6.1 God forbid See with what indignation and disgrace he speaks it God forbid Oh then farre be thou from drinking down such deadly poison as to think because grace is free thou art also freed from duty There is such a pestilential corruption in mans nature that makes use of grace to patronize sinne To harden and embolden a man in evil because God is gracious Oh know God is not gracious but a consuming fire to such In the next place consider Why the godly are so sensible of Gods grace And First This is the final Cause of all the good that God doth enable us unto This is all he looks for We cannot adde to God any more happiness then he hath We cannot make him more blessed All that we can do is to acknowledge his grace to publish this to all the world Thus Eph. 1. That we should be to the praise of the glory of his grace And again That we should shew forth the power of him who hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light 1 Pet. 2 9. So then it was a very heavy and grievous sinne if the people of God should not abound and be diligent herein for this is all God looks for for this he made us he converted thee he opened thy eyes turned thy heart to him Secondly The Children of God are endowed with an ingenuous free and excellent spirit Therefore they cannot but confess by whom it is they have obtained grace If he said of humane learning Ingenuum est It 's an ingenuous thing to confess by whom thou hast profited How much more have the Children of God this ingenuity Thirdly The reall sting smart and danger they have been in makes their heart full and mouth full of the grace of God Paul that was so neer Hels mouth for him to be saved all the world could not make him hold his tongue but he must publish the grace of Christ Men that have been in the deep in the Whales belly in the Lyons mouth for these to be delivered they must sing of grace speak of grace and plead for grace Oh then fear the less thy heart is affected with Gods grace that the less it hath been affected with the greatness of sinne Fourthly They are an humble debased people in themselves They have low thoughts of all that they do And therefore it is that they are so precious with God He dwels in the Heavens and in the humble heart Isa 57.15 Be ye cloathed with humility 1 Pet. 3.5 That must be a garment all over us And wherein is humility more seen then in giving all to God Fifthly They must needs acknowledge grace because they have the experience how hard it is to do any thing spiritualy and upon heavenly grounds And therefore if they are ever inabled thereunto they cannot but exalt grace Nothing is done graciously and acceptably unto God unless it be from a sanctified nature and divine principle and unless it be from a heavenly and divine motive from God and to God Now natural men never consider the gracious doing of any thing and therefore do not extol grace Sixthly To praise and exalt the grace of God it 's a very profitable and advantagious duty also It 's two waies profitable 1. It procures more grace and mercies from God James 4.6 He giveth grace to the humble The only way to have new mercies is to acknowledge the grace of God for the mercies It 's an heathenish thing to sacrifice to our own nets and our own power Tully said It was a foolish thing to thank God for our vertues because they were in our own power But he was ignorant of the Scripture 2. This acknowledging of grace will enlarge a man and make a man more willing and ready in all the waies of God It 's like oyl to the wheele It 's like wings to the bird Duties done with the spirit of praise and thanksgiving have great life and vigour in them Now I shall adde one Caution corrupt Doctrines and Opinions in Religion may much coole this duty of giving thanks I shall instance in some As First The denying of Original sinne is a great Ingine against the grace of God When Paul would raise up the Ephesians to confess Gods grace that had quickned them he tels them they were dead in sinne and by nature the Children of wrath Ephes 2 So David when he would extoll Gods mercy in pardoning he goeth to the very iniquity he was conceived in Psal 51. Secondly The maintenance of free-will dâ—th much detract from free grace It 's strange that any should hold this when the Scripture doth in so many places make man by nature a corrupt tree from whom no good thing can come Thirdly That the Law is not to be preached no not for Direction or Obligation Whereas Christ and Paul do often press this Lastly Vniversal Redemption As if God and Christ did no more for one then another Vse of Direction Would you be a people capable of this duty Then study the Law of God Apply it to your souls Oh see what curses are due to you How often you fail intreat God to affect you with the danger and damnable estate you are in Then how of often will thy mouth be opened to set up the grace of God Be ashamed if thou art sensible of temporal mercies and not spiritual Feel thy self dropping into Hell apprehend thy self a very Cain or Judas unless Gods grace doth interpose Vse of severe Reproof of that presumption and carnal confidence men put in their works and in their duties Oh be afraid to be found in any good thing thou hast done Shall David be afraid of his secret sinnes and errors which he understands not Shall Paul be afraid though he knew nothing by himself and darest thou hope or think to be saved by any works thou hast done Thou knowest not Christ Thou art not acquainted with the Gospel According to the grace of God given unto me as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation c. This Text you heard was partly Declaratory and partly Exhortatory Declaratory and therein was considerable the Person described by his office metaphorically As a master builder 2. The quality A wise master builder 3. His effect or action Have laid a foundation 4. The efficient cause of all this ability According to the grace of God given unto me This latter hath been dispatched already I come now to consider of that work or Ministry performed by Paul expressed likewise in that continued Metaphor which he had begun I have laid the foundation The plain meaning is obvious he acquainted them with the fundamentals of the Gospel that which they never heard of before or knew nothing of he did first instruct them in As Rom. 15.20 Paul was carefull not to build upon another mans foundation which was To preach the Gospel where Christ had not been named There is no difficulty in the words only a
foundation in the hearts of their hearers 125 Of a two-fold foundation Fundamentum cognoscendi the foundation of our knowledge and faith in matters of Religion viz. the Scripture And fundamentum essendi or the foundation of the being or existence of all our glory and salvation viz. Jesus Christ ibid Four unquestionable Scripture-foundations ibid. With a discovery of rotten foundations 127 Why it is such a sinne to worship God many wayes as man pleaseth 132 As a wise master-builder 137 Observ That it 's not vanity but a duty in some cases for the Ministers of the Gospel to magnifie and set up their Work and Office ibid In what cases a Minister may magnifie his work and office ibid. And another buildeth thereon 139 Observ That people are not to expect that Ministers should bring any other Doctrine than what is laid by Christ and the Apostles already ibid. The use of preaching notwithstanding the fulnesse of the Scripture 140 But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon 141 Observ The Ministers of God are greatly to take heed that they preach no other thing than what is already contained in the Scripture Or It 's a dangerous thing to put that sense and meaning on the word of God which is not the true genuine sense of it ibid. A two-fold building upon the foundation ibid Why Ministers must take heed how they build upon the foundation 142 Verse 11. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is Jesus Christ 145 Observ That the Ministers of God ought to lay no other Foundation than Christ ibid. How many wayes Christ is to be preached as a foundation ibid. Reasons why he must be preached as the foundation 150 Objections and Doubts answered 153 How Duties are to be done and preached with relation to Christ 154 The great Advantages those have that are built on Christ 155 Verse 12. Now if any man build on this foundation gold silver precious stones wood hay stubble c. 157 Observ That the Doctrine and Truths of Christ are very precious and excellent ibid What the comparing them to Gold c. implieth ibid. If any man build hay and stubble 161 Observ That all errours and falshoods in Religion though not fundamental are no better than hay and stubble ibid Some Propositions about errour ibid. Why errours are called hay and stubble 162 Verse 13. Every mans work shall be made manifest 165 Observ That all the wayes and works of wickednesse though acted in never so hidden and secret a manner shall be made manifest ibid. What kind of hidden wickednesse shall be made manifest ibid. The Aggravation of those sins that are secret and hidden 168 Observ That all the hidden and secret wayes of false Doctrines God will one day make manifest 169 The Causes Nature the cunning subtilty in divulging them shall be made manifest ibid. For the day shall declare it 173 Observ That God hath his time when he will discover the errours and falshoods of mens Doctrines ibid. Errours are spiritual judgements the removal in mercy at Gods time 174 Why God will have a day to discover false Doctrine 176 Because it shall be revealed by fire and the fire shall declare every mans work of what sort it is 177 The interpretation of fire 178 Observ That God useth to bring people out of errours and false wayes by his Word and Afflictions ibid. Though the Word and afflictions are both helpfull yet differently 179 How wandring sheep are reduced by the Word ibid. How by afflictions 181 Verse 14. If any mans work abide which he hath built thereupon he shall receive a reward 181 Observ That Gods Truths are of a firm and durable Nature notwithstanding any tryal or opposition whatsoever 182 Truth two-fold Increated and Created ibid Scripture-truths reduced to four heads 183 Verse 15. If any mans work shall be burnt he shall suffer losse but he himself shall be saved yet so as by fire 185 Observ That every man will be altogether a loser in any errour or false way that he hath maintained he shall suffer loss 186 Wherein they shall be losers ibid. He shall be saved yet so as by fire 189 Observ That even errours of judgement may endanger a mans salvation as well as ungodlinesse in practice ibid. The several kinds of corruptions of the understanding that indangers a mans salvation ibid. The Difference between errour and heresie with the grounds of the Doctrine 190 Observ That every godly man though never so eminent yet is very difficultly saved 192 Verse 16. Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you 193 Observ That the consideration of those Priviledges and Relations which all the People that professe God are put into would be a great Argument against all kind of Pollution ibid Some of the chief Titles or Relations which the people of God have 194 Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God 197 Of the word Temple ibid. Observ That the people of God met together to worship him according to his way are the spiritual Temple of God 197 What there is in the Church allusively to the Temple 198 Of Gods presence with his Church 200 And that the Spirit of God dwels in you 201 Observ That the Spirit of God is God 202 The signification of the word Spirit when attributed to God ibid. That the holy Ghost is God and a person ibid. Why the holy Ghost is called Spirit 204 Observ That the Spirit of God dwels in his Church 205 What to have the Spirit dwell in us implieth in that phrase ibid. How many wayes the Spirit may be said to dwell in Gods people 207 The special works and effects of the holy Spirit in his Chruch 209 I. Gifts ibid. How farre the gifts and abilities of Ministers that are acquired by humane study and industry are to be ascribed unto the holy Ghost ibid. II. Sanctifying graces 209 Of the saving inhabitation of the Spirit 212 Verse 17. If any man defile the Temple of God him shall God destroy 216 Observ That those men who defile the Church of God with corrupt Doctrines do highly provoke God to punish them ibid Why errours are said to defile Gods Church 217 How God will punish Heretiques 219 A godly man may fall into a damnable Heresies 220 How a godly man erring differeth from a wicked man ibid. Errours are erroneous persons distinguished 221 Why God is so provoked with corruptions in Doctrine and worship ibid Him shall God destroy 222 Observ That eternal Damnation is the destruction of a man ibid. Of the punishment of losse sense 224 With the Aggravations of this punishment 225 For the Temple of God is holy which Temple ye are 226 Observ The holy Temple of God under the Gospel is not any place though never so adorned or glorious but persons believing and worshipping of him according to his will ibid Verse 18. Let no man
deceive himself if any man seemeth to be wise in this world let him become a fool that he may be wise 229 Observ Thut humane and earthly wisdome is a great enemy to all the heavenly things of Christ 230 A man having no more than natural humane wisdome is an enemy to 1. The supernatural Matter and Doctrine to be believed 2. The manner of promulgation of it in Scripture 3. The holy and spiritual duties required of us ibid. