not I am a liar and where then is the honor of my truth but mercy pleaded if he dye where is the honor of my Grace and mercy Why now wisdome puts in a surety and that â—…oes for the principal Righteousness and peace have kissed each other How can this be Gods justice and righteousness did require that man should give satisfaction but this is all reconciled in Christ he reconciled God and man together Fourthly The greatest good coming out of the womb of the greatest evil Sin is the mother of all evil You will say can any good come out of such a womb as this It is true it cannot naturally come but God did so order it that it should be the occasion of it Were it not a wonder to see grapes come of thorns and Olives of thistles such a wonder you may see in Christ. You may see out of the sin of man comes great glory to God and good to man First Great glory to God for had not man sinned neither Gods justice nor mercy had been so magnified His justice had not been seen at all in a manner in punishing the offenders but 't is eminently seen in punishing of Christ who dyed for sinners This is a louder demon stration of the Justice of God than if God had turned all heaven and earth into confusion upon the sin of man Again hereby is way made for magnifying Gods mercy The sin of man as God hath ordered it hath given way to God in the demonstration of his mercy in forgiving and his justice in punishing It could not have bin thought that God had been of so gracious a nature able to put up such great affronts as man had given him had not sin given him occasion to magniâ—… his mercy Secondly Again as the sin of man hath given occasion to the advancing of Gods glory so for the promoting of mans good By this man is raised to a higher state of happiness and felicity than ever he should have been Now there is a nearer conjunction between God and man than ever was before the fall or ever should have been had it not been for the sin and fall of man Before it was said that man was made a little lower than the angels but now it may be truely said that he is so much higher than the Angels more nearly joyned to God Had man continued in innocence he had had onely a lengthening out of his temporal life in paradise but now by his sin Christ hath opened the door of heaven to him O then wonder at the power of Christ Fifthly Perfect justice raging against perfect innocence You know that God is perfect in his Righteousness and justice A God of truth and without iniquity just and right is he And yet notwithstanding his perfect Justice was set against his own son in whom there was nothing but perfect innocence He was the Lamb of God a lamb without spot and blemish full of grace and truth No guile was sound in his mouth and yet you know how the wrath of God brake out upon him It brake out upon him to the very uttermost that if he would but put himself into the room of man he must dye for it tho Justice it self said I find no fault in him yet he must dy all could not save him but if he will stand between God offending man and take our sins upon himself though he had none of his own yet justice takes hold of him Let me say as the Apostle behold the goodness severity of God Goodness to thee but severity unto Christ. O what had come upon you if you had been to bear the blow you see how Justice runs upon the Son of God and fals upon him and tears him to the ground and le ts out his blood and would not spare him though he were the only belovedSon of God O consider how fearful a thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God! You read how when Daniels enemies were cast into the Lions den that they brake all their bones before they came to the bottome of the den O how wouldst thou have been torn had the Justice of God taken hold of thee Sixthly Insinite wisdome at cost upon meer worthlessenesse God expects the blood of his own Son which was of insinite value to redeem worthless man Would you not wonder to see a wise man to be changing Pearls for pebbles yet here it is a greater wonder the wise God redeeming by the death of his own Son sinful man out of the hands of his own justice Why what is man are not all the nations of the world as nothing before him and yet upon this nothing this vanity is Gods insinite wisdome at this cost that he might save us from eternal death Seventhly The Son of the Blessing made to be a curse Gal. 3. 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us Observe it 't is not said he was ACCURSED for us but a CURSE for us Christ hath delivered us from the curse but how by taking the curse upon himself You know the curses of the Law that were denounced against sinners all these curses met together upon one Jesus Christ. How is the book of Gods word full from one end to the other with Curses against sinners what a load then was there upon the back of Christ when all these curses met together upon him what a wonder is it that God should be cursing of his own Son to hear God say all my curses shall meet upon thee cursed shalt thou be in thy body and cursed shalt thou be in thy soul. To hear the great God speaking thus to his own Son go thou Cursed I will engage my Justice and wrath against thee to torment thee and put thee to death O what a sight was this yet thus it was with Jesus Christ. He had as many torments as members and all the torments that he endured had the curse of God in them Eighthly The Father of mercy forgetting his Bowels to his own Son VVe read of a very strange thing that was done by the King of Moab 2 Kings 3. 27. When he saw that the Battel was too sore for him c. he took his own Son that should have reigned in his stead and osfered him for a burnt offering what a strange sight was this yet there is a greater wonder than this to be seen in Christ to see God sacrificing his own Son and offering him up for a burnt-offering to appease his wrath against sinful man O shall not your hearts stand a wondering at this to see he that was a God of mercy to have no mercy for his own son he that had bowels of pity for you to have no pity for his Son O behold and wonder By this time I hope you are convinced that Christ is wonderful A SACRAMENTAL Speech grounded on Eph. 3. 19. And to know the love of Christ which
