringing any glory to God Hence though they never doubt whether they should repent of sinne or love God yet they do very much doubt about their duty of beleeving Now all this preposterousnesse ariseth from the want of consideration in this particular that Faith giveth glory to God as well as procureth mercies to our selves yea to beleeve in the promise is the great and signall eminent way of giving glory to God First because by beleeving in Gods promises we thereby proclaim our dependance upon him in all things that we live both spiritually and corporally upon him only so that faith in this consideration is the great duty of the first commandment That requireth us we should have no other Gods besides him Thus faith doth it taketh off from all supports of sence of second causes of all humane advancements and setleth us upon the promise of God alone Now must not this needs give glory to God when God alone is set up no creature no other help is looked upon This is that which maketh faith in the promises so difficult because it is so hard to be weaned from the breasts of the creature we know not how to swimme without these bladders Though we have ten thousand promises to support us yet one crosse providence doth more to unsettle us then all these promises to confirm and quiet us Some have observed that all the letters in the Name Jehovah are literae quiefcentes teaching us thereby to rest our souls alone upon him it may be that is too curious howsoever faith may be called the acquiescent or quietative grace therefore to beleeve in the promises is to give glory to God Secondly By beleeving in the promises we glorifie God because hereby we manifest him to be truth it self the supream and infallible truth Therefore the Scripture maketh the contrary to this a very hainous sinne highly dishonouring God as when it is said John 3. 33. He that receiveth the testimony of Christ which is by faith hath set to his seal that God is true Then on the contrary he that doth not receive it he setteth to his seal that God is a lyar Oh execrable blasphemy so much unbeleef is so much giving the lye to God and if this be so hainous a sinne then beleeving doth God as much honour And truly it must be unpardonable if we who do upon a mans promise rest our selves contented and never doubt of the performance especially when a just and honest man that we should not much rather rely upon God of whom the Scripture saith It is impossible he should lye Thirdly Herein doth beleeving in Gods promise so exceedingly glorifie God because it exalteth that Evangelicall way of our justification and salvation which God above all things purposed for his own glory The works of Creation are for the demonstration of Gods glory Whether we eat or drink we are to do all for the glory of God But the way of mans salvation is in a more signall and eminent manner ordered for Gods glory This is the mystery that hath astonished all the world This is that glorious truth which the Angels desire to search into more and more Now by faith this glory of God is published and acknowledged Take the despairing sinner look upon the damned in hell do they give God the glory of his grace and of his wisedom and mercy Do they with cordiall ravishments speak of the unsearchable riches of Gods grace in Christ No they cannot do it therefore the Beleever only is he who giveth God the glory due to him for all Gospel-wayes and all Evangelicall Priviledges Therefore hath God exalted Faith above all its fellow-graces because that above all graces doth give God the glory due to him Indeed in the state of Integrity their love of God had the preheminence as it shall also have in Heaven but in the state of grace there Faith hath the Excellency God hath taken off the royal Crown from that Vasthi and put it upon this Esther this despicable grace as it were and which hath no Pomp at all in it Only as it is said of Christ who being poor made many rich So this poor grace doth not onely enrich us but every way advanceth the Glory of God Insomuch that from the unbeleever God hath no more glory than if he had never sent his Sonne into the world No more
glory than if there were no promise no grace no mercy and pardon Let not then the People of God have low thoughts of Faith No thou dost more in beleeving and bâ—ingest more glory to God thereby than thou couldest do by all thy other obedience Shouldest thou mortifie sinne to thy desire Shouldest thou dye a Martyr for the Cause of God thou wouldest not so glorifie God as thou dost by beleeving I know this seemeth very Paradoxall to the humbled sinner I know he is difficultly perswaded that by trusting in God he doth thus glorifie God but if thou understandest the Scripture-way then thou wilt quickly see as to beleeve is the most difficult duty so it is the most consequentiall for Gods glory And indeed what have other Duties admirable in them that Faith it self in the Promise hath not in beleeving the understanding is mortified in beleeving the will is crucified in beleeving the Heart and Affections are martyred So that faith maketh a man to be offered up as