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world 239 Observ That all humane and earthly wisdome cometh farre short and is but a meer shadow and appearance in respest of Scripture-wisdome ibid. Wisdome of the world Speculative and Political ib. That the Scripture way of believing exceeds their contemplative Science And That the Scripture motive of doing surpasses all their morality 237 Let him become a fool that he may be wise 239 Observ That true Christian wisdome is nothing but folly in the worlds account ibid The seeming follies that are in things to be believed ibid. Let him become a fool that he may be wise 243 Observ That onely in the Church of God or in Christianity is true wisdome ibid. The point evidenced by ten Arguments ibid. Verse 19. For the wisdome of this world is foolishness with God 246 Observ That all the admired wisdome of a meer worldly man is nothing but contemptible folly before God 247 Their folly manifested both Active and Passive iâ—id What humane wisdome it is that is here intended 253 For it is written He taketh the wise in their own craftiness ibid Observ That God delights to take the earthly wise men of the world in their own craft 254 How many wayes God takes the wise men of the world in their own craft ibid. And why he doth it 256 Verse 20. And again The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise that they are vain 257 Observ That the choisest and best thoughts of the wisest men are vain ibid. In what sense the Scripture useth the word vain or vanity ibid. Verse 21. Therefore let none glory in men for all things are yours 260 Observ That it 's a great sinne to glory in men 261 How many wayes we may be said to glory in men ibid. For all things are yours 264 Observ That all things are for the spiritual good and advantage of the godly man 265 In what respect all things may be said to be the Saints ibid. Why God made all things for them 266 Vers 22. Whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas 270 Observ That all Offices and Gifts howsoever diversified are for the Churches of God 271 In what sense Ministers are not Servants of the Church against the Brownists ibid. And in what sense they are the Churches Servants ibid. The end for which both Offices and Gifts are the Churches 273 Or the World 274 How the word world is to be here taken ibid. Observ That the whole world with all things therein is for the spiritual advantage of a godly man 275 In what sense the world is said to be a godly mans 275 Or Life 278 Observ That godly men do only live or The godly only make a spiritual use of their life 279 In what respects it is true that the godly man only lives ibid. And in what respects it's true that the wâ—cked man doth not live 281 Or Death 282 Observ That even death which in it self is so terrible yet is for a godly mans advantage ibid. Some Propositions about death ibid. In how many respects death is a godly mans 283 Or things present 286 Observ That whatsoever falls out for the present to a godly man it is for his good ibid. A division of all Events into happy and prosperous and adverse and afflicting ones ibid. In how many respects both the one and the other are for the good of Gods people ibid. Or things to come all are yours 290 Observ That all things which are to come or may fall out hereafter are a godly mans mercy and advantage ibid. This is proved by Instances and Promises 291 How on the contrary it is with a wicked man in respect of things to come 293 Vers 23. And ye are Christs 294 Observ That a godly man in all that he is or can do is wholly Christs ibid. In what respects a godly man is Christs ibid. Characters or Properties of such as are Christs 296 And Christ is Gods 298 In what sense Christ can be said to be Gods ibid. Observ That Christ as Man and as a Mediatour is wholly Gods ibid. Of the Nature and Person of Christ and of the Hypostatical Union ibid. How Christ as a Man and as Mediatour is Gods 299 And how admirable these Truths are ibid. THE CONTENTS OF THIS TREATISE OF THE GODLY MANS CHOICE THat no Natural or Unregenerate man can lift up his heart any higher then unto a worldly happinesse and content in the Creature 1 The sinfullnesse and wofull Aggravations of such an Estate 10 Antidotes and Meanes against setting the heart upon the Creature 14 That a gracious heart doth more esteem the favour of God and the light of his Countenance then any earthly thing whatsoever 19 The Qualifications or Characters of those who do value and desire Gods favour above all things else 23 A Consideration of some false Grounds of a Perswasion of Gods Love 27 Of the Joy of Saints in God and Heavenly things as one Effect of the light of Gods Countenance The Nature of it and the Preeminences of it comparatively to all other Pleasures whatsoever 32 Of the godly Mans holy Security and Admirable quietnesse of spirit as another Effect of the light of Gods Counnance 40 How the vigorous Actings of Faith doth quiet the heart 46 The difference between Carnal and Gracious Confidence 49 The Reason of the Saints confidence viz. That God alone is their Preserver Shewing also the Wayes and Meanes by which God doth Preserve them 53 The Bookseller to the Reader I Hope there will not be found in the Reading of this Book any considerable Faults some lesser Errata's there may notwithstanding the great care that was used in the absence of the Author which of course must be pardoned The Contents noted in the Margin with the Table were done by a Friend for the pleasure of the Reader which is mentioned to clear the Author from what weakness may possibly be observed in the doing of them Tho. Underhill AN EXPOSITION WITH Practical Observations ON THE Third Chapter of the first Epistle of St Paul TO THE CORINTHIANS 1 COR. 3.1 And I Brethren could not speak unto you as unto spiritual but as unto carnal as unto babes in Christ FOr the Apostles method observe this you have his Complaint and the Cause of his complaint His Complaint I Brethren could not speak unto you as spiritual but as carnal Where First There is the Compellation Brethren He reproveth yet keeps up his love This mollifieth and suppleth the wound Dilige
it but Faith would quickly dispossess these and make it clean for Christ to dwell in And then thy life How pure is that Dost thou talk of believing in Christ when thou hatest purity makes a scoff and a taunt at it I tell thee if thou didst believe thou wouldst be pure and strict also As Saul that went with no good will to the Prophets when he came to them the Spirit of God sell on him and he prophesied also Thus thou that art a malicious enemy a prophane scoffer at purity and holiness should the Spirit of God once fall upon thee thou wouldst become pure and strict also Know then a man can no more carry faith in his heart and this not reforme his life then oyntment about him and that not discover it self Secondly Where there is a true lively Faith that will make a stout though wise confession of the truth when God doth require it Rom. 10.10 With the heart man believeth with the mouth confession is made to salvation and the Apostle We believe therefore we speak 2 Cor. 4.13 Indeed there is a faith about some disputable poinâ—s in Religion that are not essential to salvation that the Apostle bids a man have it to hâ—mself Rom. 14. but for the main points the owning or not owning whereof is the owning or not owning of Christ Our Saviour speaks terribly to the not confession herein He that shall not confesse me before men though before a croâ—ked and perverse generation him will not I confesse before my Father nor the holy Angels Mark 8.38 Thirdly Where faith is there it will carry a man out to the ready performance of all obedience justice temperance liberaâ—ity equity and every good worke The Apostle James Jam 2. doth at large shew That that man is but a vain man and an hypocrite one who cousens his own soul that thinketh by faith to be saved when this is not incarnated and manifested in all godly conversation Yea faith puts all graces on working as Heb. 11. That seemeth to be the great wheel that sets all others on going Lastly He that doth truly believe is not discouraged from his duty because of any trouble or persecution in the world Christ prayed for Peter That his faith might not fail him No danger no fears could have drawn him into sinne had faith been active It was faith made Moses chuse reproaches and persecutions rather than the glory of Aegypt A man that liveth by sense and by worldly advantages he cannot but with the Chamelion turn into every colour of that object which is by him because worldly fear reigneth and ruleth in his heart but Faith that overcomes the world If it conquer Devils and Hell much more the world Yea it makes a man rejoyce in tribulations Vse of Examination Hath the Ministry had this effect to make you believe Oh you will say Who doubts of that Are we Atheists Do you make Pagans and Infidels of us Consider there is a great difference between the Title Name and Profession of a Believer and the reall Efficacy of it It 's said Simon Magus believed because he outwardly professed so yet he was in the state of gall and bitterness It 's said John 2. ult That many believed but Christ would not commit himself to them because he knew what is in man Therefore Do you really believe all that the Scripture saith And if so How darest thou lie swear deal unjustly No you flatter your selves The Faith of these things would make you tremble yea roar out Oh! What shall I do to escape this great wrath Therefore set Faith more on work from day to day I am no Atheist I am a Christian I believe a Day of Judgment Why then live I thus But Ministers by whom ye belived even as the Lord gave to every man We are come to the last Particular observeable in this Verse and that is the Efficient Cause of this Ministry and Service in the Church with the variety of the Gifts of those that are employed therein Even as the Lord gave to every man This the Apostle addeth still to take off all from the Instruments and give it to God They are indeed Pipes to conveigh Gods grace but they can no longer runne then this Fountain fils them They are indeed spiritual Trumpets to give warning of Gods wrath approaching but they cannot breathe forth any sound but what the mouth of the Lord doth first breathe into them So that although the Church of God in respect of the several Gifts God bestoweth on her Officers be like the Queens Daughter cloathed all in needle and embroidered work Even as the Kings Daughters were wont to go in parti-coloured cloathes Yet all this Ornament and comeliness is put upon her by God alone So that every Minister hath a peculiar Gift yet so as all comes from above from God to him Doct. That God hath given several Gifts and Abilities to the Ministers of the Church and thereby makes use of them all for his glorious ends The Apostle doth in many places delight to compare the Church to a mans body where there are several parts and every part hath its peculiar Office There is the eye the hand the foot and though all are not equally eminent yet all are equally necessary But 1 Cor. 12.4 5. you may see this excellently described I here are diversities of Gifts and of Administrations but all from the same Spirit the same Lord and all is for the same end The manifestation of the Spirit is to profit withall Whatsoever Abilities and Gifts God hath given they are not for vain ostentation They are not for humane applause but for use to profit withall Insomuch that if any man should should use his parts his abilities to propagate errour or to strengthen men in wickedness they did greatly abuse the good Gifts of God and turn wholesome meat into poyson To open this Doctrine you may consider That the Gifts of God to the Church are as to our purpose of two sorts Sometimes the very Office and Function it self is called a Gift To be an Apostle to be a Pastour to be a Teacher is a Gift Thus Ephes 3. Yea Christs Ascension He gave Gifts to men As Kings at their Coronations distribute large and plentifull gifts And what are these Gifts Apostles Evangelists Pastours and Teachers Thus the very Office is a Gift and that a great one too More then all temporal mercies though the ungratefull world cannot think so Thus the Psalmist speaking of the Word of God and the Ministry given to the Jews he addeth He hath not done so to every Nation Psal 147.20 Alas for temporal mercies he had he gave them peace quietness and plenty all aboundance and filled them with good things but this was nothing to the Ministry of the Word And certainly no plenty no quietness no abundance is a mercy equall to the Gospel Therefore Amos threatned the famine of the Word as more terrible
their ministerial actions to plant and to water To begin the foundation of Christianity and afterwards to build a superstruction So that Pauls planting supposeth the Corinthians to be a barren untilled and confused people like the world at first a Tohu and a Bohu a meer horrid wildernesse till the Gospel being planted among them they become a pleasant Garden and a fruitfull Field From whence we may observe That it's Gods unspeakable goodnesse sometimes to send his Word and plant his Gospel among a people that never heard or knew any thing before If you consider all the Countreys and Kingdomes wheresoever the Gospel hath taken effect since Christs time you shall find that they were thrones of Satan places where Idolatry reigned They were like those desolate places the Prophet speaks of where the Satyr and screech-Owl even all black and Heathenish confusion did exalt it self So that where God doth out of stones raise up children to Abraham turn a Paganish Heathenish people into a Church there is wisdome power and goodnesse no lesse yea more wonderfull than when he did out of that deformed confusion and chaos make a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a beautifull adorned world Even this England this ancient Britain was once a place of horrible Idolatry Paganism no knowledge of Christ nor his Gospel But served dumb Idols and walked according to the course of this world having the Prince of darknesse ruling over us as in other places So that the Gospel that is like the glorious Sunne and every Kingdome or Nation is like a doâ—esome black dungeon yea like an hell where Legion of Devils are till the beams of this light do enlighten them To amplifie this Doctrine many things are observable First That when the Apostle saith That he planted the Gospel it doth suppose all people to be a wilde barbarous people till the Gospel both civilizeth and sanctisieth them To plant is properly of Orchards and Gardens and Vineyards and supposeth the great care and skill of him that plants Thus God is said to plant Eden Gen 2.8 And so a people are made the Church and people of God by plantation by Gods goodnesse and power of themselves they are like wilde beasts not knowing the way of happinesse It was the custome of the Grecians and Romans because they had the culture of Arts and good Civil Government to call other people Barbari Barbarians And thus the Apostle opposeth the Grecians and Barbarians together Col. 3.11 Barbarous comes from the Hebrew Bar gâ—minated that signifieth a field untilled a desart so they looked upon all other men in the world But indeed even the Grecians and Romans were barbarous wild people comparatively till the Gospel came among them They had no true knowledge or understanding till the Word the Rule of all wisdome was discovered to them Oh how should this make us of England magnifie the goodnesse of God to this Land who once had no Ministry of Christ who were like so many lumps of earth that worshipped the Devil and the Idols of the world They had their Dryades whâ—ch Julius Caesar speaks of that were like Witches serving for their Priests that lived up and down in woody places Why might not we have been born in those days while Britany was Paganish and Heathenish Antiquity in Religion is no good plea for here was Idolatry and the worship of the Devil before any knowledge of Christ It 's a great mercy to be born in such times in such an age and in such places where the name of Christ is published for this is wholly in Gods disposal he hath determined to all men the times of their life and habitations Secondly Consider That in the Old Testament God did limit his gracious presence to the Jews only In Judea only was salvation and the knowledg of God John 4 That was the Goshen where light was all the world else was darknesse Indeed some few particular persons that were forrainers and strangers became proselytes and gave up their names to God but there were no Countreys or Nations received the Word of God but Judea onely But when Christ came then that partition wall was broken down and after his death he gave a Commission to preach the Gospel to all the world And thus the Word like the Sunne in the Heavens went from one end of the world to another and none could hinder the course thereof Yea where Roman Emperours power and sword could not get dominion there the Apostles and their Successours conquered and prevailed And this and no other is the Universal Grace the Scripture speaketh of whereas formerly it was particular Then Christ the strong man came and bound the Devil who had possessed the earth and kept it in quiet slavery to him so that under the times of the Gospel Christ hath been made known where God hath sent his Word though it were into the utmost parts of the earth Thirdly Therefore that there might be spiritual plantations and holy Colonies the Lord Christ appointed extraordinary Officers furnished with extraordinary abilities to propagate the Gospel These were called Apostles It was for the Apostles and not ordinary Officers to plant Churches so that they had a Commission to go and preach to any people in the world They were not bound to keep residence at any one place but to go from Nation to Nation to disseminate the spiritual seed of the Gospel and that like mustard seed at first small and little presently grew up to a tall tree and spreaded its branches through the whole world And as the Apostles had this universal commission so they were endued with power to work wonderfull miracles for miracles were because of the Heathens and unbelievers By these they confirmed their Doctrine and calling to be of God immediately yet this was not so tied to the Apostolical Office but that in afâ—er ages many Countreys have received the Gospel by other means especially persecution and the patient sufferings of Christians did much help thereunto That as a captive Maid was a means to bring Naaman to the knowledge of God and his Worship so captive persons have been instrumental to make whole Kâ—ngdoms acquainted with the Gospel of Christ Thus God hath alwayes disappointed the hopes of wicked men and that very way whereby they have thought to destroy the Gospel it hath flourished more It 's the Vine that by pruning hath increased As the grain of corn except it die cannot bring forth any fruit so is it with the Gospel These precious herbs the more they are pressed and pounced the sweeter smell they make Fourthly Gods severity and mercy hath been observable about the first planting of the Gospel For when a people have lived rebelliously and sinfully under it a long time then he takes it away and gives it to another Nation Thus God began with the Jews told them That to them the Word must be fiâ—st preached but seeing they had rejected the counsel of God they were to go
