to do the work of his office if he be faithful A Porter is willing to carry a burden why because it is his office to do it It is the office of Jesus Christ for to bear our sins It is his Office to be the great High-Priest that does satisfie God the Father for our sins Surely therefore he is willing to do it for he is faithful in his office But besides Answ 3 The more I see an holy Necessity upon Christ Jesus for to show mercy to me the more my faith rises It 's very remarkable The Lord Jesus Christ as God he may refuse and might refuse whether he would show mercy to us or no But now as a High-Priest he cannot refuse a poor sinner that does come unto him If I know that Christ is able to satisfie is able to show mercy to me my faith stirs a little at the sight of Christs ability If I know that Christ be willing to show mercy to me my faith rises higher but if I know that Christ cannot refuse me if I do come unto him then my faith rises up to a great height indeed When a poor sinner amongst the Jews had sinned and brought his sacrifice to the High-Priest the Priest might not refuse it Our Lord Jesus Christ is our great High-Priest I say as God he may refuse but now he being our great High-Priest therefore when a poor sinner comes to Jesus Christ as a High-Priest he cannot refuse Oh! what a great strengthening is this to faith Strengthen faith and you strengthen all the right understanding of this truth doth wonderfully strengthen faith Further Answ 4 The more a man is ingaged to Jesus Christ and takes himself to be ingaged to him the more Holy he is the more a man sees himself freed from sin by Christ the more he takes himself to be ingaged to Christ for freeing of him from his sin Now this truth tels us how Christ hath satisfied for our sins freed us from sin and so we shall be the more ingaged to Christ If a man were going to prison even at the Compter door for a great sum of money and the door were unlocking if a man should come and speak to the Sergeant Hold your hands here is money for you I will pay this mans debt and laies the money down would not this poor debtor take himself for ever ingaged to that man that should thus come and lay down the money and free him so seasonably from the Compter and prison Thus it was with the Lord Christ Ah we were all going to prison everlasting prison chains of darkness and he comes and laies down the money makes full satisfaction to God the Father as our great High-Priest Oh! what an ingagement is this to every soul unto the Lord Christ to become the Lord Christs for ever Lastly The more a man does deny his own righteousness Answ 5 the more Holy he is with Gospel-Holiness It is said of the Jewes That they going about to establish their own righteousness submitted not unto the righteousness of Christ So on the contrary when a man does go about to establish the righteousness of Christ then he submits unto it and then he denies his own righteousness The more we see a fulness of satisfaction made by Jesus Christ for all our sins unto God the Father the more we acknowledge Christs righteousness and the more we establish it and the more we shall be brought off from all our own righteousness Oh! Therefore now as ever you do desire to have more Grace more Holiness more Comfort study and study much this Priestly office of Jesus Christ There are many that complain that they cannot profit under the means of grace That they have hard hearts That the waies and Ordinances of God are not sweet to them Prayer they do perform but with no sweetness they do not relish the blood and Spirit of Christ upon their spirits in their duties c. Many complain that their sins and temptations like the sons of Zarviah are too mighty for them and that one day they shall be slain by the hand of Saul such a lust such a corruption No wonder that we have these complaints when we do not go unto the store-house of comfort and grace that the Lord hath set open for us The Priestly office of Christ it is the great Magazine and Storehouse of all that grace and comfort which we have on this side heaven if ye do not go unto it is it any wonder that ye want comfort or that ye want grace I appeal to you now are there not some nay many that never went to Jesus Christ as their High-Priest to this day Ah are there not some even Professors that do not know what the Priestly Office of Jesus Christ meanes Oh! No wonder poor soule so uncomfortable no more stength against thy temptations If the State should appoint a man for to relieve poor maimed souldiers that go a begging if they meet with the sawme man that is appointed by the State and they beg of him in the streets as an ordinary man he relieves them not but now if they come unto him as a man appointed by the State for relief of such then he relieves them according to the duty of his place So it is with men they go to Christ in an ordinary way they do not go to Christ as the great Lord Treasurer of all our grace as our great High-Priest they do not go unto him as in office set up in office by God the Father for such reliefe they do not addresse themselves to him as their High-Priest to make satisfaction for them and therefore they go away and have no relief But would we have more strength against corruption would we walk more comfortably in our course would we find the waies of God Ordinances and duties more sweet and comfortable to our souls then reade and consider that place in the Canticles 2.3 As the apple-tree among the treesof the wood so is my beloved among the sons I sate down under his shadow with great delight and his fruit was sweet unto my tast The spouse speaks it concerning Christ What is this fruit of Christ Your Justification Adoption Vocation Sanctification Consolation it is al the fruit of Christ All your own Duties your Prayers Reading Meditation they are all the fruit of Christ The injoyment of al his Ordinances al your spiritual priviledges under the Gospel they are the fruit of Christ Now saies she I sate down under his shadow and his fruit it was sweet unto my tast As it is unto a man that does love fruit be it Pears Apples Cherries or the like I love this fruit saies he but yet notwithstanding I must needs go where this fruit grows and gather it off the tree and when he hath gone to the tree and taken the fruit off the tree saies he I sate down under the tree I had not the fruit the Apple or Cherry brought unto
Debter when he comes and looks upon the book he is able to reade all the particulars Item for such a thing and Item for such a thing and Item for such a thing but the man being not aquainted with the nature of crossing the book he is able to reade all th particulars and he charges it still upon himselfe because he does not understand the nature of this crossing the book and he is as much troubled how he shall pay the debt as if it were not paid at all So now 't is here The Lord Jesus Christ he hath come and cross't our book with his own blood the sins are to be read in your own consciences but we being not acquainted with the nature of Christs satisfaction and the crossing of the book we charge our selves as if no sin at all were satisfied for us Yet when the Lord Jesus Christ was made an offering for sin upon the Cross then he did give full satisfaction unto God the Father And that 's the Third Fourthly This now he hath done as our great High-Priest and in a more transcendant and eminent way than ever any high-Priest did before For though the High-Priest did come and make an atonement for a poor sinner yet he himself was never made a sacrifice the Priest offered up a sacrifice but himself never was made a sacrifice But our great High-Priest does not only offer up a sacrifice but Himself is made a sacrifice Yea that sacrifice that was then in the times of the old-Testament it could not purge the conscience not only because as the Apostle speaks it was the blood of bulls and goats but because the sacrifice was performed successively as thus A man sinned then he brought a sacrifice sins again and then he brings another sicrifice and once every yeare the High-Priest goes into the holy of holiest to make an atonement But in the mean while a poor soul might think thus What if I die before the year come about what will become of me the High-Priest he goes once a year into the Holy of Holyest and sprinkles the mercy-seat but what will become of me if I die before that time But now our great High-Priest he does not only offer up a sacrifice and Himself the sacrifice but he offers up a sacrifice once for all So saies the Apostle So that now when a Christian hath sinned he is not to think of a sacrifice that is yet to come a year hence but he is to look unto that which is done already a sacrifice once offered and once for all So that he needs not be in suspence now as the Jewes were his Conscience it may be fully purged from sin Again Take the High-Priest in the times of the old-Testament and though he did make an atonement for the sins of the people yet sometimes also he did make the people to sin It is said of Aaron the great High-Priest concerning the golden-Calf that he did make the people naked But the Lord Jesus Christ our great High-Priest he makes an attonement for sin and never does make them sin He is so far from making the people naked that he covers them with his righteousness that their nakedness may not appear Here 's a glorious High-Priest Yea This High-Priest of ours He does not only make an atonement for sin committed and paies the debt but he does also become our Surety unto God the Father He does not only pay the debt that is past but he becomes a Surety for time to come None of all those High-Priests that ever did so not Aaron not any High-Priest that ever gave his bond unto God the Father that any sinner should never sin no more But our Lord Jesus Christ our High-Priest he becomes our Surety and what Surety not an ordinary surety for amongst us the Surety joyns and does become bound with the Debter but still it runs in the name of the Debter and the Debter he gives the bond for to pay the debt But now here our Surety he gives the bond and we that are the Debters we do not give the bond for to pay the debt there is no godly man or beleever that ever gave a bond unto God the Father that he will pay the debt but our Surety comes and the bond goes in the name of the Surety and the Debters name is out Oh! what a glorious and blessed High-Priest is here here is a High-Priest beyond all the High-Priests that ever did go before And that 's the Fourth thing Fifthly How does all this conduce to our Comfort or Holiness First How does all this make to our Comfort Quest first Answ 1 Is it not a comfortable thing in the eares of a poor sinner that there is a Magazine and a Storehouse of Mercy set up that the Lord hath erected an office of Love and of meer compassion for poor sinners Is it not a comfortable thing that God the father is satisfied and so your sins pardoned Mark 2.5 Son saies Christ unto the palsie man be of good comfort thy sins are forgiven thee He does not say Be of good comfort thy disease is healed No whether thy disease be healed or whether it be not healed this is comfort Son thy sins are forgiven thee If the Lord Jesus Christ hath satisfied for my sins may a beleever say then whatsoever affliction I do meet withal it does not come upon me as a punishment properly it does not come upon me as an arrest for to pay my debt When a Reprobate is smitten and afflicted all his miseries they are arrests for to pay his debt Hath the Lord Jesus Christ satisfied Divine Justice and God the father for me then surely these afflictions they do not come for me to make satisfaction Again If the Lord Jesus Christ hath satisfied for my sins may a beleever say then I shall never be Damned I shall never fall from grace I have had many fears that I should fall from grace and so go to Hell and perish at last But if the Lord Jesus Christ hath satisfied Divine Justice for my sin then God the father will never punish my sin again for it was punish't in Jesus Christ therefore I cannot fall from grace therefore I can never be Damned And if the Lord Jesus Christ hath satisfied Divine Justice as our great High Priest Then I may come with boldness unto the Throne of grace A debtor so long as his debt is unpaid he dares not come by the prison door by the Compter door he is afraid of every Sergeant he is afraid of his friends that they should be Sergeants but when his debt is paid then he dares go up and down with boldness And so the poor soul when he knows that his debt is paid and Christ hath satisfied then he may go with boldness unto the Throne of grace But you will say Quest I cannot have the comfort of this because I cannot say that Christ hath satisfied for me How shall I know
