sin in the world hath infinitely magnified his own goodness It is the saying of a very ingenious Author Satis usui sunt scelera si artem peritiam divinae beneficentiae provocant Sin is of use enough to God in the business of his glory if by it the act and skill of the Divine Goodness and Bounty be made appear to the world the goodness and mercy of God is that Attribute of his which above all others he hath made choice of to glorify himself in and by it is that in which he delighteth which is above all his works Now without the permission of sin yea of the aboundings of sin it had been impossible that Divine Goodness and Bounty should have been so commended to the world Let me open this a little 1. Christs coming and dying for sinners was the greatest act of love that was ever shewed to the children of men What greater love could the eternal Father shew than to give his Son out of his own bosom to be a sacrifice for sins God so loved the world saith John 3 Chap. 16. that he gave his only begotten son Moralists make a question about taking the true measures of the magis and minus of love whether the greatness of love be to be measured from the affliction intention and self-denial of the party loving or the benefit redounding to the person beloved but measure which way you will it was the greatest love on the Fathers side and the greatest that Christ could shew for greater love than this hath no man shewed John 15. and herein God commends his love towards us Rom. 5.8 Besides the inhabitation of the spirit was a benefit of Christs death an effect of his purchase And what greater love could be shewed on the part of the Holy Spirit which is the Spirit of Christ than for it to come down and to dwell in the heart of a poor creature for the person of a believer to be made the temple of the Holy Ghost the receptacle of the Spirit of Grace Now if there had been no sin no sinners in the world what room had there been for a Saviour what needed one to have turned away iniquity from Jacob to have been wounded for our iniquities bruised for our transgressions He dyed for our sins saith the Apostle How could the love of the eternal Father in sending his Son or the love of the Son in taking upon him our nature and dying for us or the love of the Holy Spirit in sanctifying us and renewing us and dwelling in us been manifested to the world If a strong man had not kept the house what need had there been of a stronger than he to have come and dispossessed him All the love of the Father Son and Holy Ghost magnified in the business of mans Redemption and the whole Oeconomy of a Gospel-salvation had been conceal'd and not known to the world 2. Again How could the love of God in the conversion of sinners in the pardon of their sins in their justification the sense they oft have of his love have been manifested to the world What need were there of any pardon if no sins were permitted where were the aboundings of grace in pardoning if there were no aboundings of sin What love of God could be seen in the conversion of sinners if no sinners were permitted in the world How should God magnify his grace by saying to any soul Be of good cheer thy sins are forgiven thee if he did not suffer sins to be committed Thus you see the greatness of Divine Goodness and Mercy could never have been declared to the world but for the motions of Providence in the permission of sins and sinners yea and of the aboundings of them 3. Did not the Actual Providence of God thus permit sin and much sin in the world How should the long-suffering and patience of God be magnified in the world This also is a piece of Gods Name and such a one by which he designeth to make himself glorious he stileth himself Exod. 34.6 Gracious merciful long-suffering slow to anger and Numb 14.18 The Lord is long-suffering and full of tender compassion Now sin and sinners are the objects about which the long-sufferance of God is exercised He endured with much long-suffering saith the Apostle Rom. 9.22 vessels of wrath fitted for destruction How often do we find this in our own experience when we hear wretches blaspheming God and daring Divine Justice how often are we ready to say and it is a good reflexion O what a patient God do we serve which of us would endure such affronts and defiances as God endureth every day The aboundings of sin in the world make the considerate part of the inhabitants of it admire and adore the long-suffering and patience of God 3. The wisdom of God is also wonderfully magnified by Gods permission of sin The Apostle calleth God the only wise God None so wise as God is and the wisdom of God is eminently magnified by his permission of sin One great business of wisdom is to make an Election of the best end but this is not that which I am here speaking to God hath fixed his end it is his own glory and as I have often told you he can aim at no other end than himself and his own glory But next to a good Election of an end wisdom is eminently seen in the choice and conduct of means in order to a proposed end but herein is the heighth of wisdom to be able to make use of the most unlikely means and make them to serve our purpose It is a point I have touched something largely upon in my former discourses upon this Argument and therefore I shall not here enlarge upon it To bring a not-being into a being to make a thing out of nothing argueth an infinite power though there be aliquid materiae something of a matter yet if there be nihilum subjecti no aptitude in the matter to produce an effect of that nature as when God took the rib of a man and made of it a woman this argued also an omnipotent infinite power But yet methinks for God to produce his glory out of the aboundings of sin argueth yet something more if not of power yet of wisdom to make the wrath of men to praise him and the lyes of men to glorify him O how doth this commend the infinite wisdom of an only wise God! Sin all sin is quite opposite and repugnant to the glory of God it speaks the great Wisdom of God to bring out his glory from it Thus God hath glory by accident from the permission and sufferance of sin in the world 4. But let me further shew how God is further glorified by reason of the aboundings of sin in the manifestation of his Justice his Punitive and Vindicative Justice Rom. 9.22 What if God willing to shew his wrath and to make his power known endured with much long-suffering vessels of wrath fitted
another Where was the principle of this good was it to proceed from God then it little differeth from what we say at least in this case it doth not for still in the dispensations of his grace he moveth freely and from his own meer will only he willeth first to give grace then glory Will they say this foreseen good disposition as is pretended is from a mans self then there must be another fountain of good besides God all good acts proceed from some habits and powers as their principles I demand whence is that principle that power and habit in us which God should foresee and therefore will a Soul to life Will they say it is from man then say I every good gift cometh not from God man is thus made a fountain of good indeed of all good for he is thus made the fountain of that good upon the foresight of which it is according to this Doctrine that God willeth all his providential dispensations of grace and mercy and if this be not to set up man in the Throne of God and to take away from God the glory of that Attribute in which above all he delighteth I understand nothing 3. Again If acts of grace and mercy were not free and unaccountable only fountain'd in the good-will and pleasure of God grace could not be grace for what is grace but free love To him that worketh the reward saith the Apostle is reckoned not of grace but of debt Rom. 4.4 If by grace then it is no more of works otherwise works would be no more works Rom. 11.6 The very notion of grace importeth freeness grace not free is no grace if you take away liberty you take away grace I mean Original liberty I know when God hath promised he is just and righteous to forgive as the Apostle saith But God had an Original liberty to promise or not to promise In short they are no better than enemies to the grace of God who go about to found the reason of its acts any-where else than in the Divine Will God will have mercy because he will have mercy that 's all the account which we can give either of Gods purpose of grace or of any acts of grace pursuant to that purpose And so I pass to the Second part of the Proposition 2. Memb. That supposing this There is no unrighteousness with God This is consistent with the holiness justice and goodness of God and consonant to the Divine being and Nature It is exceedingly agreeing to the Nature of the Divine being to be the first cause of all that is upon any account good and in this sence it is true eminently true which our Lord telleth the Pharisee There is none good but one and that is God other things are derivatively good he is Originally good now I say it is but reasonable that he who is the first being should be owned the first cause of any good that is in the World all dispensations of Grace being effluxes of goodness he also must be the first cause of them and they could be originated in nothing but the Divine Will 2. Besides there is nothing more consonant to the Divine being than to be the Soveraign Lord and the sole cause of his own actions God every where in holy writ makes himself known to us under the notion of the Lord it is an impeachment of the Divine Soveraignty to assert God originally not at perfect liberty as to his own Acts to have mercy upon whom he will have mercy and extend compassion to whom he will extend compassion God in Scripture is set out under the notion of a Potter the Creature under the notion of Clay God shewed Jeremiah this when he carried him down to the Potters house Jer. 18. and shewed him the Potter at work making a Vessel of Clay and when it was marred in his hand making another Vessel as it seemed good unto him then telling him Ver. 6. O house of Israel Cannot I do with you as this Potter Behold as the Clay is in the Potters hand so are you in my hand O you house of Israel which also alluding to that Text confirmeth Rom. 9.21 Hath not the Potter power over the Clay of the same lump to make one Vessel of honour another of dishonour 2. Nor can this possibly be judged unrighteousness with God for for then would God be in a lower capacity than his Creature what man of us is there who doth not think he hath a free and absolute power over his own acts of goodness and mercy To shew them to whom he pleaseth and to withhold them from whom he pleaseth yet is there a vast difference betwixt the Creature and the Creator in this point for all Creatures are under the Law of their Creator they are things and persons under authority and are not soveraign Lords of their own actions yet which of us doth judg our selves accountable to our Neighbour for an act of mercy now if there be no unrighteousness with man in this case if a man doth not think himself bound to give any account to his Neighbour why he is more kind to one than to another Why gives he a gift to one which he giveth not to another How is God unrighteous in such a discrimination What if God willeth to shew mercy and the riches of Divine Grace to one not to another Though God in these motions be free and unaccountable yet he is also just and righteous and the reason is because he is neither bound nor a debtor unto any But this is enough to have spoken to the Explication and Confirmation of this Proposition For Application Vse 1. In the first place We may learn from hence what vain dreamers those are that go about to find out another Fountain for acts of Divine Grace and seek a cause in man for the Grace bestowed upon him They say the head of the great River Nilus could never yet be found It hath been sought for and many have travelled possibly some thousands of miles but yet it cannot be found But the head of Nilus will be found before men will find any cause of Divine Love out of the Divine Will It speaketh a wonderful arrogance in men to make God accountable for his acts of Divine Grace what greater arrogance and vanity can be imagined than this When a poor Creature will not himself be brought to an account why he gives one Begger mony and not another or why he giveth to one Child a greater Portion than another though they both be the acknowledged fruit of his Body that yet this Worm should dream that God must be accountable to his reason why he sheweth mercy to this man and not to another when they are both the work of his hands It is certainly enough to say He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy and extend compassion to whom he will extend compassion What Pride what Arrogance is this not to allow to God whom we
to him for his possession and to his seed after him when as yet he had no children Fourthly What if we should say That God doth this that he might be the more admired in the works of his Providence when they came to an issue and have the more of the praises and thanksgivings of his people We are never so deeply affected either with with the good or evil that be tideth us as when we are surprised with it and it comes upon us fearing or looking for the contrary Evils unthought-of are more heavy and more dejecting and afflictive Good things not look'd for are more affecting and raise up holy affections more to the high praises of God Now when the Providence of God hath moved obliquely and to our appearance quite contrary as we judged unto the Promise when it cometh home unto it to give it a being and issue it cometh upon us as it were upon the sudden and contrary to the expectation of our sense and reason and so wonderfully affects our hearts and enforceth from us great and high acknowledgments of the Omnipotency and power of God of his mercy and goodness of his truth and veracity It is the common infirmity of our Natures that we more know our mercies by wanting them than by enjoying them If the Providence of God moved in a right line to bring promised good to them who love and fear God he would neither have so much of the prayers and cryes of his people during the want of their desired good nor yet so much praise upon the bestowing of it You shall observe That God is not so much praised for mercies of common Providence which we receive every day how valuable soever as our sleep in the night our appetite to our meat c. As for such Dispensations as are more rare and extraordinary the reason is because we look for the former they are common with us and we expect them Providence more keâ—peth a road as to them than as to others But it is time I should come to the Application of this Observation In the first place Vse 1 This Observation should bespeak us aforehand that no such oblique and seemingly contrary motions of Providence may be any prejudice to our faith in the Promise Wâ—nder not if you still see the Providence of God keeping the same Methods that it hath alway in all the great things which it hath brought to pass in the World Particularly as to Gods great works relating to his Church God hath used to begin a work in one age which it may be he hath not finished or will not finish till that age be out Thus you have heard that it was in the first plantation of the Gospel begun in the Apostles time Thus it hath been in the Reformation of the Church when corrupted there is nothing more ordinary than this If therefore you see any-where foundations of Reformation laid and then the Providence of God seems to desert its work and the foundations laid seem to be plucking up again and all things to run in the old Channels trouble not your selves at it this is but an ordinary Method of Divine Providence But let us secondly from hence collect what is our duty with reference to such times Vse 2 when to our appearance the Providence of God seemeth to move obliquely or contrary to the Promise This I shall attempt to open to you 1. With reference unto God 2. With reference to the Promise 3. With reference unto Providence 1. Quest What is our duty relating more immediately unto God under the posing and astonishing Dispensations of his Providence In the first place we doubtless ought to take heed of charging God foolishly I borrow the expression from Job Chap. 1 In all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly To charge God foolishly upon the account of his Providences is by occasion of them to utter vain and foolish things that are not fit to be spoken of the Majesty of God as if he failed either in his truth or mercy or goodness to his people It is an exellent precept of the Apostle in this case though given in another 1 Cor. 4.5 Judg nothing before the time There is a time when God will give us leave to judg of his ways whether they be not both mercy and truth to them that fear him Only Judg not before the time before God hath finished his work and brought off what he hath upon the wheel Now it is this hasty Judgment which is the cause of all our murmuring and repining of all our hasty sayings like the Psalmist in his passion Will the Lord cast off for ever and will he be favourable no more Is his mercy clean gone for ever Doth his promise fail for evermore Hath God forgotten to be gracious hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies Selah Psalm 77.7 8 9. If this be the usual method of Providence in the accomplishment of Promises to move obliquely and contrary as to humane appearance and yet at last most certainly to bring the Promise to effect we have no reason under the oblique or seemingly contrary motions of Providence to charge God as if he failed in his truth or failed in his mercy he is only fetching a compass in order to the verifying and justification of both For us so much as to suspect or to think the contrary is to charge God foolishly not observing nor understanding the ordinary methods and courses of Divine Providence in accomplishing of his greatest Promises 2. It is our duty to admire God in those providential Dispensations which we do not understand Man vainly studieth to find out God in his unsearchable Counsels and motions of Providence Vain man would be wise Now the ways of God as I have shewed you are in many things past finding out Where we can fee God in his ways of mercy there is an opportunity for our love and thankfulness where we cannot see him there is an opportutunity for our fear and admiration stand upon this bottom That all the ways of God are mercy and truth to them that fear him Let nothing shake you from this foundation nor move you from this Rock where this is not matter of demonstration to your sense and reason let it yet be matter of admiration to you Be admiring at the wisdom of God that can out of a Chaos bring order out of darkness bring light But secondly 2d Quest What at such a time is our duty with reference to the Promise 1. I answer to stand fast by it I would have every good Christian think at such a time as Providence to his appearance moveth obliquely and contrary to the Promise to think that he heareth it speak unto him as Christ sometimes spake to his Disciples Matth 5 Think you that I am come to destroy the law and the Prophets I am not come to destroy them but to fulfil them I say I would have you think you hear the Providence of
in gold and in silver and in brass and in the cutting of stones to set them and in cutting of wood to make any manner of cunning-work and God put into his heart to teach others Hence it is we see such a strange improvement as we call it in gifts and parts in persons called of God to offices of the magistracy or ministry That once fixed in those relations there is as is said of Saul another spirit given them they are quite other men than they appeared to the world before The Actual Providence of God attending persons in new works and new relations with new spirits new gifts and abilities And indeed this working of Providence seemeth so reasonable that the contrary cannot be supposed without a blasphemous impeachment of the wisdom of God Which of us unless surprized by our own ignorance or over-born with some foolish lust or passion of our own would set any person about our work that is in nothing fit for it Indeed our reasonable nature will not allow us wilfully to commit such a mistake to suppose ignorance or any bias of passion in God were but to blaspheme Who can without blasphemy say God hath called a fool to be a magistrate or a coward to be a soldier or an ignorant person that cannot speak or not speak sense to be a Minister It is true Gods gifts are inequally distributed according to the good pleasure of his own will some have greater abilities for magistracy and ministry than others have and so are more eminently qualified for their work but there are none called of God to any employment but are in such a competent measure qualified for it and the principal acts of it that they are able to do that work and I say but to suppose the contrary concerning God were either to suppose that God was surprized with some ignorance or biassed with some passion or did that which no reasonable creature would do But here ariseth a question Quest How then comes it to pass that we see in the experience of all ages persons employed in works and relations by no means nor in any degree qualified for the work of their relations cometh this without God Is there any thing which escapeth his Providence I answer We are now speaking not of the permissions of Providence but the efficiencies of it Persons at works and in relations which they are in no measure fit or qualified for are great evils to the world and these evils are not in Nations and Cities without Gods permission and sufferance The short of it is this That sometimes it is in the heart of God to bless and prosper a people and to vouchsafe his presence amongst them when he doth so he doth accordingly adequate and proportion means in order to that end For Magistrates if he doth not give them men according to Gods own heart such as David and Solomon yet he gives them such men whom he hath fitted with a sutable spirit to their work that whatever they be as men are good governours men of valour and courage men of prudence and conduct that know how to manage affairs of state When God hath a contrary design to chastise and afflict a people and to punish men for their sins he suffers such to come in either by election or succession as are no ways fitted for the duties of those great relations So for Ministers when God designeth to grant and to continue to a people his presence and blessing he gives them faithful Ministers and such as are able to teach others to reveal the whole Counsel of God to them to speak a word in season to the souls that are weary to bind up the broken in heart c. But when he hath designs to chasten and scourge any people he suffereth such to get into the Ministry as are described Isa 56.10 Blind and ignorant watchmen dumb dogs that cannot bark sleeping lying down to slumber greedy dogs which can never have enough shepheards that cannot understand c. you have this Isa 1.25 26. And I will turn my hand upon thee and purely purge away thy dross and take away thy tin that is I will return in mercy to thee and what followeth And I will restore thy Judges as at the first and thy Counsellors as at the beginning afterward thou shalt be called the City of righteousness and so for the Ministry Jer. 3.14 15. God ver 14. saith Turn O back-sliding children saith the Lord for I am married unto you and I will take you one of a City and two of a tribe and will bring you to Zion and I will give you pastors according to my heart which shall feed you with wisdom and with understanding So again Jer. 23.3 4. vers 3. And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countreys whither I have driven them and will bring them again to their folds and they shall be fruitful and increase and I will set up shepheards over them which shall feed them and they shall fear no more nor be dismayed neither shall they be lacking saith the Lord On the contrary when God is in a course of vengeance and judgment against a people when God hath forsaken a people he suffereth a ministry that prophecy lyes but sends them not Jer. 27.14 15. For they prophecy a lye unto you for I have not sent them saith the Lord yet they prophecy a lye in my name see the same Jer. 14.14 15. Jer. 23.21 22. vers 38. The sum of this discourse is this That when the Providence of God is moving in a way of mercy towards any Nation Church or Family he sets persons in relations to them and calleth them to work in them whom he hath fitted and doth fit for the several parts of their work with such gifts and graces of his spirit as qualifie and capacitate them for the work and relation to which God calleth them and this he doth by way of efficiency pouring out his spirit upon such persons but when he is proceeding in a way of wrath and judgment against a people either finally to destroy them or severely to chasten them for their iniquities then he suffereth such Rulers and such Ministers to be over them or such governours in any societies as are no way fit for their work Rulers that have no wisdom nor understanding proportioned to their relation no courage nor valour no principles of justice and righteousness but such as will as the Prophet Amos expresseth it sell the needy for a pair of shooes and the poor for a piece of silver and suffereth Ministers to rise up and be allowed that are blind dumb ignorant greedy indeed not fitted at all for their work or the several parts of it but only fitted for Gods design to be a scourge and a plague to the people amongst whom they go to seduce them to tear to rend and to devour them and this you shall observe to be the constant motion of the Actual