Thus Jude vers 23. speaking to this purpose of many people led aside with errours saith Save them with fear pulling them out of the fire They were in as great danger as a child fallen in the fire whom the father pulleth out with great fear and amazement Thus Joshua Zech. 3.2 is said to be a fire-brand pulled out of the fire that is delivered from great and imminent dangers The same expression is Amos 4.11 Ye were as a fire-brand pluckt out of the fire he speaketh of such who had escaped the pubâ—ick judgements oâ— God upon them This proverb the Latines and Gâ—ecians also have e slammâ cibum petere This being so clear we would wonder what should make the Popish Interpreters dream of a Purgatory fire for they hold Purgatory a real fire even as that of Hell but the Apostles expression is As it were by fire which denoteth a meer similitude and comparison Gods examination and judgement as also the Word and heavy afflictions these are the fire which he must go thorow Besides many of them hold That the Apostle speaks of the Day of Judgement when all mens works shall be examined and judged so that this fire must not be till the Day of Judgement whereas they hold Purgatory fire presently upon a mans death and so necessarily before the Day of Judgement So that Austin long ago farre more probably interpreted it of afflictions in this life Even as a Merchant in a dangerous tempest throweth away all his goods and â—oseth all that he loved to escape with his own life So shall it be with any man that builds unsound and false opinions when God shall awaken him by tâ—â—bulations he will be content to throw all away to lose all He will forsake all those Doctrines he was so dearly inamoured with that he himself may escape Now here may be a very profitable Question raised Whether there be any Doctor or Teacher in the Church of God yea or Church though never so reformed that doth onely build gold and silver and not some hay or stubble Answ To this onely in the general we say That setting aside the Apostles who were infallibly inspired and directed There is ignorance and sinfull affections cleaving to every man in part and so to every Church and therefore even the most excellent men and Churches have had their straw and stubble whereby even every mans salvation though never so eminent even on his Doctrines part not attending to his life is very difficult All the Fathers had their Navi their hay and stubble And this is true of all though never so eminent in after ages But from the first observe That every man will be altogether a loser in any errour or false way that he hath maintained He shall suffer losse Sometimes by false wayes men propound base carnal ends wealth riches honours and applause in the world sometimes they think of spiritual ends more comfort and peace of heart more enjoyment of God but what Doctrine or wayes are not of God a man is sure to be frustrated of his expectations if they have them for a while they will quickly vanish away as the crackling of thorns make a blaze but continue not In the first place we shall shew Wherein they shall be losers First If they thought by erroneous wayes to better themselves in an outward condition in this world in this they are sure to lose How many have turned from truth when persecuted to errours and false wayes only to have their lives and liberties and external comforts but in the issue have been deceived of all When the Turk so prosperously prevailed many Christians imbraced the Turkish Religion In Popery and times of bloody persecution men through fear and love of the world denied the truth asserted and maintained false Doctrines But what got they many of them Did not our Saviours Rule prove true He that will save his life shall lose it and he that will lose it shall save it Mat. 16.25 And doth not the Prophet Jonah tell us a good lesson They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy Joâ— 2.8 They that would worship Idols or go into superstitious wayes they forsake that very mercy God hath provided for them otherwise Oh that this were well thought of by those who think to better themselves by those wayes that are not of God! Secondly If they looked for honour and outward dignity to be applauded and esteemed this also they shall be losers in For by the judgement of those Churches or persons that are orthodox they shall fall from all that repute and esteem they had The Church of Rome was set up like an high Mountain Did not all the people of the Christian world when there were breaches in Religion look upon her like a brazen Serpent thinking to be heard presently The repute and authority she had in all mens consciences made the politick Popes triumph over all the great ones of the world thereby and enlarge both Civil and spiritual jurisdiction But when her Idolatries and errours were discovered How odious and abominable is her very memory Now it 's the Sodom the Babylon the Aegypt John speaks of So that howsoever errours may have great applause and glory for a while yet God in time will make them vile as dung As of those corrupt Priests in thâ— worship of God God said He would spread dung upon their faces Mal. 2 3. The Phâ—risees by their superstruction of hay and stubble they intended glory and honor of the people They did all things as men acting upon a Theaâ—re but when Christ came and preached the pure word of God and discovered all theâ—r vanity and hypocrisie then their esteem and honour fell immediately inâ—o the dust Mat. 5.19 Our Saviour speaking against false teachers saâ—th If any teach the breaking of the least commandment he shall be called the leâ—st in the kingdom of Heaven The kingdom of Heaven is the Church in this life as some expound And he shall be called the lâ—ast that is He shall be of no repute and esteem Thus the names of all the Heretiques that have lived are they not of unsavoury memory And though some had excellent parts and held many truths yet this dead flie falling into their ointment marred all Thirdly They lose all their ministerial labour and study they used in building such stubble And truly this losse should much affect every man whether Minister or private Christian Some opinions thou hast thinking them truths but they being errours all thy preaching for them writing for them all thy indeavour to proselyte others to thee thy going farre and near to make others of thy mind all this is lost labour It will not have so much reward as a cup of cold water given â—n Christs name will have A Wasp is busie and flieth up and down as well as a Bee but a Bees businesse brings honey a Wasps doth nothing but a sting Thus it may be thou art
to the spiders web that is of no defence or use when a boistrous wind ariseth Read over the History of the Bible and there you shall see to that which the wise men of the world intended God brought about the clear contrary Come saith Pharaoh let us deal wisely and oppresse the Israelites Exo. 1.10 lest they grow to numerous Now by that very means the people of Israel did more multiply The Pharisees thought when they had crucified Christ they had laid all Christianity in the Grave with him but by his Ascension his power was the more seen When I am lifted up said Christ viz. upon the Crosse I will draw all men to me Joh. 12.32 That which in probability would have driven all men from him by that he did efficaciously bring all unto him Hence he compareth his death to the grain of Corn thrown into the ground which untill it die doth not bring forth a great crop So that the wisdome of man must needs be made great folly when it shall be forced to bring about those things which it hates so much Sixthly Herein the wisdome of the world is made foolishnesse because it doth not only work a vain deceitfull work but also a destructive one to its self so that all the wisdome they have is only to destroy themselves Thus like fools they runne their swords in their own bowels How often doth David speak this of his wise and potent enemies Their feet were taken in their own snares and they were fallen into the pit they digged for others Was not all Pharaohs wisdome but to ruine himself and his Kingdome The Jews that thought to be so wise in crucifying Christ thereby to prevent the Romane Caesar yet for a reward had the Romane enemy come and utterly destroy them Thus as they work a spiders web in regard of the unprofitablenesse of them so they are said to hatch cockatrice egges because of the hurtfull poisonous nature of them even to the owners Seventhly The wisdome of the world becometh foolishnesse because God many times infatuateth and blasteth the parts and abilities of the wise men of the world He takes away their understanding from them That as we read of Nebuchadnezar God bereaved him of his wisdome and judgment so that he became like a beast and lived with beasts so he doth either in whole or in part pervert and darken the thoughts and counsels of wise men Hence he is said by the Prophet to Diviner's mad Isa 44.25 as also Isa 19.14 Et quos Deus vult perdere prius dementat as we see in Haman and in Belshazer and in Herod all these died as fools and were destroyed by their own foolish thoughts Thus we read of Ely's Sons and others they would not hearken to the good counsel of the Lord because it was of the Lord to destroy them Eightly Herein God doth also make their wisdome folly because by their pride and haughtinesse they undoe themselves God lets them prosper and the wisdome of the world seemeth to flourish a great while but it is that their destruction may be the greater Thus Heb. 1.11 it s said of Nebuchadnezar after all that great successe which he attributed to himself His mind should change and he should passe over and offend Prosperity slayeth the foolish one saith Solomon Prov. 1.32 And Psal 18. With the froward that is the crafty worldly wise man opposite to the pure and upright in heart thou wilt wrestle as it were and give a fall unto according to the Hebrew As the wrestler lifts a man up from the ground that he may throw him down with the more violence so doth God give a man of the world his hearts desire that he shall attribute all to his wisdome and prudence and this is to be his overthrow Thus we have the Prophet insulting over Aegypt and the wise men thereof as also over Tyre and Zidon that set their heart as God and thought she had the wisdome of Daniel Ezek. 28.2 Now to adde one Caution we must distinguish of a two-fold humane wisdome One that is the same with true prudence whereby men are able to mannage publique places of trust they do prae esse ut prosint for the publique good they have the art of ruling well And this the Text meaneth not For though it be not a virtue yet it is the eye to all a mans actions It 's as necessary to publique affairs as the Sunne to the world therefore God gave it Solomon as a special mercy Secondly Their humane wisdome which originally cometh from the corrupt reason of man and for the manner of it is only according to worldly and fleshly considerations and tends only to worldly advantages And lastly For its nature it is opposite formally to all heavenly and Scripture wisdome Of this we speak Vse 1. How vain a thing it is to trust in humane policy and worldly wisdome Thou thinkest by it to raise and advantage thy self but God turneth it into folly Insomuch that we may say more have been undone by earthly wisdome then by meer simplicity None have had such tragical and dismall ends as they Therefore uprightnesse and an holy fear of God that is the best wisdome And although Christ himself and the Martyrs who abounded in this wisdome did not escape the miseries of the world yet that cometh from the wise and high dispensations of God who hath ordered that through many tribulations we must enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Vse 2. To judge that only wisdome which the wise God judgeth so Who so is wise and prudent he will foresee the evil day of death and judgment and accordingly prepare himself He will lay up Treasure for the life to come He layeth that Principle as the chiefest of his Politiques What will it profit a man to winne the whole world and loose his own soul Mat. 16.26 For it is written he taketh the wise in their own craft That divine axiome asserted by the Apostle in the former part of this verse he now confirmeth by a two-fold testimony The one is from Job 5.13 and this we are to handle at this time They are the words of Eliphaz to Job who though with the other Friends they did erre in the particular application of their speeches to Job yet the general matter taken in an abstracted sense was full of wisdome and truth The words are worthy of all diligent consideration though I shall not insist long hastning to the other matter that followeth The Testimony is a Proposition declaring Gods carriage and power to the earthly wise men of the world And 1. Let us consider Gods Efficiency 2. The Subject of this Gods Efficiency is described in that expression 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Septugint hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The original word in the Hebrew is used several waies and very applicable to this matter in hand 1. It is used of taking any thing by force of armes jure belli Thus