an whole burnt-offering unto God Use of Instruction That the onely way to make a man live a joyfull life in himself and a glorifying life of God is by faith in the Promises This is that Faith by which a just man is said to live so that thy doubts thy fears thy unbeleeving thoughts these bring a dishonour to God these reproach the Gospel-way these obscure the honour of Christ Let then the godly soul take heed how it giveth way unto such temptations if your own consolation if the glory of God be dear unto you then bolt out unbeleef No wonder if the devil that is so great an enemy to the glory of God doth assault your souls most in this if he have broken down this part of the wall what legions of other sinnes may not he bring with them For this reason many Divines say Sola infidelit as damnat which is not to be understood as if other sinnes were not meritorious of damnation yea and did actually damn only that opposeth the Physician that would heal us that refuseth the atonement that is made for us Secondly As the Promises are thus to be improved for Gods glory by beleeving so also attend to another effect which the Scripture doth inferre from them and that is to cleanse our selves to be every day perfecting holinesse For so the Apostle notably exhorts us 2 Cor. 7. 1. Having these Promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of flesh and spirit Promises are no waies incentives to sinne or encouragements to evil works No but a strong antidote against them Neither is faith in them a light superficiall assent swimming upon the heart as a fowl in the water said Luther but as water calefied doth no more manifest its own coldnesse but the heat of the water so doth faith fermentate and leaven the whole soul of a man that humane things do not so much appear as divine things in him As the Apostle expresseth the energy of it when he said I no longer live but Christ in me and that life is by faith in the Son of God Gal. 2. 20. Thou then that sayest all thy trust is in the Promises thou hopest in them for mercy and pardon Are they cleansing Promises purifying Promises Do they perfect holinesse every day in thee through the fear of God SERM. CXXIX Our Settlement and establishment in the faith of the Promises is the gracious work of God alone 2 COR. 1. 21. Now he which establisheth us with you in Christ and hath anointed us is God THe Apostle having formerly spoken of his constancy and unchangeableness in the preaching of the Gospel lest this should be attributed to his own power he informeth them who is the fountain of this strength even God himself For the Apostle doth upon all occasions delight to exalt grace having experimentally found the mighty work of it upon his own soul Or we may make the coherence this The Apostle in the verse preceding spake of the certainty of Gods Promises in themselves they were in themselves Yea and Amen which is called certitudo objecti though some learned men think that it is not a proper expression Now in this Verse he cometh to the certitudo subjecti or to show whence it is that the children of God have this assured perswasion in their own hearts that they are true and constant whence it is that we are able to give our Amen as a note of confirmation to them and therefore in the words we may take notice of The blessed and happy Effect it self and that is 1. Confirmation he which stablisheth 2. The Subject of this us with you 3. The Object in whom in Christ 4. The efficient Cause of this is God 5. The Illustration of this Establishment by a threefold Similitude of anointing sealing and giving the earnest 6. By whom God doth this and that is by his Spirit as it followeth in the next verse So that in these two Verses is the proper seat of that excellent and precious Doctrine Which is The assuring and sealing of the Spirit of God that is given unto Believers But I begin with the First It is God that establisheth us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though we render it now yet some make it causal for he that stablisheth us c. and that seemeth more probable The Greek word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Varinus maketh the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if the Adjective 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 used by the Apostle 2 Pet. 1. 10. is made the same by Hesychius with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which cannot be shaken or altered this word is sometimes used of the Doctrine of Christ when that was confirmed and made sure by miracles or otherwise Mark 16. 20. Thus an oath is said to be the confirmation of the end of a strife Heb. 6. 16. or else of persons as here in the Text and Col. 2. 7. stablished in the Faith which being used passively denoteth that this strength and power we have cometh from God only That we of our selves are like reeds shaken with every winde It is the grace of God that maketh us pillars in his Church So that from the Text we may observe That our establishing and confirming in the faith of the promises is alone the gracious work of God Though the Promises be never so lovely and precious though never so profitable and necessary for us yet we are not able to rest our selves upon them but by the power of God strengthening us Our hearts do so quake and tremble with the consideration of our own sinnes and unworthiness that unless the Lord make it stedfast and immoveable we are tossed up and down like the leaves of a tree That it is God alone who doth thus preserve and confirm us is plain by that notable place 1 Pet. 5. 10. where the Apostle prayeth that God who had called them would make