they insist upon this Argument which certainly is not to be answered In all acts of punishment God doth something positively But the Scirpture mentions the giving up of soms sinners to vile affections to a reprobate mind c. as acts of punishment Therefore God as to them doth something positively The minor is evident from the stile of the Scripture Now for the major Certainly in all all punishments God acteth as a Judge and therefore must do something positively The infliction of a punishment argueth a positive judgement of God Besides which is noted by Pareus God is said seven or eight times over to harden Pharaohs heart and many others who never had any grace to be withdrawn Besides it is very observable that the words which the Scripture maketh use of to signifie Gods penal action in hardning sinners Exod. 4.21 7.3 10.1 are such as cannot be expounded by a bare permission or desertion and signifie a vehement intension of the action being verbs of the second and third Conjugation in the Hebrew This is a great point in Divinity let me therefore tell you what our Divines say in their own words and then examine if it be not reconcileable by our reason to the justice and holiness of God Parens saith That it is sufficient that God in these tremendous dispensations acting as a Judge by way of punishment which as the Scripture plentifully affirms so Bellarmine himself granteth God must act in it not meerly privatively but positively we need not be curious to examine the manner how he acteth Fit illa traditio explicabili sive inexplicabili occulto quidem sed semper justo modo whether we be able to open or not open the manner God doth it always by a just although a secret judgment but saith he in three things it seems to be explicable 1. By leaving men to the impetus and force of their own lusts This saith he is a general way for all that perish are thus left to themselves yet it cannot be said properly of all such that God hath delivered them up to hardness of heart c. 2. By giving them means of softning such are precepts miracles his works c. which they through the wickedness of their hearts only use to their further hardening Thus it was in the case of Pharaoh Sihon c. This on their part was a sin on Gods part a just judgment but it may be this is not the case of all and seemeth hardly applicable to the Gentiles whom God so gave up Rom. 1 26. 3. A third way saith he which is more universal is by delivering them up to their lusts and to Satan to be further blinded seduced and hardned as in the case of Ahab and the Gentiles mentioned in this first Chapter of the Romans and 2 Cor. 4.4 The God of this world hath blinded the eyes of those that believe not Now that Satan seduceth souls by command from God appeareth by the story of Ahab 1 King 22.22 23. The Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets Another great Divine opens it in these particulars God saith he hardneth sinners 1. Alesbury de eterno Dei decreto p. 226. By immediately depriving them of reason and counsel or punishing them so as their rage is increasod against God for this he giveth us the instance of Pharaoh whose heart was the more hardened by the plagues which he felt and for this he quoteth Gregory the Great one of the Popes 2. God immediately hardneth the hearts of sinners saith he by giving them up to Satan that they may be by him hardned as in the case of Saul and Ahab and those mentioned in the second Epistle to the Thessalonians 3. Saith he he hardneth them per se ipsos by themselves giving them up as my Text faith to vile affections Thus Pharaoh is said thrice to have hardned his own heart Pharaoh by his own free-will hardned his heart and God hardned it by his just judgment God permitted the Heathens to sin yet more and more and by an actual motion moved them to an act of sin so far forth as it was an act 4. Lastly saith he God positively hardneth sinners By giving occasions which through the lust that is in them incline them to evil God proposeth to them what things in their own nature should induce and perswade them to that which is good but they through their lust and malice make them an occasion to evil Thus saith he God provoked the Jews to emulation by a foolish nation by shewing grace and mercy to the Gentiles the rage of the Jews against Christ grew greater Thus Christs Preaching and Miracles were occasion to the Pharisees of further blaspheming But saith that excellent Author if we rightly understand it it is not of so much moment whether we say that God hardneth men positively or negatively for though as to the execution in the event the act be negative yet this event floweth from the positive purpose of God It is therefore all one whether we speak in the words of Moses Deut. 29.4 and say God hath not given them an heart to perceive or eyes to see and ears to hear or in the phrase of the Apostle Rom. 11.8 God hath given them the spirit of slumber eyes they should not see and ears they should not hear until this day for the will of God is as effectual in his negative as positive actions And now I think I have told you the utmost our Divines have said in this cause unless some of them have said that God is the Author of his own judgments and punishments which I think none can with modesty deny Twiss Vind. gratiae 3.163 it being no more than the Scripture saith of all those things which are of a positive nature but not of those things which are of a privative nature which yet he may will should be done by his permission though not by his efficiency and this is no more than Arminius himself confesseth that God is effector actus though no more than permissor peccati The sum is if we understand by the punishment of sin with sin Gods judicial act by which he withdraweth his grace or his leaving of sinners to the satisfaction of their own lusts there is no question but God for mens former sins may do this yea more than this he may judicially deliver men up to their lusts and to Satan to be seduced at his pleasure and offer them occasions in their own nature leading to good which they through their corruption may turn to further sinning But God cannot punish the former sins of any by putting any lust or malice into their hearts by which they become more evil or otherwise than accidentally stirring up that lust and malice which is in their heart This is the sum so far as I know of what Divines say as to Gods acts in the punishment of sin by delivering them up to farther sinnings
have nothing of goodness in them further than that they are a viaticum things of necessary use to support us in our way to eternity and to uphold our beings in the world while we are here doing the work which God hath given us to do and finishing our course and for that what our Saviour said is true Our life doth not lye in the abundance of that which we possess 5. Though they be not things in themselves good nor absolutely and compleatly good yet having something of goodness in them and a great goodness relative to the fancy apprehension and desires of sinners for there be many that will say Who will shew us any good understanding nothing else but corn and wine and oyl a long-life an healthful body a great estate honour and power c. It is but equal that God should gratify their senses and please them with some such things as they account the goods the greatest goods That they might not be without some experience of the riches of divine liberality and bounty God must be allowed to have a relation unto the vilest men and women he is not indeed their Father by Adoption but he is their Father by Creation It is not reasonable that any of Gods Creatures Absque ulla liberalitatis experientia elabantur should go out of the world without some experience of the divine liberality and goodness I remember it is said of Abraham that for the Children he had by Concubines he gave them portions and sent them away Gen. 25.5 Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac but unto the sons of the concubines which Abraham had Abraham gave gifts and sent them away c. We may say the same of God he gives grace and glory to his Isaacs to the children of the promise but as for others he gives them gifts of the good things of this life festinat largiri saith an acute Author God makes hast to give out his largesses of mercy to them because they are not capable of the mercies of another life God hath time in eternity to reward his Saints but after this life he hath no time to give sinners any thing And this appeareth the more reasonable because the worst of men are not only Gods Creatures but may be in some things Gods Servants as the Assyrian and Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus were Gods Servants there are very few wicked men but God maketh some use of if it be but to scourge his own people for that was the service which the Assyrian did God Isa 10. But this I have before spoken to more largely 6. It is very reasonable if we consider what there is in these good things of this life which God giveth out to sinners of the nature of means on Gods part to allure and perswade them to turn unto him The Apostle telleth us That the goodness of God leadeth men to repentance Rom. 2.4 It doth so ex natura sua of its own nature though through the wickedness of their heart it but makes them worse so Acts 14.17 He left not himself without witness in that he did good and gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons filling our hearts with food and gladness and this he did vers 16. to nations whom he suffered to walk in their own ways The business is not what these things prove eventually to sinners so indeed they prove but snares to their souls that is accidentally through the misimprovement they make of them by reason of the lust and corruption that is in their hearts nor is Gods intention and design in giving them the thing to be considered but what they are in themselves and of their own nature so they are things which they desire more than better things which are grateful and pleasant to them and should therefore oblige them to serve and please that God who so gratifyeth and pleaseth them in things which they make their delight and the matter of their choice 7. What in the last place if we should say that it is reasonable God should give them these things as one expresseth it In infortuniis apparatum that if they will not use them to their own good and advantage yet they might give Gods glory an advantage by justifying him in their condemnation upon their abusing the goodness of God They tell us a story of Philip King of Macedon and of some noble Romans that they were wont to pray to their Idols that they would mix their prosperity with some grains of adversity It is a dreadful speech Luk. 6. Wo to you that are rich for you have received your consolation It is a saying of an ingenious Author a Jesuite Insignitur solum titulus opulentiae ad justitiam damnationis quia licet ipsa crimen non sit multis fundatur criminibus aut fundat multa vel sceleribus paritur vel scelera parturit solitarius titulus fortunae infamis est nisi aliquid pietatis agnomen purget Merem That is Riches is only a famous title to justify God in the damnation of a sinner for though they in themselves be no crime yet they are a building founded on many sins or they lay a foundation for many they either are bred of many sins or else they bring forth many The title of outward prosperity alone is an infamous title if it hath not some addition of Piety The wrath of God smoaked against the Israelites whiles the flesh was betwixt their teeth God tells them by the Prophet Hosea chap. 13. v. 11. He gave them a King in his wrath There is a wonderful wisdom of Divine Providence seen in the prosperity of sinners their long-life health successes riches honours for one of these two things follow some of them are by them made better and brought home to God as children by some slighty rewards are won unto their duty or if the Providence of God obtaineth not this effect it faileth not in another viz. The justification of God before Angels and men in his righteous condemnation of them He hath given them time to repent and they repented not he hath given them mercies alluring them to their duty but they have not been won by them he hath piped unto them but they have not danced and thus much may serve to have justified the Providence of God and shewed you the reasonableness of its motion in the distribution of the good things of this life to sinners Quest 2. It remains in the second place to shew you how it consisteth with the righteousness and goodness of God to dispense out evil things to his own people Job complaineth of his sad tryals and David that he was visited every morning and chastened every moment and we see in our daily experience that many are the tryals of the most righteous servants of God and those of all sorts 1. I say in the first place This is not the lot of all the servants of God it is only the portion of some of them some of those who
Election and the fall of Man 2. The permission of sin and so much sin sinners and so many sinners in the world 3. To such as related to the Remunerative and punitive Providence of God 4. Lastly To such as concern the dispensation both of the more external and the more internal and effectual means of grace I have spoken to divers Questions that have fallen under the Three first of these heads such as fall under the last remain yet to be spoken to but before I come to speak directly to such Questions I shall lay down Two preliminary Propositions to which I shall speak something 1. Prop. That God in his Providential dispensations of grace and the means of application of it whether more external or more internal acteth freely and unaccountably yet is in it both holy and just and good 2. Prop. That God in the dispensations of his paenal Providence in the withholding or withdrawing of the means of grace whether more external or more internal never acteth upon meer Prerogative but upon the demerit of the sins of people and in this he acteth justly and holily I will begin with the first of these and for that purpose I have made choice of this Text which is a Quotation which our Apostle bringeth out of the Books of Moses you shall find it Exod. 33.19 Moses said unto God vers 18. I beseech thee shew me thy glory And he said I will make all my goodness to pass before thee and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy This is the Text which the Apostle quoteth here The Argument which the Apostle is upon in this Chapter is the rejection of the Jews as to which he vindicateth God in Two things 1. As to the promise made to Abraham a thing which the Jews bare up themselves much upon that they were the seed of Abraham and so in Covenant with God and if God should cast them off what could be said to justifie the truth and faithfulness of God What should become of the promise the Covenant made with Abraham and his seed for ever The word of God would have no effect This the Apostle answereth vers 6. and so to vers 13. He telleth them in the first place They were not all Israel which were of Israel And vers 7. That all who were the seed of Abraham were not all children and this he proveth vers 7. Because God said In Isaac shall thy seed be called and that the promise was given to Sarah that is saith the Apostle they which are the children of the flesh these are not the children of God but the children of the promise are counted for the seed And he tells them that it was the same case as to Rebecca Esau and Jacob were both the children of Rebecca but yet God loved Jacob and hated Esau vers 13. But some may possibly think this did not answer the Objection of the Jews for admitting that the promise was made to the children of Isaac the Jews were such Abraham indeed had a child by Hagar that was Esau and he had Sons by Keturah but all the Nation of the Jews were descended from Isaac who was the Son of Sarah to whom the promise confessedly was made To which I answer The Apostle had yet gained One main point viz. That the Jews could lay claim to nothing upon this account that they were the seed of Abraham for the promise was not made to the whole seed of Abraham but to a peculiar seed Now this peculiar seed was not all the children of Isaac this he proveth by the instance of Jacob and Esau who were both the children of Isaac for saith he vers 11. The children being not yet born neither having done good or evil that the purpose of God according to election might stand not of works but of him that calleth It was said unto her The elder shall serve the younger as it is written Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated This now proveth that God was not by his promise tied to all the children of Abraham by Isaac but was yet at liberty to what part of his seed he would fulfil his promise Well but might some say being they were both the children of Abraham how could God in righteousness shew mercy and compassion to one of them and not to another vers 14. What shall we say then Is there unrighteousness with God This the Apostle denieth and that with his ordinary aversation and detestation God forbid Now he proveth that there is no unrighteousness in this dispensation of God Because God had said to Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion So then saith the Apostle It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy If there could be unrighteousness with God it must be because God hath somewhere by promise obliged himself to shew mercy to all the Jewish Nation but saith he the promise made to Abraham and to his seed will not reach so far that was not made to the whole seed of Abraham no not to all that descended from Abraham through the loins of his Son Isaac as appears by Gods hating Esau who was the Son of Isaac and his eldest Son too But more than this saith the Apostle God when he declared his glory to Moses Exod. 33. sufficiently expounded himself That his promise to Abraham's seed did not determine his grace to any parts or Nation but that he had a liberty left to him to shew or not to shew mercy to whom he pleased for he saith to Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy So that the Proposition from this Text is of easie deduction Proposi That God in his Providential dispensations of grace and the means of its application acteth freely and unaccountably and in doing so there is no unrighteousness with God In this Proposition there are Two branches 1. That God in the dispensations of his grace acteth freely and unaccountably 2. That in his doing so there is no unrighteousness with him I say first God in these dispensations acteth freely and unaccountably the one of these necessarily followeth upon the other if he acteth freely he must needs act unaccountably for who can give an account of what man doth ex mero motu out of his own free inclination without any motive out of himself for that is meant by freely nothing compelling nothing moving or alluring him meerly from the good pleasure of his own will The reason of his having and shewing mercy is because he will thew mercy The Scripture giveth so plentiful a testimony to this as one would wonder that any owning the Scripture should deny it for whereas all grace or mercy is to be considered either in the first willing and purpose or
