pray against them to have them restrain'd and subdu'd Many a weak and aged and sickly one unfit for warre and yet powerful in prayer And these weapons of our warfare they are not carnal but mighty You can't encounter an enemy I but you may thus wrastle with the Almighty You can't batter down a strong hold but yet ye can besiege the throne of grace with concentred abilities You are not fit to be set in a Watch-tower to spy out the approach of an enemie but yet you may watch unto prayer And this is a great advantage that Christians have over their enemies The enemy knows not how to pray they know how to curse and swear and blaspheme the name of God but they know not how to pray Or if they do pray and tell their prayers with their beads that they may know the number of them yet their prayer is turn'd into fin The prayer of the wicked is an abomination Let them cry aloud to their Idols and see if they will hear them they can't look that God should hear them For If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear my prayer O then let Christians know their own happinesse and make use of this spirituall weapon of prayer that opposes the enemy more then all other weapons whatsoever Let them brandish the glittering sword c. And this is the chief use you are to make of all the news you hear to know how to order your prayers accordingly No question more ordinary in mens mouth then what news And I finde no fault with the question it is good and fitting But news are not to be enquired after only for the satisfying of mens mindes and curiosity as the Athenians spent all their time in enquiring for some news But this is the main end of it to know how to send up your prayers for the good of the Church and your praises for such mercies as God bestowes upon it All news heard by a publick spirit will stir up prayer or thanksgiving This is the use you are to make of news if sad news of the Churches misery and desolation then send up more fervent prayer that God would repaire the breaches of it and settle it in a flourishing condition if welcome news then praise God for his free goodnesse and desire him to perfect the great work which he has begun This is one special means to promote the publick good the prayer of the righteous And God alwayes when he intends any great mercy he poures upon his people a spirit of prayer he stirres up their hearts in this way he opens their mouth wide before he fills it 2. Self-Reformation This has great influence upon the publick good And how can you expect a publick and glorious Reformation unlesse first you reforme in private Look upon the grievances of your own soul hearken unto those many petitions that are put up to you by the Ministers who beseech you to be reconcil'd unto God Every sin addes to wrath it provokes God pulls down his judgements and ripens a Nation for destruction and has a malignant and venemous influence upon the whole So then the turning from sin and reforming your wayes is the means to divert judgements to bring down mercies and bring down publick good If there were more private Reformations in mens spirits there is no doubt but God would blesse the publick Reformation Sinne puts more rubs in the way then any enemy or opposer whatsoever This is the great Mountain that hinders the going up of the Temple if this one were but took away all other would quickly become a plain They are very injurious to the publick good that go on in a course of sinning against so gracious a God that do's such great things for us One sinner destroyes much good as the wise man speaks 3. Vnited spirits and a sweet harmony of Affections graciously consorting together would help forward the cause of Israel Jarres and dissensions amongst Christians themselves sound very harshly For the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart What is there can give greater advantage to an enemy then to see Israelites fall out amongst themselves You may learn more wisdome of them that are wiser in their generation then the children of light what a strait union and confederacy have they among themselves Gebal and Ammon and Ama'ek the Philistines with them that dwell at Tyre These scales of Leviathan as that in Job is usually allegoriz'd are shut together as with a close seale And if they should be at variance and discord among themselves yet they have a sure way of reconciliation by a joynt opposition of the godly Ephraim against Manesseh and Manasseh against Ephraim both against Judah Herod and Pilate made friends in crucifying Christ If wicked men can agree in opposing of goodnesse why should not Christians in helping forward goodnesse All ye that come out to the help of the Lord to the help of the Lord against the Mighty come with united hearts and agreeing spirits Why should there be strife between you seeing you are Brethren And then consider What will not united forces do when you shall joyn to the work of the Lord with one consent with one shoulder