in purple and fared deliciously every day It would be answered That he was a riotous Glutton a Swine out of Epicurus his stie and he bespeaks our indignation not our imitation And yet I might rejoin that his sin lay in pampering his Carcase in the Dining-Room when poor Lazarus could not get the scraps and crumbs that fell from his Table The truth is 't is a Parable which always speaks a truth and is founded in a truth though the manner of teaching be artificial and feigned nor do I doubt but our Saviour Modelled his Parable by and Calculated it for the innocent and allowed Customs of his own Countrey Nor shall I make further use of that man that came into the assembly with his gold ring Jam. 2.2 and goodly apparel than to observe that the sin lay neither in the one nor the other but in the partial Idolizing a Grandee meerly on the account of his External Habiliments when the poor good man was thrust down to the footstool if not trampled under foot 3. Proposition No ability of the rich will warrant him in wearing any Apparel inconsistent with the ends of Gods appointment The purse is not the adequate measure of the Lawfulness of Apparel Conscience may be straitned when the purse is enlarged I note this for the sake of those who always defend themselves with a Proverb as wicked as 't is dull If my mind stand to it and my purse pay for it what has any to do with it I will tell them who has Nature whom thou hast enfeebled those Souls that thou hast tempted thy own which thou hast defiled and God himself whose ends in giving Apparel thou hast neglected and transgressed each of these have cause of Action against thee A man then may be civilly able who is not morally able to follow the fashions The purse may bear the charge when Conscience cannot give thee a discharge for thy vanity 4. Proposition No measure of Wealth can justify those Garbs which speak pride vain-glory in the wearer I grant that Argument may indicate no pride in one man who out of his abundance can spare the charge of which it would speak in another whose incompetent Estate cannot reach the expence and yet his ambitious mind affects the Gallantry yet stll pride and vain-glory are abominable to God in the Rich as in the Poor in the King as in the Beggar difference then of Apparel may be allowed but pride and vain-glory have no toleration 5. Proposition It is sinful to aspire after those costly Garbs which are above our Estates to maintain A poor man may be as covetous as the rich and ordinarily are more because covetousness lies not merely in the having but in the immoderate and inordinate desiring to have what he does not want And a mean man may be vain-glorious and proud in his Rags and sometimes of his Rags because this humour lies not so much in the wearing as in the lusting to wear glorious trappings beyond what his Estate is able to support And this I note for the sakes of those aspiring persons who when they cannot for their lives reach the chargeable matter yet shew their good will to bravery in imitating the cheap vanity of the form and shape 6. Proposition Every man in the account of God Cloathes above his ability who withdraws from works of necessity justice and mercy to maintain his pride No man is suppos'd able to do a thing till he be able to do it when God and man have their own The rich mans conveniences must be retrencht by the duties of Justice his superfluities by the acts of Mercy and when these are substracted out of the total sum of thy income the remainder is clearly thy own only in the Lord. There is a certain order of things which we must strictly observe If food and raiment come in competition the belly must carry it food was before sin raiment brought in by it If Justice and Mercy come in competition Justice must carry it we must pay what we owe and then give what we can spare If the necessities of another are competitors with mine mine own must take place because I am bound to Love my Neighbour as but not before my self but if the necessity of a Christian stands in competition with my own superfluities his exigence is to take place of my abundance for no man is really able to be fine till he has paid all he owes to God and Man to Creditors and Petitioners § 2. The age of the Person will allow some diversity of Apparel One thing may become little Children playing in the Market-place with their fellows which would be ridiculous in the grave Senator when he sits in the Gate of his City when we are Children we think we understand we speak as children 1 Cor. 13.15 when we become men 't is hoped we may put away childish things but what was the reproach of the Grecians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may more justly be thrown in our dish the English in the matter of Apparel have always been Children Is it not nauseous to see a Lady of Eighty smug and spruce up as if she was in the flower of Eighteen to trick and trim as if they were new come in when they are just going out of the World to harness out as if for a Wedding when they should be preparing for the Winding-Sheet When the Coffin is making and the Grave a digging and the Worms ready for them but they ready for neither And hence I infer 1. Inference That for aged persons by any habits or dresses to represent themselves as young and youthful is sinful Their Glass tells them they are old but they believe it not Time has snow'd gray hairs on their heads and they acknowledge it not Would they have others believe they are what they would seem Then they would have 'em believe a lye A lye may be told by visible as well as audible signs Or are they asham'd of the hoary head Then are they asham'd of what God has made their glory Or hope they to catch some young Birds with that Chaff Silly Birds are they that will be so caught But in the mean time how abominable is the cheater 2. Infer All youthful Periwigs and Paintings which are sinful in youth are doubly sinful in the aged Time has plow'd deep furrows in the face and they will fill 'em up with Cerass and Vermilion The Clock of time has given warning for their last Hour and they will set it back to Noon The Sun is almost setting in the West and they will outvie Joshuah not content it should stand still there a while but would force it back ten degrees as on the Dyal of Ahaz § 3. The Sex may be allow'd a share in the decision of this point for the Female has a greater Latitude than the Male it was so with Israel of old when the Bride was allow'd her Jewels but the Bridegroom must
addes the admiration and acknowledgment of Gods forbearing goodness towards them Yet saith he vers 30. didst thou forbear them or as 't is in the Hebrew protract defer Memusbeka Ezek. 12.15 prolong over them yea many years didst thou forbear them and vers 31. when the Jewes were in their Enemies hands for their sins yet nevertheless saith he for thy great mercies sake thou didst not utterly consume nor forsake them When we mourn for the sins of our Places we should much admire Gods forbearing Goodness that he defers to punish those Sins and Sinners which we must not defer to mourn for We should lay Man low but at the same time set up God high and in nothing more than in his Patience towards Sinners Patience I say infinitely exceeding any ever exercised by Man 1. All the Sins we mourn for are most clearly seen by God and known to him He sees sin wherever 't is and infinitely more plainly understands all the odious Circumstances and aggravations of sin than we can do that mourn for them or than they can that did commit them And 2. As he sees sin in all its odiousness so he infinitely more hates it than all the Saints and Angels in Heaven can do as being the only object of his hatred all the Streams whereof are collected in this one Channel Sin being also against his very nature and being a destroying him in the desire of the Sinner and that which should he in the least measure love or less than infinitely hate he would cease to be God Further admire his Patience 3. In sparing those that are perfectly in his power to destroy Rebels that are under his feet Yea lastly whom in all their Rebellions he invites to repentance yea feeds supplies maintains daily and richly Say then in thy Mourning for the Abominations of others How patient art thou in forbearing to punish those sins which it is my duty with an holy impatience to see and hear 2. In mourning for the sins of the Wicked advance God in the acknowledgment of his Justice and spotless Righteousness should he with utmost severity take vengeance upon Offenders This we shall find also to be the temper of holy Nehemiah in the forementioned Chapter the 9th and the 33d verse where mourning for the sins of the People he clears and acquits God from any injustice in executing his heavyest severities upon sinners So Ezra 9.15 Psal 15. Howbeit saith he thou art just in all that is brought upon us for thou hast done right but we have done wickedly Say Lord I wonder not at the evils that doe but those that do not befall us Were the fire of thy wrath proportion'd to the fewel of our sins we should be utterly consumed 'T is thy Mercy Lord we are not so Thou wouldst be infinitely just and to be justifi'd if we were so And 3. In spreading before God the wickednesses of great Sinners admire his infinite Power that can not only stop the worst of men in but turn them from their course of opposing God by their Rebellions We are not so to mourn for as to despair of the Conversion of the worst They are as much within the Converting reach as the Destructive reach of Gods hand Say 1. This great Sinner whose Impieties I bewail can easily by thy irresistible Grace which no hard heart can reject as was Saul be made not only of a Wolf a Sheep but even a Shepherd too I censure his way but I dare not determ ine his end Thou hast made white Paper of as black and filthy dunghil raggs What cannot the infinite Power of God accomplish for the Conversion of the greatest Sinner I now bewail him Lord but thou canst also make him more to bewail himself and make him as zealous in setting up as now he is in destroying thy People It should more comfort thee that thou sinnest not with them than trouble thee that thou sufferest from them God can make strait timber of a crooked piece God can take his Garden out of Satan's Waste Oh! how glorious would pardoning Grace and converting Power appear in causing such a change 4. In mourning admire that Grace and Power that hath kept thee from their Excesses and Extravagancies 2. The second Branch of the Manner how we must bewail the Sins § 5 of others is as it respects those for whom and for whose Sins we lament and mourn You may take up this in several particulars 1. We must bewail the Sins of our bitterest Enemies as well as of our most beloved Relations A rare and seldom practised duty I fear that this will be found I suppose there 's no godly man but bitterly mourns for the Impieties of his dear Yoke-fellow or Child but to mourn because a cruel Enemy either dishonours God or damns his own Soul I doubt there are very few that are conscientious therein Nothing is more common than to rail at our Enemies for their Impieties and to expose them to Obloquy and publick Hatred but I fear there 's nothing more unusual than to bewail their Soul their self-destroying Sins before God in secret The former Pride and Self-love will easily put us upon the latter only flows from Christian Charity and holy sanctified Zeal and Compassion Jer. 13.17 To embrace the former and neglect the latter is to exchange a Duty for a Sin A miserable exchange The holy temper of Christ Luk. 19.41 and Paul acted by his Spirit discovered their bewailings and shedding tears for those that desired to shed their blood Doubtless such a mourning as this would if not prevail for the Conversion of Enemies yet be a comfortable evidence to our Consciences of the truth yea the strength of Grace in us and of pardoning Grace bestow'd upon us who discover so high a degree of forgiving our Enemies 'T is a thousand times more eligible that mine Enemies Sins should suffer Shipwrack in a Sea of my tears than their Persons should be born down by the stream of my Power 2. We ought to bewail the Sins of our near and dear Relations § 6 in a greater measure than those of meer Strangers Natural Affection sanctified is the strongest As Nature puts forth it self to nearest Relations in strong affection so Grace engageth to a proportionable degree of spiritualizing that Affection How earnest and desirous was holy Paul for his Kinsmen in the flesh that they should be saved Rom. 10.1 Never did a godly man in the World never durst he neglect the Duty of bewailing the Sins of his Children Job offered Sacrifices Job 1.5 and Prayers and Tears too no doubt for very fear his Children might offend God There is in the Saints a spiritual Storge a natural affection Spiritualized No Godly man knows how to spare any one Child of his for the Devil it must needs trouble him to fear that they who are so near in this should be so distant in the next Life His Soul desires especiasly