Jerusalem Jerusalem saith our Saviour how often would I have gathered thee as an Hen gathereth her chickens under her wings but thou wouldest not I would what hindered then thou wouldest not Thus God of old spake to the Jews Jer. 23.24 This thing I commanded you saying obey my voice and I will be your God and you shall be my people and walk you in all the ways that I have commanded you that it may be well with you But they hearkned not nor inclined their ear but walked in the counsels and imaginations of their evil heart and went backward and not forward So Jer. 16.13 and in a multitude of places in Scripture Indeed this is the Language of God quite throughout Scripture So in the New Testament You would not come to me that you might have life Joh. 5.40 I hear some bold Disputer against God saying How is this possible if it lyeth not in the power of a man to believe and to turn unto God I have fully answered this before All mankind in Adam certainly had a power to do so much as God required of man in order to his Salvation but certain it is that every man hath a power to do something to do much more than he doth in order to his repenting and believing God will find at the day of Judgment matter enough to condemn sinners for what was their duty to have done and in their power to have done and an instance will be wanting at that great day of one Soul who did what was in his power both as to the doing of Good and the avoiding of sin to whom God denied his special and effectual grace Christ Mat. 21.32 Layeth this to the Jews charge That when they had heard John they repented not afterward that they might believe But this is a theam I have before inlarged upon and shall now add nothing to that Discourse Having thus far opened the Proposition I shall only give you Two Reasons of it 1. First That no imputation might be laid upon an holy a most holy God Though the Scripture doth justly assert a Soveraignty to God concerning the work of his hands and the same power over his creature which the Potter hath over the clay yet it every-where avoideth all imputations of rigour injustice cruelty God will not be accounted an hard Master what if this man hath but one Talent another hath five and a third hath ten yet I hope he that hath but one may trade proportionably to that one as far as that will go and if he doth not and he be punished his Master is not to be condemned for an hard Master in taking that one Talent from him or otherwise punishing him for the non-improvement of the stock betrusted to him Suppose men to have but the one Talent of the light of Nature which is the case of the poor Heathens another to have five Talents the advantage of Gospel-light and the ordinary means of grace a third to have ten Talents effectual grace superadded to both these If he who hath but one Talent or that hath had the five Talents have not done with them what he might have done and God condemn him for such omissions or actions contrary to his duty here can be no imputation upon God he cannot be said to have done cruelly severely or injustly God was under no obligation to trust him with five Talents that abused or would make no good use of one nor to trust him with ten Talents who would not use or did abuse his sive but now should God have punished or condemned any without their sins as the meritorious cause there might have been some imputation upon God 2. Secondly God hath so ordered it That the sinner shall be inexcusable It is but reasonable that the holy God should so dispense out his punishments by the hand of Providence that a sinner should be without excuse this the Scripture lets us know once and again In the Parable it is said That he who was turned out from the Wedding-feast for want of the Wedding-garment was speechless he was without an Apology he had nothing to say for himself So Rom. 1.20 Then they are without excuse So Rom. 2.1 Therefore thou art inexcusable O man This is one design that God drives so to manage and govern by the motions of his Providence Now supposing this that all destruction is of a mans self That God doth not condemn any out of meer Prerogative or because he will whatever he might do vi absoluti juris every sinner must stop his mouth and be speechless in that day when God shall say Take them bind them hand and foot and cast them into utter darkness where is weeping and wailing and guashing of teeth What hath any sinner to say for himself if his destruction be of himself I have done with the doctrinal part of this Discourse I come to apply it 1. Vse In the first place observe the great difference between Gods proceedings in the methods of his grace and of his paenal dispensations dispensations of mercy and judgment are both Gods work But the one is his Natural work the other is his strange work Isa 28.21 Gods workings in the methods of his grace are ex mero suo motu beneplacito they meerly flow from the nature of God without any meritorious cause in the creature he sheweth mercy because he will shew mercy and extendeth compassion to whom he will and because he will extend compassion he giveth grace because he will give grace here God acteth from meer Soveraignty and Prerogative but he never dealeth out punishments but there is some cause in the creature something which moveth him to proceed and deal in such a manner and meriteth such a punishment He saveth Souls because he is gracious he condemneth sinners because he is righteous cum largitur gratiam per misericordiam hoc fit cum negat per judicium saith Nieremberg wrath is not declared saith he unless when it is due lest there should be unrighteousness with God mercy is shewed when and where it is not due this maketh no unrighteousness with him So that I say there is a vast difference to be observed betwixt Gods dispensations of mercy and goodness and his dispensations of wrath and severity 2. Vse In the second place you may from hence conclude How little reason there is for that clamour which some make against such as are called Calvinists under which nick-name they indeed wound not only Augustine and Prosper and others of the ancients but many Divines in England especially that lived three or fourscore years a go Two great Accusations they bring 1. That they affirm God to be the Author of sin yet neither Mr. Calvin nor any of his Followers ever said so nor dare any now say so What 's the matter then because they say That God hath willed that sin should be committed though he hath neither commanded nor approved the action nor any way influenced it
Scripture was written since which time Prophecy and unwritten Revelations are much ceased not further to be expected God may yet reveal himself to some particular servants of his but we are not to expect such Revelations nor are they the object of faith Now herein hath the stupendous Providence of God been eminently seen that when so many thousand books wrote since the Scriptures were written are lost and there is no memorial almost of them and the Scriptures have had more enemies than any of them more that have endeavoured to corrupt them and to destroy them yet God hath preserved this store-house of spiritual food and kept it from corruption by the extraordinary care of the Jewish Church the multiplying of translations guiding and governing of those who have been employed in them Nor hath the Providence of God been less seen in maintaining Ministers and Teachers of his word In the Jewish Church when the ordinary officers failed and were corrupted God from time to time raised them up Prophets who were his extraordinary Embassadors to teach his people In Christs time he calls Fishermen to the Apostleship and in all succeeding Ages though there have been sometimes more sometimes fewer able and faithful Ministers yet God hath so ordered that there never have wanted some and a competent number to break the bread of life and to feed his people with wisdom and with spiritual understanding No sort of men have been more maligned hated persecuted yet God hath upheld the order and taken care for the souls of his people that they have continually had faithful stewards of the mysteries of God 4. The Providence of God is admirable in preserving man in his spiritual capacity in the daily influence of his spirit attending his word and sanctifying his institutions The word is in it self but a dead letter the Preaching of the word is far from a mean adequate to so great an effect as is the conversion and edification of souls God is therefore pleased to join his quickening spirit to the word where he pleaseth blessing and sanctifying it I am not of their judgment who think that there is such a constant concurrence and influence of the Spirit with the preaching of the Gospel that if men will do what in them lies they may repent believe c. I know no Scripture which will justifie that notion but certain it is that the holy Spirit doth ordinarily join it self with the preaching of the word like the wind blowing where it pleaseth and none knoweth the motion of it convincing men of sin of righteousness and of judgment 5. Lastly The Providence of God preserveth men in their spiritual capacities by supplying them with strength and succour against their spiritual enemies their own flesh the world the Devil all which with a variety of temptations strike at our spiritual welfare But this is much of kin to what I said before I shall add no more to this discourse concerning Gods Act of Providence as in the preservation of beasts so of men and that in their single natural capacities In their Social and Political capacities and finally in their Spiritual capacities I shall only add some few words of application This in the first place may inform us Vse 1 How great that God must necessarily be whom we serve he is the Creator of the ends of the Earth of the Heavens of the Seas of all things and it is he who preserveth both man and beast he preserveth all men in their single and natural capacities this I opened before He preserveth all men in their Political capacities all his people in their Spiritual capacities It is an ordinary observation in the Kingdoms and Empires of the world that when they have grown to a great bigness they have perished with their own bulk and weight No Monarch hath been found sufficient to preserve them by his wisdom and Counsels And I remember the Historian speaks of it to the great honour and as a wonderful thing in one of the first Roman Kings that he put the Roman Kingdom it was no more then into such an order that it was governed as if it had been but one Family But how much doth it speak the Glory and Majesty the Immensity and Omnipresence the Efficiency and Activity of God who at the same time is working over all the Earth in all the Empires and Kingdoms in all the Cities and Towns in it defeating Ahitophels discovering Plots and Conspiracies ruling the spirits of unruly men so as the whole Universe is kept in order and the thousands and ten thousands of men in it that know not the yoke of Reason and Religion are yet bridled by his Providence and kept in some just order and decorum and made in stead of running one upon another and destroying one another mutually to be subservient one to another I say how great how wise how infinite how glorious in power must this God be Secondly Observe how much mercy passeth over our heads Vse 2 which we do take little or no notice of We are fearfully and wonderfully preserved and that in every capacity I shewed you it before as to our natural capacity few think of that what a strange working of Providence there must be to keep our souls in life but one day It is as much remarkable in our Political capacity I remember when Christ sent out his Disciples to Preach he told them That he sent them out as lambs amongst wolves It is true indeed not only of Gospel-Preachers but of all sober and vertuous men that would live in the world but according to the Laws of Reason and Moral vertue They are in the world as lambs amongst wolves Let but any one consider how many lewd unrighteous debauched men are in all places such whose only rule is their lusts how full the world is of men that make no conscience of murthers rapes thefts oppression and other enormities and then stand and wonder at the Providence of God that in any part of the world there is any thing of order and decorum observed that men have any thing which they can call their own that the lives of Princes or sober people are secured What can it be attributed to but the mighty power of Divine Providence that we have no more murthers rapes thefts c. we see laws punishments will not restrain all nor the same men at all times how or whence is it that they restrain any or at any time I will conclude this with what the Psalmist so often maketh the foot in that his admirable song of Providence Psal 107 Oh! that men would praise the Lord for his goodness for his wonderful works to the children of men Oh that Princes would praise the Lord for his goodness It is by him that they reign that they have a days liberty to decree justice by him that the Counsels of Ahitophel are defeated the conspiracies of ungodly men are discovered that the spirits of unruly and unreasonable
the ordering and directing their beings under their circumstances belongeth to Providence so doth the issue and determination of their beings with their circumstances Psalm 68.20 Vnto God belong the issues from death Providence holdeth the key of the Womb and the key of the Grave he it is that killeth and maketh alive From that it is that one generation passeth another cometh and this holdeth to all creatures There is not a sparrow which falleth to the ground without the will of our heavenly Father as our Saviour telleth us 2. A second object of this Providential Government is all the motions and actions of his creatures all their operations according to their several forms and natures of being There are some motions and actions of reasonable creatures I mean some of their moral actions influenced from their wills upon which God hath no efficient influence such are mens sins and obliquities but there are none but he ordereth and governeth when done and brought into effect even with the vilest actions of men God hath thus much to do 1. To uphold their natural powers and faculties while they do them 2. To order and govern them when done to his own wise ends so as they shall issue in the glory of his holy and blessed Name and that brings me to the Third 3. A third Object of the government of Providence is the Omissions Errours and oblique actions of his creature Every creature moveth not according to a Divine Rule man only varieth the stormy winds fulfil his word the Sun Moon Stars all obey his Law man only rebels and is guilty of thousands of obliquities and Omissions Now these also are under the government of Providence some corrupt inclinations and lustings he restraineth Others he suffers to break out into action then maketh the wrath of man to praise him But this is enough to have spoken to the second Question the third followeth 3d Quest By what particular acts doth Providence shew it self in the Government of the World 1. To this I shall answer in several particulars 1. By causing the production and existences of his creatures or making them to cease as it pleaseth him He causeth the barren wombs and again maketh the barren to bring forth Seven Hence you shall find the multiplication of Abrahams seed to the number of the grains of the dust of the Earth or sands upon the-Sea-shore is made the matter of a Divine Promise The Beings of his creatures are both the objects of his Government and his Vtensils or Instruments in Governing for he governeth a great part of the inferiour creatures by the Superiour influenced with Reason and Wisdom for that end God blessed man Gen. 1. saying Have dominion over the fish of the sea and the fowls of the air and every moving creature that moveth upon the Earth Now the Lord in order to this Government multiplieth or diminisheth them whence is it but from this Providence of God that the wild Beasts are not multiplied to the destruction of man that we are not so full of Lions Bears Tygers Wolves Foxes and other hurtful creatures as we are of sheep and Neat-cattel though many of them often bring forth young in greater plenty than those useful unto man Thus also God ordereth the reasonable World should men live as in the first age of the World to five six seven hundred years should all children born live to an old age there would be no room on the Earth there would not be food enough for them God therefore in order to the Government of the Universe as well as for the punishment of the multitude of sins committted in the Earth limiteth the number of Individuals and diminisheth them and this not only in an ordinary course of nature shortening the periods of their life but by some extraordinary dispensations such as those of War Pestilence and other fatal and Epidemical diseases by which he not only serveth the great end of his glory in punishing the sins of men but also reduceth the World to a governable body and to such a pass that one sort of his creatures is sufficient for the service of another so as the whole is preserved But this is but the first thing 2. God governeth the World Secondly by maintaining the laws and ordinances of Nature As there are positive Laws written Laws in the Word of God which God hath ordained for the government of reasonable creatures so there are Laws and Ordinances of Nature by which creatures not indued with reason move and work in order to the preservation of the whole by the mutual service each of other Thus Jer. 31.35 you read of the Ordinances of the Moon and Stars and of Gods covenant of the day and of the night that they should be in their season Jer. 33.20 Such an Ordinance you have Gen. 8.22 While the Earth remaineth seed-time and harvest and cold and heat and summer and winter and day and night shall not cease By vertue of these Ordinances it is that the Sun every day riseth and setteth upon one part of the world causing day and night rejoycing as a Bridegroom to run its course as the Psalmist speaketh that at sometimes of the year it is nearer another it is further off this or that part of the Earth These Laws and Ordinances of Nature are nothing else than the affections and inclinations of several creatures to their several motions and actions Now these affections and inclinations were put into them in the day of their Creation but the Providence of God maintaineth these Laws and hence it is that seed-time and harvest cold and heat summer and winter do not cease By this it is that the proud waters ordinarily exceed not the bounds of the sands which God hath set to limit them The winds do not always blow from the same quarter nor at the same rate The Earth brings forth its variety of fruits there are thousands of things of which we can give no other account than that they cause such effects they make such motions by an Ordinance of Nature by a Law which God imprinted upon them in the day of their Creation and God preserveth them by his Providence which daily worketh in upholding these Laws and regulating the creature that it moveth not nor acteth contrary to this Law 3. A third thing wherein the Government of Providence is seen is in the miraculous suspension of these natural Laws and Ordinances according to the good pleasure of God Indeed this is a specialty of Providence and more proper to be handled under that head I shall therefore only touch it here It is a thing which God seldom or never doth but for some more than ordinary declaration of Judgment or Mercy Thus he suspended the law of day and night to plague the Egyptians with three days continued darkness He suspended again the law of Nature for the ebbing and flowing of the Sea that the Israelites might pass over it in safety By an Ordinance
Providence calleth to us for and sheweth us the reasonableness of is Prayer We have reason in our distresses to seek unto God by Prayer because the Lord reigneth and it is an encouragement to us to seek him because he reigneth Whither should we go but unto him who hath power to help save and deliver Prayer therefore hath in all times of distress been the Refuge of Gods people It was a sad time with David Psalm 109.4 The mouth of the wicked and of the deceitful saith he v. 2 3. are opened against me they have spoken against me with a lying tongue They compass me about also with words of hatred and fought against me without a cause for my love they are my adversaries but I give my self unto Prayer v. 4. Luther when he was in any strait was wont to say I will go and tell my God of it Prayer hath been the constant mean which the people of God have used for rescue out of any troubles You see it is upon a good foundation viz. The Dominion which God hath over all and his daily exercise of it 3. It calleth to you for praise and thanksgiving Prayer solliciteth for a mercy when we want it Praise acknowledgeth the gift when received and giveth unto God the glory of it Nor can it without robbery be paid at any other than Gods Altar Is there any good done by thee Let God have the glory of that thou hast done it by vertue of a power or gift which is given to thee from above yea and it is from his Governing-Power of Providence ruling directing and influencing thy heart to it His Kingdom is over our hearts our hands our tongues inclining them to every good thought word action without him we can do nothing Doth any good come unto thee Let God also have the glory of that The earthly Prince looketh that you should acknowledg your peace your trade to his Government but he is but the instrument of God in bringing these things It is the Kingdom of the Lord that ruleth over all he gives thee power to get riches saith Moses I am sure the people of God have more special reason to acknowledg God in all their peace and prosperity They are men of peace their hands are against none but the world hates them they are as sheep amongst wolves if they have any months or years of peace they are beholden to the power and ruling of God for it Is any evil kept from you It is God that doth it he that ruleth the raging of the Sea he stilleth the tumults of the people he hath the hearts of Kings in his hand and turneth them as the Waters of the South It is because the Mountain of the Lord is full of Chariots and Horses that they are not swallowed up by their Enemies every moment O see and praise the Lord for the Governance of his Providence 4. This Doctrine calleth to you for patience in adversity The people of God are subjected to trials of adversity yea â—o fiery trials as well as other men yea in greater degrees than others hence the Apostle calleth to them to let patience have its perfect work Patience is nothing else but a quiet submission to the will of God under any adverse dispensation of his Providence in obedience to his command and because it is his will and he layeth it upon us we have need of patience and the exercise of it is our duty and this Doctrine will shew you that it is but a reasonable duty Let me shew it you in two or three particulars 1. As it showeth you that all your afflictions be they of what sort and kind they will are from the Lord Job 5.6 Afflictions cometh not out of the dust nor doth trouble spring out of the ground Is there saith God by the Prophet any evil in the City and I have not done it Affliction comes not by chance or fate it comes from God and is the wise issue of his Providence in the Government of the World we have therefore no reason to fret and vex our selves against instruments They are but instruments Perhaps said David of Shimei God hath bidden him curse They possibly do ill and at last will know it but God is righteous in their unrighteousness I held my peace saith David I knew it was thy doing It is the Lord saith that good man let him do what seemeth him good 2. As it assureth us that all things shall work together for good to them that love God If God ruleth and governeth the world he certainly doth it for himself and for his own glory which glory of his being the highest design of his people all things must necessarily tend to their good to that which they above all things desire and seek after This God who ruleth the World is his peoples father and doth what-ever he doth as a father for the good and advantage of his children 3. Lastly It is a good Argument of patience As it letteth them know that their afflictions are ordered and governed by God The Afflictions Oppressions Persecutions of the people of God are not things excepted out of the Dominion of God It was you know the Centurions faith That diseases were to Christ as his servants were to him He said to one go and he went to another come and he came and to another do this and he did it So God speaketh to diseases and not to diseases only but to all sorts of afflictions Isa 27.8 In measure when it shooteth forth thou wilt debate with it God first causeth then ruleth and governeth all our troubles afflictions and trials Fifthly This Doctrine calleth to all the people of God for love to him This is the Psalmists Exhortation and upon this very Argument Psal 31.23 O Love you the Lord all you his Saints for he preserveth his Saints and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer All the earth is bound to love the Lord for the exercise of his Governing-power If the Lord did not reign the worst of men would quickly find the ill effects of it they need no worse enemies than their own brethren and companions in wickedness did the Lord lay the reins upon the necks of their lusts and suffer them as they would to devour one another For as we see the ravenous Birds Fishes and Beasts do not only prey upon other but their own species so were it not for the Restraining-Providence of God in governing the world the wicked of it would see their brethren in iniquity not only preying upon the Saints and people of God but also upon those like unto themselves if lesser than themselves But I say above all the people of God as being the least flock are more especially bound to love the Lord for the Government of his Providence but this will more eminently appear when I come to discourse concerning the Specialties of his Providence with reference to them 6. Lastly This Doctrine calleth unto all for a willing