there is nothing which would be for their good that God denieth them Whatsoever is in all the world if it be good for the godly man he shall have it No good thing will he with-hold from them that fear him Psal 84.11 Now the godly mans good is two-fold either that which is Absolutely and Necessarily good so that it cannot be evil nor it cannot do a godly man any hurt to have them such as Christ is Pardon of sinne and Heaven and these are bestowed on all godly men There is no man that feareth God though he may say I want riches I want health I am without this or that that can say he is without Christ and justification and the Covenant of Grace 2. There is a limited Good that which in its self is good but doth not make good those that have it yea it may be turned to evil As wine is good but give it to the feavourish man you hurt him And thus it is with all the temporal good things of the world they do not make the possessours good yea they may be turned to sinne and increase thy corruption And then it 's no wonder if God out of his love to thee with hold these things from thee If they were as necessary and as good as Christ is and Heaven is thou wert sure to have them Rom 8.32 If he hath given us Christ How shall he with him but give us all things else Now this very particular should rebuke all the winds and waves of fears and discontent within thee Art thou repining and carnally muttering thou hast not this thou hast not that Oh look Hast thou godlinesse Hast thou the fear of God in thy heart than thou hast all things because there is nothing that is good for thee that God keeps from thee Do not thou blame God but thy own corruptions if thou wantest such temporal mercies say rather God seeth I should make them a poison to my soul I should grow drunk with this sweet wine Secondly A godly man may be said to have all things Because he hath a right and a claim to the Covenant of Grace wherein is a deed of Gift of all things both spiritual and temporal The Covenant of Grace lieth in this That God will be our God giving remission of sinne healing of our corruption and blessing us with all temporal blessings This God made with Abraham and so with all believers Therefore Godlinesse is said to have the promise of this life and the life to come 1 Tim. 4.8 All heavenly and earthly things are by promise made to the godly only heavenly things absolutely earthly things conditionally and with subordination and exception So then it is with thee as some man who hath all his estate lying in Bonds and Covenants though for the present he cannot command such a summe of money yet he is rich in Bonds Thus the godly man hath sure Bonds and Promises even of Gods own making who cannot lie or deceive and therefore he may be as much supported as if he had the things themselves Hence ariseth that life of faith Habakkuk and godly men have in their great extremities and necessities Thirdly All things are the godly mans Because he hath God for his God who hath all things Qui habet habentem omnia habet omnia He that hath the Sunne hath the light of all the starres He that hath the Ocean hath all the streams Deus meus omnia as he said Hence our happinesse is said to be in this if we have the Lord for our God David in all his exigencies supported himself with this That God was his portion and his inheritance Now he is such a portion that there is nothing else good beside have him and ye have all Though a child hath not money and raiment at his command yet because he hath a rich father who can procure all these things therefore he may be well said to have them all Thou shalt not want as long as God hath it If God have it thou shalt have it and what can be more desired Fourthly A godly man may be said to have all things Because godlinesse worketh such an holy contentation and satisfaction of spirit that in what estate he is he is as well pleased as if he had all things as if he had the whole world Therefore it 's called Godlinesse with content 1 Tim. 6 6 viz. which worketh and causeth contentment it is the proper effect and fruit of it Thus Paul I have learned to be content in all conditions I have all things I want nothing Phil. 4 11 12 That which pride and presumption putteth some upon to say they wanted nothing for which God severely reproveth them here true grace puts the godly upon Here is a godly Dives that may say Soul take thy spiritual ease for thou hast not many but all good things laid up for thee Thus all things are theirs because through contentation they have all things Fifthly All things are the godly mans Because they were made finaliter for him They are all for his spiritual use If you regard the Offices and Ordinances in the Church they are all for the Church either to begin increase or consummate grace If you look upon the whole Creation there is no creature therein but the godly thereby do or ought to glorifie God and to draw nearer thereby unto him If every thing thou lookest upon thou hearest thou treadest upon doth not make thee more godly thou losest the good use for which they were made Every gift is given to profit withall 1 Cor. 12.7 And every creature was also made to profit withall At the first we see the whole world with all things therein were made for man which made the Psalmist spend an whole Psalm in the admiration of Gods goodnesse and bounty What is man that thou art thus mindfull of him Psal 8.4 yet that was chiefly because the starres in Heaven and the creatures on earth were made for him But with what praises may the mouths and hearts of Gods people be filled with in that not only the things of the world but that all the Offices and Ordinances of the Church are made for them But this excellent point will be more improved in the particular enumeration Let us now consider Why God should make all heavenly and earthly things for the godly And First We need not wonder at it if we consider That Christ himself took our nature upon him and did undergo that shamefull death and those terrible conflicts with Gods wrath for his Church he gave himself for his Church So that Christ being theirs no wonder if all things else be theirs If ever God would have denied any thing would have with-held any thing it would have been his only Son in whom he was so well-pleased But this he parts with for his Church Yet we cannot say Christ is ours as Paul and Cephas and other things therefore he addeth We are Ghrists and
not Christ ours because though Christ was given for us yet it was as a Mediatour to work our peace that so thereby he might be exalted and might have the preheminence in all things So that the Church is for Christ not Christ for the Church Secondly Because all things in the world are ordered by his providence onely but the whole worke of God about his children is the effect of his Predestination Now Predestination is an act of his more immediate love than Providence is and the Providence of God is subservient to his Predestination Therefore is Gods care and government over all things that he may attain the ends of his Predestination Insomuch that there had been no Creation at first no world at all nor would there still be any sustentation or conservation of it were it not for the Churches sake Vse 1. Of Exhortation to the godly to live by faith on such principles What generous noble and heavenly dispositions would these thoughts breed Scito te Deum esse said one thinking the soul to be a beam of that Divine Essence but thou mayest truly say God hath made thee heir of all things It 's not the Devil but God that doth now shew thee the glory of the world and the Church and saith All these things are thine Consider then whether they be thine by that spiritual end they are intended for Do all creatures all conditions all events make thee more godly Do they work such divine effects upon thy soul Oh do not thou be thy own adversary herein Vse 2. Of Terrour to wicked men for it followeth by way of contraries Nothing is yours viz. for your spiritual good The Ministry God gives is not for you The mercies you have they are not for your souls health Oh the depth of thy unspeakable misery whether life or death all things help thee forward to hell Having asserted a comfortable and rich Doctrine out of these words for the godly we proceed to make some Objections or doubts about it which will be as file to the iron or like the Wine-presse to the Grapes to prâ—sse out the sweet Wine therein And indeed this truth seemeth Obnoxious to many Exceptions as in Religion there are many Doctrinal points which do amaze humane reason such as that of the Trinity the Incarnation of Christ the Resurrection of the body so there are also many Practical Positions which seem contrary to all reason and experince of which this in my Text is one All things are the godly mans It seemeth to be an Idea or meer fiction and expression if we consult with what befals the godly Come we therefore to Answer some of the Objections And First The doubt may be How are all things the godly mans for his use and spiritual edification when many times we see the godly man gets no goâ—d by these The Corinthians who had Paul and Apollo and all those eminent Teachers for their use yet by their Divisions and carnal Emulations they made no spiritual improvement of them How many Sermons and Sabboths do even the godly let go that there never appeareth any footstep of them as if they had never been And then as for their mercies and their afflictions how many times do these draw out their corruptions and they seem to be the worse for them To Answer this First We must distinguish between Gods intention in giving these and the godly mans actual improvement of them to that end When the Apostle saith All things are yours his meaning is on Gods part His love is so great that for the godly only all things in Heaven and Earth were created If so be therefore at any time these things turn to thy hurt blame thy self The Physician will tell the Patient sometimes All these Potions and all these Cordials they are yours you are to take them you may expect much good and ease by them But if the Patient be wilfull and disorder himself it is his fault not the Physicians that they do hurt So that the meaning is all things in their creation and Institution were for the godly mans good Therefore Secondly The godly man through his weaknesse and sinfulnesse not walking up to Gods order may make that an hinderance which God intended a furtherance A godly man may receive the Word and Ordinances sometimes in vain Sometimes afflictions may for the present make him more froward and passionate and mercies more presumptions and confident as the Examples of David and others shew So that our folly and corruptions mingle bitter things with Gods sweet and then we complain this Text is not true The foolishnesse of a man perverteth his way and his heart fretteth against the Lord Prov. 19.3 When we do not our duty we think God doth not fulfill his Promise Our waies are unequall and then we think Gods are not equall So that you must understand this Promise All things are yours in a well ordered use of the means as all other Promises are It 's said The Spirit will lead you in all truth Joh. 16.13 Gods Word is promised to be accompanied with the fulnesse of the Lords blessing to those that are his But how If we order and prepare our selves If we do not put in some barre and obstructions For sinne that withholdeth good things from us that separates between God and us as also between these Promises and us Thirdly Though the godly may for a while make these things against their end and not for it yet this will not be alwaies Nay God will so order it that this decay of theirs or this disorder shall likewise be turned to their good As those who through mistake may swallow down some strong Physick though for the present they may be deadly sick and worse then ever they were yet afterwards it may be they are the better for such violent helps Fourthly When we say all things are the godly mans you must take them in their Collective cooperation as Rom. 8. All things work together This particular or that particular may throw thee down may make thee worse but then God bringeth about some other things that help altogether for thy good As they say of Aegypt All the venemous Herbs grow there and also all the Antidotes are to be had there Where there is a Malady there is also a Remedy And truly thus Gods dispensations are with his Children This or that particular may hinder thee this or that may prejudice thee but God hath appointed other things to correct these There is a benigne influence with the malignant as it were and both tempered together advance speedily towards Heaven The second doubt is this If all things are for the godly and only theirs exclusively to the wicked then this may seem to justifie all the wickednesse and impiety of ungodly men Why should they be blamed if they get no good by the Ordinances if they profit not under the Ministry for God did not intend them for their
good and so if they abuse the creatures to all manner of wickednesse they can do no otherwise They had them for this end to accomplish sinne thereby If every thing works to their damnation this may make them sin the more desparately But First Divines have a good distinction about Gods Will. There is a will of Complacency or Approbation and there is his will of Efficiency what he will bring about and none shall hinder Now it 's the will of Gods approbation that all things should be improved by the wicked for their good It 's his approving and commanding will that every Sermon should be received by Faith that every mercy be improved fruitfully The goodnesse of God doth invite such to Repentance The afflictions and scourges God brings on them are to humble them and make them to repent of their sinnes But if we regard the will of Efficiency so these things are the savour of death to them that perish The Apostle saith this plainly The Word was the savour of life to such as are saved and the savour of death to such as perish 2 Cor. 2.15 That their is such a will of God will appear by that instance to Pharaoh God inflicted strange and miraculous judgments upon him it was his approving and commanding will that by those Pharaoh should be humbled and repent and let the people go For this end Moses and Aaron are sent to exhort him to this duty Yet if we respect Gods will of Efficiency we see he told Moses that Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he would not let them go and his heart grew harder by these wonders So then Gods will of Approbation and Command is That even the wicked should make all things theirs though Gods will of Efficiency doth not bring it about Secondly If thâ—se things are poison to the wicked and snares to them they may still blame themselves for it 's the corruption of their natures not any violence God offereth them that makes them turn every thing to their own destruction Thy perdition is of thy self O Israel Hos 13 9. So that every wicked man having a corrupted nature and this wickednesse strengthened through actual impieties no wonder if every thing promote his damnation But still it 's of himself As you see poisonous creatures Serpents and Toads they turn every thing they eat to poison because of their venomous constitution So it is here wicked men turn all good things into ill Vnumquodque recipitur ad moâ—um recipientes Put the sweetest liquor into a noysome vessel it will have an ill tincture Paul sheweth this evidently The Law that was for life he found for death Rom. 7. The Law was good aand spiritual yet it stirred up all sinne in him because he was carnal It 's that within thee which defileth all without thee Wicked men sinne as wilfully and as industriously attend to pervert all things to their damnation as if there were no contracted necessity upon them to offend against God in all things The third Doubt is If all