difficult And hast thou a careless spirit the more need there is that thou shouldst set upon this work that thou mightest bring it into a better government Secondly Wouldst thou neglect this duty because it is painful upon the same account thou mayst cast of other duties Thou can't not pray nor hear as thou shouldest without pain Give way to this objection and for ought I know in a little time thou mayst bid farwel to all thy Religion thou mayst cast off every duty Thou canst not imagine what a plague it may be to thee if thou shouldest give way to this objection Give Satan an inch and he will take an ell forbear one duty because of difficulty and he will easily perswade men to forbear others Thirdly Consider who it is that buzzes this in thine ear Certainly it is the devil the grand enemy of thy soul. God says Commune with thy own heart Satan says no it is too painful VVhy who wilt thou be ruled by God or Satan thy best friend or thy worst enemy Christian in these outward concernments thou wilt not advise with thy mortal enemy in things that concern thy life And why wilt thou be such a fool in the matters of thy soul Fourthly What dost thou cry out of pain It is thy very calling and profession to tâ—…ke pain What mean those expressions in Scripture else whereby the life of a Christian is set forth by striving wrestling fighting pressing toward the mark To take pain is essential to Christianity and without this thou canst not be a Christian. To leave any duty because it is painful is a contradiction to thy profession thou dost herein deny thy self to be a Christian â—…ifthly The more difficult the work is the more profitable thou wilt find it That duty that cost's us nothing will yeild us nothing and that duty that cost's us much pain will yeild us much peace and comfort Sixthly Consider is not grace worth the taking pains for What wilt thou take pain for if not for grace Look about in the world see how the men of the world run and ride sweat and tire themselves for toyes and trisles What pains then shouldst thou take for grace one dram of which is more worth than a world By this means thou mayst grow in grace more in one moneth than in some years before And let me tell thee I have not Charity enough to think thee a Christian indeed if thou dost not think grace worth any labor or pain that thou canst possible be at in the getting of it Seventhly Consider Christian what pain Christ did take and what misery he did undergo for thee Thy soul was dearer to him than his own glory and thy salvation than his own life and blood And shall not his glory his commands be dearer to thee Christian than a little carnal ease Think upon it if thou hast any spark of ingenuity this consideration will prevail upon thee to set about this work I come now to propound some motives to stir up those that have not begun this work to set about it And those that have begun to go on in this work First Consider it is the command of God It is not the voyce of man but of God It is God that speaks to thee Commune with thy own hearts Examine thy self Christian I urge the command of God upon thy Conscience wilt thou obey or wâ—…lt thou not darest thou to set thy self against God! and set thy will above the will of God! O think upon it Secondly Consider the time when and the manner how you consented to set to the performance of this duty It was in a time of love at a feast of love and after a Song of love Consider what a rich mercy God hath bestowed upon you in giving you liberty to draw nigh to him in such an ordinance as you lately sate under It was but a little while ago beloved that you thought that you should drink no more of the fruit of the vine till you drank it in your fathers kingdome And behold contrary to your expectations the King hath sent to you saying come and sup with me come and sit at my table Hath God dealt so with any people He hath feasted you in a time of famine and spread a table for you in a howling wildâ—…rness Doth not this extraordinary providence think you call upon you for some extraordinary duty And do not you think in your consciences that it is this duty Why else hath God propounded it to you and urged it upon you in such a time as this is If you neglect it it may cause God to take away the Corâ—… and wine from you and to break the stasf of 〈◊〉 Thirdly What do you know but God put it into the heart of his servant to press this duty at that time to try whether you were real in that love and loyalty which you did then prosess to him I suppose you all understand the transactions that passed there between God and you that God did put his seal to