worke consisteth in a great measure in comforting the afflicted 689 N Names THe prefixing of a Name is not a sufficient argument to prove the Authority of any Scripture 11 Note What things are necessary to make a Note 59 O Oath WHat an Oath is 659 660 661 VVhether words be necessary to an Oath 663 VVhether in faith and by faith be Oaths 665 Officers of the Church vid. Church-officers Ordinances Publick Ordinances usefull and acceptable 374 375 Reasons for it 375 376 377 Oyle The properties of material Oyle compared with spiritual 621 622 623 P Patience 'T Is Patience in sufferings that makes them conduce to our salvation 232 Patience commended by all 233 What goeth to the producing of it 234 235 Motives to Patience 236 237 238 239 Paul Why Saul called Paul 2 Paul's sins 3 His serviceablenesse 3 4 His learning 6 Of the Name Paul being prefixed before his Epistles 10 11 That argues them to be of Divine Authority 11 Why he styles himself an Apostle of Jesus Christ 31 Peace Peace from God and Christ earnestly to be prayed for 108 Wherein it consisteth how wrought and preserved 109 110 c. What are the effects of it 114 115 Directions for the attaining of it 116 People as related to Minister Vide Ministers Perseverance 'T is Perseverance that is the crown of holinesse 458 Hopefull beginnings in the wayes of Religion are not enough without Perseverance 459 Propositions clearing it 459 460 461 Prayer The most eminent in gifts and graces still need the Prayers of the meanest 359 Reasons of it 360 People ought to Pray for their Minister 361 362 363 Prayers to be made not only privately but publickly 375 Reasons of it 375 376 Praising It is our duty to Praise God for all his mercies 364 What is required to our Praising God 365 366 367 Motives to it 367 368 Vide Blessing Publick Praises vid. Publick Prayer Preaching Christ is the only object of our Preaching 557 When Christ is Preached 557 558 559 Presumption Signes of Presumption 350 351 Principles Two distinct Principles in every regenerate man 271 272 Of Principles in general 525 526 527 Of the Principles of a godly man 527 528 529 Principles of flesh vid. Flesh Professours Carnal Professours make great opposition to the Ministry 261 262 263 Who are they which Professe Religion meerly upon carnal ends 263 264 c. Promises God hath made many Promises to us in Christ 581 Propositions clearing it 581 582 583 584 Of the several sorts of Promises 585 586 Promises are the executions of Gods Decrees 587 No wicked man hath any right to the Promises ibid. The Promises suppose faith 588 God hath sealed them to us ibid. 'T is great skill to make use of the Promises 589 The Promises are all confirmed in Christ 591 Propositions clearing it 591 592 593 What a Christian should doe that doubts whether the Promises belong to him or no. 596 597 598 The Promises of God will never be altered 598 599 The Promises give glory to God both as made by him and as believed by us 600 601 Wherein the glory of God is manifested in his Promises 601 602 How faith in the Promises gives glory to him 602 603 Our establishment in the Promises is the work of Gâ—…lone 605 Propositions clearing it 606 607 Signs of our interest in the Promises 640 Prudence What is that holy Prudence that Ministers are to use in the exercise of their Ministerial power 678 679 Wherein it doth consist 680 681 R Raising WHat is implyed in Gods Raising from the dead 328 329 Rejoycing An holy Rejoycing and glorying in the graces of God lawfull 380 What is required to this holy Rejoycing 380 381 In what respect 't is lawfull 381 Wherein unlawfull 382 383 Religion Religion opposed by two sorts of people 262 Who are those who professe Religion onely upon carnal grounds 263 264 c. S Saints GOd of great sinners oft makes eminent Saints 2 Reasons for it 4 5 All that are of the Church are Saints by profession and ought to be so by conversation 83 Of the nature of real Saintship 86 87 89 Two motives to it 88 89 Saints ought to joyne themselves in a Church-way 91 Yet some reasons may excuse them 90 What those reasons are 91 92 What reasons are not justifiable 93 94 The soul of the poorest Saint not to be neglected 94 Salvation The Salvation of believers is promoted by their suffering for Christ 228 There is a two-fold Salvation temporal and spiritual 241 The Salvation of Gods people is furthered by all his dispensations 242 What this Salvation doth imply 242 243 Two sorts of dispensations whereby Salvation is promoted 244 Saviour Our Saviour how called Jesus Christ 1 24 26 How Christ is a Saviour 25 What kind of Saviour he is 26 