Sinners converted know the addictedness of an unconverted mans Heart to his Corruptions They have tasted most of the bitterness of Sin and of the sweetness of pardoning Mercy They know most of the terror of the Lord and therefore they should be most in perswading of 2 Cor. 5.11 and sorrowing for Sinners Paul so eminent in Sin was as famous for Compassion to Sinners Gal. 6.1 The overtaken with a fault he wills should be gently set in joynt with the Spirit of meekness He could not speak of Sinners without Weeping Phil. 3.18 He had great heaviness and sorrow of Heart for his unconverted Brethren Rom. 9.2 Who is weak and I am not weak who is offended and I burn not 2 Cor. 11.29 He commends meekness toward Sinners upon this very ground for we saith he Tit. 3.3 our selves were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hateful and hating one another § 13 3. They that mourn for others Sins must more mourn because those Sins are offensive and dishonourable to God and hurtful to Sinners than because they are injurious to themselves that mourn over them To mourn for Sins of the times because hurtful to us is not Zeal for God or Charity to Sinners but self-love Godly Sorrow is when we sorrow for Sin as against God All Sorrow for our selves and our worldly Interest is but worldly Sorrow and dedolendus est iste dolor 'T is to be repented of when it puts the other-out of place We frequently mourn for the miscarriages of the times but more as they are afflictive than Sinful because we suffer rather than because Gods Honour or Souls suffer If we were not our selves concerned in the suffering of our worldly Interest few would hear of our mourning The complaint of What wilt â—â—ou do to thy great Name is much rarer than What shall become of my Family my Estate The precious Water of our Tears is not to be cast upon such Dunghils into such Sinks Sin brought in Tears and they should be principally shed for Sin 'T is observed by some that God who in times of publick mourning for Sin commands baldness forbids it for worldly troubles Isa 22.12 Lev. 21.5 4. They that mourn for others Sins should mourn more in secret § 14 than in open complaining Thus Jeremy ch 17. v. 13. I will mourn in secret places for your Pride Our Father saith Christ seeth in secret Mat. 6.18 though he recompenseth openly Publick Exercises of Religion may gain most applause and be most advantageous to observers but they testifie not so much sincerity to the Conscience as those in secret He mourns most truly that hath no other Witness thereof but the alseeing God Fasting and so Mourning is Feasting and Rejoycing to one that eyes only the eye of man in these services when men observe them Mat. 6.16 Our Saviour forbids appearing unto men to fast by putting on a wreathed grim sowre Countenance a lowring Look not that he forbids open expressions of sorrow used by Saints of old but the counterfeit semblance of Sorrow to make an Ostentation of Sanctimony to be noted by men Nor doth Christ here tax Mourners for seeming to fast when they did not but for desiring to be known abroad to fast when they fasted in private 2 Kings 10.16 'T is a Jehu's zeal which may be seen only and desires to be so 5. They that mourn for others Sins must mourn to an high degree § 15 who have been the occasions furtherers and promoters of their Sins either by neglecting to reprove them for restraining them from or giving them Examples of Sinning This Sanctified Conscience will make one of the bitterest ingredients into Sorrow for the Sins of others 'T was the trouble of David that he had occasion'd the Death of the Priests by receiving relief from Ahimelech 1 Sam. 22.22 I have occasion'd the Death said David to Abiathar of all the Persons of thy Fathers House I doubt not but some whom God hath converted may say Lord I have some way or other furthered the Sins of this or that great Offender if so what canst thou do less than drop the Balsom of thy Tears into his wounds of Sin Thô God have pardoned the Sin to thee and layes it not to thy Charge holy Compassion should put thee upon laying it to thy Heart This undoubtedly is a due piece of Spiritual Restitution of what thou hast wrong'd him of Canst thou do less than beg with Tears and Sobs that God would be more merciful to his Soul than thou hast been Canst thou do less than with an holy ingenuity endeavour to bring him home to that God from whom thou taughtest him to wander 6. They that mourn for the Sins of others must mourn with an § 16 Holy Reflexion upon themselves and that in these three particulars 1. They must reflect upon themselves with Sorrow because they have the same impure Natures that the most to be lamented Sinner in the World hath The holiest in thâ— World may say Lord this most extravagant Sinner speaks but the Sence of my Nature My Nature answers his as Face answers Face in the Glass But of this before 2. With a Reflection of Examination 1. Whether you have not some way or other furthered this Sinner in his much to be lamented impieties either by not endeavouring to hinder him from Sin so much as you might or by prompting him to it more than you ought If so how deeply this is to be resented you heard before 2. Whether the same open Sins that are acted by him the noted Offender or Sins almost or altogether as bad are not acted and entertain'd by thee in secret places 2 Chro. 28.10 Are there not with you even with you sins against the Lord your God or at least in thy Heart If so doubtless 't is thy duty to cast the first Stone at thy self and as Christ said to the Daughters of Jerusalem to weep first under the sence of thy own Unholiness and to remember thô thy Sins are not so infamous as those of a publick Sinner yet by being secret they may be Sins of greater danger And that First by occasioning Hypocrisie in contenting thy self with visible appearances of Holiness and freedom from open impieties Facile accedit tentator ubi non timetur reprehensor 2. Thy secreet Sins may be more dangerous in regard by their secrecy thou shalt not be so happy as to meet a reprover The loudly snorting Sinner every one will be ready to jog with a Reprehension whilest thou that sinnest silently in secret shalt be freed from any wholsom molestation by holy Reprehension He that would be watchful wants either a severe Censurer or a faithful Reprover 3. Thy secret Sins are not so like to trouble and awaken thy drowsie Conscience the Sins of publick offences having oft been the occasion to make People both asham'd of Sin and afraid of Vengeance 3.
spiritually Bone of each others Bone and Flesh of each others Flesh Ephes 5.25 to vers 33. ¶ We maintain our Communion with Christ not only by Eating with him Joh. 6.53 to ver 57. but also by Eating of him ¶ God the Father calls us into Fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Ephes 3.12 ¶ Christ is said to dwell in our Hearts by Faith and by his Spirit also for he that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his Heb. 3.14 This our fellowship and Communion with Christ is evidenced by our Perseverance in Grace firmly to the End This our Fellowship with Jesus Christ is confirmed by the Sacraments 1. He that is Baptized into Christ hath put on Christ Gal. 3.27 2. By the Supper which is therefore called the Communion because the Saints gather together in that as the highest act of their Fellowship with the Lord and with one another 1 Cor. 10.16 The Bread that we break is it not the Communion of the Body of Christ The Cup that we bless is it not the Communion of the Blood of Christ The Children of God walking in the light have thereby fellowship with Christ and one with another 1 Joh 1.7 As Christ is God and Man in one Person so we have fellowship with him in both Natures 1. In his Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1.4 2. In his Humane Nature Heb. 2.14 Partaking with him in the same Flesh and Blood ¶ In the Spirit He that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit 1 Cor. 6.17 Rom. 8.11 There is one Body and one Spirit Eph. 4.4 ¶ In Afflictions Phil. 3.10 That I may know the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable to his death ¶ We have Communion with Christ in Glory Rom. 8.17 18. If so be we suffer with him that we may be glorified together Who shall change our vile Body and fashion it like to his glorious Body So Joh. 17.21 22 23 24. ¶ In all good things Wisdom Righteousness Redemption Faith 1 Cor. 1.30 Repentance Regeneration Adoption Justification Sanctification and Spiritual Liberty All these are Benefits and high blessings communicated from the Father by the Spirit through the Purchase and Merit of Jesus Christ See that place it is very Pregnant 2 Cor. 5.17 and apposite 1. He tells you We know Christ no more after the Flesh Because that Dispensation is over we are now under the dispensation of the Spirit 2. Therefore If any man be in Christ he is a new Creature 3. Our Communion with Christ is not hereby lost but advanced Higher if any be in Christ he is a new Creature In Christ still and a New Creature by Christs Spirit working in us all new things and working out all old 4. All this is the Work of God in us and for us by the Son reconciling us and the Spirit perfecting us in the Ministry of Reconciliation ver 18 19.5 All this arose from Love ver 14. the Root of the Communion of Saints with the Blessed Trinity 6. As ye have heard founded in Union expressed in a Communication of all good things by Christ our Head and Husband with Reciprocation and returns of Love on our part in all the Acts of it by intire and Sincere Obedience also in mutual Interchanges of Dutyes respecting our fellow-members of the same Body This is so fully set forth by the Apostle Paul according to the Grace of God given to him that I need say no more about it but commend the reading of that whole Chapter to you 1 Cor. 12. from ver the 4th to the end I fear this Relation and Fellowship is little minded with the Dutyes of it by many that yet think themselves in the Body and presume of the Priviledges of it Mark these few things for your help 1. The differences of Gifts and Administrations Offices and Services in the Body Spiritual as in the Body Natural vers 4. 12. 2. All these coming from one Spirit and one Head Jesus Christ the Fountain Head of all ver 13. 3. That all these Gifts and Graces are divided to every member as the Lord pleaseth for the same use and end to profit withall without Schism without a conceit of self-sufficiency and unconcernedness for others ver 7. 11. 4. All this called Christ to shew the near and Blessed Communion of Saints ver 12. XVIII The last Means I shall name to you is in the words immediately following my Text Vers 21. in the same verse Which doubtless the Holy Ghost points us to as an Effectual means to keep our seives in the Love of God Reason 1. Because it is the Highest Act of Gods Love to us to bestow Eternal Life on us 2. The Lord that hath provided Eternal Life for us will have us alwayes walk in Expectation of it Gen. 49.18 Tit. 2.13 3. We have no Ground at all to expect Eternal Life from God without keeping our selves in the Love of God Rom. 8.23 compared with the last verse 4. We keep our selves in Gods Love by being found in such a State and in such a Way as leads to Life which is chiefly Faith and Obedience 5. Such as are found out of this Way and State are not Children but Strangers and Enemies therefore have no Reason to expect an Inheritance they have no Title nor Right to it Now a Son that 's Heir apparent by Adoption in Christ to such an Estate of Eternal Life in Heaven he will not only be alwayes in Expectation of it but will judge himself bound to study all the wayes he can possibly do to please God to keep in his Love and favour and withall fear and take heed of forfeiting the Love of God 1. Because it is an Act of Mercy and free Grace it is not a Debt or any thing thou canst challenge the Lord Jesus is sole purchaser Text. Rom. 6. ult The Gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 2. If we look for all as an Act of Mercy it will keep the Soul humble Jam. 4.6 1 Pet. 5.5 and thankful Such a frame of Soul the Lord loves and favours Micah 6.8 2 Cor. 4.18 chap. 5.1 3. The Prospect of Eternal Life will keep us from being much enamoured with this Life which is Vain and Sinful and Sorrowful and Transient 4. The Prospect of a better Life will make us prepare for it 1 Tim. 6.12 Rev. 21.2 Phil. 3.12 13 14. and lay hold on it 2 Pet. 11.12 13 14. By Watchfulness as the wise Virgins Math. 25.4 10. By Constancy in our course and race 1 Tim. 6.19 By casting away every Clog Heb. 12.1 2. 5. Because all Creatures wait for this Glory and are Rom. 8.19 in earnest Expectation of it 6. Because all Saints have ever lived up to it 1 Thes 4. ult Heb. 4.1 9 Heb. 6.19 20. this is the Haven of their rest here they cast Anchor with this they comfort themselves for this they groan