up the Church are more peculiar and special objects of Providence than all others in the World 3. Amongst them such as fear and love God in sincerity are yet the more peculiar objects of Divine Providence and which God hath a most peculiar regard unto which maketh a cogent argument to prove That supposing the glory of God to be the great end of all his providential Dispensations that the Providence of God must most eminently work for the good of these as being such who most eminently serve the great end of his Glory So as he who observeth the motions of it must needs by them understand the loving-kindness of the Lord towards them Secondly The mercy and truth of Gods ways towards them that fear him are not to be read in the surface of present Providences The dark side of the cloud is sometimes towards the Israel of God and at such a time it must be by Faith that we understand that the ways all the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth toward his own people Who could read the loving-kindness of the Lord towards Israel while they were in Egypt serving at the Brick-kilns and under their great oppression there but he who observed the Providence of God thus working to make them willing to go out and take possession of the promised Land he might understand this It is not every motion of Providence but the issues of it that demonstrate all the ways of the Lord to be mercy and truth and this evinceth to us that an observation of the motions of Divine Providence yea and a wist and diligent and continuing observation of them also is necessary to make us understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. I come now to the Application of what you have heard upon this Argument This in the first place sheweth us one great reason of that ignorance which is in men both concerning God and concernng their own duty Men know little of God and little how to govern their actions according to any degree of Christian prudence As ignorance of and unbelief in the Word of God is one great cause so their not observing the motions of Divine Providence which have been in the World is another no small cause of it Men are much ignorant of God indeed there is but little of the knowledg of God in the World especially that knowledg which floateth not only in the brain but influenceth the heart and affections and men know little how to govern their actions by any spiritual wisdom but live directly contrary to what they own and pretend to as their highest end And we understand as little of the loving-kindness of the Lord I say one great cause of this is mens not observing the workings and motions of Providence They pass before their eyes every day but they observe them not Non tantum oculis intueri sed animum ad hanc considerationem ita exuscitare ut meliores inde evadamus To observe signifieth not only with our eyes to behold it but so to stir up our minds to the consideration of a thing that we may grow the better by it saith a grave Author Now in this Notion of it how few are they that observe these things they see stupendious Providences sometimes in the destruction of the Churches Enemies for the salvation of his people it may be at first they as all new things do affect men with a little passion according to the nature of them but they are like a flash of lightning which though at present it startles us yet the impression is presently off our spirits and I say this is one great reason why we are so ignorant of God so unskilful in the government of our lives to his ends and that we understand so little of his loving-kindness Hence it is that we cannot understand how much good God doth his Church and people by afflictions and trials They are the sensible frowns of Providence which blind our eyes that we cannot see the loving-kindness of God in all his ways We think sometimes we see God driving his Chariot in a direct road to his great ends the glory of his holy Name and the good and protection of such as fear him here we think we can easily discern Gods Wisdom and as easily understand his loving-kindness But now when the Lord drives his Chariot out of our sight and exerciseth his Church or the particular souls of his people with long and tedious Afflictions here we are at a loss and can neither read the wisdom nor loving-kindness of God But what is the reason of this but only our superficial view of Gods Providences without a wist and diligent observation of them If we would but bend our minds to observe what a wholsom influence Afflictions and adverse Providences have ordinarily both upon vvhole Churches and upon particular Christians we should even in them easily understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. The Husbandman can easily understand that he could as ill want the frosts and snows of Winter as the warmth heat and sun-shine of the Summer Gideon taught the men of Succoth with briars and thorns and God ordinarily doth so teach his people Blessed is he saith the Psalmist whom thou chastenest and teachest out of thy Law David tells us Psalm 119.61 that before he was afflicted he went astray but since that he had learned to keep the statutes of the Lord. It was an old saying The blood of the Martyrs is the seed of the Church The Church is bettered and the Soul is bettered by adverse Providences That Text Isa 27.9 is very remarkable By this that is by this severe affliction by this captivity shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged and all the fruit shall be to take away sin when the Lord shall make the stones of the altar as chalk stones that crumble in pieces the groves and the images shall not stand up As an hard Winter keepeth under and killeth the weeds so the winter of Affliction much helps to the purging out of corruptions both out of the Church and also out of the particular Soul Augustine as I remember somewhere lamenteth That a Fever had done more with him to subdue and mortifie a lust than before the love of God could do with him Now I say our not observing this which is matter of no difficult observation to him that wistly eyeth Divine Providence is one great reason that men do not understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. Another reason of mens not understanding it is their making of a judgment of Gods works before they are perfect If any of us should go into a Limners shop and see his first draught of a lovely picture we should discern little loveliness in it which yet we should easily discern if we would but stay until he had finished his work and laid on his life-colours It is the same case with us as to works of Divine Providence we look on them while the Lords work is yet upon the
same as of my former observation Because thus he gets himself most glory The Glory of God is the great end of all his actions he worketh for himself for the Honour and Glory of his own great Name Now God hath more Honour and Glory by these accomplishments than if he should bring them to pass by greater and more probable means The Apostle gives this very reason 1 Cor. 1.29 Why God chose weak things to confound those that are mighty c. That no flesh should glory in his presence 1. His power is thus more magnified He thus appears to be a great God a mighty God though it be true that the Power of God is equally exerted when he worketh by great means as by small had we spiritual eyes or did we look upon means as we ought to do as deriving all their efficacy from God yet de facto it is not so to us and therefore you shall in Scripture observe God often declaring that he would work this or that in this or that manner that his People might not say that they had done this by their own might or power The lesser appearance there is of second Causes the more the efficiency of the first Cause is evident so God getteth himself a great deal of Glory by working in the day of mans smallest things 2. As I also told you under the former head God getteth himself more Glory by the praises of his people he is more admired in his workings more praised and adored for his workings The Enemies are also hereby enforced to confess the works of the Lord and to acknowledg the greatness of his Power But having enlarged upon these things under the former observation I shall add no more here but come to the Application Vse 1. The first Use I shall make of this point shall be what the Prophet Zechariah hath made before me Zech. 4.10 Who hath despised the day of small things The Prophet propoundeth it by way of Interrogation but it contains a Precept in the bowels of it Learn not to despise the day of small things it is usually Gods day It may be a day of small things as to the Church the state of it may be very sad the case of it very low little humane means or probabilities may appear of the amendment of its state all things may seem to make against the interest of God and Religion Now I say let no man despise this day of small things It may be a day of small things with the particular soul the case of it may be very sad it may be full of dejections full of despondencies hurried with temptations it may have hope and but a little hope light shining in upon it at a poor crevice let none now despise this day of small things Two things I would press upon you 1. Not to despise this day 2. To perform what is your positive duty with reference to such a day 1. I say first Despise not such a day Persons or things may be despised two ways 1. Directly 2. Interpretatively Take heed of despising it directly Take heed of despising it interpretatively We despise a person or thing directly when in our hearts we contemn him or it and have a low and poor estimate of him or it and express it by any outward sign as words gestures c. Thus the Enemies of the Jews scorned the Jews employed in re-building the City and Temple when they said What will these feeble Jews do if a fox go up he will break down what they have builded It was it seems a day of small things with the Jews their Enemies despised them and mocked at them Thus Sennacherib despised Hezekiah when he offered his Commissioners two hundred horses if his master could set riders on them Take heed of this despising Thus the Popish party in Germany despised the day of small things in the beginning of the Reformation by Luther when they bid him go into his Cell and pray Lord have mercy upon me The issue in all three cases shewed that they had no reason as to any of them to have despised the day of small things Providence usually brings forth its greatest works in such a day But besides this despising 2. There is an interpretative despising of such a day Take heed of this also thus we may despise things 1. When we do not give that due regard to them which we ought Thus our Saviour telleth you A man cannot serve two masters but he will cleave to the one and despise the other that is not give that due regard which he ought to give to the other He that neglecteth what ought not to be neglected doth interpretatively despise when we have not that due value for a thing we ought to have we despise it Thus Esau despised his birth-right saith the Apostle we no where read that he spake contemptuously of it but he did not duly value it he sold it for a contemptible price a mess of pottage 2. When because of the smallness of means our hearts fail in the use of the means we have or as to the promise this is a despising of the day of small things Now I say take heed of despising such a day any of these ways it is usually Gods day Let your rule be this If a work or issue of a work be for Gods Glory if it be the matter of a Divine Promise though there may be but a small appearance of means for the accomplishment of it take heed of despising it either directly or interpretatively Who hath despised such a day saith the Prophet intimating that none ought to despise it none hath any just reason to despise it 2. But secondly Do what is your duty in such a day you will say What is that I will open it in three things 1. Vse the means you have 2. Exercise a faith in God beyond the probable effect of those means 3. Make up in prayer what you will want in action through a want of means Of each of these a word or two 1. Vse those means and grounds of hope which you have If David hath but a sling and a stone to go out against Goliah with yet he will use them Means that have a natural vertue in them or a divine institution have Gods stamp upon them and must be used leaving the event and success unto God we must neither idolize means by attributing the divine Efficiency to them nor yet tempt God by a neglect of them when God affords us them You shall observe God sometimes commanding the use of means which had no rational tendency to the production of the effect as what influence could the Israelites blowing with Rams-horns and the Army encompassing the City seven days have upon the walls of Jericho yet the Israelites were bound to use them because they had the stamp of a divine Institution upon them It is much the same case when they have a natural vertue or a rational tendency there
which then hindered his being revealed and would let until he should be taken away The Roman Empire hindered nor is that hinderance yet taken away 'T is true there is but a stump of that Empire remaining in Germany Spain France England many other great boughs are lop'd off it but most of them kept their Antichristian favour though they changed their temporal Lords and set up for and by themselves as to temporal subjection and dominion You see and hear how fierce the French the Spaniards the Portugals c. the house of Austria are for the Romish Religion 'T is true England hath broke that yoke off its neck so hath Holland the Gospel hath got a great foot in Germany France Denmark Poland Sweden Hungary but yet the Devil hath a large Chappel in most of those places It is the National Religion of France Spain Portugal Italy the Imperial Proper-territories God is fitting the circumstances of the World much to his promised Work of destroying this Antichrist with the spirit of his mouth with the brightness of his coming England is fallen off Holland is fallen off a great part of Switzerland many Cities and Territories in Germany Sweden and Denmark great numbers in France God is by degrees doing his work and a great deal is done within the space of a hundred and fifty years last past for it is no longer since Luther began to shake his Throne but yet the circumstances of the World do not look as if it were like to be a work we should see in our age nor it may be our childrens children Methinks the Scripture looks as if that man of sin should die a natural death not a violent one I mean that that Religion should be loathed out of the World not fought out of it God will consume it with the Spirit of his mouth and with the brightness of his coming Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord I tell you but my judgment that before the fall of Antichrist you must yet see a greater falling off from Popery by the Princes of other Nations and their people The Worlds circumstances do not yet seem fitted to that great Work God may work Miracles in the case but I know no ground we have to expect them I am very confident that Antichrist is in his wane much past his full declining every day and therefore the fears of some that that ridiculous Religion should again over-spread England or Holland or any other reformed Church do not much afflict me I take that for granted that Babylon is falling but when we shall hear that joyful sound Babylon is fallen Babylon is fallen that I cannot tell you but in the general I think we must first see the World otherwise circumstanced than it is 2. By this observation of the motions of Providence you shall also understand much of Gods set time as to shewing mercy to your own particular soul viz. when your bodily or spiritual circumstances are fitted for the desired mercy 1. I say first when your bodily circumstances are fitted to it There is nothing more evident than the dependance of our minds upon our bodies and the influence that some bodily distempers especially have upon our souls and minds now although it be true that God can work miraculously and by light can break through a darkness be it never so thick and ravish a Soul with unspeakable joy and peace though at that time it be yoked to a dark cloudy melancholick disturbed body yet God useth not to work Miracles ordinarily but to move in a more ordinary course of Providence by the use and application of means that are proper so that as it is seldom but God useth the disorders and disturbances of the body to influence and afflict the mind and to be at least an adjuvant cause when he will trouble a Soul so he usually restoreth health and a better constitution of body when he intends to restore peace and quiet and a composure of spirit I say ordinarily he doth so And hence again in the next place 3. We by giving attendance to this Observation may learn our duty in reference to the use of Means so as to use what is proper to its season for there is great wisdom to be used in apportioning means For Example as to the bringing down of Antichrist if Gods time be not come the means are not girding our swords upon our thighs c. I question whether that will ever be a Mean proper to be used in that case but endeavouring by all means possible to loath the World of Popish superstitions and ceremonies and all the idolatry of that Synagogue and of all the cheats they put upon the World and alienate the hearts of people from them So for calling the Jews the means to be used is not inciting them to get into a body and heading them c. but to convince them of their errours to endeavour the sweetning of their spirits the enlightning their minds with the knowledg of the truth of the Gospel and reconciling them to the Christian Religion and shewing them the Examples of an holy life and conversation So in case of particular Souls where the discomposure of the mind is originated in or further advantaged by bodily distempers which is a thing very frequently happening I do not take it to be the duty of a Christian meerly to pray and hear but also to use natural means proper for the abating of these distempers yet not this without Prayer and use of Ordinances both for the blessing of God upon such means and for the further influences of his supernatural grace for God fitteth the circumstances of the person that is to receive the mercy to the desired mercy when he intendeth the bestowing of it as well as the circumstances of the World to the mercy which in his set-time he intendeth for his Church so as I say this observing of this method of Providence duly attended to addeth spiritual Wisdom to a Christian as in discerning of Gods time for mercy so also in directing him to his duty as to proper means to be used by him in the way of his duty in order to the obtaining of the mercy teaching him to know what Israel ought to do what a good Christian ought to do under the circumstances under which God hath brought him 2. By an attendance to this working of Providence you shall understand much of the loving-kindness of the Lord very much of the goodness and love of God to Nations and Churches is seen in this his fitting of the worlds circumstances to his designs before he produceth them as his designs are effected without tumult and bloodshed which otherwise through mens opposition to it would not be avoided With how much bloodshed in all humane probability must the Children of Israel have first came out of Egypt then out of Babylon had not God fitted the circumstances of the world to those designs of his Providence