things be the Godlies Why then are they so uncomfortable so dejected complaining of wants as if nothing were theirs If this be true we would thinke no godly man should ever be in a plunge he may take up this Text and it would be an antidote against all fears and cares It can be no night with him as long as this Sunne shineth Answ It 's true it should be so but we are weak in faith we do not live upon Scripture-principles and priviledges but sensible and then we stagger and reel up and down While we are cloathed with the Sunne and have the Moon under our feet we walk in light and comfort David when his faith is lively then God is his shepherd he shall want nothing and he will lay him down and sleep because God taketh care for him But let him come from this Mountain of faith and look on the waters of afflictions below his head goeth round and he knoweth not where he is Now a two-fold faith is necessary to bear up the head and heart the one Firmly assenting to the truth of the things The other Fiducially applying them to our selves If we have not the first faith we look upon such things as meer good words as bare expressions Even as if a man should think he had such a Country because he had the Map of it Oh this divine historical faith strongly perswading our selves these things are Gods truth they cannot be a lie they cannot deceive us would greatly establish us And then Fiducial application is the hand that takes these things making them to be ours So that if you ask How all present and future things life and death are ours It 's by faith only A quiet resting and reposing of the soul upon Gods promise puts us into the possession of all these things Secondly As they want faith So an heavenly prudence and skill how to improve them spiritually Though all things be for their good yet they must have wisdome to know how to use all things Therefore Paul who said He had all things saith He was instructed in it as in a mystery Phil. 4.11 Prescribe the best medicines in the world if men have not judgement rightly to order them they can never get good What is a fountain sealed up or a Book that cannot be read though it hath never such admirable matter Thus are all things though never so usefull if thou hast not Christian wisdome There is no condition affliction or event but thou mayest say if I had heavenly wisdome I might make excellent use of it The last Doubt is How are all things the Godly mans seeing for the most part they are most wanting they are in the greatest necessities Had not Dives all things when Lazarus had not not so much as crums Doth not this Doctrine give a mock-comfort as those in Jam. 2.16 who bid some be cloathed and warmed but gave nothing Answ 1. This place doth not so much speak of the possession of all things as the spiritual serviceablenesse of them Those things which they have no possession of may yet serve for their souls good He doth not so much mean what they have as what tends to their good 2. If the godly have not all things they would that want is good for them The want of any outward mercy may sometimes be better than the having of them To lose blood when there is too much fulnesse is healthfull So then complain not saying I have not this or that good thing the not having it is good 3. Thou hast what is best for thee and that according to the wise Gods ordering Let this silence thee alwayes These afflictions these exercises these wants are the best The wise great God of Heaven doth dispense them and they come from his hand 4. Thou hast better things then any earthly thing thou wantest thou hast Christ thou hast a title to Heaven and eternal glory
unknown tongues 1 Cor. 14. do fully reach to this Ministers may affect such obscure unprofitable and impertinent matter as that the people may no more be bettered then if all things were done in Latine The Apostle had rather speak five words to edification then five hundred other wayes Insomuch that a powerfull profitable way of preaching is a great gift of God a special blessing unto a people And though some Ministers partake of it more than others yet all are to bend themselves for the peoples profit Si non vis intelligi cur vis legi said he we may adde cur vis audiri we see the nurses care is to make the childs meat most conveniently eatable and fit for nourishment and Ministers that do otherwise are such unkind fathers that our Saviour speaketh of as not possible when the children aske bread they give them a stone when they aske fish they give them a serpent Thirdly In that all things are the Churches is implied That no Officers have an absolute dominion over their peoples faith neither may lord it over them according to their lusts and ambitions but to doe all things for their souls good Paul though an Apostle would not assume such dominion 2 Cor. 1.24 Not that we have dominion over your faith And 1 Pet. 5.3 forbids all lordship over Gods inheritance They are Gods inheritance they are his field that they are to dresse and till not for themselves but their Masters use The Pope of Rome with his Abettors do infinitely transgresse in this particular who though he style himself Servus servorum the servant of servants is yet the Lord of Lords whatsoever they give us to eat we must swallow without chusing All our Sacrifices must be without eyes the more ignorance in our faith the more devotion No all the power and authority of Church-officers is not Magisterial but Ministerial we must come with Thus saith the Lord As it is written That which we have received that we are to deliver and when they keep to this then He that heareth them heareth Christ and He that despiseth them despiseth Christ No man may adde to or detract from the last will of a man much lesse Gods Testament which is to be the rule to the Church while she is in this world Fourthly In that all Officers are the Churches there is implied That not onely finis operantis but operis also not onely the end of all Ministers but the end of the offices and gifts themselves are for the Churches good God when he set Pastours and Teachers he gave them for the perfecting of the Saints and compleating their graces and bringing them to a full stature in Christ Eph. 4.11 12 13. Now it 's good to consider the manifold ends why God hath given such offices and gifts to his Church And First It 's to multiply and gather in more to the Church even the whole number of the elect Thus they are called fishers of men Mat. 4.19 they cast in the spiritual net of the Gospel and out of the bitter waters of the world they take up many for Gods Kingdom Many thousands were taken at the beginning of the Gospel Thus they are also called Fathers because by the Word they beget many to eternal life So then the Officers of the Church are yours to bring you home to God of Wolfs to make you Lambs of Beasts to make you Saints Oh consider whether the Ministry hath ever been yours in this sense or no! Hath it removed those mountains those high Towers of sinne that exalt themselves against Christ Hath it reformed thee of thy lusts of thy beastlinesse Oh may you not say in a contrary sense to Paul You have ten thousand Instructers yet no Fathers you have had many preachers but no father none hath begot thee anew to a spiritual and heavenly life Secondly It 's to convince and reprove to trouble and disquiet the soul for sinne and thus they are yours though wretched man had rather be without them Paul was very sharp and severe against the errours and vices of believers All Ministers are commanded To reprove and rebuke with all authority Tit. 2.15 To lift up their voices like a trumpet and to tell Israel of their transgressions This is for your advantage more than all false and daubing delusions You see God himself would not spare Aaron or Moses though never any talked to God face to face as he did yet God reproved him for his rashnesse Because he did not sanctifie him before the people and therefore would not let him enter into the Land of Canaan Oh it 's a good sign when you can receive a sharp reproof and rebuking Sermons as yours as profitable to you desiring not to be spared Thirdly They are yours for quickning and increasing of grace To bring us to a full stature as you heard the Apostle calleth it Desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby 1 Pet. 2.2 There is watering as well as planting Paul reproveth these Corinthians as carnal that he could not speak to them as spiritual And Heb. 6. he speaketh terribly to those that are still in their first principles and are not carried on to further perfection Consider then here is the Ministry and all the gifts and Sermons you have enjoyed for your benefit and profit Is your understanding more enlightned your hearts more tender your lives more reformed Is your knowledge bettered your graces more quickened and your whole conversation more fervent and zealous Fourthly They are for consolation and comfort unto the tender and broken hearted for sinnes Hence they are the Ministers of the Gospel and they bring the glad tidings of peace We are sent to comfort and give rest to those that are loaden with sinne Oh that we could meet with a people that need this balm of the Gospel that want this oil of Gods grace in their wounds There are thousands of people to whom we must not we dare not dispense the comforts of the Gospel we cannot say these glad tidings are to be published to you Lastly Not onely their gifts and office but all events whatsoever do befall them Their honour or disgrace their life or their death their esteem or their persecution is for the Churches good 2 Cor. 5.13 Whether we be besides our selves or sober it is for you saith Paul And in another place he makes one end of all his sufferings to be for the Churches sake Col. 1.24 If the Ministers of the Gospel runne through good report or bad report life or death it 's for the Churches good And therefore Chrysostome understands that life and death after mentioned of the Ministers so that you are not only to learn by their Sermons but by all their mercies or by all their sufferings not only their tongues but all things else should teach you Vse of Exhortation Take heed that through thy unbelief and other sinnes the Ministry and all the abilities and gifts thereof
work then they die to receive their wages And this certainly is very comfortable to all the children of God especially Ministers that God will give them their liberties and lives till they have done their work No man can stop Gods way and power no more than they can hinder the Sunne in running its race Why should death then be grievous to thee when God hath no more for thee to do here when thou canst be no more usefull to promote his glory Fourthly Death is the godly mans Because the meditation and thoughts of it are sanctified to him He liveth as one that expecteth it daily And although every one knoweth he must die yet we cannot have the sanctified knowledge of it without Gods grace Teach me to number my dayes saith the Psalmist Psal 90. that we may apply our hearts to wisdome And Paul I die daily Thus the Scripture bids us not put confidence in future things what we will do or whither we will go because our life is a vapour Jam 4 13. Oh it 's great proficiency in Christianity to live as a mortal dying man Alas such an one will provide for eternity not account any thing in this world can make him truly happy his heart is weaned from all worldly comforts and delights Thus that there is such a thing as death it is a great argument to the godly man to live with all heavenly and holy affections Fifthly Death is the godly mans Because he only knoweth how to dâ—e well as we told you Life was his Because he onely could tell how to live So death is his because he only knoweth how to die Simeon saith Lukâ— 2.29 Now Lord let thy servant depart in peace when he had taken Christ in his arms and seen his salvation Thus they only by faith lay hold on Christ they only have oil to their lamps they only are prepared to give up their accounts Oh it 's an art of arts to die well Few are so prepared and disposed that at what hour soever the Master shall come he shall find them doing his will It 's true many wicked men are not afraid to die they flatter themselves and can bid death welcome but it is their ignorance their boldnesse makes them thus they know not what it is do die upon what terms to appear before God and therefore do suddenly drop into hell Sixthly The godly man hath death as an advantage if you respect the time and season of his death His death is not only mercy but the time of his death is mercy The term of every mans life is appointed by God To him belong the issues of death Psal 68.20 Now God in great wisdom and mercy hath determined the time of thy death And although we cannot alwayes see how it is a mercy to die at such and such a time yet it is so The righteous is gathered from the evil to come Isa 57.1 as jewels when the house is on fire as cattel are driven into a refuge before the storm beginneth Hezekiah must not live to see all that publique ruine which was coming on Israel Thus though they die in their younger years it 's a mercy Hence the death of righteous men is accounted a sad prognostique of future calamities Lastly Even the violent death of Martyrdome which cometh by the cruel and bloudy oppression of implacable enemies that is theirs It 's a mercy a gain and honour The Apostles rejoyced that they were accounted worthy to lose what they had for Christs sake To you it 's given not only to believe but to suffer Phil. 1 19. If any man suffer as a Christian blessed is he for the spirit of glory shall rest upon him 1 Pet. 4.14 It 's the greatest honour that can be put upon thee Though it be matter of scorn and reproach with the world yet God and the holy Angels approve such As Christ is said to be exalted and glorified by dying so it is with his children Vse of unspeakable Consolation to the godly in their temptations and fears about death Oh that is terrible to thee thou knowest not what to do But why so If thou art one of the members of Christ who by faith art ingraffed in him this should be matter of joy Then and never till then doest thou beginne to be happy then thy bridegroom cometh to meet thee then the gates of Heaven are set open to give thee glorious entertainment if yet these things do not raise thee it 's because thou art not heavenly thou doest not by faith live on Scripture arguments Vse 2. Of Terrour to wicked men who must die and yet to die is onely losse to them They lose their wealth their friends their greatnesse all the mirth they had and then beginneth thy eternal woe Oh the very name of death and mortality should strike terrour into thee for this is the beginning of hell it putteth an end to all the comforts of this life Or things present or things to come We are now come to the last Enumeration of those several things which belong to the Churches treasure and that is all kind of events distributed according to their time either things present or future By present things some understand those gifts in the Church which were extraordinary of healing and such like cures and by future things the gift of revelation concerning things to come But this is too much restrained We rather take the largest sense and by present things understand all those events which for the present do befall us And by future whatsoever may in time come upon us So that this Text is a soveraign cordial to the godly whatsoever fals out they are sure to be gainers by Nothing comes amisse they are in a sure Ark while others float on the waters Observe That whatsoever fals out for the present to a godly man it is for his good Every day is in travel and brings forth some new thing or other Now as often as there is any new event so often is there a new mercy Our Saviour Matth. 6.34 saith Sufficient to the day is the evil thereof implying thereby that every day hath a womb as it were and it brings forth some affliction some evil or other and it is sufficient to the day we need not trouble our selves afore-hand Qui dolet antequam necesse est dolet plusquam necesse est yet the evil of the day is the good of the day to the believer A godly man may say he never had an ill day since his regeneration As we reade of a devout man who being wished a good day he said He never had an ill one in all his life And being asked How that could be He answered Every morning he laboured to conform his will to Gods will that what pleased God should please him and by this means every day was a good day to him Now the things which fall out may be divided into two contrary heads and you shall find both of