Col. 2.14 but withal it did direct them to the Lord Jesus who was to appear once in the end of the World to put away Sin by the Sacrifice of himself The Moral Law discovered their duty convinced them of Sin and declared the necessity of a Mediator to make an Atonement The Apostle when he witnessed that Christ should suffer and be the first that should rise from the dead and shew Light to the People and to the Gentiles he sticks not to affirm that he said no other things â—â—an what Moses and the Prophets did say should come Act. 26.22 23. Moses saw Christ and his Cross and esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches thâ—â— the Treasures of Egypt Heb. 11.26 Abraham rejoyced to see his day hâ— saw it and was glad Joh. 8.56 Nay several thousands of years before the actual rising of this Sun of righteousness there was some Light which caused a day break presently after the fall That promise the seed of the Woman shall bruise the Serpents head shews that the First Adam was not altogether ignorant of the Second 5. The Revelation of Christ under the new Testament is more clear therefore to be ignorant of him is the more without Apology the veil upon the Face of Moses did signifie the obscurity of the Mosaick Dispensation but that vail is done away in Christ and we all may now with open Face behold as in a Glass the Lords Glory 2 Cor. 3.18 The New Testament helps us to understand the Old and adds de novo a far more glorious Light than ever shined before God spake more by his Son than he had done by his Servants the Prophets that lived in the Ages before his Manifestation in the flesh Such a clear Discovery of things which before were but darkly intimated is a priviledg which should be taken notice of and thankfully improved Mat. 13.16 17. Blessed are your Eyes for they see and your ears for they hear for verily I say unto you that many Prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see and have not seen them and to hear those things which ye hear and have not heard them 6. All true Believers in Christ have some Knowledg of him Rom. 10.14 How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard As it was in the first Creation God said let there be Light and there was Light so it is in the New Creation Darkness overspreads the Soul but God does shine into the heart and gives the Light of the Knowledg of Jesus Christ And Christ being thus revealed the heart is taken with him gladly opens and receives him relies and believes in him to Life everlasting Let the Church of Rome boast of the conveniences of Ignorance and the sufficiency of implicite Faith we shall shew our selves Children of Light by pleading for Light and it shall be our desire That God would deliver us from the Ignorance of the Church of Rome as well as from the Tyranny of the Bishop there 7. Those that know most of Christ know him but in part therefore are to be urged to grow in Knowledg The Apostle Paul who equalled James Cephas and John for in conference they added nothing to him Gal. 2.6 who was caught up to the third Heaven and there had abundance of revelations and heard words which was not lawful to utter yet humbly acknowledges that he knew in part and prophesied in part 1 Cor. 13.9 and that he saw but through a Glass darkly v. 12. Knowledg in this World is imperfect as well as Holiness and where both these are true there will be an industrious longing that both may be still carried on towards perfection These things being premised I shall tell you what it is to grow in the Knowledg of Christ in these particulars I. Growing in the knowledg of Christ implies a fuller apprehension of his Godhead Here is Majesty Immensity Glory that may presently amaze and overwhelm us Alas 't is but a small portion of this that we can understand but this must be known that the self same perfections which are in the Father are likewise in the Son for He and his Father are one Christ is the true God and Eternal Life 1 John 5.20 't is a destructively heretical Gloss to say he is styled God only by a Figure He is affirmed to be over all God blessed for ever Rom. 9.5 He created all things in Heaven and in Earth visible and invisible whether they be thrones or dominions or Principalities or Powers and he is before all things and by him all things consist Col. 1.16 17. And those excellent Creatures all the Angels of God are commanded to worship him Heb. 1.6 This Truth that Christ is God is more and more to be lookt into He that denyes it loses his Christianity according to * Necessarium est credere confiteri articulum de divinitate Christi quem ubi Arrius negavit necesse fuit etiam negare articulum Râ—demptionis vincere enim peccatum mundi mortem maledictionem iram lei in semetipso â—on est ullius â—reaturae sed â—ivinae potentiae opus Quare negantes divinitatem Christi amittunt tandem totum Christianismum fiuntque prorsus Gentiles Luther Tom. 4. p. 92. b. Luther and the prop and foundation of his Faith Here is the Rock upon which the Church is 〈◊〉 so as the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it Mat. 16.18 The Godhead of Christ makes his blood a price of infinite value full satisfaction has been made to divine Justice by the payment of it The Godhead of Christ puts merit into his obedience and sufferings so that believers cannot ask for more than he has deserved they should receive The Godhead of Christ gives efficacy to Ordinances so that the dead are quickned the blind are enlightned the weak are strengthened and confirmed The Godhead of Christ puts life and vigour into the Christians Faith he may safely be trusted who is God only wise who is the Lord Almighty whose mercy and faithfulness endure for ever 2. Diabolus lapsus est invidia illa qua invidit hominibus tantam dignitatem quod Deus futurus esset homo Bernard Growing in the knowledge of Christ implies a clearer sight of his humanity how often is he called the Son of Man as well as the Son of God One of the Fathers imagined that this was the fault and the fall of the reprobate Angels a proud enviousness at the forethought of the Son of God his advancing by taking upon him the humane nature And Luther supposed this was the occasion upon which Satan suggested to Mahomet in his Alcoram that many of the good Angels became Divels because they refused to worship Adam 'T is a great Mystery of Godliness that God is manifested in the flesh 1 Tim. 3.16 Videtur Diabolus ipse autori Alcorani suggessisse quod id o Daemones facti essent ex bonis Angelis quia
renders them comly in the sight of men yea and in the sight of God too As the Ornament of a meek and quiet spirit so the Ornament of an humble and lowly spirit is in his sight of great price Indeed all along this was the great Requisite in the People of God The main thing that he required of them was to do justly to love mercy and to walk humbly with and before him so the Prophet informs us Mic. 6.8 To do justly and to love Mercy that is the Sum of all Duty to man to walk humbly that is the Sum of all Duty to God 8. Set before your eyes the Examples of humble and lowly Persons Direct 8 Some are greatly influenc'd by Examples more than they are by Precepts 1. Look upon the most eminent Saints that ever were upon the earth and you will find they were most eminent for humility Jacob thinks himself less than the least of Gods Mercies David speaks of himself as a worm and no man Agur says that he was more brutish than any man The Apostle Paul says of himself 1 Tim. 5.15 Eph. 3.8 that he is the chiefest of sinners and less than the least of all Saints How does that great Saint and Apostle vilifie and nullifie himself Bradford that holy man and Martyr subscribes himself in one of his Epistles a very paintâ—d Hypocrite The Apostle Peter said unto our Saviour Depart from me Luke 5.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for I am a sinful man O Lord a man that is a great sinner Thus the heaviest ears of Corn do always hang downwards and so do those Boughs of Trees that are most laden with fruit 2. Look upon the Angels of God the elect Angels they excel in strength and so they do in humility likewise they readily condescend to minister unto the Children of men that are abundantly inferior to themselves they take charge of them and bear them up as it were in their arms Are they not all ministring Spirits says the Apostle to the Hebrews The Interrogation is an Affirmation The greatest Angels do not disdain to minister to the least Saints When they have appeared to men they have utterly rejected the reverence they would have shewn them and have openly declared themselves our fellow-servants that we and they have but one common Lord. 3. Look upon the Lord Jesus Christ himself he is the great instance of humility though he was in the form of God and thought it not robbery to be equal with God yet he was made in the likeness of men and took upon him the form of a Servant and made himself of no reputation or as the word signifies he emptied himself of all his Glory he sought his Fathers glory and not his own yea he humbled himself so as to become obedient unto Death even the death of the Cross The very Incarnation of Christ is condescention enough to pole both men and Angels what then was his Crucifixion When you feel any Self-exaltation then remember and reflect upon Christ's Humiliation and think how unsutable a humble Master and a proud Servant is a humble Christ and a proud Christian This alone through the Spirit 's assistance is sufficient to bring down the swelling of the Spirits Direct 9 9. Use all Gods dealings with you and dispensations towards you as so many Antidotes against this Sin You hear they are design'd by God I pray you let them all be improv'd by you for this very end and purpose Hath God shined into your hearts and given you the knowledge of his Glory in the face of his Son Jesus Christ says Judas not Iscariot How is it Lord that thou dost manifest thy self unto us and not unto the World Hath he quickned and saved you from Sin and Death Say then By Grace we are saved not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his Mercy he hath saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost Is Grace and Life preserved and increased which was at first infused into your Souls give God the Glory Say Not unto us O Lord not unto us but to thy Name be the praise Yea let all Gods outward Dispensations have this operation upon you Let Mercies humble you if God gives you worldly wealth and honour and lifts you up above others in Estate or Esteem say as David Who are we Lord and as Jacob We are less than the least of thy Mercies Let Afflictions humble you if God lays his hand upon you then lay your mouths in the dust if he smites you upon your backs do you smite upon your own Thighs We are call'd upon in Scripture to humble our selves under the hand of God 2 Chro. 33.32 You read of Manasseh how when he was in affliction he humbled himself greatly before the God of his Fathers May your Afflictions have the like effect Direct 10 10. Be much in the Duty of Prayer Give thy self to it If Pride doth not hinder Prayer Prayer will subdue Pride and whilst thou art in this Duty make this one of thy chief Petitions that God would cure thee of this evil disease Some are ready to wonder why Prayer in all cases is one of our chief Directions and Prescriptions they may as well wonder why Bread in all Meals is one chief part of our Food Why Prayer is the principal thing that calls in God to our Assistance without whose help we shall never be able to master the Pride of our hearts This was the course the Apostle took when he was like to be exalted above measure he besought the Lord thrice that is often a definite Number for an indefinite he did not only pray that God would take the Thorn out of his Flesh but that he would also cure the Pride that was in his heart he knew if the Cause were taken away the Effect would cease Oh for this do you beseech the Lord again and again pray and that earnestly that God by his Spirit would help thee to mortifie the Pride of thy Spirit be humbled as Hezekiah was for the Pride of thy heart in times past and pray as Paul prayed that God would prevent and cure the Pride of thy heart for time to come Desire God to use what Preservatives and Medecines he pleaseth so that the Cure be effected Beg of God that he would help thee on with this Ornament and cloath thee with Humility he hath promised to give Grace to the humble do you pray that he would give you the Grace of Humility Quest Wherein is a middle worldly condition most eligible SERMON XVII PROV XXX VIII IX Remove far from me Vanity and Lies give me neither Poverty nor Riches feed me with food convenient for me Lest I be full and deny thee and say who is the Lord or lest I be poor and steal and take the Name of my God in vain MY Text presents you with a short yet very pithy Prayer of Agur concerning whom