What is it that this union won't bring to passe It will strike terrour to the Churches enemies and strengthen the hearts of friends It will mightily promote the publick goood and tend to the glory of Ierusalem If men would but lay out themselves and their several gifts and abilities in one general aime for the advantage of their Master and good of their fellow-servants what glorious times should we then see This is one clause in the Protestation to stand for the union of the three Kingdomes 4. I might adde that with outward aide too you are bound to promote the publick good with liberal contribution to relieve the necessity of the Christians as the Church of Macedonia gave above her abilities And also such as by authority shall be sent forth against the Popish-Rebells they are to fight with courage and alacrity for 't is for the cause of God They come out to the help of the Lord to the help of the Lord against the Mighty And now for a word of Application It is for the just reproof of most men that minde not at all the publick good How do they think to avoide the curse of Meroz seeing they come not out to the help of the Lord c. There is a principle of corrupt self-love in men that makes them of narrow and contracted spirits All their aimes are for themselves and their own ends they do not minde the good of the Church If they hear but of a worldy losse some ship cast away and their estate be weaken'd this will pierce and affect their spirits 't will sad and darken their joy But they can hear of ruines of the Church the breaches of Sion that the Church has many rollings and commotions and
ye shall go and no further Saul when he is breathing out of slaughters and making havock of the Church even then he becomes a Paul When the soul is even ripe for judgement then mercy shines out upon it And that which would seeme the most reasonable time for vengeance is made a blessed opportunity of shewing mercy 4. Consider the efficacious and overpowering work of grace he must force thee to be happy and necessitate thee to salvation and compell thee to come in It is not enough to provide the meanes but he must strongly apply them unlesse the arme of the Lord be reveal'd there 's none will beleeve our report It may be thou cam'st occasionally to hear a Sermon well God hath the two-edged sword in his own hand he brandish't the glittering sword he fought against thee he wounded thee and frighted thee out of thy sinnes Well thou wentest away with groans and sighes and teares like a Hart stuck with an arrow panting and breathing and faine would'st have some refreshment Ere long he met with a faithful Messenger and sent thee some balme from Gilead he began to let in some of his love to thy soul and to cheere thee with Gospel-cordials and were not they all bought with the riches of free grace Or it may be thou cam'st into a Church with a minde to smile at Religion to laugh at Goodnesse to mock at Piety or else to guesse the best thou cam'st for flowers and not for fruit to crop an Elegancy to take acquaintance of a Notion or a fine expression as he once to hear an eloquent Ambrose Thou cam'st for a bait but met'st with an hook and 't was happy for thee that thou wert so caught Thou thought'st only to see the flourishing of the sword but thou felt'st the edge of it and 't was well for thee that thou wert so wounded 5. Remember the manner how he thus wrought upon thee it may be 't was with softer and gentler impressions in a winning in a melting way he drew thee with the cords of a man and sweetly dissolv'd thy stony heart 'T is true the Law had its work and strook thee with the flaming edge of a curse but the Gospel presently brought oile and powr'd it into the wounded spirit The love of Christ was the powerful Suada Heavens Rhetorick there was Demosthenes his double Deity in it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it constrain'd thee to obedience And was it not mercy to be dealt withal in so milde a way Well but what if thou wert a more knotty and obdurate piece and 't was not a little matter would tame thy unruly spirit God came in a more victorious and triumphant manner and led captivity captive when he gave gifts unto thy soul He was fain to batter down strong holds and bring to the ground towering imaginations Thou had'st a rocky and flinty spirit and was not his word an hammer did not he take it into his own hand he smote the stony rock indeed so as the waters gushed out Well and had he no bowels all the while was it not abundance of mercy to take pains with such an obstinate sinner Referre it you to what you will we 'le put it under the head of free grace 6. Think upon those mountains of opposition that were beaten down when this goodly fabrick of the Temple went up with the shoutings and acclamations of free grace The strong man was dispossest all the plots and stratagems of Satan were frustrated God crush't his designes and blasted his enterprises and broke his snares and