Devil looks upon him And Jesus Christ looks upon him The work of the Law is to Condemn The work of the Devil to Accuse And the work of Jesus Christ is to Intercede it is the work of his office Now therefore assoon as the Devil sees such a soul Oh saies he here 's a fine instrument for me here 's a fit subject for me to injoy Assoon as Moses sees this man Here 's a fine subject for me to condemne unto all Eternity But when Jesus Christ looks upon such a soul saies he Here 's a fine soul for me to save unto all Eternity to intercede for why because it is his Office and what a man does by office he interprets accordingly Therefore what the Lord Jesus Christ does he does by office and he does it readily and willingly And I will give you one demonstration of it It was the end why Jesus Christ was taken into Heaven into the Holy of Holiest that he might Intercede According to the Scriptures mentioned before in Heb. 9.24 For Christ is not entered into holy places made with hands but into Heaven it self now to appear in the presence of God for us He does not say thus Christ is now gone to Heaven to be glorified there Christ is now gone to Heaven to injoy the bosome of his Father for his own happiness No but he is gone into Heaven to appear in the presence of God for us This is the end of his ascention And so again in the 7. of the Hebrews Wherefore he is able to save to the uttermost seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for us What is he in Heaven to be glorified there No but the end why Christ is in Heaven Is to make intercession for poor sinners And therefore he must needs be infinitly willing to do this because it is the end of his going thither into the Holy of Holiest Oh therefore be of good comfort all you that do come unto God by him for he is willing to intercede for you And let not any thing discourage you It may be you will complain and say Oh! but I am much opposed here in this world What matter so long as Jesus Christ does intercede for me in Heaven and speaks good words unto God the Father for me in heaven what though I be opposed by men It may be you will complain and say Oh! but I am much tempted and cannot pray Be humbled for it but yet know this That when you cannot pray Christ prayes for you and he prayes that you may pray It may be you complain and say Oh! but I labour under such and such corruptions and the Devil he is busie with me exceeding busie and I cannot overcome them and the Devil stands at my right hand for to tempt me and to lead me into such and such sins Wel be it so yet notwithstanding the Lord Jesus Christ he is at the right hand of our Father and he is set down at the right hand of God the Father till all enemies be made his footstool and your sins are his enemies And therefore be of good comfort O all ye people of the Lord. Is there ever a poor myrtle-tree a soul that growes in a bottom in a poor dark condition be of good comfort the Lord Jesus Christ our great High-Priest he is entered into Heaven into the Holy of Holiest there to intercede with God the Father for thee I but Quest you will say unto me Does not this conduce to our Grace and Holiness too and how does it do it This Intercession of Jesus Christ Ans this work of the Priestly Office of Christ and the consideration thereof it does conduce exceedingly unto our Grace and Holinesse For. First What a mighty incouragement is here unto all poor sinners for to come unto Jesus Christ He ever liveth to make Intercession for those that come unto God by him Oh! then who would not come unto God by Christ who would not come unto Jesus Christ Me thinks a poor sinner should say Indeed my sins were so great that I was afraid for to come unto God But now I hear that the Lord Jesus Christ is in Heaven to make intercession for all those that come unto God by him Though I have been a Drunkerd now I wil go unto God by Christ And though I have been a Swearer and though I have been an unclean wanton yet I will go unto God by Christ Indeed I thought that my time was past for I have been an Old Swearer and I have been an Old Drunkard and I have been an Old Sabbath-breaker and I have been a sinner so long that I was even afraid of going to God at all and thought there was no mercy nor no pardon for me But seeing now that this is true That the Lord Jesus Christ is in Heaven to make intercession for all those that come unto God by him Well through the Lords grace now I will go unto the Lord Christ I will go unto Jesus Christ I indeed am a young man and I thought it was to no purpose to go unto God God would not regard poor ignorant ones and I am a poor ignorant creature and thought it was to no purpose for me to go unto God But now I understand this That the Lord Jesus Christ is in Heaven to make intercession for all those that come unto God by him Well then Though I am ignorant yet will I go unto God by Christ and though I am but a poor young thing and scarce understand the termes of Religion yet will I go unto God by Christ Oh! come unto Christ come unto Christ Behold here in the Name of the Lord I stand and make invitation to poor sinners Come poor Drunkard Swearer Sabbath-breaker Unclean heart the Lord Jesus Christ is in Heaven to make intercession for all that come unto God by him and will not you come Oh! how will you answer it at the great day when it shall be said The Lord Jesus Christ made a tender and offer of mercy to you and you would not accept of it you would not come unto him Here is matter of great Incouragment unto all poor sinners to come unto Jesus Christ Again Secondly The more I apprehend or see with a spiritual eye That the Lord Jesus Christ does appear in Heaven for me the more am Fingaged to appear upon earth for him Mark I pray that you may see how this does conduce unto Grace and Holiness Ah! shall the Lord Jesus Christ appear in Heaven before Saints and Angels and God the Father for my soul and shal I be afraid to appear before poor worms for him Shall the Lord Jesus Christ own me in Heaven and shall not I own him upon earth Shall the Lord Jesus Christ as the great High-Priest take my name and carry it upon his breast into the presence of God the Father and shall not I take the Name of Christ and hold it forth to the world Oh! I beseech
THE WORKS OF WILLIAM BRIDGE Sometime Fellow of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge now Preacher of the Word of GOD at Yarmouth The first Volume VIZ. I. The great Gospel-mysterie of the Saints comfort and holinesse opened and applyed from Christs Priestly office II. Satans power to tempt and Christs love to and care of his people under temptation III. Thankfulnesse required in every condition LONDON Printed for Peter Cole and are sold at his shop at the signe of the Printing-Presse in Cornhill neer the Royall Exchange 1649. TO THE READER SO good is the God of Jacob to his Israel on this side the promised Land that no good thing will he with-hold from them that walk uprightly Friend If it may be verified of thee what our blessed Saviour spake of Nathaniel behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile thou hast at present not only a title to Esau's ENOVGH but the tenure of Jacobs-ALL according to that ancient Charter of all Saints recorded by that great Apostle of the Gentiles For All things are yours whether Paul 1 Cor. 3 21 22 23 or Apollo or Cephas c. All are yours and you are Christs and Christ is Gods The very Persons and Ministery Calling and Gifts Studies and Writings Prayers and Sermons of the faithfull Ministers of the Gospel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All are for the use service and comfort of Christs LITTLE-LITTLE FLOCK This Evangelical truth is notably proved by the same Apostle to the Ephesians When our only High-Priest ascended up on high into the Holy of Holies there to transact his Priestly office of Intercession at the right hand of God the Father He gave some to be Apostles and some Prophets Ephes 4.11 12. and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ Thus this Servant of the Lord is thine as much thine as Paul was the Corinthians Yea these his Spiritfull peeces of Evangelical mysteries are thine Thine to build thee up in the saving knowledge of that doctrinal truth the Priestly office of Christ as it is the Magazine and storehouse of all that grace and comfort which we are crowned with under heaven Thine to give thee a piercing insight into the intricate methods of the Old Serpent and plainly to discover upon what rocks and sands the faith of many suffer shipwrack Thine 1 Thes 5.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephes 6.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to arme thee with spirituall Armour of proof called a BREAST-PLATE because it guards the heart or as the word elsewhere holds it out A LONG-IARGE-SHIELD which is very dexterous to defend the whole of a Christian Souldier from all the fiery darts of THE WICKED-ONE 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reader Let us be thine to beseech thee by the mercies of God as thou tenderest the peace and welfare of all within thy own tabernacle immediately to put in practise the holy Contents of this Experimentall Book For if thou art one of the LORDS-Simons Behold Satan hath desired to have thee that he may sift thee as wheat Oh therefore make provision for thy soule with all speed before the houre of temptation draweth on It is not true valour but desperate fool-madnesse to adjourne this Every-dayes businesse of everlasting concernment Because in this as in oversights of War there is no room for a second retractation the first error being unrecoverable This is all we have to advertise thee touching these choise usefull Lectures For the Author of them whom we very much love and honour we must beare witnesse that when he first preached them from the bosome of Jesus Christ his Master to many tempted bleeding hearts in and about this populous City he had not then the least thought to suffer them in Print to serve the Publique But afterwards eyeing the voice of God in the multiplied desires and greedy expectations both of friends and strangers his constant Auditors though of different judgements in their private speeches and Letters and to prevent a further inconvenience sc the publishing them by some who had impefect Notes in their hands was necessitated to depute us in his absence at Yarmouth to hand out into the world this his Copy M. W. M. which was exactly penned from his tongue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Tim. 1.14 by that his beloved Amanuensis and since kept charily by him as a precious thing committed to his trust The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ grant thee according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man so that thou mayest be more then conquerour through Him that loved thee and prayed for thee that thy faith faile not So be it Thine in the Lord Jesus William Greenhill John Tates William Adderley The Titles of the second Volume Viz. I. Grace for grace or The overflowings of Christs fulnesse received by all Saints II. The spirituall actings of Faith through Naturall impossibilities III. Evangelical Repentance THE CONTENTS Of the First VOLVMNE HEBREWES 2.17 18. SERMON I. THE words opened Doct. Page 2 The Priestly office of Christ is the great Magazine and Store-house of all that grace and comfort we have on this side heaven Page 3 Proved ibid 1 It is a relief and succour to a Christian against all temptations Page 6 Cleered by particulars 1 When the Lord Jesus Christ died he offered up himself a sacrifice to God the Father Page 7 Proved Page 8 2 When he was upon the Altar the sins of all beleevers past present and to come were laid upon Christ Page 9 Cleered ibid 3 When the sins of beleevers were laid upon him he did make full satisfaction to God the Father and Divine Justice for them all ibid Object Why Beleevers have their sins still charged upon their Consciences Answered Page 13 4 This he hath done in a more eminent way than ever any high priest did before Page 14 5 How all this conduceth to our comfort or holiness Page 15 It conduceth to our comfort 1 There is a store house of mercy and meer compassion erected for poor sinners Page 15 2 All our Afflictions come not upon us as punishments Page 16 3 We shall never be damned ibid 4 We may come with boldness to the throne of grace ibid Object How shall I know that Jesus Christ hath satisfied for me Ans 1. Why not for thee Page 17 2 Applying the promise makes it thine ibid 3 Christ is willing you should think he satisfied for you ibid 4 Else we are in a worse condition than the Jews It conduceth to our holiness 1 The new covenant is founded upon it Page 19 2 Strengthen faith and strengthen all graces ibid 3 The more a man sees a holy necessity upon Christ to shew mercy the more his faith rises Page 20 4 The more a man is engaged to Christ the more