Christ and converse with him if he were on Earth it is better to see this pretious Christ in Eternal Glory it is worth the while to dy to have a view of your Lord-Redeemer in the highest Heavens Oh the wonderful transporting Joyes the Soul is filled with when it first cometh into the unseen but happy World when it hath the first Glorious view of its dearest Lord. Do you think it would desire to return to live in flesh upon Earth again Do you know what you do when you are so loth to dy Do you understand your selves when you are so backward to be taken out of time It is to be loth to go into Everlasting Happiness to go and take possession of unseen Eternal Glory 5. Such an Eyeing of Eternity would make us more patient constant joyful in all our sufferings for Christs sake When we poar upon our seen troubles and do not look at rest after trouble when we see and feel what is inflicted upon us but do not look what is laid up in Heaven for us when we see the rage of men and do not look at the love of God our Hearts and Flesh do fail but if we set unseen Eternal things over against things seen and Temporal it will be strength unto us Against the power of Men which is Temporal set the Power of God which is Eternal and then you will see their power to be weakness Against the Policy of Men which is Temporal set the Wisdom of God which is Eternal and then you will see all their Policy to be Foolishness Against the Hatred of Men which in its effects to you is Temporal set the Love of God which is both in its self and in its effects to you Eternal and you will see their hatred to be no better than raging unreasonable madness Keep your Eye upon the unseen Torments in the other World and you will rather endure Sufferings in this than venture upon Sin and expose your selves to them Keep your Eye upon the unseen Eternal Crown of Glory and it will carry you through Fire and Flames Prisons and Reproaches for the sake of Christ Heb. 11.26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward 27. by Faith he forsook Egypt not fearing the wrath of the King for he endured as seeing him who is invisible 6. This Eyeing of Eternity will be a powerful preservative against the temptations of Men or Devils a Sovereign Antidote against the Poyson of Temptation I see the Invisible God looks at me shall I then yield to the suggestions of the Devil or the sollicitations of men to sin I see there is an Everlasting state of Joy or Torment that I must be shortly in as sure as I am in this place and Satans design is to bring me to that state of Torment and if I follow him I shall be excluded from yonder glorious place from God and Christ and Saints above therefore by the Grace of God I will not yield to this Temptation but strive I will and Watch and Pray I will against the assaults of this deceitful Adversary for why should I be so foolish to lose Eternal Glory for momentary Pleasures and run my Immortal Soul into Eternal pain for short delights I do plainly see what will be the end if I do yield Damnation without end banishment from God without end I do clearly see that Stealing and Murder is not a more ready road to a place of Execution upon Earth than yielding to a tempting Devil is to Everlasting Misery 7. Such Eyeing of Eternity would wean our hearts from the things of time A sight and view of Heavens Glory would darken the Glory of the World as looking at the shining Sun over your Head doth obscure in your Eyes the things under your Feet after a believing view of the invisible God and the Glory of the place above this World would appear as a very Dunghil in your Eyes Phil. 3.7 8. as where we love there we look so the more we look the more we shall love and the more we love the Eternal things that are above the less we shall love the Temporal things that are below 8. Such Eyeing of Eternity would make us more like to God and Jesus Christ it will be a transforming and assimilating look 2 Cor. 3.18 But we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Therefore when we shall see Christ who is now out of sight we shall be perfectly like unto him 1 Joh. 3.2 But we know when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is 9. Such an Eyeing of Eternity would fill our Souls with Holy admirations of the Goodness Grace and Love of God to us When Paul had a sight of such unseen things he was in an Holy Extasie and Divine Rapture 2 Cor. 12.2 3 4. When we consider the Eternal Happiness of Heaven we shall stand as Men amazed that God should prepare such things for such men and bear such Love and shew such Mercy to such as we that are so vile and full of sin and say Lord what am I that might for ever have howled in the lowest Hell that I should hope to praise thee in the highest Heavens Lord what am I that might have been in Everlasting Darkness that there should be prepared for me Everlasting Light and Joy Why me Lord why hast thou designed me and wrought upon my heart and made me in any measure meet to be partaker of such Eternal Glory Oh! the depth of the Riches both of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out Rom. 11.33 How pretious are thy thoughts to me how great is the sum of them Psal 139.17 Oh how great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee Psal 31.19 10. Such an Eyeing of Eternity would have this influence sure upon us to set our selves under a painful skilful serious Ministry It doth much concern you for you are going to an endless Life and Preaching is the appointed means to fit you for an endless happy Life then do you choose the most lively searching powerful Preaching it is for the life of your Souls for the Everlasting life of your Everlasting Souls If you were sick and in danger of Death when your Life lies upon it you would have the advice of an able Physitian that is serious and afraid that he no way become guilty of your Death Would you like that Physitian that seems to be unconcerned and cares not whether you live or dy if he might but have his fee Or that should merrily jest with you when you are sick at Heart and near to Death if you be not
sober Wisdom and the Devils cannot deny it and all Damned Souls in Hell and all the Wicked upon Earth as fast as they go down to them and feel what now they do not believe and fear shall not deny it to be Wisdom in them that escaped that and got to a better place in the Eternal World 10. In Eternity there will be no mixture In the other World there is all pure Love or all pure Wrath all Sweet or all Bitter without all Pain or without all Ease without all Misery or without all Happiness not partly at Ease and partly in Pain partly Happy and partly Miserable but all the one or the other This Life is a middle place betwixt Heaven and Hell and here we partake of some good and some Evil No Judgment on this side Hell upon the worst of Men but there is some Mercy mixed with it for it is Mercy they are yet on this side Hell and no Condition on this side Heaven but there is some Evil mixed with it for till we get to Heaven we shall have sin in us In Heaven all are good in Hell all are bad on Earth some good but more bad In Hell Misery without mixture of Mercy or of Hope they have no Mercy and that is bad and they can hope for none and that is worse while they be in time they are pityed God doth pity them and Christ doth pity them and good Men doth pity them their Friends and Relations do pity them pray for them and weep over them but when time is past all pity will be past and they in Misery without pity to all Eternity Rev. 14.10 The same shall drink of the Wine of the Wrath of God which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the Holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11. and the smoak of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever and they have no rest day nor night No! then for the Lords sake for your Souls sake as upon my knees I beseech you if you have any dread of God any fear of Hell any desire of Heaven any care whither you must go take no rest night nor day in time till you have secured your Everlasting happy state that you might have Everlasting rest night and Day in Eternity or that you might pass into that Eternity where it is alwayes day and no night and not into that where it shall be alwaies night and never day Sirs what say ye What are ye resolved upon to sin still or to repent that ye have already sinned and by the Grace of God to sin so no more To work in time for things of time or in time to prepare for Eternity Will ye obey my message or will ye not Speak in time or I will not say hold your peace for ever but repent in time or ye shall cry and roar for ever The time of this Sermon is out and the time of your Life will be quickly out and I am afraid I shall leave some of you as unfit for Eternity as I found you and my heart doth tremble least Death should find you as I shall leave you and the Justice of God and the Devils of Hell should find you as Death shall leave you and then vengeance shall never leave you and the Burning Flames Tormenting Devils and the Gnawing Worm shall never leave you Will ye then work it upon your Hearts that ye came into Time unfit to go into Eternity that in time ye have made your selves more unfit that the only remedy is the Lord Jesus Christ that in the fulness of time did dye that Sinners might not be damned for ever that this Crucifyed Christ will not save you from Eternal Misery nor take you to Eternal Glory except ye do perform the Conditions of the Gospel without which his Death puts no Man into an actual state of Happiness ye must Repent and be Converted ye must take him for your Saviour and your Lord ye must be Holy sincerely Hate Sin universally love Christ superlatively or else the Saviour will not save you Mercy it self will not save you from Everlasting Misery Ye must persevere in all this to the end of your time and then ye shall be Happy in Eternity to Eternity Otherwise ye shall not give audience Sirs otherwise ye shall not be Happy Happy no ye shall be Miserable If the loss of God and Christ and Heaven will make you Miserable for ever ye shall be Miserable for ever If the pains of Hell the company of Devils the stingings of Conscience the terrors of Darkness total final despair of having any end of your damned condition will make you miserable ye shall be miserable If all that God can lay upon you if all that Devils can torment you with if all that Conscience can for ever accuse you for if all that is in Hell can make you miserable except you repent in time and believe on Christ in time and be sanctifyed in time ye shall be miserable for ever O my God! be thou my Witness of this Doctrine All ye that fear God that hear me this day bear me witness that I have published this in the Ears of all that hear me Thou Conscience that art in that Man that is yet going on in Sin and posting with speed to Eternal Misery bear me witness now and at the day of Judgment that I told him what must be done upon him in him and by him if he would escape Eternal Torments If he will not hearken nor obey while he is in time Conscience I bespeak thy witness against him and that thou bring thy Accusation against him and upbraid him to the Confusion of his face among all the Devils in Hell and all that shall be damned with him that he was told he could not keep his sins and be kept out of that place when he dyed he could not reject Christ and finally refuse him and be saved for ever Sinner carest thou not wilt thou still on Good God! must we end thus Must I come down without hopes of his Repenting and he dye with foolish hopes of being saved and after Death be cast into that Eternity where the Worm dyeth not and the Fire is not quenched But in those Endless Flames shall cry out and roar oh cursed Caitif what did I mean all the while I was in time to neglect preparation for Eternity Oh miserable Wretch this is a doleful dreadful state and still the more because it is Eternal Wo is me that I cannot dye nor cease to be Oh that God would cut me off Oh that Devils could tear me into a Thousand Thousand pieces or that I could use such violence to my self that I might be no longer what I am nor where I am But alas I wish in vain and all these desires are in vain for though the union of my Soul and Body in
and thereby hasten his judgments on them It is true Gods Children are commanded to pray for their Enemies and Persecutors Matth. 5.44 and there may be Mercy in store with God for them when what they do they do as Paul did before his conversion 1 Tim. 1.16 ignorantly in unbeleif Thus Stephen Prayed for those that stoned him Acts 7.6 Lord lay not this Sin to their charge and Christ for those that Crucified him Luke 23.34 Father forgive them for they know not what they do And yet Christ himself excludes the World out of his Prayer John 17.9 I pray not for the World i. e. not for the reprobate World or the World in opposition to those his Father had given him How often doth David pray against his Persecutors especially Psal 69. 109. though his Prayers are generally prophetical yet Prayers still they are and how often do we find him and other Saints Praying against Idolaters Psal 97.7 haters of Zion 129.5 obstinate and hardened Enemies of Gods Truth and Ways and People see Psal 74. 