them meeting in this they bring good to the godly man And 1. There are happy and prosperous events Or 2. Adverse and afflicting ones And For the first What ever mercies or good things come about they are the godly-mans in these respects First They are for his necessary use and supply They come as so many gifts immediately given by God for thy necessities And when I say use I mean a sanctified use All the food raiment and wealth he hath are sanctified in their use to him and this the Scripture speaks of as a property to the godly only Wicked men may abound in wealth honours greatnesse but they are a curse to them they have them not from God as intending good to them thereby But as the Rule is Corpora impura quantò plus nutrias impuriora reddis The more you nourish unwholsome bodies the better food they have the more doth their disease increase So these worldly mercies draw out the lusts of wicked men the more Take notice of these two Texts Tit. 1.15 and 1 Tim. 4.5 There we may see a curse is upon every creature It 's unclean to a wicked man though he hath a civil right to his estate and comforts yet he can make no sanctified use of them for their own persons are not pure and sanctified and so nothing belonging to them is pure Seeing therefore there is a curse by Adams fall upon every creature Thy food thy raiment thy goods thy estate they neeâ—â—anctification by the Word and prayer Therefore the godly only have the sanctified use of them because they are humble in prayer for the cleansing of them But how atheistical are the men of the world They labour to have this state and that state still more and more not at all enquiring whether this come sanctified to them or not Doth not health wealth and all outward mercies come with the curse upon them they had at first The Devils Have not they a life Are not they preserved in their being Yet this is no mercy to them And thus it is with all wicked men We see what Paul saith Rom. 11.9 Let their table be made a snare and a trap and a stumbling block It 's a terrible place A mans table his dainties his greatest pleasure may be made a snare to thee Wouldst thou receive the richest goods that are brought into thy house if the plague or infection were on them Couldst thou endure to have one at thy table to lay a snare to catch thee in thy words to bring thee in temporal danger And art not thou afraid thy house thy estate thy wealth may be made by God a snare to thee But how happy are the godly that how great soever the outward mercies are yet they are pure and sanctified to them The danger is taken off by Christs death Secondly These prosperous things are not only in a sanctified way to the godly but God alâ—o requireth that with joy and gladnesse we should make use of them for his glory It 's lawfull for them to eat and drink and enjoy the good mercies they hâ—ve with a cheerfull joyfull spirit I speak not of carnal and sinfull joy which quickly ends in terrour and trembling and is like the crackling of thorns that make a blaze but immediately go out No but of a well-ordered gladnesse and joy in the good things God bestoweth on them For God doth not call his people to a worldly dejected sorrow which worketh death but to a godly sorrow which causeth great joy and serenity of spirit Insomuch that Scripture speaks of it as a provoking sinne if we do not serve the Lord with joy and and gladnesse of spirit when he bestoweth these outward mercies upon us Deut. 28 47. Many terrible curses are there threatned to Israel Because they did not serve God with joyfulnesse and gladnesse of heart for the abundance of all things If therefore God giveth thee plenty of outward things and thou doest not serve him with joyfulnesse and thankfulnesse of heart it is a provoking sinne God doth not only love a cheerfull giver but a cheerfull receiver also of his mercies So then when prosperous things befall thee thou mayest with great joy of heart make use of them Thirdly These prosperous things are not only sanctified to them but they are also made sanctifying of them God giveth them those good things of the body to make their souls better Abraham had many outward mercies but these also were helpfull to his graces he was rich in faith as well as in cattel and great substance Thus Godlinesse hath the promise of this life and the life to come 1 Tim. 4.8 To have the good things of the world and not the gracious things of the Gospel and the glorious things of Heaven is to have a cistern but to be without the fountain to have a starre but to want the Sunne Art thou drawn near to God more improved in holinesse by all the mercifull things thou hast Then art thou beloved of God God hath chosen the poor of this world rich in faith Jam. 5. And The poor receive the Gospel Be afraid lest wealth and greatnesse make thee reject the Gospel When thy outward mercies are sanctified then art thou happy Fourthly These prosperous present things are theirs Because they know how to make the present use of them for Gods glory As life was theirs and death theirs because they only could live well and die well so present riches present death present comforts are theirs because they know how to make the present improvement of them The Scripture still presseth While we have opportunity to do good to lay hold on it and while it is called to day 2 Heb. 3.15 Do good with thy present wealth improve thy present strength thy present health for who knoweth how long thou mayest enjoy it especially of all present things the present time is a godly mans Redeem the time Ephes 5.16 And now is the acceptable time 2 Cor. 6.2 This is a great part of wisdome to make the present time ours even now to turn to God now to reform and amend One Heathen complained that his friends were fures temporis the thieves of his time they stole that precious jewel away from him by their visits Oh take heed that no lusts no pleasures no enticements and worldly delights steal away thy present time it is all thou hast and it 's but a moment yet on this moment depends eternity Well therefore is it for the godly who knoweth how to make the best improvement of all prices put into his hand A Christian is not called to ease but labour to a spiritual merchandize to make profit of every thing And thus it should be with every godly man there is nothing befals thee no good comes to thee but thou shouldst bethink thy self how can this be improved for God How may I make heavenly advantages of these things Thus be like the Bee sucking honey out of every herb
Fifthly Present good things are a godly mans Because they are accompanied with the love and favour of God which is infinitely more than the good things themselves Non tam donis quam à Deo datis That all these good things are the effects of Gods favour and gracious reconciliation through Christ this makes them ours in an eminent manner When God gave Abraham such large worldly revenues and withall said He himself would be his great reward Gen. 15.1 This was the fulnesse of happinesse And so you may see David accounting it when he esteemeth more of Gods favour the light of his countenance and justification of his person more than all his victory and successe which he had To have these good things and Christ also to have these mercies and the light of Gods countenance is to have the fulnesse of earth and Heaven also And this is the reason why a little that a righteous man hath is better than great treasures of the wicked because he hath Gods favour and his love with it A good conscience is a continual feast Now no man hath a good conscience but he who is reconciled with God through Christ and doth enjoy the pardon of his sinnes which is evidenced by his repentance and forsaking of them but no wicked man is thus he may have a stupified conscience not a good conscience he may be at ease not be tormented and disquieted within but yet have no solid joy Lastly These prosperous events are theirs Because God giveth contentation of spirit The blessing of the Lord maketh rich and he addeth no sorrow with it Prov. 10.22 Many men have these outward mercies but then many thorns grow up with them There is so much gall in their honey that all the sweetnesse is gone This contentation is also accompanied with a faithfull dependance and stedfast trusting in God for present provision Hence we are directed to pray for our daily bread which implieth a present provision fit for us in every state We come now to the second sort of present events and those are tribulations and afflictions There are none of these present troubles upon thee though grievous and burdensome but it is for thy good Though the Apostle saith No affliction for the present seemeth joyous but grievous Heb. 12.11 Yet truly for the very present though not to thy sense yet to thy judgment it ought to be joyous Hence Jam. 1. we are commanded To count it all joy when we fall into divers temptations Now they may well be called ours First Because they come from Gods gracious love to us That same love which is the fountain of all thy earthly comforts is also the cause of all thy earthly afflictions It 's the same hand that doth stroke thee and strike thee What a comfortable passage is that Heb. 12.6 Whom I love I chasten and if ye were without chastisement ye were bastards and no children David also affirmeth Ps 119.15 Out of very faithfulnesse thou hast afflicted me So that in this dead Lion thou mayest find honey Even out of this Rock may come refreshing waters What a stay should this be to thee Why art thou dejected Why doest thou cry out that none is like thee Thy trouble thy blacknesse thy tribulations are for thy advantage as much as all the mercies thou ever enjoyedst Go to the fountain from whence they came and that is nothing but precious love Secondly They are thine for the blessed and heavenly effects they work on the godly so that they could not be so well without them Now of many excellent effects Consider 1. They are to humble us for sinne to make us feel how bitter it is to go out of Gods way And is not this lesson of great consequence Mich. 7.9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him And I opened not my mouth because thou Lord didst it Psal 39.9 So that the bitternesse of sinne makes it terrible and grievous to them Now they cry out What have I to do with sinne any more What profit have I of such sins that now do so wound me 2. Another end is To make us more vigilant for the future to preserve us against future temptations We have been burnt already the rod of the Almighty hath been already on our backs and can we entertain such stinging vipers again Oh they remember the wounds the desolation and darknesse of soul they were plunged in Thirdly These afflictions are ours Because they are exercises to draw out our graces our faith our patience our heavenly mindednesse and thereby our crown of glory is greater Thus the Apostle saith These light and momentany afflictions work an eternal weight of glory 2 Cor. 4.17 And afflictions are called The precious trial of our faith 1 Pet. 1.7 As gold to the fire as winnowing to the corn as washing and rinsing to the foul cloaths the same are tribulations to a godly man These are the file to get off all their rust These are the waters of Noah to raise the Ark up higher to Heaven Thus you see the bitterest event every day is thy good and happinesse thou art blessed full and blessed empty blessed laughing and blessed mourning blessed having all things and blessed having nothing Vse of Terrour to wicked men They are in such a state that whatsoever befals them makes them more sinfull and so more miserable Thy good things thy evil things they all tend to make thee more evil It 's like drink to the Dropsie It 's like oyl to the flames if God give thee plenty and abundance of these things Oh then judge not your selves happy by having these things but by the sanctified use of them Every night thou mayest make up thy accounts and say my soul is the worse for this and that to day Wicked men will not believe that all things are thus a snare to them but the event will shew it Vse 2 Of Comfort and again of comfort to the godly Whatsoever is come upon thee though never so sudden never so great and terrifying this is from love and with love Or things to come all are yours We now come to the last particular in the last Enumeration Or things to come By things to come Some we told you understood the Revelations and Prophesies that were about things to happen in after ages But we are to take it as largely as the words beare Now the things to come are of two sorts First What is to come in this life For no man knoweth what may befall him ere he dieth or at death which made the Heathen say that knew not this Text Ante obitum nemo foelix c. Or else they may be future things in the world to come For God doth keep the best wine till the last The godly have but clusters of grapes here they come into the Land of Canaan it self hereafter Now of both these future things we are to speak and for the things that are