the Covenant that he would make good all the mercy promised and that you did put your seal thereby binding your selves to the performance of all the duties required Fourthly Consider when another such opportunity is offered to you how will you be able to look God in the face Methinks that man should not dare to come to the Sacrament and again put his seal to the Covenant that hath knowingly and willingly broken his last engagement Fifthly Doth not your own looseness and the enemies profaneness and the present dispensations that you are under call upon you for more than ordinary strictness in your lives and conversations The Lord have mercy upon us what prejudice have we brought to the Gospel by our carnal careless conversations VVhat pitch of profaneness are the enemies of God risen to They are not afraid to bid him defiance at his face In what a doleful case are many of our brethren abroad in the world and how sad is it like to be with us The glory of God is gone from the publick to your houses and are you not afraid I am sure there is reason enough to think that it will take its flight from thence too And doth not all this call upon us aloud in the language of the prophet Lam. 3. 40. Let us search and try our ways and turn unto the Lord. If we look behind us and see what we have been If about us and see how devilish men are And above us to see the black clouds that hang over our heads we cannot but see that it is time to take another course to live more like Christians And what course so likely to effect this as daily self-examination serious consideration is the best way to sound and thorough reformation Sixthly Consider the excellent advantages that will come to thee by taking this course Christian wouldst thou have peace of conscience The sence of Gods love shed abroad upon thy
burning so 't is here 't is Christs coming hath sayed us from burning in this 〈◊〉 surnace How terrible this furnace is you may see Rev. 14. 10. The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out without mixture into the cup of hâ—… indignation and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the lamb and the smoak of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever And they have no rest day nor night O methinks the very sight of this surnace at a distance should startle our Souls and make us list up our hands and eyes and souls and praise the Lord. O methinks we that are the redeemed of the Lord we should stand together about the pit and look down and list up our hearts and praise the Lord. Fourthly From the King of terrors He hath saved you as from the Devil so from Death You know death is the mortal enemy of man 't is his great and last enemy and now this enemy hath Christ destroyed and delivered us from And that both from the sting and victory of it First From the sting of death He hath not delivered us from the stroke of death but he hath from the sting of death When the sting is out the serpent may hisse but he cannot sting Death will put you into the possession of that which Christ hath provided for you so that death now is become desirable now there is beauty in it There is no friend can do that for you that death can do It will at once deliver you from sin and Satan and give you a possession in heaven The Apostle looking upon death through Christ longs for death having a desire to depart c. Phil. 1. 23. This great robber through Christ is become our greatest gain That which would have marr'd us for ever will now make us for ever O that this King of terrors should become desirable what a mercy is this O my beloved did you know what the terrors of death be to an enlightned sinner you would account it a great priviledge to be sree from the sting of death When all his comforts are taking their everlasting farewell of him you would account it a great salvation then When he shall feel death putting in his cold hands and pulling out his heart when he sâ—…ail see his house of his body falling down about his ears and he cannot stay there any longer and he sees the hell-hounds stand about him and waiting upon him to carry him to Hell O what horror doth this work upon his heart this hath Christ delivered us from Death hath lest its sting in Christ it can hurt us no longer Secondly From the victory of death It is true we must lye in the grave for some time yet Christ will fetch us thence in John 6. He promiseth no lesse than four times I will raise them up at the last day And this is the fruit of his purchase 1 Thes. 4. 14. Christs resurrection is a certain pledge of ours so 1 Cor. 15. Therefore let us not fear death but embrace it with comfort for death cannot touch our souls it cannot deliver us over into the second death He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death Therefore let us not fear death but let our slesh rest in hope When we dye we may commit our bodies to the dust with comfort it cannot hurt our souls and it shall keep our bodies but a little while neither God will receive our souls immediately our bodies after a little while How doth Job comfort himself in this I know that my redeemer liveth and though after my skin worms destroy this body yet in my slesh shall I see God c. Thus may we triumph over death that in this flesh we shall see God And though death for the present do make such work upon us and cast us into the grave yet the earth will be but the mould wherein we shall receive a glorious