that Jesus Christ is my High-Priest so as to have satisfied for me Ah if I did but know that the Lord jesus Christ were my High-Priest in this particular so as to have satisfied for me then should I have comfort indeed how shall I discover that I am afraid he hath not satisfied for me And why not for thee man or woman why not for thee Ans 1 I shall tell you what I have heard concerning a young man that lay upon his death bed and went to Heaven While he was lying upon his death bed he comforted himself in this That the Lord Christ died for sinners Oh! blessed be the Lord saies he Jesus Christ hath died for me Satan came in with this temptation to him I but young man why for thee Christ died for sinners but why for thee how canst thou make that appear that Christ died for thee Nay Satan saies he and why not for me Ah the Lord Jesus he died for sinners and therefore Satan why not for me So he held his comfort and went up to Heaven triumphing So say I to thee poor drooping soul that labours under Temptation Why not for thee why not for thee and say so unto Satan Why not for me Again Christs satisfaction it lies open for all sorts of sinners to come unto it As the promise Ans 2 it runs indefinitely and if a man come to the promise and apply it his very applying the promise does make it His. You say Oh! that I did but know that the promise belongs to me I say thy very resting upon the promise makes it to belong to thee So the satisfaction of Jesus Christ this piece of Christs Priestly Office it lies open for all sorts of sinners for to come unto it and your very resting upon it and applying it to your own souls it makes it to belong unto you Furthermore If Jesus Christ be willing that you should think that he hath satisfied for you Ans 3 then it is no presumption for you to think so Now saies he at the Lords Supper Take my blood that is shed for thee I apply it to thee Behold thy King cometh unto thee When he rode upon an Asses colt it was not said Behold thy Lord cometh but behold thy King cometh to thee he would have every one so to think More especially Ans 4 If that a poor Christian now might not to unto Jesus Christ as unto his High-Priest and say that he is an High-Priest to me then are we Christians in a great deal worser condition than the Jews were for when a Jew had sinned he might carry his sacrifice to the Priest and he might say That this Priest here belongs to me And there was never a Jew amongst all the people of the Jewes but when the High-Priest sprinkled the Mercy-Seat but he might say This he hath done for me Now we are not in a worse condition than the Jews were this High-Priest is beyond all the High-Priests that ever was before him and therefore there is never a poor Christian but he may go to the Lord Christ and say Oh! my High-Priest and this my High-Priest hath satisfied for me Oh! what comfort is here to poor drooping souls Lift up your heads O all ye Saints and Children of God me thinks here is that indeed that might bring you off your own sands When there is no water in the river but his own the tyde comes not in no sea-water only the water of the river the native water as I may so speak then your bottoms your ships they stand upon the sands but when the tyde comes in then they are raised and come off the sands then And so long as thou hast nothing in thy own channel but thine own righteousness thou stickest upon the sands in the deep mire But now when the tyde of the Lords satisfaction comes in there is a full-sea of mercy and satisfaction able to swim the heaviest vessel made by Jesus Christ Ah me thinks this should lift up a poor soul and fetch him off from his sands Be of good Comfort them Thus it 's evident how this truth does much conduce to our Comfort But you will say Quest Does it not much conduce to our Grace or Holiness too Or if it do I pray how Yes Answ 1 This truth does conduce much to our Holiness too You shall observe that the new Covenant of grace it is laid and founded upo the satisfaction of jesus Christ upopn the Crosse upon that oblation Three times the Apostle Paul makes mention of the new Covenant of grace in the book of the Hebrews the 8 9 and 10. Chapters and in all these places he laies the Covenant of grace and founds it upon the satisfaction of Jesus Christ But especially in the 9. Chapter the 13 14 and 15. verses The 14. How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God Then at the 15. And for this cause he is the Mediator of the new Testament For this cause plainly laying the new Covenant of grace upon the satisfaction of Jesus Christ upon this part of his Priestly Office So then thou maiest now go unto God the Father and say Lord thou hast made a Covenant of grace with poor man and this Covenant of grace is founded upon the Priestly Office and satisfaction of Jesus Christ and the Lord Jesus Christ he hath satisfied for me and the new Covenant promises that we shall be all taught of God Lord I amignorant Oh! therefore now by the satisfaction of Christ let me be taught of thee that I may be made wise unto salvation And so again Lord thou hast made a Covenant of grace with poor man this is laid upon the satisfaction of Jesus Christ The Covenant of grace saies I will write my Law in your inward parts Now O Lord seeing Jesus Christ hath founded this Covenant in his blood and I am one of those that he hath made satisfaction for Oh! write thy Law in my inward parts that I may do all thy wills But again Answ 2 in the Second place that we may see how this do conduce to our Holiness Strengthen faith and we strengthen all if faith be weakened all grace is weakened Strengthen your faith and you strengthen all your Holiness and all your Graces The way to strengthen a bough or a branch of the tree is not to carry dung up into the tree but to lay it to the root Strengthen the root and ye strengthen all the branches Faith is the Root-grace now the knowledge and the thorow degesting of this truth That the Lord Jesus Christ is our great High-Priest in this point of satisfaction it does wonderfull strengthen our faith For the more I know that God is willing and and Christ willing to shew mercy unto me the more my faith is strengthened I know this That every man is willing
for ever keep me from opposition to the good wayes of God I have said sometimes may a wicked man say concerning godly mens duties That it was their Hypocrisie And I have said concerning such and such Professors This is your Pride and this is your Singularity and I have opposed with all bitterness and earnestness the prayings and wrestlings of some of Gods people But is this true That the Lord Jesus Christ takes every Prayer of the meanest of Gods Children and carries it into the bosom of God the Father and shall I spit upon that that Christ owns shall I dare to oppose that that the Lord Jesus Christ presents unto his Father The Lord in mercy pardon me I have sinned and done foolishly and for ought I know I may have spoken evill of that Duty that Christ hath carried into the presence of God the Father Oh! through the Lords grace then for ever will I leave to make any opposition against any of the good waies of God again and I will never speake one word against the persons meetings or supplications of the godly again Again In case a man be Ungodly a wicked man Here is mighty incouragement for to come unto Jesus Christ I and to come presently For is Jesus Christ the ladder that Jacob saw by whom we go up to Heaven doth he take all our Duties and Prayers and present them to God the Father for acceptance Then till I do come to Christ all is nothing all is lost if I be a Drunkard and will not come to Christ Prayer is all lost if I be a Swearer and will not come to Christ an Unclean wretch and will not come to Christ all my Prayers and all my Duties are lost Oh! the Lord pity me may many a poor soul say I have lost too many Prayers already through the Lords grace now I will lose no more Oh! I come to Christ Lord I come I come This is a mighty incouragement to make every man now for to come unto Jesus Christ because the Lord Jesus our High-Priest takes every Duty and carries it into the bosom of God the Father for acceptance Thus for Ungodly Secondly In case a man be Godly this truth doth conduce to our further Holiness and growth in grace If I be Codly Then here I see infinite reason why I should be much in Duty not only pray but be much in prayer Why for the Lord Christ taketh all and carries all into the bosom of the Father mingles his own odours intercessions with it although it be but a sigh and a groane The Apostle upon this account makes this use of it having spoken of Christ our High-Priest Therefore saith he let us come with boldness vnto the Throne of grace Heb. 4.16 The word signifies to speak all ones mind let us come speaking all Having such an High-Priest indeed as will carry all into the presence of God the Father for acceptance every sigh and every groan then who would not be much in prayer speak all to Christ be free with Christ come with boldness There 's many a poor soul that is much discouraged and he dares not go to prayer many times afraid to go to the Throne of grace The reason is because he looks upon his Prayer or Duty as it lies upon his own heart or as it comes from himself Whereas my beloved 't is with your Prayers and Duties as it is with fire Your kitchin fire is troubled with abundance of smoake and there is filth about it fire upon the hearth hath much smoake but fire above in the Element of fire there 's no smoke So your Prayer when it lies upon your own hearth as I may say there 's a great deal of smoke but when it gets once into the hands of Jesus Christ there 's it's Element and it is freed from all it's smoke Or as it is with a mans Body so long as he lives here upon the earth he is feeble and weak and many times sickly assoon as he is come into Heaven all his weakness is taken away and his body being in Heaven 't is presently glorified and strength put upon it and all his diseases are gone So 't is with our Prayers So long as they are here below in our own bosoms they are full of weakness but assoon as our Prayer is out of our mouth 't is in the hand of Christ 't is in Heaven 't is glorified the weakness is now done away Oh! 't is a glorified Prayer when once 't is gone from you 't is in the hand of Christ And therefore this is a mighty incouragement unto all those that are godly to be not only in Prayer but to be much in Prayer come with boldness unto the Throne of grace Again If ye be Godly yea if ye be Ungodly Here I see infinite reason why I should receive every Truth that comes from Christ though accompanied with many failings in him that speaks it The Lord Jesus Christ he accepts of every prayer and duty that comes from me though it have many weaknesses yea he takes my Prayer and carries it into the presence of God the Father for acceptance my poor Prayer labouring with many weaknesses Then when a Truth comes from Christ shall not I accept of it what though the Minister or Preacher that speaks it labour with this or that weakness There is Pride or there is some miscarriage in the delivery or the like Shall the Lord Christ take my Prayer labouring under infirmity and accept thereof and carry it into the presence of God the Father for acceptance notwithstanding all the failings of my Duty and shall not I accept of Truth that comes from Christ notwithstanding all the failings of the poor messenger that brings it Further The more Evangelical you are in your Obedience the more Holy ye are in your lives This truth that is now before ye well studied and considered will make you more Obedient in an Evangelical way And ye shall find therefore that the Lord himself from Heaven does make this use of it pray consult with the 17. of Matthew and the 5. verse This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased hear ye him Those words follow Hear him Hearing notes Faith and Obedience not a bare Hearing with the ear Compare this and the same speech together which ye have in the 3. of Matthew and the 17. verse Loe a voyce from Heaven saying This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Heare ye him is not there in the 3. of Matthew but here in the 17. of Matthew these words are added Heare ye him What should the reason be that Hear ye him should be added here in the 17. of Matthew and not in the 3. of Mat. thew Give me leave to give you some reason for it so far as may make to our present purpose Not to say any thing of that which Moses said In his daies a Prophet will the Lord your God raise up