to come in this life they are of two sorts Either 1. Mercifull and good things Or 2. Grievous and sad things For God can quickly turn a fair day into thunder and tempest Job felt a suddain alteration upon himself which was from the richest in the East to become the poorest in a moment Now both these kinds are the godly mans mercy No evil that is truly so can befall him But I shall not pursue these particulars for that will coincide with the former matter I shall therefore treat of it in a more general way Observe That all things which are to come or may fall out hereafter are a godly mans mercy and advantage This Doctrine speaketh the height of happinesse and comfort to the godly for there is no greater temptation we are subject unto then to be tormented about what may fall out hereafter Though for the present it be never so well yet we forethink our possible miseries as David One day I shall fall by the hand of Saul 1 Sam. 27.1 So that many times needlesse troubles about what is to come takes away the enjoyment of the present mercies we have But here we see the Text giving such a cordial to the godly that he may go and take his rest wholly relying upon the Lord for come what can come or will come nothing can come amisse it will be a mercy an advantage to him Now that this Doctrine is true I may prove à posteriori from such signes and effects that do evidently demonstrate the people of God are quietly to sit down with this conclusion Though the Lord only knoweth what will come upon me yet I know it will be only for my good For First It appeareth by this The Scripture commands the godly to avoid all distrustfull and distracting cares about what will be that he should quietly compose himself committing all to his heavenly Father who knoweth all he hath need of So that as little children are cheerfull and play never troubling themselves how they shall subsist and what if such miseries arise Thus ought the godly Matth. 6.34 Take no thought for to morrow for the morrow shall take thought for the things of it self q.d. God will then provide when other conditions other exercises come Do not thou distract thy self God will then upon any new trial or exercise come in upon thee to help and deliver See here then the blessed estate of a godly man he is commanded to shut out all distrustfull cares for the future he is to cast his burden upon the Lord whatsoever shall befall it will be well with him Secondly They are to perswade themselves that nothing shall fall out that can separate from Gods love And what a support is this Rom. 8. Paul there is triumphing and that not for himself but for all the people of God who are justified What shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Shall things present shall things to come vers 38. Is not this to bring the people of God up into the Mount of transfiguration Whatsoever shall befall thee before thou diest yet nothing shall separate between Gods love and thee Though it should come about that no friend love thee none in the world will own thee yet God will own thee Certainly this may rejoyce the heart of the godly if any thing hereafter might divide between God and thee might deprive thee of God and part thee from him then thou mightest tremble and quake fearing the worst is not past but when all is thus provided afore-hand that thou art sure to be in Gods love be thy estate never so disconsolate this may keep up thy heart Thirdly The godly concerning all future things may thus also conclude That there is no evil no temptation that shall fall upon them but he will give strength to bear and give a way to escape You have a Text more precious than the gold of Ophir to this purpose 1 Cor. 10.13 God is faithfull who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but with the temptation will make a way to escape Doth not this Text speak to the heart of some godly people Oh they lie under sad temptations heavy exercises are upon them such as the world knoweth not and they are afraid these will overwhelm them they shall never get out it will undo them But what saith the Text God will not suffer you to be tempted above measure and he will make a way to escape See then thy fears thy unbelief makes thee go contrary to the Text. Thou sayest thou shalt never be able to bear it God saith I will lay no more upon thee then thou art able Fear saith I shall never escape this never overcome this Faith saith he will make a way to escape Now whether wilt thou believe God or thy own fearfull heart Oh then let the godly that are tempted and lie in deep waters that are like Jonas swallowed up in the whales belly take this Text and hide it in their heart so they will not fear what will be to come Fourthly For things to come they have this promise That in all outward things God will never leave them nor forsake them Thus things to come are theirs for they have this promise And Heb. 13.5 the Apostle urgeth this against covetousnesse and to be content with what they have God will never leave thee nor forsake thee Now this temptation many times troubleth at least some godly persons they are afraid they or their posterity may be brought to wants they fear poverty may come upon them as an armed man especially they know not what they shall do in old age if God should let them live till they should lose their sight or their limbs or their parts what should become of them To live a burden to themselves or others Aristotle hath a wicked Position That all decrepit old men should be thrown down a steep hill headlong and be killed as being a burden to a Commonwealth Old people are many times a burden to wicked young people Therefore God commands us Not to despise our mother when she is old Prov. 23.22 Now we shall see David himself tempted about his old age Psal 71.19 When I am old and gray headed forsake me not Thus you see what wants or straits especially what decayes of grace the godly may fear they shall not have the same vigour and strength not the same memory and judgement But the Scripture gives a good promise Psal 92.14 They shall bring forth fruit in old age So Isa 46.4 To your old age I am he and even to hoary hairs I will carry thee He will have as much care of thee as a mother of a child in her arms Well then you see in that God hath said he will never leave or forsake us we need not fear poverty want the diseases and miseries of old age for these things are ours Fifthly The people of God may be perswaded of their
my self but he sent me But especially John 7.16 My Doctrine is not mine but his that sent me he that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory Here you see Christ acknowledging that the Doctrine he preached as a Minister and Mediatour was not his Yea if we speak of his humane Nature that invented it not because that was a finite creature though united personally to an infinite Person Oh what an admirable instance is this of modesty Christ speaks not preacheth not of his own but from the Father How should we Ministers then not preach our own fancies our own imaginations but the Doctrine delivered in Scripture How would this bridle up a deal of bold ignorance now in the world Men would not be so forward to teach before they have well learned themselves Christ speaketh nor of himself And consider that connexion vers 18. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory When we are not contented with Scripture-doctrine with truths delivered there but bring of our own it 's only to seek vain glory and applause in the world Thirdly That Christ is wholly Gods appeareth in that as the Doctrine he preached was the Fathers So he sought not his own glory did not exalt himself but the Father John 8 29. I do alwayes those things that please him And vers 54 If I honour my self my honour is nothing So John 17.4 I have glorified thee on earth Thus in all that Christ did and suffered it was only to glorifie and advance God his Father For alas in respect of himself he was of no reputation Under what reproach contempt and scorn did he live So that all might easily see it was not his own glory he looked at but the glory of the Father And this also is an excellent President for humility and modesty and self-denial The Apostles also when they did work wonders so as the people were ready to make Gods of them They rend their cloaths because of such blasphemy and say It is not they but Christ who inabled them to do these things Act. 14.11 Yes how ready are we to say these are our parts our gifts Fourthly That Christ is wholly Gods appeareth In that obediential resignation of himself to do Gods will Let I come to do thy will O God And he would be baptized because hereby he would fulfill all righteousnesse And John 17.4 I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do Insomuch that Christ is said to become under the Law So John 6.38 I came down from Heaven not to do my own will but the will of him that sent me Therefore John 18.18 Gods will laid upon him to die for his people he cals it a Commandment And John 12.49 He gave me a Commandment So that we see the duty of a Mediatour to do and suffer what was required of us was laid on Christ by Commandment and it was truly and properly Obedience that which he did in fulfilling of it Now in all this truth there are these things admirable First The love of God and the love of Christ God so loved the world So The Apostle could not give an How it was such a So that could not be expressed When Abraham offered his only sonne for a Sacrifice God said Now I know thou lovest me How much rather when we see Christ dying and suffering all those agonies and miseries for us may we say now we know God loveth us Shall the Psalmist so admire Gods love in giving man the beasts of the field that he crieth out What is man that thou art so mindfull of him Psal 8.4 How much rather may man stand astonished at this love of God in giving Christ Well may God be said to be love it self for he is the fountain of all this honey Who may if repenting though a Blackmoor sinner doubt of Gods love in pardoning when he hath done the greater Which is greater to give a Christ or to pardon sinne And then The love of Christ is no lesse admirable for him to give his life for us sinners and enemies herein he did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 set forth his love in a most exemplary manner Jonathans love to David is much commended but what is that spark to this flame Oh how can the poor doubting and unbelieving sinner question forgivenesse doubt whether Christ will accept of him or no when he seeth Christ do so much for him already Fear not the worst of death and hell is over Secondly In this admire the self-denial of Christ that he layeth aside the exercise and manifestation of all that divine glory he had and became contemptible of no reputation for us The Apostle aggravateth this Phil. 2. When it was no robbery to be equal with God yet he became such a worm and no man for us This is so great a mystery viz. Christs condescension for our good that the Angels though he be not their Mediator though he took not their Nature on him yet they desire to look 1 Pet. 1.12 and search into this truth as being ravished with it Oh what an example is here for us of self-denial and preparednesse to part with all at his command Lastly In this it 's admirable The humble and ready obedience of Christ Doth Christ any way gain-say this commandment of God Doth he murmur at it Doth he begin to repent of his undertaking No but in all things giveth up himself to be a willing Sacrifice he bids the Law in its curses and the wrath of God in all the effects fall upon him As Saul runne his Spear at David but missing him it stuck in the wall Thus the anger and wrath of God emptying it self violently misseth us and fals on Christ What a willing expression is that Loe I come to do thy will O God! Heb. 10.9 Vse 1. Is Christ thus Gods Then we see that the Mediatory Kingdome of Christ is for a further end it is that at last God may be all in all Not but that Christ shall alwayes remain God and man and all glory shall be given to Christ who hath brought us into Heaven but this actual administration shall then cease The damned in Hell can no more plead Christ they cannot urge his death any more for now that gracious dispensation is ceased there is no more oil no more water to refresh It 's now as desperate as if there never had been a Christ thy estate and the Devils is now both alike Oh then let wicked men that need Christ awaken and look about them while a Christ may be had while a Christ is ready to do good the time will be when he shall not actually as a Priest or Prophet or King dispense such mercies any more 2. Is Christ thus wholly Gods Then what self-denial what humility and modesty should we learn hence Shall Christ not seek his own glory Shall not he seek to please himself Shall not he exalt his own will Why then are we so apt to magnifie our self-glory
whereby he is able to discern good and hate evil As if the sense of the Psalmist was this Why do the men of the world seek thus after earthly good things and are so uncertain in their affections for God hath placed the light of reason and conscience in every man whereby he is able to know there is the chiefest good Now although we do not refuse this interpretation upon Illyricus his Reason that there are no implanted principles of knowledge about God yet the context doth more evince the latter that it is by Prayer-wise to God And although Bellarmine saith the Hebrew may be pointed so as to make Signatum est and that the Septuagint know better then the Mâ—sorites yet because it 's ordinary to put Samech for Sin and He for Alph as here Nesah for New we take it to signifie to lift up And although it should be from nes vixillum that could not overthrow the sense And the Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not signifie an impression of any thing in us but a manifestation As in that place 2 Thes 3.14 Note such a man by an Epistle We therefore understand it of David's Prayer That God would give a manifestation of his gracious love to him A Metaphor taken from men who when reconciled do willingly turn their face and look pleasantly upon those whom they delight in Observe That a gracious heart doth more esteem the favour of God and the light of his countenance then any earthly thing whatsoever This light of Gods countenance is often spoken of by David Psal 44.3 The original of all the mercies God vouchsafed to Israel is said to be Gods power and the light of his countenance because he had a favour to them So Psal 99.15 Blessed are they that know the joyfull sound they shall walk in the light of thy countenance This favour of God is that which makes a glad and joyfull heart Hence in Antiquity it was a proverbial speech to expresse an happy man by Deus vidit God hath looked on such a man Though the light of Gods countenance doth sometimes signifie only his bare knowledge and omniscience as Psal 90.8 Thou hast put our secret sinnes in the light of thy countenance as Gods face is sometimes upon a man for good and sometimes it 's said to be against man for his hurt but the summe is That as it is with a man when he is pleased with another he turneth his face to him looketh pleasantly and cheerfully as Job saith of himself Job 29.24 Thus when God is pleased with a man then the Believer apprehends nothing but love and favour from God He seeth not frowns but smiles in his face And he seeth God to be to him by the eye of Faith As Esau's face was to Jacob pleasing and therefore said to be like the face of God Let us consider what this phrase doth expresse And First It supposeth that all our iniquities and sinnes they are pardoned and blotted out For as long as our guilt is upon us and God seeth that he turneth his face from us He is an angry Judge He is of purer eyes then to behold such things Your iniquities divide between you and me Hence when sinne is said to be pardoned the expression is that it is covered Psal 32. implying that sinne of it self is loathsome and abominable to his eyes Not but that he seeth sin in every Believer only it 's pardoned in Christ and so not imputed to the Believer And though God see it so as to chasten for it yet not to adjudge to eternal destruction And this is so great a blessednesse that David Psal 32. doth only call this so Blessed is the man not whom God makes great rich and honoured in this world but to whom he imputeth no sinne at all This the humbled soul counteth a mercy and in its sad agonies prayeth for the light of Gods countenance All the world doeth him no good All the creatures that would comfort him do but as those that would give Christ vinegar and gall to drink David himself Psal 5 1. when in his great conflicts because of his sinne minds not his Kingdom or honours but prayeth that God would have mercy upon him according to his loving kindnesse Those tender mercies of God he flyeth unto Till therefore sinne be removed Gods anger and wrath belongs