94. And though the Jews in Babylon were commanded to pray for the Peace of the City Jer. 29.7 yet that must be but a limited command they were to pray for the Peace of Babylon during its time and so long as it was to be the place of their abode but they were not to pray for its perpetual Peace and Welfare for that had been to pray against the declared mind of God in all those Prophesies which foretold its ruin and indeed against their own deliverance which was to follow upon the beginning of Babylons destruction in the dissolution of that Empire Nay do we not find them praying for Vengeance on it Jer. 51.35 The violence done to me and my Flesh be upon Babylon shall Zion say and my Blood upon the Inhabitants of Chaldea shall Jerusalem say Gods Children ought to pray for their own private Enemies nay for those that at present are Enemies to the publick Weal of Zion as not knowing who of them may come to be her Friends God may have a Seed among them all have not sinned the sin unto death though many may for whom they are expresly forbid to pray 1 John 5.16 and if they knew in particular who they were they ought no more to pray for them than for the Devil himself if Austin may be beleived But certain it is they must not cannot dare not pray for the implacable incorrigible Enemies of their Lord and Master Nay they cannot pray for the exaltation of Christs Kingdom but they at the same time pray for the downfal of such whenever they pray Gods Will may be done and his Kingdom come They pray for the confusion of those that obstinately oppose his Will and whose ruin must make way for the coming of his Kingdom and so all the Saints in the World are every Day Praying against the Malignant hardned Enemies and Persecutors of Christ and his People And is it not a Dreadful thing to have the Prayers of Saints of Thousands of Saints of all the Saints upon Earth against them Those Prayers which shall not be lost which will be heard and not one of them be in vain See Rev. 11. what power the Prayers of the Saints have Gods Witnesses even in their Sackcloth Vers 5 6. what is the Fire that proceeds out of their Mouths but the Judgments they Denounce and by Prayer bring down upon the Anti-Christian World No Army with Banners more Terrible than a Company of Praying Saints When Saints are full of Prayer Heaven is big with Vengeance and their Prayers cannot go up so fast but Judgments will soon come down as fast 2. They lose the help of the Saints God his Protection and whatever Favour he hath been wont to shew them for the sake of his Saints This follows upon the former and I shall meet with it again under the next use To conclude this therefore The Enemies would fain now as well as in former Ages extirpate Gods Seed from out of the Earth their Language is as the Jews was of Paul Acts 22.22 It is not fit that they should Live They would have the Name of Israel be no more in remembrance Psal 83.4 But what would they get by that were the Holy Seed the Plants of Gods Planting stub'd up how soon would the Vineyard be laid wast If the Green Trees were out of the way the Fire of Gods Wrath would quickly consume the Drie and what should hinder Who should Interpose with the Lord of the Vineyard Who should say Destroy it not when alas there were no Blessing in it I dare say had some Men their wish it would be the Blackest Day thâ—â— ever England saw and it may be Blacker to none than to them 〈◊〉 wish for it Use 2. EXHORTATION 1. To the truly Religious of all sorts and persuasions I mean â—et it appear that you are indeed the Substance and Strength of a Sinful Land Act like those that are so do what you can to help a poor sinking Nation stand in the Gap and make up the Hedg and Labour to convince your Enemies themselves that you are their Friends and the best they have too 1. Intercede witb God for the Land Improve all the Interest you have in Heaven to keep off approaching Destruction And to quicken you consider 1. You know not how far you may prevail with God for the prevention of National Judgments When other means fail yet Prayer may prevail Human Strength and Human Wisdom may be able to do little the Power and Policy of Enemies may be too hard for the Wisdom and Strength of the Godly but when you can do least your selves you may Engage God by Prayer to do most He is Wise in Heart and Mighty in Strength Job 9.4 If he take your part he can turn about the Hearts of Enemies disappoint their Devices befool their Politicks or if need be break their Power Enemies are commonly the Instruments of Evil brought upon a Land yet they are but Instruments God himself is the principal Agent Amos 3.6 they are the Rods in his Hand the Scourges which he useth or lays aside when he pleaseth You may be helpful in diverting the Evils which Enemies might do though you touch not themselves but Address to God and set him against them You may do in this Case as when you have to do with Men in Civil things if a Prince be offended with you and like to punish you though what he doth he doth by Ministers and Officers yet you do not fall a quarrelling with them but apply your self to the Prince if he be pacified toward you his Officers dare not meddle with you his Pardon is a Supersedeas to all their Actions Try what you can do with God if he side with you either Men shall not desire to touch you or not be able if they would to hurt you Think how many times have the Prayers of the Saints prevailed with God in the
have been about things less necessary yet their Hearts have been more thorowly broken and more unexpressibly longing for Spiritual supplies 'T is about Gods bestowing of his Grace that they adore his Sovereignty justifying God though he should reject them and wondering even to astonishment how he can shew kindness to them so that the more Spiritual any Christians are the more they lose their will in the will of God and the less they quarrel with God let him do what he will with them They do not think it in vain to serve God thô he should but he will not cast them off at last they thankefully acknowledge they receive so many mercies from God here as are infinitely more worth than all the Services they can do him and they see cause to love God thô there is no cause why God should love them so that they 'l pray and wait hate sin and love holiness admire God and abase themselves and let God do what he will with them This is the temper and practice of the most serious Christians This will teach us to observe Gods answering of Prayer so as to be thankful or penitent to retract or alter or urge our Petitions as our case requires And this I think I may say One of the choicest exercises of Grace is about the improving the return of Prayer e. g. I think such a thing to be good for me suppose a better frame of Health for this I fill my Mouth with Arguments and my Heart with Faith but God answers me with disappointments this puts me upon reflection I find causes more than are good why God should deny me Suppose further I beg the pardon of sin am sensible that I must perish if I be denyed and therefore reckon I can't be too earnest but am so far from speeding that to my apprehension God seems Implacable and I have less hopes every day than other Well! this puts me upon a more thorow Scrutiny and I find I have not observ'd Gods Method for Pardon I would have the comfort of a Pardon without a suitable sense of the evil of Sin which if I should obtain I should not be so shie of Sin as when I have felt the smart of it I should not look upon my self as so much beholding to Christ but that I might venture upon sin and have a Pardon at pleasure I should not so much pity others under their Soul-troubles In a word the more we consider the more cause we shall see why God answers Prayer according to his own wisdom not our Folly We do not see that Religion doth any great matter towards the Object 2 bettering of every condition those that pretend to Religion have always their own good word they love to speak and hear of the Atchievements and Priveledges of Religion thô they are invisible to all but themselves A little more Modesty and less Arrogancy would better become ' em To our grief we must acknowledge Answ that Serious Christians are shamefully defective in living up to such a height of Heavenly-mindedness as to have the Experiences they might have and shall we when we are injurious to our selves expect God to fulfill conditional Promises when we neglect the Condition of them No! Christians God will say to us what he once said to Israel e Lev. 26.3 c. If thou wilt walk in my Statutes and keep my Commandments and do them then the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth and all these blessings shall come on thee and overtake thee c. f Deut. 28.1 c. But if you will walk contrary unto me then will I walk contrary to you also g Num. 14.34 and you shall know my breach of Promise God doth not only in displeasure but in kindness make his People feel a difference in their Comforts from the difference in their walking ou may as well expect to buy things without Money because Money answers all things as to expect Promises fulfill'd to Godliness when you want that Godliness to which the Promise is made 'T is true God may give it of bounty but not of Promise and then it may be a Mercy but not a Blessing Make Conscience of performing the Condition and make Conscience of believing the Promise for God will certainly fulfill that Promise or a better so that the fault 's our own that we don't inherit the Promises When I have granted all that can rationally be demanded in the Objection do but impartially observe and you 'l find that notwithstanding all the defects and imperfections of Christians 't is they alone that live most above the vanity of every Condition h 2 Pet. 1.4 't is they only have received those exceeding great and precious promises whereby they are partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust and though they have not already attained that heavenly frame they hope for neither are already perfect i Phil. 3.12 c. yet this one thing they do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before they press towards a full Experience of what is to be found in the wayes of Holiness If this be not a sufficient answer to this Objection what I shall add will be more than enough Whereas I have by an Induction of six comparative Cases I hope demonstrated the excellency of Serious Godliness I shall now in as many Instances beyond all Comparison and beyond Contradiction demonstrate the superlative excellency of the Power of Godliness all which may serve as arguments for Practical Godliness Serious Godliness will make your present Condition good for you be it what it will Every thing but Religion will make you think any Condition better than your present Condition There 's one Text I would commend to your consideration in this matter 1 Tim. 6.5 6. Those that are destitute of the Truth suppose that Gain is Godliness from such withdraw thy self but Godliness with contentment is great gain q. d. Those that only talk of Religion and wrangle about it they have no higher design than to make a gain of it avoid all familiarity with them but those that are sincerely Religious that know and fear and worship God aright there 's a Treasure a great Treasure k 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fundus quasi perannis sons a constant Revenue an unexhaustible Spring and then Content is not mentioned as a Condition added to Piety as if Piety were not great gain without Content added to it but Content is mentioned as the very genuine effect of Piety m Purum putum pietatis effectum The Godly man is so well contented with his Condition that he is not so solicitous as others for the bettering of it whatsoever is wanting to him is made up by Tranquility of mind and Hope in God that God will supply him with necessaries and he acquiesceth in his
't is next to impossible to be too shye of Sin unless when Satan frights us into the omission of some duties for fear of the Sins that inevitably cleave to them In short I would have you understand this Instance to referr to Sins past not future to Sins already committed that there 's no other possible way of undoing what 's done but by Repentance not of Sins not yet committed as if I gave so much as the least encouragement to so much as the least Sin Thus understanding the instance I dare say it over again Serious Godliness will force something of good out of the Evil of Sin These are the Persons that cannot forget the Wormwood and the Gall of their Mortification x Lam. 3.19 20. their Soul hath them still in remembrance and is humbled in them These are the Persons that put a due estimate upon pardoning Mercy and love Christ the more for the more Sins he hath forgiven them As Christ said of Mary Magdalen y Luke 7.47 Her Sins which are many are forgiven for she loved much but to whom little is forgiven the same love little The Blessed Apostle that brands himself for the chief of Sinners z 1 Tim. 1.15 before Conversion dare own it that a 1 Cor. 15.20 he laboured more abundantly than all the Apostles after his Conversion and 't is peculiar to him to coyn words b Rom. 5.