little good to be hoped for unless God by his Providence makes some particular persons amongst them highly serviceable or instrumental in the state where they live either discovering some plots or treasons which was the case in Mordecai's time or brings some of them to some great favour which was the cause of the Israelites first in Egypt then in Babylon and Esther afterwards upon their return from Babylon or else God by his Providence secureth his little flock by suffering some intestine factions to rise amongst the men of the world or stirring up other enemies against that part of the world that they have something else to do and cannot attend the execution of their malice upon the servants of God or blesseth a particular state with a good-natured Prince that is not enclined to rigour and severity but naturally abhorreth the blood and ruin of people though usually if the latter be the case it is but an incertain time with the Church for good natures are ordinarily with ease enclined this way or that according to the mutability of prevailing Counsels But now if the People of God in any nation be a considerable number and you see the Providence of God hath raised them up to be men of interest many of them either with respect to their Wisdom or Estates or Imployments though their Enemies be many and boisterous yet there is no great fear unless of particular persons suffering God seems to have subordinated the world to their peace For though some few imprudent men that are rash and malicious and some hot-spur'd Church-men who understand little of politicks may in such a juncture be for nothing but fire and faggot yet God who in his Providence hath ordered civil affairs so that it should be the interest of the men of the world to give them liberty and peace will seldom suffer those whom he hath betrusted with the government of the affairs of the world unless he designeth to bring a period to the state so far to overlook their interests as to gratifie the lusts of malicious and rash men Again If you see in any place God suffering men calling themselves Ministers to degenerate into such sots in their Conversation or to run into such heighths of superstitious vanities and fooleries as all men condemn and see the vanity of or to be so insufficient for any part of their work that they can do nothing of it but are contemptible unto all and make the offering of God to be abhorred This is another juncture of affairs when you may either fear the ruin of the place or hope for a reformation or more quiet abode for Gods People in it And by the way my enlargement upon this Observation may mind the People of God of the Policy as well as Piety of a threefold duty 1. The first is All just homage and serviceableness unto such rulers as God hath set over the places wherein their lot is cast I say just homage for it is better to obey God than Man and we cannot obey Man where Obedience to him is disobedience to God But the more any of our consciences towards God straitens us as to some points of Obedience the more we should be serviceable in what we may If it at any time falls in our way to secure their lives by discovering dangerous plots and conspiracies Mordecay by such a service made himself the Protector of all the people of the Jews If we be called to it and can assist them with our arms with our wisdom counsel with our service and industry remember what great instruments for the good of Gods People Joseph Daniel the three Children Nehemiah c. were made 2. Observe here also the Policy as well as Piety of the practice of all moral virtue Justice to all charity and liberality to the poor temperance sobriety all manner of loveliness in Conversation there must be something more than these things to commend you to God but these are the things that must commend you to the world Moral vertue hath a great cognation with humane Nature though mens lusts and passions sometimes run them out to acts of injustice and oppression and debauchery yet no body would willingly himself be oppressed or dealt unjustly with or have his own wife and daughters debauched It is very rare but the highest and maddest Enemies of the People of God are malicious and debauched persons few of them persons of moral vertue and honesty make but your selves great Examples of these things and you will certainly at one time or other be too hard for your adversaries the world so loatheth their injustice cruelty oppression hard-heartedness their drunkenness and uncleanness their lying cheating and defrauding that it will vomit them out 3. It lets you also see the Policy as well as Piety of keeping close to God in the matters of his worship The sottishness and superstition of Priests signifieth good not hurt to you unless you approve of their savings and doings But when the prophets prophecy falsly and the priests bear rule by their means and the people love to have it so what will you do in the end thereof Jer. 5.32 If the ministry in any nation be sottish in their lives corrupt in their Doctrines superstitious in their Worship dumb dogs that can neither pray nor preach let not the people love to have it so and comply with them and own them God will not long suffer his flock to be rent in pieces with such wolves nor be at the will of such idol-shepherds But I have enlarged far enough upon this first branch of Application I shall be shorter in the other 2. Observe from hence both the felicity and duty of the people of God 1. Their felicity and dignity Their dignity I remember the Psalmist admiring the mercy of God towards man and expressing his Dignity Psal 8.6 7. Thou madest him to have dominion over the work of thy hands thou hast put all things under his feet all sheep and oxen yea and the beasts of the field the fouls of the air and the fish of the sea and whatsoever passeth through the seas This is a great dignity of man that God hath subordinated all the works of Creation all the orders of Creatures beneath him unto him But what a dignity is this to which God hath advanced his Church that all the affairs of the world should be as it were put under their feet that they should not only have a dominion over the works of the Lords hands in Creation as sheep and neat cattel and fouls and fishes but also all the Lords works of Providence that the Kingdoms of the Earth and the great affairs of states should be ruled with reference to the good of this little flock What a felicity it is to be within this hedg to be a member of this body of people I mean a true member of the Church of God I know the whole visible Church as I have before shewed you is under
Providence of God did ordinarily execute this Justice by the hands of Magistrates But you must not mistake to think this rule of God was without exceptions for oftentimes exceptions were made with respect to the quality of the persons and this by the Law of God Exod. 21.16 He that cursed his father or mother was to dye the death that now was more than like for like and ver 26. If a master had struck a servant and put out his eye the masters punishment was only to manumit his servant not to pay eye for eye the reason was the disparity of persons I might observe to you that the Providence of God directed other Magistrates then those he set up amongst his own people to enact laws to render like for like in many cases especially where offences were eminently against mercy and charity though with the like respect to persons and other circumstances which is enough by the way to evidence the justice of such laws in many cases But further the Providence of God in this retaliating sins of this nature is eminent in those whom he took to punish with his own hand In the case of Pharaoh he cruelly caused the male-infants of the Jewish children to be drowned God causeth him and his host to be swallowed up in the red Sea In the case of Adonibezek Judg. 1.6 The Israelites took him and cut off his thumbs and great toes You never read that the Israelites served any Enemy so either before or after that time and doubtless what they did was by an extraordinary instinct from God Ver. 7. Adonibezek acknowledgeth the hand of God in it Threescore and ten Kings saith he having their thumbs and great toes cut off gathered their meat under my table as I have done so God hath requited me 1 Sam. 15.33 When Samuel cometh to slay Agag by Gods Commandment observe what he saith As thy sword hath made many women childless so this day thy mother shall be made childless as to thee and he cut him in pieces before the Lord. And this is that which God hath said Rev. 13.10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity he that killeth with the sword shall be killed with the sword and in Rev. 18.6 speaking of mystical Babylon by which our Forefathers have understood Rome though late Authors have otherwise endeavoured to interpret it and the fall of it saith God Reward her even as she hath rewarded you and double unto her double according to her works in the cup which she hath filled fill her double You see still those whom God hath thus punished from time to time have ordinarily been great offenders against mercy and charity great actors of cruelty the wickedness of these men God hath ordinarily retaliated and payed them in their own kind I have hitherto justified the first part of my observation that God very ordinarily doth repay eminent sinners against charity in their own kind what hath been wanting there 's hardly any observing Christian but will be able to make up in his daily observation 't is very seldom but God gives cruel and bloody and mischievous men blood to drink and cruelty to digest if he gives it not to them he ordinarily doth it to their children as he did to Saul and to Ahab and to Jehu Sauls children were hang'd by David at Gods command for his bloody house Ahab's seventy Sons were slain for his bloodshed and cruelty And God repaid the blood which Jehu shed in Jesreel though in it he executed Gods counsel unto his children as the Prophet saith expresly God gave Manasses his children Josiah only excepted blood to drink to requite him for his filling of Hierusalem with innocent blood 2. Let me now justifie the Observation as to the second part of it Gods retaliation of charity Charity is a word of a very vast extent and comprehendeth under it all acts of kindness done unto our brethren standing in need of our help It is a saying I have met with somewhere A man seldom himself experienceth in himself that misery which he hath truly felt in others Many great and exceeding pretious promises are made to it as if it were all Godliness what the Apostle saith of Godliness is applicable unto it It hath promises both of this life and that which is to come Blessed are the merciful saith our Saviour Mat 5.7 for they shall receive mercy He that giveth to the poor shall not want Prov. 28.22 I have been young saith David and now am old yet I never saw the righteous forsaken nor their seed begging their bread he is ever merciful and lendeth and his seed is blessed It were a great work to reckon up all the promises of this nature made to mercy and charity so many that the hard-hearted the niggardly-handed person must necessarily be either an Atheist or a notorious Unbeliever either not believing there is any such God as the Scriptures speak or such Scriptures as are the word of God or not daring to trust God upon his word either of them hath a soul in state bad enough But my work is to shew you how the Providence of God justifieth this word I told you before how David observed it in the whole course of his life he never saw such a man forsaken nor his posterity beggers What an experience was that he was a good man a wise and observing man much acquainted with the world he had seen more than most of us he lived to be an old man he doth not say he had rarely seen no that was too little I have been young saith he and now am old I never saw the righteous forsaken If you would know what righteous man he means he telleth you One that is ever merciful and lendeth I think in this case we may as to the motions of Providence distinguish as St. Paul doth in another case between a righteous man and a good man Rom. 5. The Providence of God doth sometimes so order it that we see religious men though it is a hard task I would not willingly be employed in it to reconcile an hardness of heart in this kind to Religion yet so it is that we find sometimes persons that in other things we cannot say but they are devout religious men and just men and were it not for that of St. John how dwelleth the love of God in him after a very imperfect manner certainly his brother can scarce tell how for that of St. James He that keeps the whole law and in the constant track and course of his life offends but in one point is guilty of all One would think they had love for God and were righteous men yet when you come to them for an act of charity oh it grateth them a six-pence comes at two or three pulls and with many a grudg and excuse You may possibly see such a man decay God distributes his estate because he would not and such a mans seed you may see begging bread
he that sheweth no mercy when he comes to need it shall have judgment without mercy for his portion Take heed of persecuting good people for their conscience-sake towards God it may be you may take the advantage of a furious time and plunder them a little or get them imprisoned or oppressed directly contrary to what is law and justice or directly contrary to the highest law which is the Law of God but if you do it is ten to one but as your hands sent many to bed without bread for themselves and their children to eat to sleep without a bed to lye upon to work without a tool to work with so God will find hands shall requite it into your bosom Or if you should contribute to make the wives of your brethren widows and their children fatherless and vagabonds in a good sense to seek bread out of desolate places God ere long will stand over your houses and say Let these mens children be fatherless and their wives widows let their children be continual vagabonds in the earth and beg and let them seek their bread out of their desolate places Let the extortioners catch all they have and let the strangers spoil their labour let there be none to extend mercy unto them neither let there be any to favour their fatherless children Let the iniquity of their fathers be remembred with the Lord. It was the curse Psal 109.9 And for what cause they were adversaries without a cause to David while he gave himself unto prayer ver 4. They rewarded him evil for good and hatred for his love Oh! my heart akes to think what judgments many in these days have laid up for themselves and their wives and children they have shewed no mercy they or some of theirs will find judgment without mercy God hateth cruelty and the sons of violence his foul abhorreth Vse 2. This observation calleth aloud to you for the exercises of charity and mercy They are virtues or graces the exercises of which God will not only certainly reward but he maketh haste to their reward he ordinarily lets not their reward sleep As it is said of some sinners Their damnation sleepeth not so as to some exercise of grace and vertue it is such a sweet savour in the nostrils of God that their recompence shall not sleep till the resurrection Let me not hear a mouth opened amongst my brethren nor see a purse-string tyed against an act of charity and mercy it grateth upon my ears Sirs give me leave to tell you that God never came more on borrowing than he doth in this age Troops of Robbers have robbed God they have robbed his Servants and God accounteth what is done to them as done to himself Anon it may be before these are gone another comes and tells you that such a Town is burnt down to the ground many hundred Families undone God sends to you for some help for them Anon another comes to tell you God hath sent to borrow a little of you for such a poor servant of his who hath not spent his estate in Luxury but God hath blasted him Possibly God sends another to you to lend him a little for another that is under the Physitians hand or under the Surgeons hand and hath spent all his or her estate O lend it He that gives to the poor lends to the Lord and he will repay Say not as many of you do when such come to borrow of you as you have no mind to lend any too Truly I have no money I can spare from my necessary occasions When the truth is thou hast no money thou art willing to lend such a person God sends on borrowing to thee He that hath given thee all that thou hast hath sent to thee to lend him a few shillings a few pence he hath sent us his Ministers upon his errand or some poor servant of his but he hath sent us with a ticket under his hand which thou knowest thou ownest his written word his holy Scriptures Say not thou hast no money if it be true indeed it is a good excuse or none that thou canst spare from thy necessary occasions if that be true too it is a good excuse but take heed it be true remember the case of Ananias and Saphira What mean the bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the oxen What mean thy garments of silk thy costly laces thy feasting thy faring deliciously every day I do not blame these things where there are estates to bear them out soft rayment may be worn in Princes houses but then say not thou hast no money no money for to buy a cap to keep thy brother from the cold and yet money to buy a costly periwig no money to help thy brother to buy so much bread as to keep him from starving and yet hast thou money to furnish thy table with varieties and dainties hast thou no money to help a poor Christian to buy cloathes to cover his nakedness and yet hast thou money to lavish out to cloath thy self and family with silks and fine linnen hast thou no money to lend to thy Lord to relieve one of his prisoners to buy them a bed to lye on to recover them a seat to sit down upon and yet canst thou find enough to buy thy self a cupboard of plate or the most costly houshold-stuff O take heed that God judgeth not that thou hast no heart thou canst not trust that God thou so much talkest of and art no more than a prating Christian But my brethren remember that acts of mercy and charity are such as God ordinarily retaliateth in this life it is seldom that God putteth men to trust him to another world for rewards in these things It is a time to speak and I must speak in this case It is reported of holy Mr. Bradford that in an hard time he sold his Chains Rings and Jewels to relieve those in want It is reported of Basil that in a famine once he sold all the lands and goods he had to relieve the poor I shall add no more but conclude my discourse as that of our Saviour He that hath ears to hear let him hear He that believeth what he hath heard this day and searching the Scripture finds it true let him be up and doing accordingly But if any man believeth not the word of God nor us his servants but hath a mind to make an experiment whether Solomon had any warrant from God to tell the world That he that stoppeth his ear to the cry of the poor he also shall cry and not be heard Let him at his peril try whether Solomon or he was the wiser man I know I have spoke to many obedient ears if there be any other I so far my self am assured of what I have said That in these things Let them do what they please I and my house shall desire both to obey and fear the Lord. SERMON XXIV Psalm CVII 43. Whoso is wise and
1. Sometimes some of his people shall be blessed with outward blessings Abraham shall be a rich man and have many flocks and herds Joseph shall be the second man in Egypt David and Solomon shall be great Princes Mordecay shall be the man whom the King of Persia shall delight to honour Daniel shall be the first president This is necessary that God may justifie his Promises of this nature you have such Psal 128.1 2 3. and in many other Texts of holy Writ They may be necessary to uphold the interest of God in the world The world must sometimes say Verily there is a reward for the righteous Gods own people shall sometimes have healthy bodies numerous families plentiful comfort in their relations many left hand-mercies added to those spiritual blessings with which God hath blessed them all in Jesus Christ 2. Others now God doth not reward this way but he rewardeth them in their souls and inward man and indeed this is the constant reward of them that fear the Lord and there is a variety in these too God doth not measure out the same kinds nor the same proportions unto all Some are blessed with a quiet conscience possibly they have not extasies of joy as others but their hearts do not condemn them and this is indeed the usual reward of the man that worketh righteousness The work of righteousness shall be peace saith the Prophet Isa 32.17 If God brings them to a sick-bed or into any other strait they can say with Hezekiah 2 King 20.3 I beseech thee O Lord remember me now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart that is an upright sincere heart or with Nehemiah 13 14. Remember me O Lord concerning this and wipe not out my good deeds which I have done for the house of my God And give me leave to tell you this is a great reward but to be delivered from the sowre reflexions of a condemning conscience for as there is nothing more nauseous and troublesom to us than the sower recoilings of our stomack so there is no greater torment to a mans life than the recoilings of a guilty conscience Nothing is oft-times so great a torture to a sinner as this when he saith unto his conscience Is it peace and his conscience tells him What peace so long as thy drunkenness thy whoredoms thy lyes and oaths and blasphemies thy cheating and cozening thy oppression and violence remain There is no peace to the wicked saith my God On the other side there is nothing so refreshing unto a spirit tired with the crosness of the world than to find a peace within himself Now this is the general reward of the righteous man if he misseth raptures and extasies of joy yet he cometh not short ordinarily of a quiet and serenity of a waky and awakened conscience I know there are hours of melancholy and darkness and desertion to which the best of Gods People are exposed but these are but rare examples in comparison of those multitudes of godly ones that walk in some blessed view of their own sincerity and uprightness Some he rewardeth in their inward man with raptures and extasies of God They know and are perswaded that nothing shall separate them from the love of God in Jesus Christ they defie death and hell and challenge the fatal strokes which others tremble at the thoughts of They complain of time and were it not for the Law of God in the case would dismiss their souls of their prison and lye like men waiting for a wind longing for that happy gale that should carry their souls into the wide Sea of Eternity But this is but the portion of a few and scarce the abiding temper of them neither but such hours the People of God have had Some again he rewardeth inwardly with strength confirmed habits of grace and contentment with their portion c. Their outward man decreaseth but their inward man increaseth day by day they are poor in purse but rich in grace they have but little but they are content with what they have and tell all the world they have enough And let me tell you that as punishments in the inward man are the greatest punishments so these spiritual rewards are of all other the greatest rewards which is matter of easie demonstration if we will but allow our souls to be our nobler parts and the Jewel to be better than the Cabinet Whatsoever tends to the debasing and ruining the soul must be the greatest evil and whatsoever conduceth to its ennobling or felicity must be the greatest reward and good Besides this spiritual judgments are the continual forerunners of such as are temporal and spiritual mercies draw after them at least a proportion and sufficiency of the good things of this life All these things shall be added unto you saith our Saviour 2 Chron. 25.16 God sent a Prophet unto Amaziah the King would not hear him see what the Prophet saith I know saith the Prophet that God hath determined to destroy thee why because thou hast done this and hast not hearkned unto my counsel Spiritual judgments forerun temporal you have it Isa 6.10 When the Prophet asked how long how long in seeing they should see and not perceive and hearing they should hear and not understand God answereth Vntil the cities be wasted without an inhabitant and the houses should be left without men and the land should be utterly desolate In like manner spiritual rewards and mercies never go without something of this life if not a plenty yet a sufficiency food convenient for Gods People Finally as spiritual judgments are the forerunners of eternal ruin so spiritual rewards are the more certain forerunners of eternal salvation they are the things which as the Apostle speaks accompany salvation and make men meet for the Kingdom of God 3. But God sometimes rewards his people with sufferings This you may think a strange reward But yet a reward it is Christ promiseth to the losers for him that they should receive children houses lands with persecutions and the Apostles Act. 5.41 rejoyced they were thought worthy to suffer shame for his name-sake God honoureth that man whom he calleth out to be a witness for him and to carry his cross after him Job speaketh of other afflictions and cryeth out Job 7.17 Lord what is man that thou shouldst magnifie him that thou shouldst set thine heart upon him that thou shouldst visit him every morning and try him every moment What need we more than what the Apostle assureth us Heb. 12. That whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every child whom he receiveth Our light and momentany afflictions saith the Apostle shall work for us a far more eternal and exceeding weight of glory and if we suffer with him we shall also be glorified together with him Rom. 1.17 This variety of rewards our heavenly Father hath The rewards of the righteous from God are not uniform but always certain