there of the Disciples That they should wait for the promise of the Father Christ commaded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem but wait for the promise of the Father What is that We know what it was and is that which befel afterward it was the giving out of the holy Ghost the holy Ghost fell upon them this is called THE promise of the Father That as in the times of the Old Testament the promise was the giving of the Son and coming of the Second Person So after Christ came the great promise was the coming of the Third Person and the giving of the holy Ghost When I am gone saith Christ I 'le send ye another Comforter He that beleeveth out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water This he spake concerning the Spirit which was not yet given in those extraordinary emanations of gists and graces because he was not yet glorisied So then the great Blessing that was to be given unto the children of men the great Gospel-blessing was the giving out of the holy Ghost this is a Gospel-blessing indeed Well Ques But what doth Christ do when he doth Bless It 's observable Answ 1 that when any Superiour did Blesse a father did blesse his child or the like he did observe what was the choice mercy and good in those times and he did wish that unto his child or unto his inferiour And so in Isaac and Jacobs time the choice good it was The dew of Heaven and when they did blesse their children they wish't unto them the dew of Heaven So now when our Iord Jesus our great High-Priest doth blesse any man observing that the choice mercy of the Gospel is the injoyment of God in Christ the favour and love of God and the giving out of the holy Ghost into a mans heart he doth wis all this good unto him and he saies unto God the Father Lord let this poor soul have thy favour Oh! cause thy face to shine upon this poor soul and give out the holy Ghost unto it that it may walk after the spirit In the Second place It 's observable That when the Priests did Blesse the people they did not barely wish good unto them but they did Authoratatively pronounce them blessed Numb 6.27 They shall put my name upon them saith the Lord when they bless So when the Lord Christ our great High-Priest doth Blesse a man he does not barely wish him good The Lord cause his face for to shine upon that soul in a way of wishing but the Lord Christ being a High-Priest when he blesseth he doth authoratatively pronounce such a soul to be Blessed Thirdly When the Priest Blessed he did not only pronounce the people Blessed but in the Blessing of the Priest there was a kind of Binding-power it had the power force and efficacy of an Absolution And therefore as Christ saies unto his Disciples Go and whosoever sins ye remit they shall be remitted I 'le stand by you in it So saith the Lord in that same place the 6. of Numbers On this wise shall ye bless the children of Israel saying unto them The Lord blesse thee and keep thee and at the 27. verse They shall put my Name upon the children of Israel and I will blessethem I 'le stand by them in this So when the Lord Jesus Christ our great High-Priest doth Blesse he doth not only pronounce a man to be Blessed but he doth Absolve him from all his sins saith he by authority that is given to me from my father the Keyes that are put into my hand I do Bind this blessing upon this poor soul Further The Priest when he blessed indeed he could wish well and he could pronounce a man blessed and he might Absolve but he could go no further he could not confer the Blessing he could not bestow the Blessing But our Lord Christ being an High-Priest beyond all the High-Priests that ever were before him in this respect too where he doth Blesse he bestoweth the Blessing being God and man he bestoweth the Blessing In the Fifth place This our great High-Priest being God and Man look how God Blesseth so doth he Blesse In the Scripture ye shall find That when God the Father Blessed he said unto those things that he blest Increase and Multiply still when he blest Increase and Multiply So the Lord Jesus Christ our High-Preist when he comes to blesse he doth not barely wish good unto a poor soul or pronounce him blessed or beslow a good thing upon him but saith he O soul Multiply in this good the Lord increase thy Graces and thy Gifts and thy Comforts poor soul Increase and Multiply herein This the Lord Christ our great High-Priest doth Thus it 's cleer what the Blssing of the Gospel is wherein it consists and what our High-Priest doth when he doth blesse the people But Secondly Quest 2 Does this Blessing properly or specially belong unto Jesus Christ Yes Answ For he was made a curse for sin he and none else made a curse for sin and therefore it belongs unto him above all the world for to blesse For look what evil Jesus Christ endured the contrary good he merited for the children of men a power to bestow that good Now he above all was cursed hung upon the Crosse and died a cursed death he was made a curse therefore it belongs unto him above all for to give the blessing for to blesse poor sinners Primum in quolibet genere c. The first in every kind is the cause of the rest The Sun is the cause of all the light we have here below and 't is the first light body And the Lord Jesus Christ he is the first blessing Therefore hath they God blest thee for ever There are Three that we reade of in Scripture especially that did blesse The Father the King and the Priest The Father did blesse his Children the King blest his Subjects and the Priest blest the People Now the Lord Jesus Christ He is our Father The Everlasting Father He is our King I will set my King upon my holy hill And he is our great High-Priest and therefore all these relations meeting in him it belongs unto him above all for to blesse the people But is the Lord Jesus Christ Willing for to Blesse poor sinners Quest 3 and inclin'd unto it Yes Answ He is very Willing this blessing of the people it is a work whereunto he is much inclin'd and wherein he is most delighted Ye shall observe therefore what abundance of blessings Christ scattered among the people when he was here upon the earth Ye don't reade that ever he cursed any man formally cursed him Once indeed he pronounced a Curse but it fell upon a barren fig-tree not upon a man But take your Bibles and turne over from leaf to leaf and see how frequent he was in blessing and consider whether you do reade in al the Bible of any Preacher or Prophet
of Genesis when he had brought Noah out of the Ark Why does he rather choose for to speak those words Increase and Multiply at these Two times especially rather than at any other time In the beginning there was but a little stook of man-kind and the Lord had a design upon man to make use of him in the world and therefore in the beginning saies he Increase and Multiply but afterward that the floud had swept away man Noah and his family being preserved when he came out of the Ark the Lord having yet a further design upon man to use him he reneweth those words again Increase and Multiply So when the Lord Christ sees that a mans heart is upright and sincere with him and he hath some work and service for him to do then the Lord comes forth and blesses him O soul Increase and Multiply increase in thy Gifts and Graces and Multiply That is one Again As the Lord doth blesse weak Gifts and Graces when he intends to use them so also when as he hath made use of a man when a man hath done the work of God and done it to purpose then the Lord blesses that man Melchisedec a great Type of Christ here when Abraham had been upon a great service slaying Kings and resoued Lot then Melchisedec the High-Priest comes forth and blesses him So when the Lord Jesus Christ our great High-Priest sees that a poor soul hath been upon his work upon his service and hath done his work faithfully then he comes forth and blesses that soul O soul live for ever Again As he does blesse at this time when a man hath done his work so also when a man is willing for to leave all his Relations and natural ingagements for to follow him to cleave close unto him and to his waies and ordinances The Lord blessed Abraham Thou shalt be blessed In Blessing I will Blesse thee and thou shalt be blessed Upon what occasion Abraham saies he get thee out of thy Country and go to a land and place that I will shew thee and Abraham did so Abraham puld up his Tent and went after the Lord and left his own Relations and thereupon the Lord fell upon him and blest him So when the Lord Christ our High-Priest sees a soul willing even to trample upon his Relations for to follow him willing to leave all natural ingagements for to be his servant then the Lord Christ comes out and saies he This soul do I blesse In blessing I will blesse thee and I will blesse thee exceedingly That is a Third time Fourthly The Lord Christ our High-Priest does blesse when the world Curses a speciall time of Christs blessing is when the world Curses When Rabshekah reviled blasphemed and Cursed then God blest When Balak hired Balaam for to Curse the people of Israel then the Lord blest them by the mouth of Balaam himself And ye see what Christ saies to this purpose in that same 5. chapter of Matthew at the 10. verse Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousnesse sake But when are they blessed Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsly for my sake Blessed are ye when men shall persecute you I but suppose it don't come to a bodily persecution men may not be thrown in prison or brought to the stake Saies he Blessed are ye when men shall Revile persecute you with the tongue and say all manner of evil against you for my sake When the world saies of such a poor soul That he is an Hypocrite a dissembler and speaks all manner of evil that can be divised against a poore soule for the Name of Christ that is the very time that Christ comes for to bless that soule then doth Christ blesse it 's a blessed season In the Fift place The Lord Christ does also Bless when as People do graciously injoy the Ordinances purely and Evangelically administred It is said concerning Zion There commanded he his blessing for ever Psa 89.15 Blessed are the people that hear the joyful sound they shall walk in the light of his countenance It is written of the Priests in the times of the Old-Testament that when the people the Congregation were come together they blest them when the People were come together for the injoyment of Ordinances according to Gods own appointment then the Priests blest them And did their High-Priest blesse them then and shall not our High Priest do it now Did their High-Priest blesse them when they sate under Mosaical Ordinances and shall not our High-Priest blesse the people that sit under Evangelical and Gospel-Ordinances purely Evangelically administred The people then might make account of the greatest blessing and so may you do also of the blessing of Jesus Christ when thus you do enjoy Ordinances Only there is this difference other differences there are but this only I shall speak of Then the Priest did blesse the people when the Congregation was dismist but now the Lord Jesus Christ our great High-Priest he is blessing of the Congregation all the while he is going up and down in the Congregation all the while that the Word is preached and Ordinances administred and he is blessing poor souls as they sit longing after him and sighing towards him he is blessing of them all the while Thus he does blesse and though you don 't alwaies perceive it yet he doth blesse his people Quest 5 And that 's the Fourth thing But yet you will say How does all this conduce unto our Comfort Answ and unto our Holiness Much every way First for Comfort Beloved Is it not a Comfortable thing to be blessed by Jesus Christ Children counted it a great matter to be blest by their parents when as Jacob had gotten the Blessing from Esau Esau goes and fits down and mourns he could not be comforted because the blessing was gone and Jacob though he were thrust out of doors yet because he had gotten the Blessing he went away cheerfull and it was but an Isaac's Blessing But behold a greater then Isaac is here Oh! was it such a matter to have an Isaac's Blessing what is it then to be Blessed by Jesus Christ Beloved when as Christ doth bless he turns all our Curses into Blessings and our Miseries into Mercies When God Curses he turns our Table into a Snare and when Christ Blesseth he turnes our snare into a Table quite contrary Jacob pronounced a Curse upon his two sons Simeon and Levi you know upon what occasion They should be divided and scattered in Israel afterward the Tribe of Levi stands up at the cōmandement of God to execute Justice Judgment the Lord blest them And how did he bless them They were to be the Preachers unto all the Tribes and so that they might be Preachers unto all the Tribes they were to be scattered into all the tribes so Jacobs curse was turned into a