Vide Jesus Saul Why Saul was called Paul 2 Scripture The Penmen of the holy Scriptures were instruments not the authors 12 We are to rest satisfied with the style and method of Scripture 12 The authority of Scripture not to be questioned 13. Four considerations whereby to arme our selves against the opposers of Scripture 13 14 Sealing The people of God are his Sealed ones 625 Propositions clearing it 625 626 What the Sealing of the godly implies 626 627 628 629 The description of the Sealing of Gods Spirit 632 633 634 c. Whether all the people of God be his Sealed ones 645 646 How this Sealing may be stopt 647 648 Self-confidence Vide Confidence Simplicity Godly Simplicity affords much comfort 404 Of the nature of Simplicity as it relateth to God 405 406 407 408 c. As it relateth to man 411 412 Sincerity How 't is called godly Sincerity 413 Godly Sincerity carries a man above all other things to God himself 414 What it is in God that a Sincere heart looks upon 415 416 Propositions discovering the nature and effects of godly Sincerity 418 419 420 Spirit How the Spirit witnesseth with our consciences 390 Spiritual Spiritual mercies to be desired before temporal 96 A natural man cannot desire Spiritual things ibid Onely the regenerate 97 What ars the qualifications which provoke the godly to esteem Spiritual favours before others ibid. The reasons of it 98 Gods Spiritual works upon his people are not only for their but also for others good 179 Two kinds of Spiritual gifts ibid. What are these Spiritual things whereby we may be seruiceable to others 180 181 Suffering What is implied in the Sufferings of Christ 196 197 What in the Sufferings of Christ abounding 197 The profession of Christ is accompanied with Sufferings sometimes excessive ibid. Propositions clearing it 198 199 200 What is required in our Suffering for Christ ex parate objecti 201 202 203 What ex parte subjecti 205 206 207 208 How Christ makes our comforts to abound in our Sufferings for him 210 The advantages of our Suffering for Christ 213 Our Sufferings for Christ are for the Churches good 218 219
things promised as when any are said to inherit the promise Heb. 6. 12. and sometimes for the promise it self The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used often in the New Testament whereas the Ancients did use the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more frequently for a promise though the Apostle Peter useth that also twice 2 Pet. 1. 4. 2 Pet. 3. 13. The theme of it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which cometh of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say some and for better pronunciation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But Eustathius maketh it to come of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 From this root we have the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the singular number and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 applyed to the Gospel Whereas among humane Authours the word is for the most part in the plurall number signifying both glad tidings and also the reward given to those that brought them but the Gospel doth only deserve this name of glad tidings and therefore the word is now appropriated unto that though sometimes it signifieth besides the good thing preached the very preaching it self as 1 Cor. 4. 15. and therefore when the Apostle speaketh of one whose praise is in the Gospel 2 Cor. 8. 18. the meaning is one whose praise was in preaching the Gospel and labouring therein not of the Gospel written by Evangelists for Evangelium and Evangelist in that sence as it signifieth the Gospel written or a writer of the Gospel is not used in the Scripture but came in afterwards by Ecclesiasticall use The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth in the generall to declare to denounce sometimes to accuse hence is that phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spoken of by Budeus but in Scripture use it is often taken more particularly for to promise Hence Hesychius and out of him Varinus rendreth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but this is enough for the word the thing itself hath much comfort and treasure in it and so observe That God hath made promises to his people all the promises of God in Christ are Amen This doctrine deserveth to be opened theologically as being the foundation of all our hope for on Gods promise only we can pleade as we see the godly often in their prayers urging that Not any thing of ours O Lord but meerly thy promise we do pleade before thee And 1. take notice That God might only have dealt with man by his absolute Soveraignty and dominion imposing only upon him commands to do his duty without adjoyning any promise of a reward especially such a reward as eternall happinesse and truly this maketh much as for our comfort so also for our humiliation under all the holy works we do For it is of Gods meer goodnesse that he hath promised glory to thy repentance to thy obedience after thou hast done all God might have annihilated thee neither would he have done thee