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 1 Tim. 1.14 to magnifie the Grace of God in Christ Christians I beseech you let not any one take encouragement hence to Sin but let the worst of Sinners take encouragement hence to repent What thô thou hast been one of the vilest wretches upon earth thou mayest through Grace be one of the highest Saints in Heaven and the sense of what thou hast been may promote it The rising ground of a Dunghill may help to raise thy flight towards Heaven Once more Thô to your own Apprehension you have no Faith at all to believe any one word of all this nor any skill at all to know what to do yet Serious Godliness will make all this good to thee Here you see I take it for granted that one may be seriously godly who in his own present Apprehensions hath no Faith at all nor skill at all for any thing that is Spiritually good many may be in this like Moses their Faces may shine their Grace may shine to others and they themselves not c Exo. 34.29 know it Many that are dear to God live many years in the growing Exercise of Grace and yet dare not own it that they have any at all God bestows the Faith of Assurance upon those of his Children that are not able to bear up without it mistake me not as if it were not every ones duty to seek it and a great Priviledge to have assurance when others of his Children which have a stronger Faith live and 〈◊〉 without it To give you an Instance beyond all instances Our 〈◊〉 Jesus Christ who 't is certain could not want assurance yet died in as great desertion as 't was possible to befall him d Mark 15.25 with Mat. 27.46 When he had hung six hours upon the Cross He cried with a loud Voice My God my God why hast thou forsaken me q. d. This is beyond all my other Torment And when he had cryed again with a loud Voice with a vehement affection and a strong Faith e Verse 50. he lay'd down his Soul But what was that he spake with such vehemency the second time f Luke 23.46 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Father into thy hands I will commend my Spirit I will depose my Soul with thee I will thrust it into thy hands Now that Jesus Christ was under this unexpressible Desertion during the three hours preternatural Darkness 't is more than for the best of Christians to be so during their whole life which doth more than prove what I asserted That a Person of great Grace may be so much in the dark as not to see he hath any But what must he do in this case Can Serious Godliness afford any Relief Christians pray mark it these Persons they are and through Grace cannot but be seriously Godly and their serious Godliness finds 'em work enough and support enough to keep 'em from sinking They daily do what they complain they can't do g Isa 50.10 They do fear the Lord they fear nothing more than sinning against him they do obey the voice of his servants there 's none receive Instructions more Obediently thô they walk in Darkness they 'l never follow a false Fire if they have no light from God they 'l have none from any else They do trust in the name of the Lord they lye at Gods foot let him do what he will with them they do stay upon their God they come up from h Cant. 8.5 the Wilderness of the World leaning upon their beloved Religion is the whole business of their life and comparatively they do nothing else And thô they have not ravishing Comforts they have that Peace that exceeds i Phil. 4.7 all understanding that is meerly humane and that doth guard their hearts and minds through Christ Jesus against all the Stratagems and Fiery Darts of Satan Their State is good their Souls are safe and they can't but be happy in both Worlds And thus I have endeavoured to be so practical in the Doctrinal part that there needs but little to be added for the Application the Lord make that little to be like Chymical Spirits to be more effectual than a greater quantity Rouze up your selves to do your part that it may be so Vse 1 Set your hearts upon Serious Godliness This must be the first Use for you can make no Use at all of this Doctrine till you have made this Use of it Every thing without this is but an abuse of it you do not only wrong the truth but you wrong your selves what ever you say or do about it till you make it your business to experiment the truth of what hath been spoken in its Commendation and this I can assure you never any one repented of his down-right Godliness Therefore live in the practice of those plain Duties without which 't is in vain to pretend to Religion e. g. Daily read some Portion of the Old and New Testament not as your Child reads it for his Lesson but as 〈◊〉 Child reads it for his Profit Be more frequent in Prayer not as those that pass their Prayers by number but as those that pour out their Hearts to God in Holy fervour Let your thoughts be so fill'd with Heavenly Objects that you may in some respect make all things such you think of Discourse of the things of God not in a captious or Vain-glorious manner but as those that feel the Truths they speak of Receive the Sacrament not as a Civil Test but as sealing that Covenant
this in our selves and then How we may evidence it in others 1. How may a Believer experience in himself that that Serious Godliness he lives in the Practice of is more than a Fancy 1. See that your Religiousness came into you the right way was wrought in you by the Word of God the power of which ye have found changing your Hearts and reforming your Lives When men leap into Religion they know not how can give no account to themselves of their Conversion or Reformation that the Word which is the Ordinary means God useth in converting Sinners hath had any influence upon them in working such a change it is suspicious that what they take to be Godliness in themselves is not reall that which is unaccountable is most like to be a Fancy True a man may not know the just time when God did work Grace in his heart nor the particular Word which was the Seed of it or which did first draw the heart to a closing with the Promise and subjecting it self to the terms of the Gospel he may not know when the new man was first quickned in him not be able to discern distinctly the first vital motions of Grace in his Soul some may have been wrought on in their Education by which they have been restrained from more gross Sins and influenced to some diligence in Religious duties and in them the passing from one extream to the other from a state of Nature to a state of Grace may not be so remarkable and therefore not so easily discerned However a change they find and that the Word hath wrought it whch they have experienced Effectual in many things it hath been the means at one time or other of enlightning their minds melting their hearts exciting their affections directing their ways and refreshing their Spirits though they cannot say what truth wrought the first degree of Grace yet they can say such and such truths have had an influence upon them and promoted the work whenever it was wrought such a Command quickned them to their Duty another brought them off from some evil way another helped them when they were tempted such a Promise supported them when burdened eased them when troubled or comforted them when cast down and so what good they have done the Word hath put them upon it what evil they have escaped that hath kept them from it what refreshment they have had that hath brought it in They know they are in their journey to Heaven and that they do not Dream that they are so because if they cannot tell which was absolutely the first step they took in the way yet they are sensible of many Stages they have travelled many removes they have made what accidents have befallen them what difficulties they have met with what Guide they had what directions were given them their journeying agrees with the map of their way the Word hath been a light to their Feet and a Lamp to their Paths * Psal 119.105 that hath still gone before them and conducted them in their march and their steps have been ordered according to it †Psa 119.133 they have not taken up a Religion at a days warning not passed from being prophane and worldly to be even superstitiously strict all upon a suddain without being able to give a reason of so great a change Look therefore to the way of Gods working upon you and the means he made use of in it and though you cannot trace the workings of his grace in all the particular steps he hath taken yet ye may conclude it to be his Work and not your own fancy because it was wrought in his way and by his Word which is his usual Instrument in it 2. See to your Faith as to the Foundation of it and the Effects of it that it be rightly grounded and rightly qualified built upon the Word and fruitfull in good works 1. See to the Foundation of it that it be the Word it self and not your own mistakes about it When men misunderstand the Scripture and so believe it they Build on their own Errors not Gods Truth and then what they call Faith is but a Fancy as not being grounded on the Word of God but their own Conceits See therefore that ye rightly understand what ye profess to believe and know the mind of God in the Word and so indeed believe what he speaks not what you imagine See that your Faith respect Commands as well as Promises Duties as well as Priviledges what you are to do as well as what you are to expect God joyns both together and if you seperate them you set up a Conceit of your own instead of his Truth Take heed of believing Promises as absolute when they are conditional or when made with some limitations or restrictions or when they suppose the use of some means prescribed by the Command in such cases men may think they believe when they do not there being no right Object for their Faith they believe what God never spoke This fallacy appears when men apply Promises to themselves but overlook the Condition or the Command annexed as suppose believe they shall be Pardoned though they never desire to be purged shall find mercy though they do not forsake Sin contrary to the tenour of the Word Prov. 28.14 or that they shall see God though they do not follow after holiness contrary to Heb. 12.14 And so when they believe one promise and not another the Promise of Justification but not of Sanctification when yet there is a connexion between them and to whom one belongs the other belongs too In a word let your Faith take in its Object in the whole Latitude there being the same reason Gods Authority for your believing one truth as well as another 2. See to the Effects and Fruits of it the reality of it must be proved by the fruits of it a Barren Faith is a dead Faith and indeed if any Faith be a Fancy it is the Faith of those that live destitute of Holiness and under the Dominion of Sin and yet expect Eternal Salvation bring forth no Fruit to Holiness and yet hope the End will be Everlasting life Faith will work as long as it lives and where there is no Fruit you may be sure there is no Root if it Act not it lives not 3. Therefore look to your Obedience too not only that it be as in the former but that it be Right and such as it should be that is Regular Vniversal Spiritual for otherwise it is not reasonable 1. Regular such as the Word of God calls for and hath its warrant from thence whatsoever we do in the things of God and what we would have look'd on as Acts of Obedience should be done with a respect to Gods Commands and not of our own heads Obedience it is not if it be not Commanded Men may do many seemingly good things and place Religion in them and think they please God by
soul-Soul-mercies for his Children To see them poor in the World will not so much afflict him as to fear they will never be rich to God Besides the Sins of those that are nearly related are most frequently presented to our eyes and ears they cry nearest us and therefore they should cry loudest to us They are most committed to our care and therefore their miscarriages should be the greatest objects of our Fear Near Relations may also probably more endanger the residue of those that belong to our Family Sin in one or two though in a large Family may endanger and infect the whole We most strive to quench those Flames that destroy houses near us we are more fearful of them than of those at a greater distance A Snake in ones Bed is more formidable and a Toad there more odious and ugly than in my Field or Garden § 7 3. They that mourn for others Sins especially the Sins of those they most love must mourn more for their Sins than their Afflictions and outward Troubles They must be more troubled for the poysonful root of Sin than for the Branches and Fruits of Sufferings that spring from the Root We must more mourn for the sin of a Child than for the sickness of a Child More lay to heart what our Children have done than what they have undergone more for their Impiety than for their Poverty more because they have left God than because their Trades or Estates have left them more for fear they dy'd in Sin than because they dy'd The Troubles of the outward man must not so afflict us as the Unrenewedness of their Hearts and Natures To be afflicted for the death of thy Child's Body and not for his Soul-death in Sin is as if a fond Parent should when his Child is drown'd only lament the loss of the Child's Coat and Garment and not for the loss of the Child's Person § 8 4. We ought to bewail the Sins of others according to the Proportion of the Sins of the times and places where we live When Sin grows impudent and hath a brazen brow when 't is declared as Sodom Jer. 3.3 and not hidden when men are asham'd of nothing but not being impudent in sinning when Sinners cannot blush Jer. 6. v. 8 12. have lost the very colour of Modesty then is a fit Season for Gods People with Ezra 9.6 to say We are ashamed and blush to lift up our faces to thee our God to bewail and blush before God for those Sins of which Sinners are not ashamed and for which they have not a tear to shed Further when the Sinners of the times are obstinate and inflexible in Impiety as Nehem. 