a prison he rattles chaines in the ears of a poor beleever and so labours to scare him away from his conscience and from his faith and from the Truth and Cause of God and the good waies of Christ How shold we ward off this blow Quest First Answ 1 Before the temptaton comes labour to possesse your heart much with the Mercy and priviledge of suffering for the Cause Truth Name and Way of Christ To you it is given not only to beleeve but to suffer 't is a great Gift A suffering opportunity and a suffering heart is a great Gift from God Is it not a great mercy to be conformable to Jesus Christ our head For this Cause saies Christ came I into the world that I might bear witness unto the truth Is it not a great mercy to be confessed at the last day before all the world Angels and men He that confesses me before men saies Christ Him will I confess before my father c. Is it not a great mercy to live and reigne with Christ a thousand years ye know that Scripture I shall not speak of the meaning of it now but cerainly there is a great deal of glory promised there living and reigning with Christ a thousand years and the promise is made unto those that do acknowledge and own the Cause and Truth of God and Jesus Christ Possesse your heart much with the priviledge and mercy of bearing witness to the Truth the Cause and the good way of Christ before your temptation comes Secondly Answ 2 If you would bear off the blow of this temptation Be sure that you look upon both sides of your suffering or bearing witness to the Truth Cause or way of Christ the Dark side and the Light side let them not be sundered When the Lord cals for any of his people to suffer at any time for him he does give them more strength than before and he does give them more Comfort and Consolation than they had before Now Satan comes and holds forth the suffering he makes mention of the suffering but he hides the Strength and the Consolation Either Satan holds forth the suffering alone or else if he do mention any strength or comfort that a gracious soul shall have in the suffering 't is but the same strength that he hath now he don't speak of the strength he shall have then and the great Consolation that he shall have then when the suffering comes and so these being parted the Suffering and the Consolation being parted now our faith fails When ever therefore this temptation does come upon you answer thus Satan here thou bringest the suffering before me and causest that to come before me but thou doest not tell me of the strength I shall have and of the consolation I shal receive Satan I shall not have the strength I have now nor the consolation I have now but I shall have more strength then when the suffering comes and I shall have more consolation when as the affliction comes than I had before Keep these together don't look only upon the one side of your suffering and witness-bearing but look upon both sides together and thus you shall be able to stand and ride out the storm of this temptation But you will say Quest We have heard of the several blowes that Satan gives unto our faith unto the faith of Reliance unto the faith of Assurance and unto the faith of Acknowledgment how he labours to weaken all these our faiths and how we should bear off al these blows But there may be yet some temptation possibly that does not fall within the compass of these temptations these directions are pointed against these particular temptations but I have other temptations that don't fall within the compass of these whereby Satan labours to weaken my faith and to make my faith to fail What general Rules and Directions may be given by which a man should so walk as that Satan may not make his faith to fail in the time of his temptation First Answ 1 Before your temptation comes while you are upon even ground Study and look much into the Scripture and into every corner and nook thereof as I may so speak laying and treasuring up Promises and Words sutable to every condition Let the Word of the Lord dwell in you richly that so when a temptation comes ye may have a word sutable at hand and this will help ye to bear off the strength of the temptation when it comes Secondly Answ 2 Either a particular Word and Promise does come unt ye or it does not in the time of your temptation If it do come unto ye Take heed that ye dont ' measure your selves or your condition by the warmth and life and inlargment of your heart which ye have at the coming in of the word And if a particular word or Scripture and promise do not come unto you in the time of your temptation don't measure your selves and your condition by the straightness and deadnesse of your heart which you have at that time when a particular word does not come Thirdly If temptaion come Answ 3 Look much unto the infirmities of Jesus Christ not the sinful infirmities for so he had none but he had many other infirmities And ye know what the Spouse in the time of Desertion saies in the book of the Canticles His left hand is under my head and with his right hand he does imbrace me The right hand is a hand of power and the left hand is a hand of weaknesse and in the time of Desertion and Temptation it 's a great relief to a poor soul to consider the infirmities of Jesus Christ his left hand is under our head then As when a man is inlarged in heart 't is good to consider of Christs Example that so he may be humbled under his inlargement So when a man is in Desertion or Temptation it 's good for to think of Christs Infirmities that so he may not be overwhelmed or cast down too much Fourthly If temptation do come be sure of this Answ 4 That ye don't conclude it is no temptation Satan tempts and then he tempts a man to think it is no temptation So long as a poor soul thinks it is but a temptation his heart is borne up with comfort and he saies It is but a temptation and it will be over shortly and the Lord Jesus Christ will pity me for 't is but a temptation and so his heart is borne up with comfort waiting upon God But if the Devil can get a man so far as to make him think it is no temptation but worse than a temptation then his heart fails and his faith failes Therefore I beseech ye If a temptation come don't conclude it is no temptation but say Oh! it may be 't is a temptation and therefore I will wait on God Fifthly If temptation come Answ 5 Remember thine own soul of the waies of God with thee Gods waies ye know
was a pattern and plat-form of his dealing with all his people to the end of the world Now ye shall observe that Christs love was never more let out towards his Disciples than from this time after he had said these words Satan hath desired to sift you as wheat After this time they were all offended because of Christ and they all forsook him Peter denied him some doubted whether he were the Messiah or no and another would not beleeve his Resurrection as sheep they were all scattered and shattered great was their temptations yet from this time do but observe the love of Christ towards them after this speech then Christ preaches a most excellent and sweet Sermon to them in the 14 15 and 16. chapters of John Then he takes water and a towel and washes and wipes his Disciples feet Then he appoints the Lords Supper Then he spends a whol chapter the 17. of John in prayer for them makes a most excellent and sweet prayer for them Then he cals them his friends Ye are no longer my servants but my friends Yea his Children Yea his Little children Never was his love more drawn out or exprest towards them than after this time And I say this was a pattern and a plat-form of his dealing with all his people unto the end of the world And therefore though Christ do suffer his own people to be tempted yet his love and mercy is never more at work than when they are most assaulted by Satan Thirdly You will say Quest 3 What is there in the heart of Jesus Christ that does incline him to this indulgence toward his people that his love and mercy is then most at work when they are most assaulted by Satan My beloved Answ There is the quintescence of all the excellency of loving relations in Jesus Christ A Father a Mother a Brother a Friend He is the everlasting Father And his soul was in travel saies the Prophet He is not ashamed to all you his brethren And he is a Friend I call you my friends Now though parents be tender of their children at all times yet especially when they are sick then there 's a chair of love stands by the childs bed-side And so though Christ be alwaies tender of his people yet then especially when their souls are sick and labour under temptation There is the greatest pity in Christ that can be the most pitiful disposition in Christ which is alwaies laid out where he sees a fit object for it pray what is the object of pity The object of pity is One whom ye love in misery If ye see a man in misery yet if ye don't love him ye don't pity him if ye see a man whom ye love yet if ye don't see him in misery ye don't pity him ye love him but ye don't pity him but a person whom ye love in misery is the object of pity Now all the Saints and people of God are the beloved of Christ and when they are in temptation that is their greatest misery and therefore when they are most tempted then is the love and mercy of Christ drawn out unto them especially Besides The Lord Jesus Christ hath a great Interest and share in every beleever a share going in every beleever As the member hath an interest and a share in the head so the head hath also in every member Thine they were saies Christ and thou gavest them me Christ hath a special and great interest in all his people and he will not lose his interest The truth is when Satan does assault a beleever he does rather strike at Christ than at a beleever And therefore saies Gregory well The Devil in tempting Job did not so much strike at Job as at God for the Lord had said That Job was an upright man and now the Devil would go about to make Job an Hypocrite so that the Devill would fain have made God a lyar and he did not so much strike at Job as at Gods testimony of Job he did strike at God And so now in all the temptations of the Saints he strikes at Christ and they bear those temptations because of Christ Let a man go on in a wicked and ungodly way Satan won't vex him with temptations but let a man once become godly and be in Christ and then how many temptations will Satan vex him with Now saies Christ shall this poor soul endure all this for me and shall not I help shall not I assist shall not I deliver If a man break his Arme or his Leg before ye you will pity him but if he break his Arme or his leg in your work or service in a work that you set him about you count your self ingaged then to help him 'T is the work of Christ that the Saints are about and Christ sets them on work and when Satan comes to tempt 't is to disturbe them in the work that Christ sets them about Now therefore saies Christ shall they endure all this because of me and because of my work and shall not I assist and defend them and help them Surely I will Oh! my beloved if ye did but know what an Interest Jesus Christ hath in every beleever you would easily see the reason of this so great tenderness in him that his love and mercy is never more at work than when they are most assaulted by Satan For Application Applic. What abundance of Comfort is here unto all those that are the true Disciples of Jesus Christ you are not alone in your temptations Christ is with you and he is in Heaven too interceding and praying for you he hath sent his Spirit into your hearts to make intercession for you there and he himself is in Heaven making intercession and praying for you there when you are in temptation Christ is at prayer for you Yea he does not only pray for you but his love and his mercy is most of al at work then when you are most assaulted Oh! what Comfort is this But will some say I fear this comfort belongs not to me Object because I am none of these that are Christs true Diseiples Christ prayed for Peter because be was his Disciple and he prayed for therest because they were his Disciples but as for me though in profession I may be a Disciple yet really I fear I am no true Disciple of Jesus Christ and therefore I fear that he does not pray and intercede for me in the time of my temptation Two things for answer to this Answ First I pray consider that place in the 16. chapter of Matthew and the 24. verse Then said Jesus unto his Disciples If any man will come after me or if any man will be my Disciple so some books hath it let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me Mark Here are Three properties of a true Disciple To open the words a little unto ye that I may settle this comfort the more fully upon your