and counsel of the heart is right there the heart must be right with God I say the heart is that which God requireth My son saith he give me thy heart and you shall find where that is right bent and inclined God passeth over a great many errors and failings in the conversation and this is what God said in this very case 1 King 8.18 Whereas it was in thine heart to build me an house thou didst well that it was in thine heart The Lord looketh on the heart and ordinarily in Scripture he accounteth men to have done good or evil according as their hearts were prepared or set Rohoboam did evil because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord 2 Chron. 12.14 Now where there is a good intention design and purpose there the heart is right Only here I must caution you as to two things 1. That you do not think that a pretence of a good heart or intention will do you any service It is one thing to pretend a good heart another thing to have it Jehu pretended a great zeal for God but had nothing less 2. You must take heed of thinking that a good intention will justifie a sinful action but a sincere and good intention I say is accepted of God and often rewarded by him where the action is such as God approveth not and makes an error in action to be but a sin of infirmity for where the heart stands right and truly designs the honour of God the man cannot in that action wilfully dishonour God and this is enough to make this motion of Providence appear to you very reasonable Before I come to apply this Observation I shall only give you one or two Cautions 1. They are only rewards of this life by which God rewards the services of wicked men whose heart in the action is not right Jehis was rewarded but it was only with a temporary dominion his sons for four generations sate upon the Throne of Israel Assyria was rewarded for his service against Israel but it was only with spoil and plunder and the enlargment of his Dominions for the rewards of grace and glory they are never given to any whose heart is not right with God 2. They are but temporary rewards after the enjoyment of which for a time God usually punisheth the sinner Such was the reward of Jehu it lasted but four generations and then God visited the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu It was but a little time that Assyria that Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon joyed in the reward which God gave him for the great service with which he had made his Army to serve against Tyrus for the Prophets prophecied of the destruction of Babylon soon after and the Scripture tells us how it was by the Persian Monarch These things premised I now come to the Application And 1. By way of Instruction Vse 1. We may learn hence what a good God we serve no man serveth God for nothing The least service that men do for God shall have its proportionable reward His very Enemies shall not do actions for him but they shall have a recompence for them The liberality of God even to the worst of men serving him by the by and looking quite another way when they are at Gods Oars should commend God unto us all and may mightily help the People of God to conclude that their labour of love for God shall not be forgotten by him Vse 2. In the second place this will instruct you in one great reason of what is such a beam oft-times in the eyes of Gods best servants I mean the prosperity power and greatness of vile men I know it is not always the cause but oft-times it is They have done some actions from which God hath had a service it may be God hath used them to do some great piece of service for his Church so you know he used Cyrus upon which the Scripture calleth him Gods servant it may be they have done some service for God against his People apostatizing thus Assyria was the rod of Gods anger though he did not mean so God had sent him against an hypocritical Nation There are many ways by which wicked men may do God service while they intend nothing so It may be sometimes God will make use of them to relieve his poor servants in distress taking advantage of their good natures or some relation they have to them c. And this though it may be we cannot always give account of the particular cause is the reason why God doth great things for them as to the good things of this life But there are two more proper branches of Application which I further aim at the one concerning sinners more properly the other concerning such whose hearts are right with God Vse 3. In the third place this Observation looketh upon all men even the worst of men and speaketh to them for two things 1. That they would imploy all the talents which God hath given them in some service of God Sirs you can none of you work for a more liberal and bountiful master the world is the great thing in the eyes of worldly men they would be rich and great and honourable they have no faith for the riches of glory no sense of the riches of grace their language is What will you give me and understand no greater things that God hath to give than sensible things Now admit their judgment were right yet it were their greatest policy to be doing those things which are materially good and which are unquestionably within their power to do to be making use of their estates which they spend in luxury and wantonness in drinking and gaming c. in cloathing the naked feeding the hungry the power and interest which God hath given them in the protection of such as fear God and delivering of them from the hands of oppressors I remember it was the counsel of the Prophet Daniel to a Heathen King Dan. 4.27 Wherefore O King let my counsel be acceptable unto thee and break off thy sins by righteousness and thy iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor if it may be a lengthning of thy tranquillity It is a text that is not without its difficulties and about which there hath been a great contention betwixt Papists and Protestants the Papists from it stifly contending for their Doctrine of Merits and Satisfaction by works of mercy and charity But whiles themselves grant that works by which we can merit must be such as are more than strict duty and Justice and Charity are the two only things which the Prophet doth here advise which we know are duties required of all in innumerable places of Scripture there can be little pretence for any such building upon this foundation Daniel is plainly giving counsel to that Prince how he might if not finally avoid yet for a time turn away that fierce wrath of God which he saw was began to kindle
of sin the hearts of sinners are set in them to do evil because judgement is not executed speedily I indeavoured to discourage and check this presumption in my former observation where I confirmed to you that by how much the more slowly vindicative justice proceedeth to the punishment of sin by so much severer the punishment is when it cometh This Observation addeth further to that check for as that which men call slackness is but the long suffering and patience of God not willing that any should perish but that all should be saved by a seasonable repentance So as you have now heard at large discoursed to you neither is God thus long-suffering and patient with all and although God generally be more quick with those sorts of sinners which I have specified to you yet I desire you to observe what I first enlarged upon that there is hardly any kind or sort of sinners but God at some time or other hath picked out some or other of them to make them examples of his severity Thou maist be struck dead while the lye is in thy mouth It was the case you know of Ananias and Saphira Thou maist be cut off in the very Act of Adultery It was the case you know of Zimri and Cosbi Tremble therefore and do not sin God may grant thee many years of patience he may give thee leave to treasure up wrath to thy self against the day of wrath but thou canst not promise thy self an hours patience But above all fear those sins which God usually is so quick in punishing Fear blaspheming God or the King we live in a blaspheming age wherein have been more bold darings of God than in former times God hath revenged his glory upon some of them they have been cut off in their youth before they have lived out half their dayes If another generation riseth up and approveth their sayings wait but a while and you will see vengeance overtaking them also Fear doing any thing against the life of others who by the law of God ought not to dye Blood-thirsty men shall not live out half their days you fee Gods vengeance against this sin is very quick 2. This Observation affords a great encouragement to the service of God especially to eminent actings and sufferings for God There is a reward for righteous men if they go without it to their dying day yet they shall be recompensed in the generation of the just Heaven will pay for all but God doth not always take so long a day to recompence them Many have a reward in this life and that which is to come The Scripture is full of promises even of the good things of this life to godliness in the general and to the several parts and acts of godliness These promises indeed are not made good to every child of God in specie but only in equivalent yea transcendent mercies But even these promises are made good to many and they may be thy portion however thou shalt not miss of the greater things Particularly this layeth an engagement upon all that fear God as God calleth them to it and giveth them advantage for it to signalize themselves by eminent actings or by some eminent sufferings such you have heard God ordinarily payeth presently and besides that eternal recompence which they have in glory they are in more outward and sensible things or in more inward influences of grace recompensed in this life Those that eminently honour God he will honour and many of them have a double mess sent them from the Lord. SERMON XXXI Psalm CVII 43. Whoso is wise and will observe these things even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. I Am proceeding yet in my Observations upon the motions of Divine Providence that which we call Actual Providence in its administration of distributive Justice both in the punishment of sinners and the rewarding of the righteous Divers Observations I have already made I am come to the Observat 18. Which you may please to take thus That the Providence of God doth very ordinarily with the punishments of this life chastise the past and pardoned sins of people In the handling of which I shall 1. Justifie the Observation 2. I shall shew you the reasonableness of this motion of Providence and reconcile it both to the justice and goodness of God 3. Lastly I shall make some practical application of it That it is so I shall prove by two famous instances the first of David the second Job David you know had fallen into two grievous sins Adultery with Bathsheba and the murther of her Husband Vriah God sendeth the Prophet Nathan 2 Sam. 12. to David to convince him of his sin who doth it by a Parable Davids heart melteth v. 13. and he saith unto Nathan I have sinned against the Lord. Nathan tells him the Lord hath also put away thy sin The sin you see was both past and pardoned but mark what follows v. 14. Howbeit because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme the Child also that is born unto thee shall surely dye He had told him before v. 10. That the sword should not depart from his house and v. 11. That he would take his wives before his face and give them to his neighbour and he should ly with them in the sight of the Sun All this was afterward justified by the Actual Providence of God The Child died 2 Sam. 12.18 Amnon defloureth his Sister Thamar and is slain by her Brother Absolon 2 Sam. 13.14 29. Absalom Davids own Son lieth with his Fathers Concubines in the sight of all Israel 2 Sam. 16.22 Absolom is slain in a rebellion against his Father c. Nay not only thus but God punisheth David with horrors and terrors in his mind with diseases in his body as you may gather from Psal 6. Psal 51. and the rest of those Psalms in which he expresseth his repentance David prayeth Psal 25.7 Remember not the sins of my youth nor my transgressions Job complaineth unto God Job 7.2 3. As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow and as an hireling looketh for the reward of his work so am I made to possess months of vanity I know the words are capable of another sense as vanity may be understood for affliction and misery or the frustration of his expectations but I should rather interpret it by the words of the same Job 13.26 27 28. For thou writest bitter things against me and makest me to possess the sins of my youth c. Moses and Aaron sinned against the Lord at the waters of Meribah I do not think that any of you doubt but that God pardoned their sin yet it is certain that God punished them and that for that sin God himself tells them so Deut. 32.50 51. That the Providence of God doth this is evident The second thing may seem to have more difficulty in it viz. How this is reconcileable either to
Providence of God And thus I have opened the Observation to you I come now to the Application Vse 1. In the first place This observation affordeth us another sign of the times I observed to you before that we have generally a curiosity to know what shall come to pass in future times how it shall go to know both what God is doing with his Church in the age wherein we live and what he will do with it in the ages following He that maketh this observation will in this point be spiritually wise and will also understand the loving-kindness of the Lord yea and by this we may understand what the Counsels of God are in a great measure as to families and persons Observe but what those are whom God sets over them or suffers to stand in relation to them and you will understand much of this If God intendeth mercy and goodness to any Nation or any Church he giveth them Judges and Counsellors as at the beginning Eccl. 10.16 17. Wo to thee O Land when thy King is a Child and Princes eat in the morning Blessed art thou O Land when thy King is the son of Nobles and thy Princes eat in due season for strength and not for drunkenness Observe but in the state who are in the places of Magistrates whether they be men of wisdom and knowledge of justice and righteousness or men of little wisdom rash and inconsiderate men men of little knowledge men that will take bribes and oppress the poor and needy in judgment not suffering the causes of the poor to stand in judgment and you may easily judge what God is about with that Nation Look into the Church of God and observe what persons they are that are in the Ministry Whether they be men that are able and faithful to teach skilled in the words of righteousness able to open and apply the holy Scriptures to the hearts and Consciences of people to pray and to pour out their souls unto God in supplications Or men that were Aptiores ad stivam as Beza sometimes said I may add ad cauponam vel tabernam fitter for a Plow-tail for an Ale-house a Tavern or a Victualling-house and it needeth no interpreter to you what God is about to do with such a Church In like manner look into families look upon particular persons observe what manner of persons are in the relations of Husbands Wives Parents Children and you may easily know Gods present design or what he is after like to do in such families or as to such persons Where God intendeth mercy he fitteth persons for their respective relations in all humane societies Vse 2. Hence again in the second place each one may make a judgement of himself whether God hath called him to this or that work this or that Relation A man can have little comfort in any relation to which he cannot see himself called of God be it Magistracy or Ministry or any other Relation when we see God calling us to it we may look for Gods blessing upon us in it ay and we may in that case also expect Gods protection his standing by us and standing up for us against Opposition now neither of these can in other causes be expected I say 1. A person called of God to any work any relation may reasonably expect the blessing of God upon him in it If he be a Magistrate that God should make his government peaceable and prosperous subduing the people under him and subjecting their spirits to his Government If he be a Minister that God should direct his meditations assist his heart in enditing new matter and his tongue that it should be the tongue of a ready writer blessing his labours and giving in to his ministry the souls of the people committed to his charge He may expect Gods protection and defence of him against the opposition that he meets with It is a promise you ordinarily meet with annexed to precepts by which God hath commissioned men to be Ministers I will be with you it is what God said to Jeremiah to Ezechiel What Christ said to his Apostles I will saith he be with you to the end of the world now that promise reacheth to both these both assistance and protection and therefore it is of mighty concern to such as ingage in great work or are put into any great relation to see Gods call of them to that work or relation without a view of that I again tell you they can expect the presence of God no way neither blessing nor protecting them Now from this observation upon the motions of Actual Providence you may make up a judgement of that Actual Providence fits them for that work and Relation whom God calleth to it it doth not fit every one for it whom it suffereth to creep into it but it fits all for their work whom God directs into it and who are like to be a blessing to their Correlates and those who cannot find themselves fitted of God for the work and acts of that Relation wherein they are may conclude that though they be not in that station without God yet God hath nothing further to do with them in their station but to permit them to get into it for a plague and scourge to the people to whom they are in relation and for their own damnation and confusion at the last Is any one a Minister to instance only in that Relation he stands most highly concerned of all men living to see his call the charge of souls men will at last find a great and burthensom charge If he be faithful he is like to meet with the greatest opposition imaginable in that work he stands in need of the greatest assistance of God for the due performance of it he can look for neither unless he can find that God hath called him to his work The great acts of the ministerial office are praying and preaching praying for the people Preaching that is opening the Scriptures the will and counsel of God unto people and applying it to their Consciences Wouldst thou know now whether thou beest called of God as Aaron was Examine then whether God hath fitted thee for the work of the ministry Hath God given thee the Spirit of prayer and supplication hath God given thee a knowledge and understanding in the Scriptures that thou art as it was said of Apollos mighty in the Scriptures such a one a Minister should be If Gods providence hath given thee a willingness and a desire to it and an opportunity for the exercise of it and hath also thus qualified thee for the several parts of it then thou mayest conclude that God hath called thee to it It is not a Patrons presentation that will make up the call of God no nor yet the boldness and confidence of the person that will venture upon the greatest employment the world affords I say none of these things will do it a mans own needs and not knowing how to live