9.16 Harden their Necks 17. refuse to obey 20. are disobedient and rebell cast the Law behind their back 29 withdraw the shoulder and will not hear when they make their face as an Adamant Stone When the Wicked say as Jer. 44. As for the Word that thou hast spoekn we will not hearken to thee we will do whatever goes forth out of our own mouth then is the time for the Godly to have broken and melted Hearts when the Wicked are so Obstinate and Obdurate Next when Sin becomes universal when Governers and Governed from the sole of the foot to the crown of the head are all prophane and impious Isa 1.6 When a man cannot be found in the streets of Jerusalem Jer. 5.1 that will stand up for God and his Interest when as in dayes of Noah all flesh hath corrupted it self then is the time for all Gods People to mourn before God and to oppose an holy universality to a profane Lastly When not ordinary but the most horrid and gross Impieties are committed as Murder Sodomy Perjury broad-fac'd Adultery when these mountainons Wickednesses are acted then is the time for the Godly to endeavour to overtop these high towering abominations with a Flood of tears 5. We ought to mourn for the Sins of others advantageously to § 9 those for whom we mourn with the using of all due means to reclaim and reduce them 1. By Prayer for their Conversion and Gods pardoning them My hearts desire and prayer to God saith Paul is that Israel might be saved Rom. 10.1 He tells Chap. 9.1 how he bewail'd them that he had great heaviness and continual sorrow in his heart for them but here we see he mingled his tears with prayers for them We cannot mourn for those for whom we cannot pray for every Evil that makes us grieve because of its continuance we must needs desire may be removed Exod. 32.11.27 Thô Moses when he was with the People maintain'd the Cause of God with the Sword yet when he was with God he endeavoured the preservation of the People with prayer 2. We must endeavour to follow the Mourning for Sinners with restraining them from Sin if we have it by Power We must not hate Sinners and suffer them to sin we destroy those whom we suffer to sin if we can hinder them None may permit Sin in another if he can restrain it but he that can produce a greater Good out of it than the permission is an Evil. Restraining of Inferiors is as great a duty as Prayer for Superiours See it in the case of Eli's negligence to restrain his Sons from their Impieties 3. We must mourn for Sinners with advantaging them by Example that they may never be able to tax us with those Sins for which we would be thought sorrowfull Examples sometimes have a louder voice than Precepts Tears will not in secret drown those Sins which publick Examples encourage We confute our Tears and Prayers before God by an unsuitable Example before the Offender The blots of others cannot be wip'd off with blurred fingers 4. We must follow our mourning for others Sins with labouring to advantage them by holy Reproof for the Sins we mourn for If our place and opportunities allow us we must not only sigh for their Sins but cry against them Ezek. 9.4 Lot was not only a Mourner for the Sodomites Sins but a Reprover I know not whether it be a greater sign of a Godly man to give a Reproof duly or to take a Reproof thankfully 1. But be sure Reproofs be given with Zeal for Gods Glory not either out of hatred to the Person reproved or out of desire to promote thine own Reputation and Interest by the Reproof The Apostles Acts 14.14.17.16 reproved Idolaters but Zeal for God purely put them upon it Paul and Barnabas rent their Cloaths as well as reproved Idolaters And Pauls Spirit was stirr'd with inward Zeal Act. 17.16 before his Tongue stirr'd against the Athenians Let Reproofs 2. Be mingled with Meekness Passion is seldom prevalent with a Sinner Sweep not Gods House with the Devils Besom Let the Sinner see thee kind to himself when thou art most unkind to his Sin 3. Let Reproofs be qualified with Prudence by observing the nature and degree of the Offence and the
to God are blacking Coals to defile others with Sin They are not willing to go to Hell alone 'T is little enough to be a Leader to Heaven but too much to be a Follower to Hell what then to be a Leader Of Exhortation to mourn for the Sins of the Wicked among whom § 39 Vse 3 we live 1. If we mourn not for others Sins theirs become ours We are justly to be accounted approvers of others Sins if we enter not this Protestation of Mourning against them If sin be not layd to thy heart thou knowing it it will in some degree be layd to thy Charge When the Corinthians mourned for the sin committed among them the Apostle pronounc'd them clear of this matter 2 Cor. 7.11 Their Hatred of it did not clear them till followed with mourning for it § 40 2. Mourning for others sins is the way to awaken thy Conscience for thine own former Sins It will mind thee what thou hast done in thy former unconverted state It will bring to remembrance as Paul speaks Tit. 3.3 what thou didst in times past and cause a fresh bleeding in thy Soul for Sin § 41 3. Without Mourning for Sinners you 'l never seek the Reformation of Sinners The greatest Mourners have been the greatest Reformers See it in Nehemiah Ezra David Neh. 9.16 Ezra 9.6 7. 6.10 We only seek to redress what is burdensom If Reformation be our Joy Sin to be reformed will be our Sorrow All mourners will desire to remove the Cause of their Mourning Private Sorrow increaseth publick Care § 42 4. This mourning for others Sins will make us more fearful to admit Sin into our selves It will keep us at a greater distance from temptation to Sin the best way to keep us from infection by Sin Who will dare to do that which he grieves to see another do He that is afraid of a Plague-sore upon another will fear it should come upon himself § 43 5. Mourning for others Sins speaks thee a man of publick usefulness to thy Countrey That thou hast an holy Care of it that thou art to be reckon'd among the Chariots and Horsemen of it and a Pillar of thy Nation a Defender of it and one that stands in the gap to prevent the incursion of what would destroy it That in a publick Conflagration thou hadst rather bring thy bucket of Tears than take thy sleep A publick Spirit is only truly Noble § 44 6. Mourning for others Sins makes the Sins of others beneficial to thee Instead of infecting thee by sinful Example it stirs up thy Graces of Zeal Compassion and holy Charity It speaks thee like to Christ who had a Commotion without Pollution of Affection That thou hast an Heart like a Garden of Roses or a well of Rose-Water which the more blown upon and stirr'd smell the more delightfully For this § 45 7. Holy Commotion of Soul for others sins sends forth a most acceptable and fragrant savour into the Nostrils of God It speaks thee marked out for Mercy God bottles thy Tears He likes it that thou art good in bad times and highly approves our mourning for them He will shortly wipe all these Tears from thine Eyes and bring thee to that state where thou shalt have neither Sin in thy Soul nor Sinner in thy Society where thou shalt be freed from the power and presence of both in one word where thou shalt find that thou who didst contend in secret hast prevailed openly 4. I shall adde thô but name one Use more and that is Direction § 46 to the means of practising this duty of holy Mourning for others Sins Vse 4 1. Look not upon this duty with self-Exemption as if it belonged only to the highest in the practice of Religion or persons in Office The whole Church of Corinth were bound to mourn for that great Sin among them All desire to be marked 1 Cor. 5.2 and therefore should be Mourners 2. Look upon mourning for Sin to be no Legal practice but an Evangelical Duty the Gospel-Grace makes Tears sweeter not fewer 3. Preserve tenderness of Conscience in respect of thine own Sins 4. Strengthen Faith in divine Threatnings against Sin 5. Be Holily not curiously inquisitive into the state of the times Lastly Take heed of being drown'd in sensual Delights Quest How a Child of God is to keep himself in the Love of God SERMON VI. JUDE Vers 21. Keep your selves in the Love of God Syr. hath it thus Let us keep our selves in the Love of God But the Greek Arab. Aethiop have it as we read it THIS is the Scripture upon which we ground this solemn Case and Question And a weighty one it is to every Soul that pretends to the Love of God and the happy Priviledges of it Now the summe of this short Epistle whâ—ch is but one Chapter is this I say the design of the Spirit of God by the Apostle is in two things 1. To confirm true Believers in the Faith of Christ 2. To caution them against the Enemies of it These Enemies are described in four things Verse 4. 1. By their Qualities they turned the Grace of God into Laesciviousness and denied the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ Such were the Carpocratians and Gnosticks this they did both in Doctrine and Manners 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 In their Entrance into the Church Subtilly and secretly as Foxes into the Fold or like Wolves in Sheeps-clothing the proper mark of False Teachers 3. By their End Which is Condemnation whereunto they are appointed vers 4. 4. By their Parallel of the Evil Angels the old World Sodom and Gomorrah Vers 14. to 19. ver 7. 8. Such were foretold by Enoch and the Apostles Of these the Apostle Jude warns the Saints and withall shews how they should quit themselves principally in two things 1. As to themselves 2. As to others The First consists in four things 1. Building up our selves in the Holy Faith 2. Praying in the Holy Ghost vers 20. 3. Keeping of our selves in the Love of God 4. Looking for the Mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto Eternal Life vers 21. The second what they must do to others 1. They must put a difference between them that are fallen off Verse 22 23. and them that are falling as being of different Complexions having Compassion on some with the Spirit of Meekness others treating with some quickness pulling them out of the Fire 2. They must hate the Appearance of Evil even the Garment spotted with the Flesh 3. Pray for them that God would keep them from falling Verse 20. 24. For the Grace of Christ by which we alone stand without which neither they nor we can do any thing he both can and will do it faithfully 4. Praise the Lord who hath made such Provision for our Preservation and Salvation vers 24 25. Now that which I shall confine my self to is in vers 21. the first Clause Keep
Now let me propound a few Incentives to blow and stir up the dying embers of Divine Love in our Souls 1. No man can love God truly unless he know God truly 1 Cor. 8.3 If any man love God the same is known of him therefore examine what knowledge thou hast of God especially what practical Knowledge It is clear practical Gospel Knowledge to know God in Christ this is saving and brings Life Eternal Joh. 17.3 This is Knowledge that transforms 2 Cor. 3.18 This is a Sanctifying Knowledge Ephes 4.21 22. This is a justifying Knowledge or the Knowledge of Faith Isa 53.11 Philip. 3.8 9 10. This Light and Knowledge comes in to the Soul by the Illumination of the Spirit of God turning our darkness into light and is the teaching of God and the anointing of God teaching all things Joh. 6.46 Joh. 2.20 27. This principally teacheth us these two things 1. The Love of God in Christ to us 2. The Loveliness of Christ to inflame our love to him by his Beauty and Excellency Now when we clearly see and duely consider this our Hearts are marvellously drawn out in Love to the Lord And without this knowledge of God we can never truly love him O pray for it and attend and improve the Means of it This is that which the Apostle points at as the most transcendent of all other in the World which carnal Hearts are no wayes capable of without the work of Gods Spirit in the Soul 1 Cor. 2.9 to the end read and mind that Scripture well There are some things which we can never see in their Excellencies without the help of Telescopes and Perspective glasses by reason of the weakness and dimness of our sight In like manner we can never see the Amiableness of God in Christ without the help of Gods Spirit This sets the Soul upon the Top of a high Mountain as Moses upon the Top of Pisgah whereby he gains a prospect of the Heavenly Canaan or as Christ and his Disciples upon Tabor in the Transfiguration 2 Pet. 1.17 18. 