Peter Object but my faith doth constantly fail Peter denied and his faith failed in the exercise as to one Act but my faith doth constantly fail in time of temptation I was heretofore more able to beleeve in the time of my temptation than now I am my faith is failed and it constantly fails and therefore I fear that the Lord Christ will not pray for me in the time of my temptation Well But if you be more able to relye upon meer free-grace Answ than ye have been heretofore then your faith is not less but increased rather If you be now more able to be contented with your condition than you were heretofore If you can let God and Christ alone to use his own means about you If you can leave the Events and successes of things more unto God than you could heretofore then your faith is not failed but rather increased Man or woman if that you are able now to take those hints of a word which you could not heretofore If your judgment be more setled in the Truth If you be more contented to suffer now for the Cause and the way of God than you were heretofore Then thy faith is not failed but thy faith is increased rather and so thou comest within the compasse of the Lord Christs prayer Oh! Object but yet will some say I have sinned greatly very much I have been a great sinner and therefore I fear that the Lord Jesus Christ will let me alone to wrestle with my temptations all alone and will not pray and intercede for me in the time and hour of my temptation Well Answ I must yet say again to you Hast thou sinned more than this Peter did when he denied his Lord and Master Yet Christ prayed for him and his prayer took and prevailed Have you sinned more than Jerusalem did Oh! Jerusalem thou that stonest the Prophets saies Christ when they put him to death And yet if you look into the 1. of the Acts you shall find that Christ after his Resurrection bids his Disciples for to stay and wait at Jerusalem and not stir from thence and preach the Gospel and mercy and free-grace in Jerusalem Hast thou man or woman that makest this objection sinned more than those that did put Christ to death that run him into his body with a spear that nailed him upon the crosse hast thou sinned more than these Ye know our Lord and Saviour when he was upon the crosse he prayed for them Oh! Father forgive them they know not what they do But Lord these are thine opposers these are persecutors and they persecute thee to death Well be it so saies Christ I know what I do and I know whom I pray for Father forgive them they know not what they do Oh! what grace and mercy and love is here Comfort yea Comfort unto all the Disciples of Jesus Christ when ye are in temptation the Lord Christ is at prayer for you And remember the Doctrine Never is his love and mercy more at work for ye than when Satan is most busie about ye to tempt ye most What comfort is here This was that in part that comforted the Martyrs in the Primitive times ye reade of very great comforts that the Martyrs had in the Primitive times those times next after Christ I have desired to consider what it was especially that bore up their hearts under all those persecutions And Turtullian pitches upon this as one thing We consider saies he the case of Peter Satan desired to winnow him Christ prayed for him Here were saies Turtullian two requests before God the Father One was the request of Satan and another was the request of Christ Now the Son having more credit with God the Father than Satan his request must needs prevail So saies he Satan hath desired for to tempt and to winnow us and persecute us but the Lord Jesus Christ hath requested for us There are two requests before God the Father There 's Satans request to winnow us and there 's the Sons request praying for us Now therefore seeing that the Son hath more credit with God the Father than Satan therefore are we assured that we shall be upheld and our faith shall not fail And so may you also This is matter of great comfort unto all the Saints You will say Indeed it is matter of great comfort Quest but is there no Duty that this Truth cals for at our hands Here is much comfort but what is that Duty that this Truth cals for Much every way If I be an Ungodly man Answ what a mighty incouragement is here for to get into Jesus Christ that I may be in the number of the true Disciples So long as a man is out of Christ not a true Disciple of Jesus Christ Satan may come and tempt and do what he wil with him and no Christ by to help Satan could not hurt or touch or tempt Job but he must ask leave But Satan went to the Sabeans and brought in them upon Jobs Estate and he did not ask leave for that they were in his power He ruleth in the children of disobedience Daniel was in the Lyons-den and they devouered him not their mouthes were stopt and they could not hurt him But when the Enemies were thrown into the Lyons they crack'd and crush'd their bones before they came to the ground If a godly man one that is a true Disciple of Jesus Christ if he be in a den with these Lyons Devils their mouths shall be stopt they shall not swallow him But oh for wicked men that are not in Christ these Lyons they crush their bones every day they crush their bones and a wicked man may say as Saul did The Philistims are upon me and God is departed from me So a wicked man that is not in Christ he may cry out and say Oh! temptations are upon me and Christ is departed from me I have none of Christ to help me as for the Saints and those that are true Disciples of Jesus Christ they have Christ at hand though they fall Christ is by for to help them up And Christ himself measures out all their temptations and Christ assists them and helps them but Oh! as for me I am all alone in my temptations I poor soul am all alone in my temptations Ah! who would be a Drunkard still who would be a Swearer still who would be an Unclean wanton still who would be a lyar and a Theevish servant still Let me tell ye that while ye go on in these sins you are out of Christ Poor soul a Swearer a Drunkard a common Lyar a Sabbath-breaker a Wanton out of Christ and thy temptations fall heavily upon thee the Lord knowes thou art all alone in the time of thy temptations Oh! but get into Jesus Christ get into Jesus Christ to be in the number of Christs true Disciples and when thou art tempted the Lord prayes for thee yea and the love and mercy of Christ
is never more at work for thee than when thou art most tempted and assaulted by Satan What a mighty incouragement is here to al that hear the word of the Lord to get into Jesus Christ But if I be godly and al this be true Why should I question the love of God towards me in the time of my temptation Beloved ye know it in your Experience ye are never more apt for to question the love of Christ than in temptation and yet Christs love is never more at work for you than in temptation Oh! what an unworthy answering of Christs love is here Again If I be Godly Why should I not be contented and quiet under all my temptations though they be never so great Christ prayeth for me Christs love is most at work now I am most assaulted his bowels then yern towards me Yea If I be Godly Why should I not with Paul Triumph over all temptations and make my boast of Christ and say as he did Now know I that nothing shall separate me from the love of God in Christ not Principalities nor Powers nor Devils nor Temptations for when I am most tempted Christ is most at work in love for me Yea beloved in the Lord why should we not all warm our hearts with this love of Jesus Christ it's a mercy that the Lord Christ will cast but an eye or a look upon a poor soul under temptation that is a mercy I but I tell ye more than so Christ does not only cast an eye and a look upon a poor tempted soul but his love and mercy is never more at work than when you are most assaulted and tempted by Satan Ah what grace and heart-warming love is here If I be Godly again upon this account why should I give over so soon and lay down my weapon in time of temptation If a City be beleaguer'd besieged and know that help will come they will not give over And though I am thus besieged and thus tempted help will certainly come for Christ hath prayed why should I give over then in time of temptation And if these things be so if there be so much love in the heart of Christ towards poor tempted souls then beloved should we not all run to Christ in the time and hour of our temptation run unto him by prayer It may be there are some that will say Quest If Christ pray for us in time of temptation what need we pray But I pray look into this chapter Answ and you will find our Saviour carries it otherwise In the text saies he But I have prayed for thee that thy faith fall not At the 46. verse Why sleep ye saies he rise and pray lest ye enter into temptation So that though he had said That he prayed for them yet he cals upon them also to pray It 's good praying my beloved when mercy is coming and mercy is then coming when Christ is praying and when you are most tempted then Christ is at prayer But to end all What ever your temptations therefore be you that are the servants of God still think ye hear Christ saying to ye Man Woman be of good comfort I have prayed for you though thy temptations be very great I have prayed for thee thought thou canst not pray for thy self as thou wouldst I have prayed for thee when flesh fails and eyes fail and heart fails and all fails yet remember this Christ prayeth for you in the time of your temptation Christ prayeth for you think that ye hear Christ speaking to ye in the time of your temptation for certainly he does it as well to his Disciples now as he did to his Disciples then he does speak and say Be of good comfort man or woman though thy temptations be great yet I have prayed for thee and thy faith shall not fail FINIS THANKFVLNES Required in every CONDITION 1 THESSALONIANS 5.18 In every thing give thanks Preached at Margrets New-fish street March 23. 1645 for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you WHAT is written to the Thessalonians is written for our instruction What they are commanded as Christians we are commanded as Christians In the latter part of this Chapter several Exhortations were given to them among the rest this is one In which ye have The Exhortation it self In every thing give thanks And the Reason in forcing that Exhortation for this is the wil of God in Christ Tesus conerning you In every thing give thanks In Prosperity and in Adversity whether things go well or whether they go ill In every thing give thanks He had said before verse 16 17. Rejoyce evermore Pray continually Unto those Exhortations he adds no such Reason as here Because it may seem strange that a man should give thanks in every thing he adds also for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you So that plainly here lies this Observation or Truth upon the words It is the will of God Doct. even our father that we should be thankfull to him in every thing When we are Full it will be granted that then we are to give thanks to God Deuteronomy the 8. and the 10. But ye are not only to give thanks when ye are Full but when ye are Empty not only when ye are strong but when ye are weak not only when you are delivered from the hands of your Enemy but when you are delivered into the hands of your Enemy Job 1.21 Therefore Job saies The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away blessed be his Name Job was plundered by the Enemy and yet he does blesse the Lord Job was emptied of a full Estate and yet he does blesse the Lord Job had lost his dear Children and yet he does blesse the Lord Job in a great measure given up into the hands of Satan and yet he blesses the Lord for which he is commended So then It is our duty and the will of God our Father that we should not only be thankful but we should be thankful in every thing For Reas 1 there is alwaies excellency enough in God and Christ to entertain your Thankfulnesse to draw out your Thankfulnesse and Praises Indeed there is a formal or notional difference between Praising God and giving thanks to God Praises respect the excellencies of God himself Thankfulness respect the benefits we receive from God I praise God when I honour him for the Excellency that is in him I am thankful to God when I blesse him for those benefits I receive from him But now in Scripture these are put one for the other ordinarily and whatsoever our condition be whether high or low rich or poor full or empty there is enough Excellency in Christ for to draw out our Praises and therefore in every thing we are to be Thankful There is no condition so sad Reas 2 but somewhat is good that is mingled with it No darknesse so dark but-some light withal No misery so miserable
whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy See who are to say so Let the Redeemed of the Lord say so whom he hath Redeemed from the hand of the enemy Beloved ye know that not long since we were in Captivity I mean a Spriitual Captivity we sate down by the waters side and said How shall we do to sing a Christian song The Lord hath Redeemed us he hath Redeemed us out of the hand of our Enemies And if the Lord hath not Redeem'd you out of the hand of your Enemy don't say so but if he have Let the Redeemed of the Lord say so Pesides Is it not worth our Thankfulness that we have had so many daies of Thanksgiving together A day of Fasting and Prayer is a sweet day a Thanksgiving-day sweeter if I may make compate For in a day of Fasting and Prayer we deal with the anger and wrath and displeasure of God In a day of Thanksgiving with the love of God and the mercy of God In a day of Fasting and Prayer we exercise Grief But in a day of Thanksgiving we exercise Joy and love In a day of Fasting and Prayer your eye is upon your sins In a day of Thanksgiving upon your graces to be Thankful for them As the fish swims upon the top of the water when the Sun shines which in a storm lay at the bottom and wood and sticks tumbled up and down and those were seen So in a day of Thanksgiving there ye see and take notice of your own graces to be thankful for them In a day of Fasting and Prayer sometimes ye are so humbled for sin committed as the sence of your Justification is quite shattered But in the day of Thanksgiving your assurance for heaven is sealed they are sweet daies And beloved you have had many of them of late and surely this is worth our Praise But give me leave a little to Enumerate for Enumeration is one kind of Argument Hath not the Lord from heaven owned his own Cause in the hands of his servants our brethren in the field Hath not the Lord heard your Prayers Hath not the Lord opened many Mines of precious Truths that ye never knew before Hath not the Lord delivered you from the hand of a savadge Enemy Those that lay among the pots brought forth with doves-wings Victory after Victory one treading upon the heel of another overtaking another Does he not daily load you with his benefits I cannot say as David in the 9. Psalm and the 1. verse I will praise thee O Lord with my whole heart I will shew forth all thy marveilous works The former part I will praise thee O Lord with my whole heart you will say But the latter part I will shew forth all thy marveilous works Who can say they are beyond us And now Beloved if it be our duty to Praise God to be Thankful to him in every condition when we are low shall we not be thankful to him now that the Lord hath raised us and fill'd us thus You will say Object There 's one thing that hinders us in the work of Praise and Thanksgiving in these times A Reformation is now begun and things do not succeed according to our desires in the matter of Reformation should we can we be Thankful now Yes If the Lord give me a Child Answ should not I be Thankfull for it because it is not borne a man When the Jews built the Temple did not they shout and praise God that the Foundation was laid When the Israelites had overcome their enemies in Samuels time though the Enemies were round about them they set up a stone and called it Eben-ezer 1 Sam. 7.12 Hitherto the Lord hath helped us Beloved in our Thanksgiving we are to be like unto Jesus Christ He did not only praise God when he had the mercy but before he had it in the entrance upon it When he raises up Lazarus from the dead John 11.41 42. Father saies he I Thank thee that thou hearest me alwaies and then he commands Lazarus to come out But first he gives Thanks to God In the Scripture the holy-Ghost hath commmanded us Prov. 3.9 To honour the Lord with our substance and with the first fruits of all our increase Either ye have the first-fruits of Reformation or not If not what mean all those precious Ears and fruits which ye have been gathering in these latter times And if ye have the first fruits though ye have not reap't the harvest yet then honour the Lord with your substance and with your first-fruits So shall your barnes be fill'd with plenty and your presses with the new wine of the Gospel God does give one mercy as a seal unto another a First as a seal to the Second the Second as a seal to the Third the lesser as a pledge of the greater God does give a lesser mercy to try us whether we will be Thankful that he may give a greater Beloved these are trying times God tries us whether we will be Thankful for what we have A Reformation is now on foot what though things don't succeed according to your desire shall we not be Thankful for what we have because we want something of what we would have when then shall we be Thankful I but Quest 't is not only want of Reformation but many Errours that are risen up among us in these times and should we be Thankful now in this condition Yes Answ Shall I not be Thankful for some grace because it is mingled with much Corruption Shall I not be Thankful for my field of Corn because divers weeds are mingled therewith Shall I cast away the kernel because it is compast about with a shell Luther in the beginning of the Reformation met with many Errours and he comforted himself with this When the Corn is grown the weeds will die alone Meaning this When Reformation is come to greater strength Errours would die alone 'T is said of our Lord and Saviour Christ Isa 53.12 He was numbered among transgressors Should not I love Christ or own Christ or be Thankful for Christ because he was numbered among transgressors The Errours of the time you say are the transgressors of the time Shall I not love the Truth and own the Truth and be thankful for the Truth because it is numbered among the transgressors the transgressors of the time Blessed is that man that can see a beauty in Truth when it hath a scratch't face And indeed every Truth hath a beauty the Lord hath given you out many Truths in these times that ye were ignorant of before Beloved I do not say that ye should be thankful for any Errour we ought to be grieved for any Errour But shall we be so mindful against Errour crying out against Errour Errour as not to be thankful for any Truth we have If the whole world were spread with Errour that one Truth living Jesus Christ died for sinners there were
but some mercy withal Heaven is all Mercy and Hell is all Misery but this life is made up of both 't is a twi-light Some good in every condition and therefore in Every thing we are to give Thanks unto God 'T is the duty of a Christian to be like unto Jesus Christ Reas 3 he was thankful in Every thing When he had not whereon to lay his head Father I thank thee Matth. 11.25 When he was to go to his agony and sweat drops of blood they sung an Hymne saies the text a Psalm of Praise So when a Christian is to go to his agony what ever agony he meets withal there is rise enough yet for his Thankfulnesse In Every thing be thankful As the Apostle hath it in the 5. to the Ephesians and the 20. Giving thanks alwaies for all things unto God even the father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ You will say Suppose that a Christian meet with some long Quest heavy and sharp Affliction is he to be Thankful then to be Thankful in that condition Yes Look I pray into the 24. of Esay Answ and the 15. verse Wherefore saies he glorifie ye the Lord in the fires even the Name of the Lord God of Israel in the Isles of the Sea Glorifie ye the Lord in the fires so ye reade it Some rather translate it thus Glorifie ye the Lord in Doctrines Vrim the same word that we translate Vrim for the Urim and Thummim But I would rather translate it Valleyes so Calvin for Doctrines does not sute with that which follows Glorifie ye the Lord in the Valleyes even the Name of the Lord God of Israel in the Isles of the Sea A Valley is a low place and dark now saies he though ye be in a dark condition removed from light Glorifie the Lord in the Valleyes glorifie the Lord there And good reason why the Saints should do so as ye will see if you look into the 1. of Zachary and the 8. verse I saw by night and behold a man riding upon a red horse and he stood among the myrtle-trees that were in the bottom and behind him were there red horses speckled and white This man upon a red horse plainly must be meant Christ who is here attended with red horses speckled and white to send forth and dispatch into the several parts of the world upon his design These other red horses they are behind him waiting upon him Now where is Christ He is among the myrtle-trees And where are the Myrtle-trees They are in the bottom The Saints and people of God for their fruitfulnesse they are called Myrtle-trees and sometimes their condition is as a Valley they are in the bottom but yet they are Myrtle-trees in the bottom and Jesus Christ is among these Myrtle-trees though they be in a bottom though they be in a Valley and therefore no wonder that we should praise and glorifie God in this condition Beloved what we may rejoyce in that we may praise God for Jam. 1.9 10. Rom. 5.3 Now saies the Apostle Let the brother of low-degree rejoyce in that he is exalted and let the brother of high degree rejoyce in that he is made low Rejoyce in Tribulation A man is to rejoyce more for the opportunity of exercising grace than in all prosperity there are some graces that cannot be exercised but in Tribulation cannot be exercised in Heaven Patience and the like Now then when Tribulation comes a Christian should thus look upon it I have hereby an opportunity of exercising that grace that I had not before and then he will blesse God and then he will be thankful in that condition when God takes away one mercy he gives another if he take away Moses he will give a Joshua if he take away Ely he will give a Samuel if he will take away Christs personal presence he wil send the holy Ghost And the truth is he does not so much take away as borrow a mercy and he payes it again with usery and advantage Onesimus goes away like a thief from Philemon but he returns again with profit to him and others As for these outward things they will prove but debts at the great day of Judgment riches now and gifts now but debts then and the lesse ye have of these outward things the lesse ye have to reckon for them In a bad day men they say Oh! that I had less my reckoning would be lesse the lesse ye have the lesse your reckoning will be The comfort of a mans life consists not in Muchness but fitness to his heart If a man have a great Farm and a small stock it is the only way to break him it 's better to have a Farm fit for ones stock than a great Farm The Lord he sees what our stock of grace is and accordingly he provides a Farm for every one of his Children and sometimes it is lessened but the reason is because the stock of grace is no bigger they have no more grace to stock it withal Our Gifts and our Parts and our Prosperity they are so strong sometimes that God is fain to mingle water therewithal that we may not be drunk I appeal to you are not the Saints gainers by all their losses are not they strengthened by all their weaknesse are not they bettered by all their crosses Surely then in all things they are to be thankful though their affliction be exceeding long sharp and grievous yet they are to be thankful in that condition But suppose now Quest that it be Persecution that a man is to be exercised with and that is bitter is a Christian to be Thankful then even in that condition Yes ye know what the Apostle saies To you it is given Answ Phil. 1.29 Phil. 1.22 John 18.37 not only to beleeve but to suffer Gods gift is worth our thanks And saies the Apostle All shall turn to the furtherance of the Gospel Is it not a great matter and worth our praise thankfulnesse that we should be trusted by God to bear witnesse to his Truth For this came I into the world saies Christ that I might bear witness to the Truth It was his design thereby ye are like to him and so honour him When were the Churches and people of God more pure than under Persecution and is it not a great mercy to be kept pure The more you suffer for any Truth the more that Truth shall be spread by you you die but the Truth lives your Estate dies and your Name dies and your Liberty dies but your dying Estate gives a living testimony unto the Truth When I am lift up saies Christ Joh. 12.23 meaning upon the Crosse I will draw all men after me And so shall you do when you are lift up upon the Crosse for any Truth ye shall draw all men after that Truth that ye are lift up for When have ye more communion with Jesus Christ than when ye suffer most for his