body so that death shall conduce to our great advantage This is no little victory to be able to triumph with the Apostle O death where is thy victory This is no small priviledge Bless your redeemer for this priviledge VVhat a priviledge well this be when all the Sons and daughters of God shall be brought sorth and made to stand up before him then it shall appear that the grave was not able to hold them Then will they triumph and sing songs of salvation when they shall set their feet upon their last enemy death Secondly It will appear what blessed news this is if you consider how he hath saved you He hath saved you two ways by might and by merit â—…irst By merit Brethren your salvation cost your redeemer dear no less a price than his own invaluable blood O believer look upon thy self art not thou a worthless thing to be redeemed with the price of Christs blood O how should we admire the goodness of Christ here we are not worthy that Christ 〈◊〉 sâ—…end one of his thoughts upon us much less that he should spend his blood for us Seconly By might my brethren it was absolutely requisite for our salvation that our redeemer as he should be of infinite merit so of infinite might If he had not been of infinite merit he could never have been purchaser of heaven for us The soul of one man is more worth than a whole world and then what worth or value must that be of that is able to buy a world of souls and yet this purchaser must be able to buy heaven too and this hath Christ done for us Could heaven and earth have done this no no it would have broken them all if they had done it But now Christ hath done all for us and therefore he must be of insinite merit And not infinite in merit onely but might too for he was to bear all the wrath of God and to bring us off with victory If the wrath of Gods finger be so intolerable that it makes poor creatures to cry out under it what is the wrath of his loins and if the wrath of God against one man is so great what is his wrath against so many men VVhen the price was laid down the devil would not yield up his hold till Christ must come and cast him down and pluck us from him And therefore it was necessary that our redeemer should be of infinite power He hath destroyed him that had the power of death that is the devil Ah brethren we may behold the Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross bowing himself as Sampson did and pulling down the house about his enemies and carrying away the posts and all and setting us free This is our Sampson that hath carryed all away and destroyed our enemies for us The price was sufficient to satisfie the justice of God for us but when the price was paid and paid to God then
nâ—…tion above other nâ—…tions anâ—… herein we have cause to blesse the Lord. There is but little of the profession of Godliness in other nations to what there is in this nâ—…tion 〈◊〉 a great glory to any place or people to have a multitude of converts born to God out of it This was the commendation of those places that this and that man was born there Psâ—…lm 87. 4 5 6. This is cause of singular joy and praise which they were wont to sing to the Lord in those days with instruments of Musick Secondly In the honour of her Sabbaths This is that my Brethren where in the Lord hath vouchsafed singular favor to this nation Oh bless God for honoring this nation with his Sabbaths as he hath done that they should be so saâ—…ctisied as they be Nehemiah reckoneth this as a singular mercy of God to them So Isaiah 58. 13. Thou shalt call the Sabbath a delight and shalt honor it If you honour them they will be an honour and blessing to you Thirdly In the Crown of her Martyrs Ah Brethren this is the Crown of glory upon the head of England that God should raise up so many Martyrs in this kingdome of our flesh and kindred that there should be so many caught up like Elijah in siery Chariots to heaven Who can tell of what effect their prayers and blood hath been for our good so that according to that holy prophesic of Latimer when going to the stake God hath lighted up such a light by this as shall never be put out Fourthly In the glory of her ministers Brethren I confess my self not worthy to speak to you of the worth of this mercy However vain men have accounted them the off-scouring of the world c. yet you whose hearts are touched with the sence of spiritual blessings you must needs know and understand the Ministers of Christ not onely to be the glory of the nation but are so far honored as to be said to be the glory of Christ 2 Cor. 8. 23. Oh blesse the Lord this day that he hath blessed this nation with such an unspeaâ—… blâ—…ssing Do not undervalue such a mercy T is a Covâ—…ant-gift of Christ to his Church He gave some Apostles some Pastors and Teachers And 't is part of the grand Legacy that Christ hath bequeathed to believers in the Gospel 〈◊〉 Paul or Apollo all are yours And though God hath now observed this mercy ye we may not forget former mercies Neither hath God lâ—…t them unuseful you know neither to your nor others souls In this respect I may boldly say God hath not dealt so with any 〈◊〉 Those that have had experience intravelling other Countries have sadly bewailed this how little heat and vigor there is in the labor of the Ministers abroad in other nations for the most part Fifthly In her singular and choise deliverances Herein hath God dealt with us signally I would that all those mercies