followeth in the fourth place the necessity of a law to be given unto man in his state of innocency For saith the Apostle where there is no law there is no transgression sin being the transgression of the law Now this Law with the promise annexed to it was the Covenant of Works on Gods part and the restipulation on mans part must be presumed or man had been a transgressor before the fall by a rebellion to the Divine Will and this formally maketh up the Covenant of Works God promising him life upon condition of his Obedience and man accepting the promise and agreeing to the terms or condition of life imposed on him Now God having given this Law and made this Covenant man by the violation of it became guilty a debtor to the Justice of God and so capable of a Redemption a Remission and Justification 5. I desire you to consider That the Covenant of Grace and promise by faith on Gods part could not possibly have been made good without the destruction of the first Covenant of Works and the promise of life made upon that this is that which the Apostle saith in my text That the promise by faith of Jesus might be given to them that believe I pray observe here are three things to be considered 1. The matter of the promise 2. The means by which the promise is to be obtained 3. The objects of it The promise intended is doubtless the promise of eternal life so often called in Scripture as being indeed the great and most valuable promise what is the means of obtaining it On Gods part it must be given out on mans part it must be received by faith for it is given to them that believe and it is therefore called the promise by faith in Jesus Christ Now the promise of life by works under the first Covenant was wholly inconsistent with this promise of being saved by faith in Christ Though the first Covenant comprehended a faith in God as being a piece of that internal homage which every soul oweth to God yet it could not comprehend a faith in Christ as our Mediator there being no need of a Saviour till we were in danger nor of a Mediator till we were become transgressors How therefore was it possible that the promise of faith in Christ to those who believe in him should be given out till first the Covenant of Works was both given out and also violated Though the law by the promise of saith in Christ was not destroyed so far forth as it was a directive and obligatory rule of life and conversation unto all yet so far as it was a Covenant of life it must be both given out and also destroyed that the promise of faith might be given out 6. In the last place I desire you to consider That as on Gods part the promise of life by faith in Christ was inconsistent with the promise of life upon the doing of the works of the law so on our part we should never have come to Christ that we might have life if we had not first been concluded under wrath And this will appear to every intelligent soul that will but consider That the going out of the soul unto Christ for life is a disclaimer of its own righteousness and a very great piece of self-denial to which the soul will never move naturally but must see it self constrained to it by necessity Isa 57.10 Thou hast found the life of thy hand therefore thou wert not grieved so long as a man seeth help in himself and thinks that he hath found life in his own hands so long he is not grieved not at all concerned as to his eternal state And this is the true reason why you see the greatest brokenness of heart and sense of sin yea and the greatest holiness of life too in those men that yet look to be saved by faith in Jesus Christ for our free-will men that maintain a power in man to believe and repent or to keep the Law of God perfectly they have said they have found life in their own hands and then I hope they have none but themselves to blame if they miss and come short of it if they do not repent and turn unto God to day they can do it to morrow It was necessary as on Gods part in order to his giving out of the promise of faith in Christ and exhibition of the Covenant of Grace to the world so also on our part in order to our acceptation and taking hold of any such Covenant and the application of our souls unto God upon the terms of that Covenant for the sure mercies of it that there should first be a Covenant of Works made with man and a law of works given unto him for had there been no such Covenant made no such Law given man could not have broken and violated it and if he had not violated and broken it he could not have been a transgressor he could not have been a lost sinner and consequentially had needed no Saviour nor would man have ever been perswaded to have gone out of himself and to have accepted of the righteousness of Christ for his righteousness had he not first been rendred in a forlorn desperate and hopeless condition without Application unto Christ Vse 1. For the practical Application of what you have heard now in this discourse This in the first place should mind us not to be hasty to deny nor too forward to stumble at some things in the dispensations of God which at first seem to us hard to be understood Who can find out God or search out the Almighty unto perfection I do not know any thing that looketh more inconsistently in appearance to us at our first view of it than this That God should from eternity six the salvation of man upon a Covenant of Grace and write it in his book That there should be salvation in no other than in Jesus Christ nor any other name given under heaven amongst men whereby they might be saved that he who believeth should be saved and he who believed not should be damned for all these things were decrees in the rolls of eternity or they could never have been Revelations of Gods Will in Scripture Heb. 10.5 6 7. and Psal 40.7 In the volume of Gods book it was written of Christ that he should come into the world and do the Will of God relating to the salvation of man I say that God should thus setle mans salvation in the order of its causes and upon the terms of free-grace the merit and satisfaction of Christ and Faith in him and yet when mankind was created God should treat him upon a Law of Works and make a Covenant with him for life and salvation upon condition of his perfect obedience both to the Law written at that time upon his heart and this positive precept of not eating of the tree of forbidden fruit yet there is nothing clearer in Scripture than that God
for destruction there is a great deal in that verse 1. The Apostle hinteth us in that text that we are Clay and God is our Potter it was what God had said of old by his Prophet Jeremiah chap. 18. vers 6. and Isaiah chap. 45. vers 9. and what the Apostle himself had said in the two verses immediately preceding upon this account it is that he here calls such as perish vessels of wrath Earthen-vessels with relation to the Potter before-mentioned 2. Being such Potters vessels God had undoubtedly a jus absolutum an absolute right and dominion over the Sons of men vers 21. Hath not the Potter power over the Clay of the same lump to make one a vessel of honour another a vessel of dishonour 3. He sheweth that God doth destinate some to dishonour not using his absolute right and prerogative meerly but for just and righteous causes and he instanceth in three things 1. Gods will to shew his wrath The wrath of God is nothing else but his just will to punish Violaters of his Law God is willing to shew his hatred of sin in the just punishment of it 2. Gods will to make his power known that is in breaking the stubbornness of sinners thus ver 17. it is said of Pharaoh For this same purpose have I raised thee up that I might shew my power in thee and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth and this God calleth a getting himself glory upon Pharaoh Exod. 14.17 18. 3. The third reason he gives is That they are fitted for destruction Divines start a question from these words How or from whom they are fitted for destruction Some say of God as their Potter others will have it to be from Satan others from themselves the different notions may be reconciled Paraeus telleth us there are three things to be considered in these vessels of wrath their nature their sin the end as to their nature they are not from themselves nor from Satan but from God he is the Maker of all As to their pravity and natural corruption that is not from God but from themselves and from the Devil the end is either preximate that is their own dishonour and destruction or remote and ultimate that is the shewing forth the Justice and Power of God Neither of these saith that learned Author is from themselves for they do not ordain themselves to destruction nor design the manifestation of the Lords Power and Justice Thus therefore saith he are the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction according to nature they are created and made by no other than by God as to their sin and corruption by which they are made children of wrath guilty of sin and subject unto wrath they are made so by Satan by their own spontaneous fall and that sin which followed it as to the ends they are from God and according to his eternal Counsel of predestination And this is the reason as is not only observed by Paraeus but by P. Martyr probably why the Apostle only saith fitted and not by whom fitted for destruction that fittedness referring partly to God partly to themselves as they are by sin fitted it is their own act Now when he speaks of the vessels of mercy he speaks in the active voice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 23. Which he had before prepared unto glory So that it being the work of the sinner to fit himself for destruction by the multiplyings and aboundings of sin and God glorifying his Justice and Power in breaking and destroying sinners it is easie to understand how Gods suffering the aboundings of sin tendeth to the glorifying of his Power and Vindicative Justice And thus I have shewed how the various Attributes of God are glorified by his permission of sin But this is but one way by which God hath glory from the permission of sin 2. He hath glory from it from those exercises of grace which are occasioned by it from his own people and these are more internal or more external for such as are more internal repentance faith humility several other graces have either their Original motions from this Providence or are greatly advantaged in their exercise by it 1. For repentance that is considerable either in the inward affection or more external act As to the former if no sin were permitted how could there be any humiliation for sin any godly shame or sorrow any bleeding or brokenness of heart in the sense of sin Were no sin permitted there could be no repentance no godly sorrow for sin c. 2. God hath a great deal of glory by mens believing on the Lord Jesus Christ It is a great piece of the Will of God that men should believe on him whom God hath sent and God is glorified by our doing his Will It were a large Theme to discourse to you how variously God is glorified by mens receiving of the Lord Jesus Christ and believing in him But God had had none of this glory if there had been no permission of sin in the world what is it to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ but to accept of him as our Saviour to expect Salvation from free grace through the merits of Christ and to depend upon him for it Now should God permit no sin there would be no need of a Saviour no occasion for a redeemer no need of going out of our selves relinquishing all confidences in the flesh and in our selves Believing in Christ as our redeemer and Saviour supposeth sin making us lost undone Creatures to stand in need of such a Salvation 3. Again Humility is another habit of grace in the exercise of which God is glorified it is one of those things which God by his Prophet telleth us that he requires of man to walk humbly with his God nothing more contributes to this than a Child of Gods continual walking in a view of his own past and renewing Sins Thus far even the best of Gods people are beholden to their sins they make them walk more softly and to have more humble and mean opinions of themselves and to be more low in their own eyes neither exalting themselves against God nor censoriously and rashly judging their brethren and the more or less that any Christian looks at home and considereth himself and his own ways the more or less he walks humbly towards God and charitably towards his brethren 4. Finally in the 2 Cor. 7.11 You shall find a whole quire of graces all singing forth the praises of God and all occasioned by sin The Corinthians had offended in the business of the incestuous person the Apostle in his former Epistle had brought them to a sense of their sin and to a godly sorrow for it Now saith he this self-same thing that you sorrowed after a godly sort what carefulness it wrought in you Yea what clearing of your selves Yea what indignation what fear what vehement desire yea what zeal what revenge these now are all exercises of
and patience to them in his waiting upon them all the days of their life giving them his Gospel sending them his Ministers beseeching them to be reconciled unto God knocking by his Spirit at the doors of their hearts Thus the merciful God extendeth his goodness unto all sinners a long time he declareth that he desireth not the death of any sinner but is willing that all should be saved by coming to the acknowledgment of the truth The vile sinner through the pride of his heart will not seek after God but vexeth grieveth resisteth his holy Spirit from time to time refuseth to repent and to turn unto God defieth him mocketh at the tenders of Divine grace thus he liveth thus he dieth yet hath heard of and knoweth the threatnings of eternal destruction he looketh upon them as bug-bear things not to fright such men as he is but children only he drinks he swears he curseth and blasphemeth God lyes breaketh Sabbaths he will venture it Who is that God that shall restrain the lusts of his heart He will try whether there be such an Hell such an eternal destruction yea or no. What do we talk of mercy after this to such a bold defier of the Divine Majesty What kind of being must we fancy the eternal God if we should imagine him to have one drop of mercy for such a contemner and defier of Divine goodness Surely he that made this man will have no mercy on him he that formed him can shew him no favour without a dethroning himself and making himself the contempt of his creature This every sinner doth one more openly and boldly another more secretly and tacitly Every fool if he doth not speak it with his tongue yet saith in his heart there is no God Whiles vain man talks of mercy in God in this case I am afraid he fancieth mercy in God to be a passion as it is in us which necessarily stirs to compassionate every object of misery Alas it is no such thing it is nothing else but the good will of God to do good to sinners if they will be made partakers of his goodness The same will moveth and that justly too otherwise after this life the red flag is then held out The last grains of sand in the glass of mercy are dropt out when this life is determined There is no more sacrifice for sin remaining but a dreadful looking for of Judgement and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries He that despised Moses law died without mercy of how much sorer punishment shall they be thought worthy who have trodden under foot the blood of the Son of God and have counted the blood of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified as an unholy thing Heb. 10.26 27. These men have done despight to the Spirit of Grace and we know who hath said vengeance is mine and I will repay it I will recompense saith the Lord and again the Lord shall judge his people I conclude then with the Apostle in that place It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God There is a time for all things and as it is so with men so it is with God There is a time for mercy that is the time of this life and there must be a time for the execution of Justice when God shall declare his righteousness upon sinners who have despised his goodness and patience that is the time after this life The inch of Candle is out when the sinners life is expired no more coming to the waters and buying then what before was offered without money and without price Mercy hath done its utmost as to such sinners no more mercy is to be found in God for them no more compassion in that God who is full of mercy and tender compassion Nor shall we need at all to stumble at this for to oblige Magistrates to be always pitiful to them that are in misery though they have been the causes of it to themselves and have brought themselves into misery by the highest contempts of Authority and Government yea and of the clemency and patience of the Magistrate were quickly to prostitute all Government and to expose those that manage it to the basest contempt and scorn imaginable and if the Princes and Judges of the earth and Generals of Armies upon the prospect of this see a necessity of setting limits to their bowels of compassion and no one judgeth them either unjust or cruel in so doing why may not the same be allowed to the holy and righteous God But I have spoken enough to convince those who observe the principles of justice allowed in the practice of all States and Governments with the general observation of the wiser sort in the world That God is neither cruel nor unrighteous in punishing with an eternal destruction those that know not God and obey not his Gospel although their time and pleasure of sinning hath born no proportion either to the time or degree of their torments I shall apply it but in a word or two 1. The first To sinners who are yet impenitent who have not yet by repentance and faith saved themselves from this wrath to come 2. The second to those who through grace have saved themselves from this wrath Vse 1. To the first I shall only speak after the great Apostle of the Gentiles We knowing the terrors of the Lord perswade you 1. Not to stand disputing with God about the justice and equity of his ways 2. While your time lasteth to save your selves from these eternal burnings from this worm which never dieth this fire which never goeth out 1. Dispute not then Divine Justice as to the eternal Destruction of sinners You see if you do you will fall in judgement though you should be tried by the common laws of men by the customs and practices of all Nations Flatter not your selves that whatever your Ministers tell you the goodness and mercy of God will not allow him to see his creatures eternally tormented or that the justice of God cannot allow him to punish the sinnings of a few hours or years with an eternity of torments What have they to do with mercy who have out-sinned their days and years of mercy and despised the long-suffering patience and forbearance of God that for twenty thirty forty years together was leading them to repentance and waiting for their conversion and turning to him who had a day and time of repentance but repented not an eternal life and happiness offered them but refused it and have judged themselves unworthy of eternal life O let all sinners cease disputing Divine Justice and presuming upon I know not what mercy in God and let them to day while it is called to day not harden their hearts but study to save themselves from this wrath that is to come Let me but offer you one or two Meditations 1. Consider with your selves how often you have deserved this eternal destruction from the presence of
1. A silence from passion mourning within our selves fretting vexing c. a man breaketh this silence when he is overborn with fear or grief or anger These three ways the Soul is disturb'd and maketh a noise under the dispensations of God which breaketh this Religious silence 1. By Anger fretting fuming and vexing himself at Gods dispensations This was Moses and Aarons failing at the waters of Meribah and Jonas his error when the Gourd failed him as to its shelter But of this I have spoken fully already when I handled the Negative part of a Christians duty under Gods dispensations of nature 2. Fear Immoderate fear is another passion that spoileth this silence of the Soul fear maketh an Earthquake within us and causeth great unquietness in our Spirits The Soul that is overborn with fears never keepeth silence 3. A third passion is immoderate grief this also breaketh the Souls silence and quiet Psal 42. Why art thou cast down O my soul why art thou disquieted within me So as that Soul that under Gods dispensations of this nature either fumeth vexeth or fretteth at God because of them or is overwhelmed with immoderate or unreasonable fears or is overwhelmed or drowned in immoderate grief that Soul doth not keep silence but that Soul only keepeth a due silence to God which under such Providences abideth in a calm and quiet temper neither shaken with fear nor overcome with immoderate grief or sorrow This is now silentium animae the silence of the Soul before and unto God 2. But there is also a silence of the Tongue this is a piece of this Religious silence this is opposed to murmuring cursing and blaspheming of God to speaking hardly of God as if he were an hard Master and did not deal justly or equally with us to any speaking which is derogatory to the honour and glory of God all this now falleth under the first general duty by which I open a silent waiting for God which I call a free and voluntary submission to the good will and pleasure of God without any disturbance of passion or any sinful expressions of our Tongues 2. A Second thing wherein this duty lyeth is A steady dependance upon God for the fulfilling of his Promises made to his people in such a condition he that hath nothing to depend upon or trust to will not wait so as there can be no patient waiting where there is no secret trust and dependance This is indeed the proper exercise of Faith I have spoken fully to it when I opened the life of Faith in such a time 3. A Third thing in which this duty lies is in the Souls expectation and looking out for God Early in the morning saith David Psal 5.3 I will direct my prayer unto thee and will look up Thus when Habakkuk in the first Chapter of his Prophecy had put up his Prayer to God he saith Chap. 2. that he would go up to his watch-Tower A man goeth up to a Tower or to some high place to see whether a friend or an enemy be coming yea or no It is a piece of our duty in our waiting upon God under his dark dispensations of Providence while we are waiting to be also looking up and living in the expectation of the fulfilling of those promises which we have discerned and fixed our souls by Faith upon and which we have been praying for Our hearts should not be dead we must take heed of saying I look for no good the heart is dead when it comes to that The Soul that waits upon God under dark Providences must be looking for good and confident in its expectations of it from God 4. Lastly This waiting must be in the use of such means as God hath appointed us for the obtaining of the mercy design'd and promised and therefore Psal 37. v. 34. they are put together wait upon the Lord and keep his way Now you have this duty of silent waiting upon God opened to you The Sum of it is this It is the duty of a child of God under these Providences to keep his Soul from being overmuch shaken and overcome with fears or drowned in grief from fretting fuming and vexing at Gods dealings to keep his tongue from all murmuring all foolish and unadvised speaking with his lips to keep his Soul in a quiet dependance upon God for the fulfilling of his word daily looking up for him after the use of such means as he by the Law of Nature or in his revealed will hath appointed for the obtaining of the mercy or good thing which is the matter of our desires and he hath made the Subject of his Promise and consequently the Object of our Faith You have heard your duty Now give me leave to plead with all you that hear me this day for the Practice of it I have in this Discourse been exhorting to several duties of a child of God under dark dispensations of Providence when wicked men have been set up high increased in riches honour every way prospered and the people of God are kept in low despised afflicted states and conditions I remember the Apostle calls to us to add to our faith knowledg to both vertue to vertue temperance c. Do you also add to your not fretting not being angry and envious a steady exercise of Faith and dependance on God to your dependance on God and trusting in him an universal departing from evil and doing that which is good and to that a patient quiet waiting for God I shall in order to your better performance of this offer some counsel and then press it with some arguments and so shut up this Discourse 1. In the first place There are three things which in order to your fulfilling this point of duty I shall commend to you to get a through acquaintance with 1. Be acquainted with Gods name It is David's expression Psal 52.9 I will wait upon thy name for it is good before thy Saints It is the Name of God which we wait upon now it is reasonable in order to our waiting upon his name that we should know his name for as the Psalmist saith They that know thy name will put their trust in thee and truly they that do not know the Lords name will never wait upon him Well you will say What is his name I answer whatsoever he hath revealed and made himself known by or to be that is his name I might instance in many particulars His name is God allsufficient Gen. 17.1 I am the Almighty God His name is I am the unchangeable God His name is Jehovah the soveraign Lord God and therefore we ought to wait upon him His name is The Lord the Lord Gracious Merciful c. they that know the Lords name that are throughly acquainted with the nature of God as he hath in his word made himself known to us they will wait upon God they will see it a reasonable thing that they should wait upon God 2. In the