Truth Is it not a great mercy for a man to be glorified on this side heaven pray look upon that expression which ye have in the 13. of John the 30. and the 31. verses 'T is said concerning Christ himself that when Judas went out having received the sop Jesus saith Now is the Son of man glorified and God is glorified in him Verse the 30. Judas having received the sop went immediately out and it was night therefore when he was gone out Jesus saith Now is the son of man glorified Judas went out to betray him to bring him to the Crosse a false brother was gone out Now is the son of man glorified saies he Not only because the cross was the way to glory but the truth is he was glorified upon the Crosse there was a glory there You may observe it He did many miracles and when he had done those miracles he did not say then Now is the son of man glorified He was Transfigured and he did not say upon his Transfiguration Now is the son of man glorified But now he comes to suffer now he comes to the Crosse now saies he is the son of man glorified And indeed now is his love to poor sinners glorified Col. 2.15 The Apostle saies He triumphed over all principalities and powers upon the Crosse and his love triumphs over all our fins and our guilt and our unworthinesse Oh! then was free-grace and love when Christ was upon the Crosse Now is the son of man glorified And so it shall be with you When a false brother goes out to persecute you to betray you to bring you to the Crosse you may say so Now is the servant of the Lord glorified now is my love to Christ glorified never more glorified than now This makes the Apostle Peter speak in the 1. Peter 4.16 If any man suffer as a Christian let him not be ashamed but let him glorifie God on this behalf 'T is matter of Praise and Thanksgiving here saies he at the 13. verse Rejoyce in as much as ye are partakers of Christs sufferings Verse the 14. If ye be reproach't for the name of Christ happy are ye for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth on you That is saies one upon that place As Noahs Dove hovered over the water and found no place for to rest her foot upon untill she returned to the Ark So does the Spirit of God as it were hover over the souls of men it wanteth rest and when it sees a soul that suffers for the Truth there it lights there it rests there the Spirit of God and of glory rests I appeal to you which will be most comfortable think ye at the day of Judgment that ye have been persecuted for the Truth or that ye have been a persecutor of the Truth I know your Answer When a Christian is under persecution he may lift up his voice and say I might have been ingag'd against the Truth Ah! I might have been a persecutor of the Truth but blessed be God it is not so The Apostles went away rejoycing that they were accounted worthy to suffer for the Name of Christ Surely therefore there is matter of praise and thanksgiving even in this condition also in this condition a Christian should be thankful 't is the will of God our Father we should be thankfull here But suppose that a mans inward and spiritual condition be overclouded Quest and God withdraw and hide his face from a Christian shall he can he be thankful in this condition is it his duty to be thankful now Yes For though God do withdraw Answ though he do hide his face and not shine upon a Christian yet it may be light with him Day may be day though the Sun do not shine forth in bright-beams And it may be day light it may be day upon a Christian soul though there be never a beam shines We are saved by faith and not by feeling Again Though Christ doth hide his face though he doth withdraw his Comforting presence he never withdraws his Supporting presence from a Christian sometimes more of that when least of the other Christ deals by a Christian as God dealt by Christ in his agony and on the Crosse though God withdrew his Comforting presence so as he cry'd out and said My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Matth. 27.46 Yet he had never more of Gods Supporting presence And so 't is with a Christian Though Christ may withdraw his Comforting presence yet he never withdraws his Supporting presence from them Besides Jesus Christ does so withdraw from a Christian as he does draw withall by his Spirit He seemed to withdraw from the Canaanitish woman but he did draw her to him by his Spirit When he withdraws in the 5. of the Canticles from his Spouse he leaues Myrrhe upon the ringles of the door And so when he withdraws from a Christian he leaues his Myrrhe upon the ringles of the heart the heart cannot be quiet cannot rest takes no contentment without him he does draw the soul to him while he seems to witndraw from the soul Lastly What a man would not lose for all the world that you will say is worthy of Praise and Thankfulness Now take a gracious soul a godly man when he is most deserted forsaken left as it were and he saies now Mercy is gone now Christ is gone Ask him but this Question If Christ be gone as you say why don't you renounce Christ and renounce all his waies He will tell you Oh! no I dare not renounce him for all the world But if he be quite gone Why don't you turn Drunkard why don't you turn Swearer and why don't you cast off all duties Oh! no that I dare not I have yet something left that I would not lose for all the world Is there not then matter of Praise and Thanksgiving in this condition Surely there is even in this condition also But you will say Quest Suppose that a man be oppressed with sad Temptations black and dark Temptations God does not only withdraw but Satan draws neer heavy and dreadful Temptations presse in upon him is it the will of God the Father that he should be Thankful in this condition also Yes Answ For is it not matter of Praise think ye and Thankfulnesse that your Enemy is overcome before you strike a stroke you shall be more than Conquerers write your Enemy overcome before you fight Job 16.33 Be of good comfort saies Christ I have overcome the world and so the god of the world Satan your Enemy is overcome before you do strike a stroke Besides Is it not matter of Praise and Thanksgiving That Satan can tempt you no more than your own Father gives him leave to do Simon Simon Luke 23.31 saies Christ Satan hath desired thee that he may winnow thee as wheat Mark the words He hath desired he was fain to aske leave first he could not winnow Peter till he
matter of Praise The more Errour does prevail the more mercy it is that you are kept And truely the only way or a special way to be kept from Errour is to be thankful for Truth As a way to be kept from sin is to be thankful for grace So a special way to be kept from Errour is to be thankful for Truth So then Notwithstanding all this yet you are to be thankful Thankful even in this condition though many Errours yet ye are to be thankful to be in all things thankful in every thing thankful Thankful when ye are straitened as well as when ye are most enlarged Thankful when ye are Deserted as well as when God shines upon you Thankful when ye are Afflicted as well as when ye are Delivered Thankful when ye have no Victories as well as when ye have Victories Some it may be now will Praise the Lord and be Thankful hearing of so many Victories and because there may be some hopes of Peace But beloved 't is our duty to be in every thing Thankful 'T is the will of God our Father that we should be Thankful in every thing Thankful in every condition Give me leave to propound some few Incouragments hereunto for it seems a hard thing to be Thankful in every thing in every condition If you can be thankful in every thing even when ye are low you will engage God for to raise you up If when you are weak you engage God for to make you strong If when you are Deserted you engage God to enlarge you to shine upon you It pleases God much you cannot please him more than to be Thankful in every thing even when ye are low For Example Suppose a man be convinc'd of sin troubled in Conscience hath no assurance of Gods love in Christ If he should die he does not know whether he should go to heaven or hell Yet notwithstanding saies he what ever become of me I bless the Lord that I am come hither I was going on in the most sad condition the Lord hath opened my eyes I see indeed nothing but the wrath of God due for my sins but yet blessed be the Lord that hath opened my eyes to see this I saies the Lord doest thou blesse me because I have opened thy eyes for to see thy sins I 'le open thine eyes for to see thy Saviour Doest thou blesse me because I have opened thy eyes to see thy own heart and the naughtiness thereof I 'le open thy eyes to see all my grace and I 'le cause all my grace to passe before thee This engages God when ye can be thankful for every thing and when ye are low it engages God much unto you Again Hereby your Afflictions shall be made blessings unto you You say How shal I know whether an Affliction be a blessing or no Take this note when thou canst blesse God under an Affliction then thy Affliction is made a blessing thy very blessing of God under an Affliction makes thy Affliction a blessing to thee Job greatly afflicted and he blest God and his Affliction was a blessing to him so shall it be with you Touch but thy Affliction with a Thankful heart it will turn it into gold Moreover The more you can be Thankful for any thing when ye are low the more peace shall your heart and your soul be fild with Some of you it may be want peace of Conscience and ye say Oh! that I had peace within whatever become of me Outwardly whatsoever the world do with me Oh! that I had peace within To this purpose consider the 4. to the Philippians saies the Apostle Be ye in nothing careful at the 6. verse but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus This is the way to get a great and a full peace Be in nothing careful be in all things Thankful then the peace of God shall guard you Besides Hereby ye shall shame the Devil your great adversary shall retreate from tempting of you as one ashamed and confounded Some there are that shame the Saints and are a shame to the waies of God the Gospel Some there are that shame the Devil The Devil said unto God concerning Job Do but touch him Job 1.11 12 21 and he will curse thee to thy face saies the Lord He is in thy hand only save his life and Satan touch't him what then The Lord giveth the Lord taketh away blessed be his Name The Devil said he would Curse God and he blesses God See how the Devil is sham'd and confounded here Some there are that make the Devils words good Touch him and he will curse thee to thy face and so do some do and thereby they are a shame indeed unto the people of God and the waies of God But when people can blesse God under Affliction if ye in every this be Thankful the Devil is confounded God is much honoured Wherefore beloved as ye desire that God may be much honoured by you the Devil confounded your own peace setled all your afflictions turned into blessings and the Lord engag'd to you to raise you up when ye are low learn out this lesson not only to be Thankful when ye are full but to be Thankful when ye are empty to be in every thing Thankful this is the will of God your Father How shall we do this Quest you will say how must that be done Some few things in answer to that and so I will wind up all First Answ 1 Observe your own temper and accommodate your selves put thy self upon that duty and that grace which thine own disposition lies next unto God hath given us this indulgence Jam. 5.13 Is any afflicted let him pray is any merry let him sing Psalms According to your disposition saies he that is the meaning So let your work be so let your grace be It may be thou canst not Pray by that time thou hast been at another duty that thy disposition lies more unto next unto thou wilt be fit to pray It may be thou canst not Sing by that time thou hast been at Prayer which thy disposition lies next unto thou wilt be fit to Sing Let us not be more cruel to our souls than God is he hath give us this indulgence observe your selves accommodate your selves and by this means you shall be able upon all occasions to blesse and praise the Lord. Again Be sure of this that you maintain your Assurance fresh and green It 's a hard thing for a man to be thankful in every thing that wants Assurance Come to him for to praise God for a great work but it may be saies he it came in Judgment to me I have no Assurance Strengthen your Assurance in these Three things and it will cause continual Thankfulnesse Thankfulnesse in every thing Assurance