any wrong if he did not put a crown of glory upon thee after thy holy life so that its gods great condescention to deal by way of promise with us and not by way of dominion and command alone as he might do he being our Creator and we his creatures Secondly The promises that God maketh to us are truly and properly promises They are more then simple and bare assertions of what good he will do to us We know amongst men there is a great difference between a bare affirmation what he will do and a promise for that addeth a new bond and obligation to a man for fullfilling his word Now some have thought that those passages which we call promises are not so properly and truly promises as meer insinuations and significations of Gods will and purpose what he will do Thus Durand expresseth himself lib. 2. dist 27. quest 2. because happily it may be thought that we attribute imperfection to God when we say that he promiseth properly for then thereby would accrue justice on mans part and a right or claim in him to the things promised hereby also the liberty of God would seem to be infringed as if he could not bestow his gifts any other way then he promised but these are no cogent reasons And seeing the Scripture doth so often call them promises and doth so constantly say God doth promise there is no reason why we should go from the proper signification of the word to an improper especially there being no imperfection in the act of promising For meerly as so that denoteth a dominion and power in him that promiseth and certainly if the actuall giving and collation of any good thing doth not declare any imperfection in God why should the promising of it do For when God hath bestowed any thing upon us that is not so alienated as it were but that still it is his and at his disposing to continue or takeaway as he pleaseth we therefore conclude that God doth truly and properly not in a metaphoricall sence make promises to his people Yet In the third place the reason of Gods promising is not as if that were to adde more confirmation to his simple affirmation but for condescension to confirm us against our unbeleef and diffidence Hence there is a vast difference between mans promise and Gods promise For the promise of a man doth adde a new tye and obligation to his word and so his word is made surer in it self as well as to those whom he promiseth but when God doth barely declare his will to do such good things for a beleever this hath truth enough yea so much that nothing can be added to make it truer only because we are apt to conceive of God after the manner of men it doth greatly conduce to strengthen our faith as well as his affirming word yea sometimes to his promise God is also pleased to adde his oath all which is not in respect of himself as if his word could be made truer but only to antidote the more strongly against that diffidence and distrust which is apt to rise up in our hearts This the Apostle notably considereth Heb. 6. 7. when he saith That God to declare the immutability of his counsell confirmed the promise by an oath so that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lye we might have a strong consolation It is not for his own sake that he promiseth yea that he sweareth but for our sakes that we might have not only consolation but strong consolation O beatos nos c. cryed Tertullian Oh happy us for whose sakes God doth thus swear but oh us wretched and miserable if we do not beleeve him thus confirming his promise so that the right understanding of Gods promise will make us see that it is not for his own sake but our sakes that he dealeth in a promise-way with us Hence in the 4th place The meer originall and rise of Gods promising any good to us is the bounty liberality and
free mercy of God The Apostate Angels have not the least promise of any good to them so that being without a promise they are in that respect altogether miserable but the Lord having a love to mankinde did freely and graciously make his promise of Christ and in him all blessednesse to those that are his Insomuch that the spring of all our happiness is Gods promise We cannot pleade any worthiness only thy promises Lord that we put thee in minde of which is like the rainbow when God beholdeth that he will not drown the world more and when God remembreth his covenant then he worketh all good for his people Thus when God would delay his help no longer but deliver his people groaning under their oppressions It is said God remembred his Covenant with Abraham Isaac and Jacob Exod. 2. 