confess to be the supream and most free agent the liberty which we will yet claim and challenge for our selves Nor is this more unreasonable pride and arrogance than it is folly and Vanity It is searching for a bottom in an Abyss searching for a cause Antecedent to the first cause God they say from all Eternity foresaw that such and such would believe would obey would incline their hearts to his Testimonies it must be then certain that that they would do so God could have no certain knowledg of that of which there was no certainty Now I would fain understand whence this certainty should be otherwise than from the will of God determining their wills to these certain good inclinations more than the wills of others all others have Souls reasonable Souls as well as they whence is it that their Souls incline to that which is good and the wills of others to that which is evil Surely to will and to do are both from God Thus vain Man would be wise when as he indeed is but like a wild Asses Colt Proud men torture themselves in vain to find out a principle of good and of life in themselves And how unreasonable a thing is it to charge God with unrighteousness upon this hypothesis Shall a man be master of his own favours who is yet a debtor to the Law of God and under an obligation to do good to all because God hath so commanded him and shall not God who cannot in any wise become a debtor to his Creature farther than he is so made by his own Covenant and promise Shall it be a reasonable thing for a Man to say I will be kind to such a one because I will and doth he think he is not further to be accountable to his fellow Creature And shall not the Soveraign Lord of Heaven and Earth say I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy and because I will have mercy but Man shall for it call him before the Tribunal of his own Reason Vse 2. In the second place what reason have we who are made partakers of this mercy of God which bringeth salvation to adore admire and be thankful to him for it Now this concerneth either all of us in general or else some particular Souls 1. Let us first consider this so far as it respecteth all of us whosoever liveth within the pale of the Church under the preaching of the Gospel may see reason 1. To adore and admire the goodness of God towards them 2. To tremble and fear lest we be found unprofitable under the means of grace The Apostle propoundeth the question concerning the Jews Rom. 3.1 2. What advantage then hath the Jew above the Gentiles Or what profit is there of Circumcision He answereth Much every way because unto them are commited the Oracles of God Whether the Gospel in the preaching of it be a sufficient means of Salvation having such a constant operation of the Spirit attending it that if men will they may believe and be saved and the ministration of the Spirit be little differing from the ministration of the Gospel and inseparable or at least never separated from it though affirmed by some may be justly doubted But that it is a great and high means of Salvation and there is no man living under the faithful and powerful preaching of it but if he misseth of Life and eternal happiness it will be his own fault and the proximate cause of damnation will be in himself I do not doubt Now God hath not dealt thus with every Nation O consider how many Nations and People there are in the World who never heard of Christ amongst whom the joyful sound of the Gospel did never come People that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death whom the day-star from on high did never yet rise upon Doth any say But what good doth the Gospel or how is the preaching of the Gospel such a mercy if God doth not give unto them that are under the sound of it effectual Grace so as their hearts are changed upon the preaching of it and they converted and eternally saved I answer The Apostle thought it a mercy and no small mercy that the Jews had the Oraeles of God committed to them to them and not to other People yet for all this it is most certain That there were many amongst the Jews who kept not the Laws Statutes and Ordinances of God the Jews might have said the same thing yet Moses crieth out Deut. 4.8 What Nation is there so great who hath God so nigh unto them as the Lord your God is to you in all things That hath Statutes and Judgments so righteous Again as I have oft told you though I dare not say with some That all men sitting under the sound of the Gospel have a sufficiency of grace given them that if they will they may turn unto God and live yet I do think that there is such a sufficiency of Light and means that if men will do what in them lies God will not be wanting to them in his effectual Grace Men shall never have this to say Lord I did what was in my power to do I would have repented believed but thou deniedst me that Grace which was necessary to it Now herein appeareth the greatness of the Grace of the Gospel The Heathen walk in darkness and in the shadow of Death they have not a sufficient Light to guide their feet into the way of Peace But where the Gospel is Preached there a great Light shineth a Light sufficient to direct men into the way of Life But 2. This looketh dreadfully upon all those who wilfully shut their eyes against Gospel-light and stop their Ears against this joyful sound This saith our Saviour is the condemnation that when Light is come into the World men love Darkness more than Light because their deeds are evil Matth. 11. Our Saviour upbraideth the Cities where his mighty works had been done and his Gospel preached Capernaum and Bethsaida he saith they had been lifted up to Heaven but they should be thrown down into Hell that it should be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah yea for Tyre and Sydon in the day of judgment than for them when the Gospel hath been long in a place faithfully preached it is much to be feared that God hath had mercy in that place upon as many Souls of that Age as he will have mercy But this is but a Digression we have reason to adore God for his free mercy to us in giving us the Gospel the faithful and powerful preaching under the Gospel many may and do perish but where the Gospel comes not there is no hope Now whence is it that the rain of the Gospel falleth upon one City not upon another Upon one Country not upon another That some Nations have not so much as the sound of it the feet of them which bring the glad tidings of Peace come not amongst them
execution of that purpose hath given his Son for you to purchase a certainty of Salvation for your Souls who hath sent the Ministers of his Gospel to you publishing this Salvation by Christ when others never heard of the Gospel nay who hath done much more than this when others sate under the Gospel and their hearts were never wrought upon by the preaching of it God hath especially changed and wrought upon your hearts and conquered your souls into the obedience of his Gospel I shall conclude with that of the Psalmist Psal 107.1 2. O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good for his mercy endureth for ever Let the redeemed of the Lord say so whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy SERMON LII Rom. 11.33 His ways past finding out I Have as you know in this Discourse formerly made use of this Text to found a Proposition upon concerning the unsearchableness of the ways of Divine Providence for of those ways it is that this Text speaketh I beheld saith Solomon Eccl. 8.17 all the words of God that a man cannot find out the ways of God which are done under the Sun yea though a man labour to find it out yet be shall not find it yea though a wise man think to know it yet he shall not find it I have shewed you that the ways of Divine Providence cannot be found out 1. As to the Compass and Latitude of them 2. As to the Tendencies of them 3. As to the Method and Tract of them 4. As to the Indication of them 5. Lastly As to the Reason of them This is as true with reference to the motions of special and effectual grace as to the workings of Providence in its more ordinary and common motions relating to the affairs of the World Now one of the Reasons why the ways of the Lord cannot be found out is because he doth not always tread the same steps God doth not always do the same work in the same method and this is true as to the motions of Providence in the distribution of special grace as well as with reference to its motions respecting the affairs of this life I shall not pretend to find out these depths I shall only Discourse some of these distributions so far as to shew you that they are reasonable motions I shall first Discourse shortly concerning the works of Divine Providence in the bringing home of Souls unto himself in the work of Conversion and Regeneration 2. Secondly In Gods carrying on of his work in the souls of his Saints thereby preparing and making them meet for the Inheritance of light That which I intend at this time to speak to is the variety of Gods ways in bringing home souls to himself Even there the way of God is like the way of an Eagle in the Air a Serpent on a Rock and a Ship on the Sea which can none of them be trackt nor found out in the methods of their motions God in the Converting of souls unto himself doth not keep an uniform motion nor tread certain steps but sometimes he worketh one way sometimes another sometimes by one means sometimes by another For some order in this Discourse I shall Discourse 1. Concerning the varieties of Divine Providence in the Conversion of souls 2. What reasonable account may be given of that variety of Gods motions in this thing 3. What practical conclusions may be drawn from hence or inferred upon this Discourse I begin with the first of these Quest 1. What varieties of Divine Providence are observable in this great work of changing hearts and the Conversion of souls unto God The truth is there are some that will understand none at all poor souls they will understand no other Conversion nor Regeneration but in Baptism every one that is Baptized is Regenerated There was indeed such a thing as Conversion when the world was all Jews and Heathens and to be brought to imbrace the Doctrine of the Gospel But for any such thing as the turning the heart from sin unto God this they understood not and indeed by their lives one would judg they did not But I am speaking to those whom I believe taught better things and who believe other things surely conversion or turning from Idols and erronious Opinions is not all that we read in Scripture of the change of the heart and turning unto God But in the Converting of sinners you shall observe a great variety chiefly remarkable in Three things 1. As to the time the particular time of mans life when God is pleased to call home souls unto himself some in their youth some in their age c. 2. As to the External means which God maketh use of in this work 3. As to the manner of Gods dealing with souls in the Converting Regenerating and bringing home souls unto himself 1. First As to the time This our blessed Lord excellently setteth out to us in that Parable Mat. 20. Where he telleth us That the Kingdom of heaven is like unto an housholder who went out early to find out labourers whom he might send into his Vineyard some he called early in the morning some about the sixth hour some about the ninth hour some at the eleventh hour he called them in at several hours The Kingdom of God is the Church of God which properly consisteth only of such as are Saints by effectual-calling though others that are visibly and professionally such have that denomination being mixed with others who are the true members of the Lord Jesus Christ Gods calling men into his Vineyard is his adding to the number of such as shall be saved Now God calleth some early in their youth some in their middle-age some but very few in their old age some even at their dying hour though of them there be of all the rarest examples As God had Nazarites from the womb so he sanctifieth some from the womb Samuel was from the very womb Dedicated to God and accepted of God God telleth Jeremiah Jer. 1.5 That before he came out of the womb he sanctified him I am a-ware that Sanctifying in that Text may be taken in another sense as it signifieth a Separation to the Office of a Prophet and so it may be understood to be interpreted by the following words and ordained thee to be a Prophet but why it should be limited to that sense I do not understand St. Paul saith He was separated from his Mothers womb and called by his grace but there separating must be understood of Gods design and purpose for we know Paul was a blasphemer a persecutor But certain it is that God calleth some very young Timothy from a child was acquainted with the Scriptures Josiah 2 Chron. 34.1 2. at eight years old began to reign and ver 2. did that which was right in the sight of the Lord and ver 3. at sixteen years of age he set upon his famous reformation It is said of Abijam the young Son of
one hath a large knowledge of God of the holy Scriptures and whatsoever they reveal of God to render him to the Soul a fit object to be believed and trusted in loved desired delighted in But this is certain that without knowledge there can be no such Exercises No man who is wholly ignorant of God and the Scriptures can breath after him delight in him hope in his mercy trust in his promises c. Some knowledge is necessary to the working of any of these habits and the motions of these habits will be proportionable to the degrees of Christian knowledge Hence you shall observe that Christians who are weak in knowledge are always weak in faith weak in an hour of Temptation indeed weak as to the Exercises of all Spiritual gracious habits Now that there is a vast difference in Christians knowledge and understanding of the holy Scriptures is a thing of evident demonstration 2. Secondly as there is a great Difference in Christians as to their intellectuals upon intelligence from which our wills and Affections move so there is yet a greater difference in their Experiences of God The Apostle telleth us Rom. 5. That tribulation worketh patience and patience experience and experience hope Experience is a mighty advantage to divers exercises of grace especially those of faith and hope 1 Sam. 17. David telleth Saul wondering that he being so young a stripling should dare to encounter Goliah That he had kept his Fathers sheep and there came out a Lion and a Bear and took a Lamb out of the flock v. 36. Thy Servant slew both the Lion and the Bear this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them his experience of Gods protecting him from the Lion and the Bear begot in him a confidence in God that he would also deliver him from the Philistine thus Paul with the same breath with which he said God had delivered saith also and shall deliver now that Christians of more experiences should have more strength and confidence is but the natural working of mans Soul 6. Sixthly God doth often by the withdrawings of the assistance of his Grace punish too great adventurousness and presumption of our own strength this falleth properly under the third head but being forgot there I shall add it here This I take to have been the Case of Peter when Christ told his Disciples they should all forsake him Peter tells him that if he died with him he would not deny him He adventureth into the High-Priests Hall after his Master and proves not strong enough to resist the temptation of a Silly Damosel Charging him to have been one of Christs Disciples God often punisheth thus mens leading themselves into Temptation adventuring upon precipices when he hath commanded them to abstain from all appearances of Evil and to give no advantage to the Adversary It is said that God will teach the humble and that he will give grace to the humble whiles he resisteth and sets himself in Opposition to the proud Much more might be said to justifie the wisdom and reasonableness of the motions of Divine Providence in not giving equal degrees of strengthening grace to those who are his own people Before I come to the Application of this discourse I shall speak to the two other Questions relating to Quickening and Consolatory grace because almost the same things will justifie the wisdome of God in them and the same Application will fit them all Quest 3. Whence is it that all have not the like measures of Quickening Grace There is a 3 fold Quickening of which you read in holy Scripture 1. The Quickening of a dead body That which thou sowest saith Christ is not Quickened except it die 2. There is the Quickening of Souls dead in trespasses and sins Eph. 2.1 Neither of these is that which I here intend 3. There is a Quickening which is but the adding of further life and vigour to a living Soul Thus David prays the Lord Quicken me in thy way that man or woman that is not dead in trespasses and sins may yet labour under a great dulness and deadness to the Operations of a Spiritual life nor is there any thing more evident than that as to this there is a great variety amongst Christians yea in the Spirit of the same Christian at different times the Souls of good people often find another kind of freedome and livelyness in Spiritual duties than they do at other times now whence this is is a question not unworthy to be answered the sweetness of a Christians life very much depending upon it 1. To which I must answer as to the other that this also is often caused from the temperature or from the distemper of the body and that more generally than either of the other before mentioned for though there be nothing more true than that a Christian of an healthy temper and constitution may yet complain of this spiritual distemper and find his heart dead and dull enough to spiritual things yet it is rare for a Christian under bodily distemperatures especially such as affect the head or any of the vital parts to find himself as at other times as to his duties especially some duties of communion with God There is such a close relation of our souls to our bodies that their distemperatures do mutually affect each other the distemperatures of the mind either through immoderate fear or sorrow do often very much affect the body and again the distemperatures of the body do often very much affect the mind and this dulness ineptitude to and heaviness in its Religious performances is one of the first evils with which the soul is so affected and indeed this makes one of the greatest difficulties which the spiritual Physician meeteth with to make up a true judgment whether the disorder and distemperature which he meeteth with oft-times in disturbed souls be originally in the mind or only there reflexively by a sympathy with a distempered body for accordingly applications must differ and where this dulness and heaviness is an effect of a bodily disease it very often removeth with the cure of that 2. But it is not so always The guilt of sin hath also a great causation here For it is neither reasonable to imagine nor indeed possible to be that a soul burdened in its Conscience with the load and guilt of sin should run the ways of Gods Commandments as chearfully and as fast as that soul who through grace hath been inabled to cast this burthen upon the Lord Jesus Christ and comfortably at least to hope that its iniquities are forgiven and its sins covered much less as that soul who walketh in the more clear Vision of God and under the full assurance of the pardon of its sins and its acceptation with God A soul continually pull'd back by Conscience and told that it is a guilty person whom God accepteth not cannot possibly make such haste without delayings as another soul to keep Gods Commandments The