rescu'd thee out of the paw of the Lion 'T was much love and grace to set a silly bird out of the snare to ransome a poor captive to break the chaine and beat off the irons to disentangle a soul and set it at liberty And then he arm'd thee against the disgraces and frownes of the world and fortifi'd thee against the smiles and blandishments of the world and carried thee against the potent stream of examples which all ran another way free grace hid thy soul under the shadow of its wings 7. Hast thou not fresh supplies of free grace flowing in continually upon thy soul and maintaining it to all eternity If God in this new creation had given thee as he did at the first a stock of grace and left it to thine own improvement thou would'st have spent it immediately Thou hast somewhat of free grace every moment of thy spiritual being God feeds and preserves the humidum radicale of the soul or else 't would quickly waste away He sends thee in rich influences and Auxiliary forces and keeps thee by his mighty power through faith unto salvation And this is no small work of grace Conservatio you know 't is continuata creatio 8. Compare thy self with those that have had none of all this kindnesse shown unto them such as God hath left to themselves in the severity of his justice and this will set a goodly glosse upon free grace 1. Many of them are such as have improv'd their present strength far better Many Heathens have liv'd more accurately and exactly then some Christians in their unregenerate condition and yet one out of all ordinary possibility of salvation and the others efficaciously called He may do with his own what he will and he hath mercy on whom he will have mercy Thus Publicans are before Pharisees and swelling Justitiaries that free grace may be more apparent and conspicuous 2. Some have desired more strength and in their way pray'd for it too and it may be have had the prayers of others too and yet have gone without it but thou hast not call'd upon me O Jacob I was found of thee when thou sought'st me not 3. He past by men of most admirable endowments most rare accomplishments that in all probability would have done him a great deal more honourable service then thou art like to do Would not an Aristotle have made a glorious convert and fill'd the world as full of Divinity as he did of Philosophy but God passeth by these stately Cedars of Lebanon and chooseth a few contemptible Shrubs and this is the good will of him that dwelt in the bush he hath chosen the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the meere non-entia of the world to bring to naught the things that are So that if thou look to the fountaine or the streames or the conveiances you meet with nothing but free grace Fourthly I might draw an head of arguments à Minori ad Majus common and restraining grace is free grace how much more justifying and saving grace that one is not so bad as another is meere grace c. This truth is full of Use Richly laden with fruit if we had time to gather it I 'le but point at it Vse Let none dare to abuse the grace of God to still malignant and venomous consequences out of so sweet and flowery a truth Câ—m gratia Dei sit mellea ne comedas
ceremoniarum 2. Speculum prophetiarum 1. In the glasse of the Ceremonies they saw very darkly We could not look for much light where there were so many shadows where there were so many veils they could not see face to face That the Jews worshipped a cloud for their God was a meere calumny but that they worshipped their God in a cloud we wil easily grant for all our fathers were under the cloud 1 Cor. 10. 1. The Ceremonial law was nothing else but an heap and miscellany of riddles who amongst them could tell the meaning of them nay it is well if we that have the type and antitype meeting together can give a just explanation of some of them Well this glass is now broken for Ceremonies like false looking-glasses represent the object with too much shadow and yet still the scarlet whore will be dressing her self by them because like flattering glasses they make her seem fairer and more beautiful Majorésque cadunt altis de montibus umbrae 2. In speculo prophetiarum Prophetia est speculum in quo videntur sutura Here they might see the presence of a deferr'd deliverance they might see the face of a promised Messias Buxtorf in his Synagoga Judaica tells us that he is perswaded this is one maine reason why the Jews are so ignorant of the Messias because they are so little vers't in the Prophets they spend their whole time upon the Law but will not cast an eye upon them He speaks of the modern Jews God in much mercy hath given them glasses and they will not vouchsafe to look in them they were always an obdurate and stiff-necked people rebelling against the Prophets they go on to fill up the sins of their fathers Well but yet the Seers themselves saw but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and they saw in them very darkly For 