might be remembred by us this day to our fore-fathers for they were our mercies though not in our days Oh what a mercy was it that God did deliver us from the Spanish invasion This mercy was our mercy and therefore we may not forget it And then when they thought to do that by plot what they could not do by force in the powder-plot when they were like to cut oâ—… the 〈◊〉 of our nation at one blow God was pleased you know to prevent it just at the nick of time and bring it upon their own heads Oh what cause have we to bless the Lord who saved us from so cruel a bondage as neither we nor our fathers were able to bear Oh forget not such a mercy wherein God hath broken the yoke and brought in that light that hâ—… hath commanded into the nation Secondly If we com nearer look upon the Place of our desires you shall find that he hath not dealt so with any other place If you consider it in the long 〈◊〉 of your Ministry The powerful success of the Gospel In the peace and unity of its professors In the plenty and variety of its provision In the strange preservation of your liberty In sâ—…ving you by your enemies Counsel In eminâ—…nt and gracious returns of your prayers in keeping you from the Ecclesiastical Courts In your glorious Salvations and deliverances Put these nine things together and tell me whether God 〈◊〉 dealt so with any place as with this place First In the long continuance 〈◊〉 your Ministry Forty years was God striving with Isracl but many more years hath God been striving with Taunton iâ—… the powerful preaching of the Gospel We read of Gods comming the first and sâ—…cond year and 〈◊〉 no fâ—…uit would have cut it down the third had not 〈◊〉 dressor prayed sor it But 't is not three years but threescore years that God hath come waiting on Taunton notwithstanding all their praying and their great unprositableness for the greatest part of them I beseech you think of it Is it a little mercy there are many of you that have been born and bred under the powerful preaching of the Gospel Look upon many other places and how many may you see left to blind guides Oh bless God that you have not been bred up under such Ministers and in such places It was the lot of many and it might have been your lot to have been brought up there How many places may you look upon again where there have been excellent Ministers and they have been flocked to from all about but God hath put out those lights and now if you come there you shall scarce find the very foot steps of Religion And God might have done so to you but God hath sent you one Minister after another one out of one Country another out of another for you Oh blesse the Lord for it Secondly In the powerful success of the Gospel True it is and sadly to be bewailed the Gospel hath not had so desired an efficacy but however we must not forget Gods signal and singular mercy to this place in that he hath brought so many to the profession of his Gospel Oh how many Parishes are there where professors are so thin that they are for signs and wonders to be pointed at Oh bless the Lord that he hath cast your lines in that place where there are so many to strengthen your hands How doth David bemoan himself in the want of this mercy that he dwelt in the tents of Kedar you might have lived out in those places and Parishes where you might have had none to help you Thirdly In the peace and unity of its professors Here in God hath been singular in his mercy This is a mercy not slightly to be valued Do but look abroad into other Cities and Towns and see what work there hath been by the breaches that have been made one upon another Oh do but consider the mischief of strife and contention and you will be raised to praise Jam. 3. 16.
you to rejoyce and lift up your heads before the Lord you are the chosen vessels of the Lord. What! will you hear these things with low Affections and common hearts Do you believe or do you not If you do not why are you called Christians If you do Oh what an extasie of Joy should your hearts be raised too Oh look upon the miserable condition of the perishing world the reprobate world look down and see what burnings do betide them better for them that they had never been born And shall it but a little affect you that God hath seperated you from them all I may say of you as the Apostle doth with thankfulness of his Thessalonians 2 Thess. 2. 13. We are bound to give thanks to God for you Brethren beloved of the Lord because God hath from the beginning chosen you to Salvation Oh how should you bless the Lord for his eternal purpose which he purposed toward you Eph. 1. 4. O let sree grace now be exalted hath God made you I mean believers to be the choice of his heart and will you hear this with little and low affections as if it did but little concern you when you are the people of Gods choise Oh how did Christ bless the Lord for you and should not you for your sâ—…lves he was transported with Joy for this â—…ke 10. 21. He rejoyced in spirit and said Father I thank thee that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hâ—…st made them known to babes And he calls upon his Disciples to rejoyce in this rejoyce not in this that the devils are made subject to you but rejoyce in that your names are written in heaven Your names are written in the lambs book of life while others are written in the â—…rth What! are there but few chosen in the world and are you some of those few and will you not rejoyce in this Oh rejoyce in this God speaks of your priviledges as if they were already come Heb. 12. 