24. there was no natural necessity nor no morall necessity that could induce God to make these promises to us No naturall necessity for God is a free agent and so doth not as the Bee that necessarily maketh his honey God doth not necessarily communicate his goodnesse to us As God is a free agent so he is alsufficient he is perfect and blessed in himself he needeth not man he wanteth not his service and therefore he did not upon this account make any promise but it was his meer voluntary goodnesse Again there was no morall necessity that is there was no supposed worth or dignity in us for which it behoved God to make such promises He found nothing in us but matter of his displeasure and wrath to us all the threatnings in the Law did belong and not one promise Insomuch as the damned in hell have not any promise made to them they have not the least ground for any hope no not for a drop of water to releeve them in those scorching flames so it might be with every man if Gods grace did not interpose not any promise might have been made for thee to have the least dependance upon Thus you see Gods mercy alone to be the ground of all promises Fifthly Because God doth this out of his meer bounty make a promise of good things to us the fullfilling of them is not of debt to us but from his grace and verity And thus it differeth from the promises between man and man that are made in contracts or otherwise there a promise is made but upon some consideration or work done which is equivalent to the thing promised but it is otherwise with God he promiseth out of grace and fullfilleth it likewise out of grace Thus when God hath promised pardon to the humbled sinner and beleeving not only the promise but the actuall pardoning is of grace neither is God by his promise become a debtor to us as if God would be unjust if he did not bestow such a priviledge upon us but because as the Scripture saith he cannot lye or he cannot deny himself So that the reason why he maketh good his promises is not because we have any condignity in our selves to claim those things but because he is immutable and unchangeable so that upon this account he maketh good his promises even because he is God and cannot lye or change his minde Therefore Divines speak well of a twofold debitum about Gods promises debitum fidelitatis and debitum justitiae a debt of fidelity and a debt of justice When God maketh a promise of eternall life to a godly man he may urge God with his promise and there is a debt of fidelity whereby God hath engaged himself to do this but we cannot say God is a debtor to man hereby no he is a debtor as it were to himself he cannot go against his own word his truth will not suffer him to change but in no respect must we say he is a debtor to man reddis debita nulli debens it was said of old This is necessarily to be understood that so under all the promises of God made to us we may not look upon our selves but Gods promise only But then there is a debt of justice and righteousnesse and herein many Papists are proud and arrogant for they distinguish of Gods promises those that are for the first grace and those that are for the second and after grace They grant the promise of the first grace to be only from a debt of fidelity but then for the second grace they maintain a debt of justice Hence it is that they conclude that heaven and salvation though we have it by the promise of God yet it is by debt of justice and not meer grace Hence we reade of a dying Monk who blasphemously uttered these words Redde mihi Domine vitam aeternam quam debes sive velis sive nolis but a gracious heart cannot but tremble at such arrogancies It is true Paul calleth God a righteous Judge who will give him a crown of glory and he telleth the Hebrews that God is not unrighteous to forget their labour of love Heb. 6. 10. but righteousnesse is not here taken strictly for proper justice but for fidelity and faithfulnesse If God should not give heaven to his people who endure persecution for his Name sake he would go against his own nature he would deny his truth and so even cease to be God not that he would be unjust properly to man as if man by doing or suffering any thing for his sake did that which was equivalent to eternall glory We see the Apostle defying this 2 Cor. 4. 17. calling it but a light affliction and for a moment in respect of that eternall weight of glory And Aristotle observed that there cannot be justice or righteousnesse between us and the gods and our Parents for their is no equality and we owe all to them And as Durand well argueth it is so far from justice or righteousnesse that we may claim glory that the more grace God hath given us to prepare thereunto the more we are beholding to him and can the lesse pleade for our selves by how much the more we receive of his grace so that the more gracious acts we do we are so far from meriting that we are the more obliged to God Yet Sixthly Lest because all the promises of God are said to be fullfilled of his grace only and because all works of ours are rejected as causall and meritorious we should fall into Antinomianisin and fancy to our selves such absolute and irrespective promises that though abiding and wallowing in our sins yet we might think it lawfull to run to them as to a city of refuge and there to be delivered from the guilt of our sins we must know that the promises of God are of two sorts absolute and conditionall Absolute and such are the promises of God for the working of our first grace in us of conversion and taking away the heart of stone from us of which promise the Prophets Jeremiah and Ezechiet speak Though some will not allow those to be promises