unto us Secondly In this is implyed Gods favour and love towards us that he is pleased and become reconciled with us If the wrath of a King be so terrible how much more is the wrath of God But when the light of his countenance is towards us then he is gracious then his eye his face are all pleasant and reviving When David is reconciled to Absolom then it 's no longer commanded that he should keep from his presence but his Fathers bowels long to see him him again Can there be a greater good in the world desired then that Gods face should be pleasant to us Then that he should become reconciled with us For as it is better to undergo all the wrath of all the most cruel Tyrants in the world then to lye under Gods displeasure so it is better to enjoy the favour and love of God then the advantage of all second Causes Gen. 4.14 Cain speaks of this as the height of his misery That he should be hid from the face of the Lord. To be in Hell it would not be a torment but because Gods face is hid Wheresoever God hideth his face there is the inlet of all woe and misery Then on the contrary when the face of God doth shine upon a Believer as David prayeth for this often then is that mans estate blessed and happy God is then at peace with him God is then reconciled Now as the Apostle argueth Rom. 8. If God be for us who shall be against us When the Sunne shineth there may arise many black and thick clouds there may be sad and gloomy daies but when the face of God doth shine on his children then no darknesse no tempests no sad temptations whatsoever can hinder a man from having the beautifull beames of Gods favour He can make the Sunne shine in the dark night If he giveth peace none can hinder it Thirdly This phrase doth imply the original and cause of all Gods gracious mercies in time It 's because of the light of his countenance that any good cometh to us For as the damned in Hell who are totally cast out from his face cannot receive so much as a drop of water so on the other side where the favour of God is towards a man there is a Treasure of all the goodnesse he can desire Therefore when David prayeth here he doth as I may so say ask the whole Kingdom of God Have this and have all if it be necessary for us When David prayeth for the light of Gods countenance he doth not ask for a single mercy It is not for one particular comfort
yet is as confident as if he had been at rest in his dwelling place But because all that dwell are not secure especially in times of violence and warre therefore he addeth safety Some translate the word in Spe in Hope and so it may denote both the outward condition and his inward disposition Lastly Here is the solitarinesse of this Efficiency It 's God alone It 's not David's own care nor the asistance of others but God alone All the glory is to be ascribed solely to him Indeed some relate the word to David as if David though alone God made him dwell in safety He can keep one man securely in the midst of all enemies Thus God promiseth to Israel Deut. 33.28 Israel shalt dwell in safety alone But we rather take it as attributed to God And thence Observe That it is God alone who doth preserve in safety Did he withdraw his protection every stone in the street every tile on the House might be an Executioner If we consider how many waies man is subject to death and dangers we must acknowledge it even a Miracle that we rise safe and go to bed in safety It 's good to suggest this truth to you for who is there that doth acknowledge God in these common mercies That blesseth God for preserving him daily in his wits in his senses in bodily health and dangers For although these be bodily mercies and we delight in them as such yet we do not look up to God the Giver of them whereas that Petition Give us this day our daily Bread doth not only extend to nourishment but Protection also It 's God giveth every crum of Bread It 's God giveth thee breath every time thou breathest The Psalmist Psal 127.1 2. doth extend this safety not only to particular persons but Families and Nations and Cities All care in a Family all military power in a City is in vain if God doth not guard it Thus Solomon sheweth that it is not any outward thing in the world that can defend a man even those things that we are most apt to trust in Prov. 21.31 compared with Psal 33 17. To open this Doctrine consider these Particulars First That the Hebrew word that was hâ—nted before doth denote two things 1. An inward disposition of hope and undaunted courage 2. External safety and quietnesse For these two are â—eparable God may keep a man in a quiet couragious hopefull disposition even when dangers do inviron round about as it was with David in the former Psalm Though ten thousand should compasse him about he would not be afraid Yea in this he â—aith in another place he would be confident And certainly herein God is much to be praised that he keeps the heart from feares and the understanding and senses in their regular operations How easily can God make a man a Cain a Magor-Missabib it's a curse that God threatens the wicked Israelites with Deut. 28.66 Such a cursed miserable life every man might live And so for our understanding and senses and imagination who is it that preserveth thee What a wofull dreadfull thing is it to have the fantasie disturbed Some think that wonderfull work upon Nebuchadnezar that God struck him into was only a melancholy disturbance of his fantasie It 's said The wicked fleeth when no man pursueth Prov. 21.1 and he feareth where no fear is Now thus God might deliver thee up to a deluded imagination to a terrible fantasie he might deprive thee of senses and understanding or thou mightst go up and down with a fearfull spirit which shall impetuously and tyrannically â—â—quiet thee so that in no outward danger yet thou shalt create danger to thy self But God giveth this inward confidence 2. There is external safety a condition of freedom and quietnesse which is also Gods gift only Secondly God preserveth thus in safety Principally and appointeth his creatures Instrumentally Principally Therefore he is called the Lord of Hosts as having supream dominion over all creatures to use them as Instruments either of vengeance or mercy Hence he is called in Job The Preserver of men Job 7.20 No creature though wise and strong yea though working as natural Agents can put forth their strength for our preservation unlesse the true Word of God which giveth a command to their being give also a command to their operation So that it 's God who by men or other creatures doth preserve nourish and comfort thee Jacob's Ladder reaching up to Heaven is said to represent the Providence of God whereby he works in the governing of all things through Instruments Now the Instruments whereby God doth preserve his in safty are sometimes the Irrational creatures sometimes the Rational By a Raven which is the most greedy and devouring Bird yet God preserved the life of Elijah And it 's a remarkeable History of a godly Martyr who having hid himself in a hole of the house for safety immediately a Spider made a large web over the hole so that when the Pursuers came to enquire after him and one of them moved to search in that hold No saith the other none hath gone in their lately you may see by the cob-webs And thus that holy man escaped their fury By Rational creatures Thus God stirreth up many to preserve those that are appointed to die Esther was a meanes to save her whole Nation the people to preserve Jonathan For as God in just and wise Providences doth raise up many times one man to be the destruction of another Which made Habbakuk complain Why Lord hast thou made man to be like the fishes of the Sea the greater to devoure the lesse So on the other side he doth in great mercy raise up some men to be a safeguard to others Thus Obadiah hid many Prophets by fifty in a Cave from Jâ—zabels fury As men so Angels are notably used by God for the preservation of his people Insomuch that some godly men have greatly blamed Christians that they are no more thankfull to God for those Guardes he hath appointed them Not that we are to pray unto Angels or that there is a peculiar Tutelar Angel vouchsafed to every man though not only the Papists but even some of the Antients and of later Orthodox Divines have been of that Opinion though abhorring all Angel-worship Not I say to determine that yet in the generall it 's plain that the Scripture makes the Angels to be our helps and defenders Insomuch that by them as Instruments we are preserved from those falls and dangers which otherwise would come upon us Psal 91.11 God is there said to give his Angels charge over us Yea They shall bear thee up in their hands as a tender Nurse beareth a young Child that the godly do not so much as dash a foot against the stone Here you see the Instrumental serviceablenesse which is vouchsafed to the godly by Angels And so you have a full place to this purpose Psal
34.7 The Angel of the Lord encampeth about those that fear him Oh how many preservations how many Providences do we constantly receive and never take any notice of Thirdly Gods Providential Preservation is two-fold either General which extends to all creatures or special and Particular that reacheth in a peculiar manner to the godly The general Preservation is in respect even of Beasts themselves Therefore Psal 36 6. David takes notice of Gods hand that preserveth man and beast Hence Mat 6. A sparrow so inconsiderable a Bird yet doth not fall to the ground without Providence It hath indeed been the Opinion of some yea some Fathers That the Providence of God doth not extend to minute and particular things But the Scripture is clear in this So that the least fly cannot move it self or the worm creep without Gods Providence It 's God then that preserveth the irrational creatures and that without any derogation to his Majesty for he cannot but do it because of his supream Perfection But then for the Preservation of man especially of Believers there his care is more singular and peculiar In this sense some expound that place The Saviour of all men especially those that believe 1 Tim. 4.10 Gods care to his people is notably discovered by our Saviours expression Luk. 21.18 where he saith Not one hair of our head shall fall to the ground Compared with Mat. 10.30 The very hairs are numbered So then the least danger cannot befall us without the Providence of our heavenly Father Fourthly Hence it is that all the dangers yea and death it self comes by Gods appointment No sooner or later nor no other waies then he hath decreed Thus David comforted himself that though his enemies plotted against him yet his times were in Gods hand and to God do belong the issues of death Psal 68.20 So that it lyeth not in the power of all thy enemies to kill thee when they will David did often acknowledge this That it was God who did preserve him in all his trouble For you must know that this is a truth in Divinity howsoever Arminians and others have arraigned it for false-hood That God hath set the term of a mans life immoveable beyond which he cannot live and to which he shall attain As also All the means bringing it about Even those things that seem to be the most casual and accidental Job speaks this truth evidently Chap. 14.5 God had appointed his moneths and his daies so that he cannot passe the bounâ—s Yet this is not to be understood as if hereby a fatal necessity were introduced that if he be sick he need not use Physick to prolong life Not upon that ground which the Stoick said Si fatale est ut convalescat fatale etiam est ut medicum adhibeat If it be the destiny to be well it will be the destiny to call for the Physician but because Gods Decree doth include in it the meanes So that we must say God hath appointed in the use of meanes to prolong such a mans life viz. Hezekiah's nineteen years longer It 's true the Scripture saith The wicked shall not live out half their daies but that is in respect of their hopes and expectations as also in respect of the ordinary course of nature Many men by their wickednesse do shorten their daies in respect of second causes Therefore do not sinfully fear this or that will kill thee for thy times are in Gods hand and he hath appointed the period of any godly mans life in much mercy because they have done their work and to preserve them from great evils to come These things premised let us consider the several waies by which God preserveth his people in safety And one remarkeable way is By restraining and keeping them from such counsels or actions that may bring death and danger Do we not see rashnesse especially drunkennesse and other vices which make men bold are the cause of many a mans death God therefore keeps his people in a sober and wel-advised way Why is it said That wicked men shall not live out half their daies but that the ungodlinesse of men doth bring them to untimely deaths Yea we read of that good King Josiah whose death was so much lamented that he brought it upon him by rashnesse and foolish temerity for he would unnecessarily go and fight with Pharaoh King of Necho and though he was so seriously advised to the contrary yet he would adventure to his ruine 2 Chron. 35. David himself by his own unbelief and sinne did bring himself into danger And in the matter of Achish when he was forced to feign himself mad but alwaies while he was in Gods way every thing prospered with him Therefore Gods mercy is especially seen to the godly in that he makes them keep within their calling and bounds and that is a safe way If you observe you shall find the greatest dangers befall men out of their Calling They go beyond their bounds and then they smart for it The Bird is safest while she is on her Nest Therefore when the Devil tempted our Saviour to throw himself down the Pinacle of the Temple he answered Thou shalt not tempt God Mat. 4 7. The Devil left out that passage Thou wilt keep him in all his waies A man must be in his Calling and doing his duty It 's true indâ—ed God for wise and just ends may bring suddain exercises upon his own people while doing their duty And God doth not alwaies keep them in safety violent death and other dangers have befallen them as well as the wicked but even then God doth order those passages for their good Secondly God preserveth them from those casual and accidental evils which arise so unexpectedly that no mans wisdome can prevent them God hath the supreme ordering and governing of all things even those things that we judge the greatest casualty and chance they are wisely determined by God In that passage where a man is supposed to be cutting of a tree with an Axe and the â—elve fall of and kill a man that accident is said to come from God and he is said to give such a man into his hand Exod. 21.13 compared with Deut. 19 5. Now consider how many thousand casualties happen in the world of killing of men of Houses and Towns burnt and herein we must acknowledg the goodnesse of God to us for that which hath befallen another might as well befall thee but that God prevents it Thirdly God preserveth wonderfully in changing and altering or working upon the hâ—aâ—ts of man so that though otherwise they would yet God so binds up their hearts that theâ— shall not do thee any mischief Did not Saul for many years together study to take away David's life yet he could not do it Was not Esau also purposed to kill Jacob yet God wholly changed his heart and that when he had a fair opportunity And how remarkeable is that passage of Jehoshaphat who