22. But you are come to 〈◊〉 Sion to the Church of thâ—… living God the heavenly Jerusalem and to an 〈◊〉 company of 〈◊〉 to the general assembly and Church of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which 〈◊〉 written in heaven and to God the judge of 〈◊〉 and to the spirits of just â—…en â—…ade perfect and to Jesus the mediator of the New Coveâ—… Secondly You are the pillâ—…rs of his name when others are but broken useless pot sheards My brethren God hath raised you up for quite another end than he hath others You know what the Lord speak of Pharaoh Exod. 9. 16. And in every deed for this cause have I raised thee up to shew in thee my power that my name may be declared throughout all the earth That God might shew in him the power of his wrath and severity But now beloved you are raised up for another end that you may bear up the name of God and be the instruments of the glory of God before all men God hath no active glory from the rest of the world But you are the people whom God hath raised up on purpose for his name and for his glory â—… Sâ—… 18. 18. Absolom we read had taken and reared a pillar for himself and he called the pillar after his own name Thus hath the Lord God erected you as pillars to keep up 〈◊〉 name in remembrance For the unreasonable Creatures they cannot but by dumb and silent 〈◊〉 to man praise their Creator For the ungodly they do the contrary they dishonor his name And were it not for you the name of God would not be kept up in the world God would be cast out and the very remembrance of him out of his own world Oh my brethren I may say of you of every one of you that are believers as God speak concerning Paul Act. 9. 15. You are chosen vessels to bear Gods name before the world Alas for others of how little use are they in the world this is a miserable case to be of no use better to have no being than to be of no use How contemptible doth the Lord speak of that wicked King Coniah he calls him a despised broken Idol Such a kind of one is every unsanctified person they are but as broken useless pot-sheards let them be so great as they will yea they are worse than for no purpose they are for bad purposes Oh what cause have you then to bless the Lord that you are the people that must bear up his name Thirdly You are the vessels of his glory when others are the vessels of his wrath you are not as others vessels of wood and stone but you are all vessels of gold and silver vessels not to dishonor but to honor Vessels sanctified and made meet for the Masters use and prepared for every good work 2 Tim. 2. 20 21. Ah brethren read and rejoyce with trembling what is written Rom. 9. 18. onward where the Apostle lively sets forth this great distinction Hâ—… hath mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardeneth Hath not the potter power over the clay to make one vessel to honor and another to dishonor What if God willing to shew his wrath and to make his power known endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath sitted to destruction and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had afore prepared unto glory Ah brethren when others are vessels of wrath sitted to destruction you are vessels of mercy vessels of glory made for this blessed use and service that you may be the instruments of Gods glory and mercy before the world that God may take you and single you out at the great day when you shall be severed as a man severeth the sheep from the goats God shall take you and single you out before the world and tell the world what a God can do for a poor creature to make you the monuments of his magnificence and bounty to shew how he could exalt the dust of the earth This is the use you serve for in the world Do not live as if you were made for little things and for little use you are made for this use that you should be vessels prepared to have the infinite fulness of God pouring into you as vessels standing by for the same purpose and runing over to all eternity When you shall be ever full and running over with the glory of God When the Al-sufficiency of God shall be for ever emptying it self into you How is it that God hears no more of you hath he done so for any other no he hath prepared them for vessels of wrath on whom he will be pouring out his wrath to aâ—…l eternity Both of these vessels were made of one sort of clay and yet see what difference here is that free-grace hath made Fourthly You are the Temples of his presence when others are the styes of uncleanness God doth live in