1. Prophecies as the learned Verulam have gradus scalas complementi climbing accomplishments springing and germinant accomplishments A Prophecie in the bud is not so easily seen as when it shoots out further and spreads it self in larger growth such passages in Esay as seem to us clear as the day were to them dark and Enigmatical and we see how obscure St. Johns prophecie seems to us And the devil who was always Gods Ape he over-imitated here for his oracles were wrapt up in so many clouds and withal so full of fallacies as none ever could tell their meaning till event had given the interpretation The Prince of darknesse would make all his sayings wear his livery Divine prophecies are as clear as crystal if compared with his cloudy oracles 2. Prophecies at best are but weak and imperfect things and therefore they also shall be abolished no need of them in heaven they were very beneficial to the Church militant to acquaint her with approaching judgements and prepare her for intended mercies but when happinesse is present and compleat no need of them then in the Church triumphant Thus you have seen how they under the Law saw but darkly if Gods peculiar people had so little knowledge of him in what grosse and palpable ignorance did they live that had none of this his light shining upon them for in Judah was God known and his Name was famous in Israel He hath not dealt so with every nation neither had the Heathen knowledge of his Law And now if we look upon our selves that live under the light of the Gospel even we in this Sun-shine see but darkly 1. There are many Evangelical riddles a God incarnate a crucified Saviour which are such 1. as the Angels themselves see but darkly and therefore they are still prying to see more 2. Reason that great patron of unbelief wrangles against them and yet reason it self will dictate thus much That the mysteries of Religion should be above the reach of reason 3. The greatest part of the world reject them the Greeks esteem them foolishnesse they think there is not so much in them as in a riddle in that there is some hidden sense but these are plain foolishnesse in their esteem and Evangelium to the Jews is no more then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for so they blasphemously call it volumen iniquitatis They stumble at a crucified Saviour and yet themselves were the crucifiers of him The veil of the temple rent at his death I but the veil is still upon their hearts and yet that e're long shall be rent too and they shall see him whom they have pierced and shall mourn and be in much bitternesse and confesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We crucified our Love we crucified our Saviour 2. There are many Practical truths which are meer riddles to carnal spirits as to forsake all for a persecuted Christ to cut off right hands pluck out right eyes pray for enemies not to do evil that good may come thereof these principles they can hardly digest and there are many Christian priviledges which they know not what to make of assurance of Gods favour communion with him hidden Manna joy in the holy Ghost glorious unspeable These such like puzle their apprehensions for they never entred into the heart of a natural man to conceive it is too narrow for them to enter 3. There are many passages which to Christians themselves are dark and enigmatical such as we cannot easily understand The book of the Revelation is all veil'd with obscurity the first thing we meet with almost are seven Seals it is full of hidden secrets and who is there that can unseal the book Our adversaries the Papists catch at this and are ready with a double inference The Scriptures are enigmatical therefore clear them with Traditions therefore keep them from the people But 1. When we speak of the Scriptures darknesse it is but comparatively in respect of those bright manifestations we shall have of God hereafter A pearl may be clear and orient and yet dark in respect of a starre a star may be bright and yet obscure if compared with the Sun 2. All truths belonging to the Essence of a Christian are plain and perspicuous and there is an assisting Spirit which though they perhaps may scoffe at and some others may unjustly pretend to yet without doubt it shall lead Gods people into all truth 3. Is their Cabala so pure are their Traditions so clear and crystalline as that we shall see in them better then in the word If you cannot see in a pellucid stream do you think to see in a muddy standing pool But Secondly The Scriptures are enigmatical therefore keep them from the people Nay rather therefore explain them to them therefore set up a faithful Ministery whose lips may preserve knowledge and acquaint them with the mysteries of salvation and open to them these hidden oracles And let the people themselves search the Scriptures dig for knowledge as for silver and for wisdome as hid treasure Again they had better see in a glasse though but darkly then not to