is set upon us He is bent for our good he is still designing for us Psal. 40. 5. Many O Lord are thy thoughts to us ward c. 2. As it appears by the care so by the cost that God hath laid out upon man 1 The Riches of his love 2 The gold of his grace 1. The riches of his love The free grace favour and love of God is called Riches in Scripture Ephes. 1. 7. The Apostle speaking of the Riches of Christ shews how unsearchable they are Ephes. 3. 8. So Rom. 11. 33. O the depth of the Riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God Now all these were laid out to determine mans deliverance They are glorious Riches that God doth lay out upon his sons and servants Rom. 2. 7. And well may these be called Riches There must be two things to make Riches there must be 1 Plenty 2 Preciousness First There must be Plenty For a little of never so good will never make a man Rich. Secondly There must be Preciousness for abundance of that which is worthless will never make a man Rich. Now both of these are in Gods Mercy there is plenty and 't is precious The Mercy and Grace of God is very precious David sought most for this when others set their hearts upon other things Psal. 4. And as 't is of great worth so 't is of great plenty It is abundance of grace that God doth put forth in repairing mans Nature and making him a New Creature But this great cost of God upon us will further appear in that he hath laid out upon us 1 His Creatures 2 His Christ. 1. His Creatures upon us That he should lay out all these Creatures upon us These Heavens and this Earth to be for the comfort of man Oh how doth this discover Gods goodness to man This made David admire him Psal. 8. 5 6 7 8. Here you may see what an account God doth make of man in that he should make him a little god among the Creatures that their sheaf should bow to his sheaf that they must spend and be spent for man yea the invisible Creatures the Angels they must be ministring spirits for them who are the heirs of Salvation Heb. 1. ult 2. In that he hath laid out his Christ upon us This was a costly gift indeed It is much that God should give his Creatures to dye for us to give us food but oh that he should give us his Christ to dye for us Oh how incredibly hath the Lord advanced man in this In this he hath abundantly shewed how man was esteemed by him This shews that he had a great regard to us We were redeemed by the blood of Christ which was the blood of God himself Act. 20. 28. Now is it not an admirable thing that so mean a purchase should be made with so great a price This was that which God did commend his strange love with 1 Joh. 3. 16. that he laid down his life for us Look into thy self man what hast thou that thou shouldest have this great purchase to be laid out for thee Oh How should man be continually in the praisâ—… of God! 2. In the gold of his grace that God hath laâ—…d out upon mâ—…n Grace is call'd the true Riches and this hath been laid out upon man Rev. 3. 18. It is called gold yea 't is much more precious than gold When you see the Quâ—…n attired in Gold Psal. 45. all this is to set forth the Grace that is upon the Saints of God I tell thee Christian thou that hast but one dram of Grace he hath giveâ—… thee more than if he had given thee a whole world In the Creation there were some footsteps of God upon other Creatures but upon man there was his Image And now that God should distinguish thee from others by one dram of Grace this is admirable Secondly It appears what great account this great God hath of this poor thing Man in what he hath laid up for him This makes the Psalmist to cry out as one overcome with admiration Psal. 31. 19. O How great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee It is much that God hath laid out for us but more that he hath laid up â—…or us The Psalmist could not express it he could but 〈◊〉 it onely 1 Cor. 2. 9. Eye hath not seen nor 〈◊〉 heard neither have entred into the hâ—…rt of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him Eye hath noâ—… seen The eye of man hath seen much especially those that have travailed in other Countries But the eye of man hath not seen any thing that may be compared with this that God hath prepared Nor ear heard We have heard oâ—… more than we have seen We have heard of gold Mines and the like that are in other parts oâ—… the world but the ear hath not heard of any thing like this And though the eye hath seen much and the ear hath heard more yet the heart of man can conceive of more again yet the heart of man cannot conceive of what God hath laid up for them that love him Now lay these two together what God hath laid out upon man and what he hath laid up for him and will it not appear that the great God makes a great account of man How can you chuse but cry out in the words of the Psalmist What is man c. But Thirdly This will appear by that near union that he hath taken him up into with himself Oh how wonderfully hath God dignified man in this By uniting his Nature to the nature of man as 't is in the second person of the Trinity Joh. 1. 14. And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us or in us That God should take up the nature of man into personal union with himself what an unspeakable dignity is this So the Apostle he took not upon him the nature of Angels but the seed of Abraham Heb. 2. 16. Herein is man dignified above the Angels of glory in the near union between God and man in the Godhead This is that which the Angels do desire to pry into well may the Apostle say great is the mystery of godliness and this is the top of it God manifest in the flesh Greatly hath God dignified man in these two things that Man should be partaker of the Divine Nature and that God should partake of the Humane Nature 1. That Man should partake of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. Oh this is a great priviledge that we should bear the Image of God Let the world scorn at holiness yet I tell thee Man that hast one dram of grace he hath done more for thee than he hath done for all the world How ever this is out of fashion in world I am sure 't is not in heaven O glory in this you that are made partakers of Gods Nature 2. In his taking upon him our Humane