2 Cor. 12.2 3 4. from that excellent Glory Or such a sight as Paul had in his Rapture 2. A second means and Motive to blow up the Flame of Divine Love in us is to consider That the Lord is incomparably the most lovely Object in the World Psal 119.68 Mat. 19.16 17. being the chief of all good and goodness For which reason our Saviour saith Why callest thou me good there is none good but one that is God If we Love a drop of good in the Creature how should we be ravished with an Ocean Psal 36.7 8.9 10. many Oceans in God! Happy he that enjoyes the Fountain of good for with him is the well of Life c. God is purely good without Mixture infinitely good without Measure absolutely good without Dependency communicably good without Failure eternally good without End say the Schools therefore most amiable O consider this And this good this God is ours for ever and ever may every Believer say O let this inflame our Love to this good 3. Examine thy Faith in the Truth of it and labour for the growth of it and observe the working of it for true Faith works by Love and the stronger thy Faith is the stronger thy Love is Gal. 5.8 The Apostle Peter shewing the excellency of Faith and of a tryed Faith that it is more precious than Gold he saith by it we love Jesus Christ though we never saw him with our bodily Eyes and we love him by Believing and rejoyce in it with unspeakable glorious Joy 1 Pet. 1.7 8. Aug. Tract 7. in 1 Joh. Faith is the first Principle and chief root of all Operation in the Soul and it is therefore a vain thing to talk of loving God without Believing Bern. for whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin God doth not put the Oyl of his Mercy but into the Vessel of Faith We believe therefore we speak saith the Apostle we believe therefore we love What made the Saints not value worldly Treasures and Delights What made them Love not their lives to the Death What made them so wonderful in their Active and Passive Obedience for Christ but their Faith by seeing him that is invisible for there is not such an Eye on Earth Heb. 11.24 25 26 27. that see Spiritual things in their Spirituality and notwithstanding their remotest distance such a Faith doth break forth in the flames of Love to God that thereby the Heart where it is is ravished by it the Lord saith his Heart is also ravished with that Eye Cant. 4.9 4. Consider that God best deserves thy Love All the World cannot vye with God in loving us therefore are not worthy to be Rivals with him It is a horrid and an amazing thing how the glorious God should so far be provoked by such Rivals and bear so long Of this he complained severely in his People of old Jer. 2.5 11 12 13 31 32. Read the Prophets and that one Chapter for instance And this is true of the greatest part of the World one silly Idol or other courts all of them yet they never did any man any good nor can it but hurt By loving them they cannot love us again they cannot save us in our trouble they cannot hear us when we cry Jer. 2.28 no more than Baal did his Priests 1 Kings 18.26 Our love is lost upon them they distress us but help us not Like Summer-Brooks that are dry when we most need them Job 6.15 16 17 18. What say you doth not the Lord best deserve your Love what is there that he hath not done for you you owe him not only for your Blessings but for your Being You stand indebted to him for all things pertaining to life and godliness for all in hand and hope And how many grow fat and wanton under the Mercyes of God Deut. 32. yea Jeshurun kicking at his Bowels and beating the Breasts that feed them Strange degenerate Brats Isa 1.2 3. Jer. 3.1 so far that the Lord cryes out to Heaven and Earth to be astonished at it yet for all this continues loving them still and like a good Shepheard seeks after straying Sheep that of themselves would never return without fetching Will any Creature in the world whom thou Idolizest do this for thee Is this after the manner of men No it is the peculiar kindness of God only think on it 5. Consider if thou love the Lord truly and keep thy self in his Love thy heart will cease to love any thing else in the World and be dead to Creatures and they will be dead to thee Gal. 6.14 Si cor amore Christi inardescit omnis creatura vilescit All things are contemptible to one that truly loves God Phil. 3.8 When the Sun shines the Stars vanish and when it shines upon a Fire it puts the Fire out So doth the Love of God in the Soul
flatter themselves whilst they please that on one consideration or other they shall be the Objects only of their kindness if these men according to their Profession be obliged in conscience to execute whatever their Superiors shall command them no less than Abraham was to sacrifice his Son on the Command of God they hold their Lives at the Mercy and on the good Nature of these Superiors who are always safe out of the reach of Revenge It is marvellous that Mankind doth not agree to demolish this cursed Image or the Ascription of a Godlike Power unto men to require blind Obedience unto their Commands especially considering what effects it hath produced in the world All men know by whose Device it was first set up and erected by whom what means and unto what end it was confirmed and consecrated and at this day it is maintained by a Society of men of an uncertain Extract and Original like that of the Janizaries in the Turkish Empire their Rise being generally out of obscurity among the meanest and lowest of the People Such they are who by the Rules of their Education are taught to renounce all respect unto their Native Countreys and Alliances therein but so as to make them only the way and matter for the advancement of the interest of this new Society And this sort of men being nourished from their very first entrances into the conduct of the Society unto hopes and expectations of Wealth Honour Power Interest in the disposal of all publick Affairs of Mankind and the Regulation of the Consciences of men it is no wonder if with the utmost of their Arts and Industry they endeavour to set up and preserve this Image which they have erected from whence they expect all the advantage which they do design But hereof I may treat more fully when I come to speak of the Image of Jealousie it self SECT X. From these Generals I shall proceed unto more particular Instances and those for the most part in important Principles of Religion wherein Christian Faith and Practice are most concerned And I shall begin with that which is of signal Advantage unto the Framers of these Images as the other also are in their degree for by this craft they have their Livelihood and Wealth and most pernicious to the Souls of other men It is a Principle of Truth that such as wherein the whole course of Christian Obedience is concerned that there is a Spiritual defilement in Sin This the Scripture every where declares representing the very Nature of it by spiritual Uncleanness And this Vncleanness is its contrariety unto the Holiness of the Divine Nature as represented unto us in the Law This Defilement is in all men equally by Nature all are alike born in Sin and the pollution of it Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean And it is in all personally in various degrees some are more polluted with actual Sins than others but all are so in their degree and measure This pollution of Sin must be purged and taken away before our entrance into Heaven for no unclean thing shall enter into the Kingdom of God Sin must be destroyed in its Nature Practice Power and Effects or we are not saved from it This Purification of Sin is wrought in us initially and gradually in this Life and accomplished in Death when the Spirits of just men are made perfect In a compliance with this work of Gods Grace towards them whereby they purifie themselves consists one principal part of the Obedience of Believers in this world and of the exercise of their Faith The principal internal immediate efficient cause of this purification of Sins is the Blood of Christ the Blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God cleanseth us from all our Sins 1 John 1.7 The Blood of Jesus purgeth our Consciences from dead works Heb. 9.14 He washeth us in his own Blood Rev. 1.5 And there is an external helping Cause thereof which is Trials and Afflictions made effectual by the Word and accomplished in Death But this way of purging Sins by the Blood of Christ is mysterious There is no discerning of its Glory but by spiritual Light no experience of its Power but by Faith Hence it is despised and neglected by the most that yet outwardly profess the Doctrine of the Gospel Men generally think there are a thousand better ways for the purging of Sin than this by the Blood of Christ which they cannot understand See Micah 6.6 7. It is Mysterious in the Application of it unto the Souls and Consciences of Believers by the Holy Ghost it is so in the Spring of its efficacy which is the Oblation of it for a Propitiation and in its relation unto the new Covenant which first it establisheth and then makes effectual unto this end The Work of it is gradual and unperceptible unto any thing but the eyes of Faith and diligent spiritual Experience Again It is so ordered by Divine Wisdom as strictly to require to begin excite and encourage the utmost diligence of Believers in a compliance with its efficacy unto the same End What Christ did for us he did without us without our aid or concurrence As God made us without our selves so Christ redeemed us but what he doth in us he doth also by us what he works in a way of Grace we work in a way of Duty And our Duty herein consists as in the continual exercise of all gracious Habits renewing changing and transforming the Soul into the Likeness of Christ for he which hopes to see him purifieth himself as he is pure so also in universal permanent uninterrupted Mortification unto the end whereof we shall speak afterwards This also renders the Work more Mysterious and difficult The improvement of Afflictions unto the same end is a principal part of the Wisdom of Faith without which they can be of no spiritual Use unto the Souls of men This Notion of the Defilement of Sin and that of the Necessity of its purification were retained in the Church of Rome for they could not be lost without not only a rejection of the Scripture but the stiffling of natural conceptions about them which are indelibly fixed in the Consciences of men But Spiritual Light into the Glory of the thing it self or the mystical Purification of Sin with an experience of the power and efficacy of the Blood of Christ as applied unto the Consciences of Believers unto that end by the holy Ghost were lost amongst them In vain shall we seek for any thing of this Nature either in their Doctrine or their Practice Wherefore having lost the Substance of this Truth and all experience of its Power to retain the Use of its Name they have made sundry little Images of it creeping things whereunto they ascribe the power of purging Sin such as Holy Water Pilgrimages Disciplines Masses and various commutations But they quickly found by experience that these things would neither purifie the Heart nor
them Many dark Souls are assaulted by the erroneous and told that they are in a wrong way and they must take up some Errour as a necessary Truth and so are cast into perplexing difficulties and perhaps repent of the Truth which they before owned Many fearful Christians are troubled about every Meal that they eat about their Cloaths their Thoughts and Words thinking or fearing that all is sinful which is lawful and that unavoidable infirmities are heinous sins All such as these are Troubles and Sorrows without Cause and therefore overmuch 2. Sorrow is overmuch when it hurteth and overwhelmeth Nature it self and destroyeth bodily Health or Understanding Grace is the due qualification of Nature and Duty is the right employment of it but neither of them must destroy it As Civil and Ecclesiastick and Domestick Government are for edification and not for destruction so also is personal self-government God will have Mercy and not Sacrifice and he that would not have us kill or hurt our Neighbour on pretence of Religion would not have us destroy or hurt our selves being bound to love our Neighbour but as our selves As Fasting is a Duty no further than it tendeth to some good as to express or exercise true humiliation or to mortifie some fleshly Lust c. so is it with sorrow for sin it is too much when it doth more hurt than good But of this next II. When Sorrow swalloweth up the Sinner it is overmuch and to be restrained As 1. The Passions of Grief and Trouble of mind do oft overthrow the sober and sound use of Reason so that a mans Judgment is corrupted and perverted by it and is not in that case to be trusted As a man in raging Anger so one in fear or great trouble of mind thinks not of things as they are but as his Passion represents them about God and Religion and about his own Soul and his Actions or about his Friends or Enemies his Judgment is perverted and usually false and like an enflamed Eye thinks all things of the colour which is like it self When it perverteth Reason it is overmuch 2. Overmuch Sorrow disableth a man to govern his Thoughts and ungoverned Thoughts must needs be both sinful and very troublesom Grief carrieth them away as in a Torrent you may almost as easily keep the Leavs of Trees in quietness and order in a blustring Wind as the Thoughts of one in troubling Passions If Reason would stop them from perplexing Subjects or turn them to better and sweeter things it cannot do it it hath no power against the stream of troubling Passions 3. Overmuch Sorrow would swallow up Faith it self and greatly hindereth its Exercise They are Matters of unspeakable Joy which the Gospel calleth us to believe and it is wonderful hard for a grieved troubled Soul to believe any thing that is matter of Joy much less of so great Joy as Pardon and Salvation are Though it dare not flatly give God the Lie it hardly believes his free and full Promises and the expressions of his readiness to receive all penitent returning Sinners Passionate Grief serveth to feel somewhat contrary to the Grace and Promises of the Gospel and that feeling hinders Faith 4. Over much Sorrow yet more hindreth Hope when men think that they do believe Gods Word and that his Promises are all true to others yet cannot they Hope for the promised Blessings to themselves Hope is that Grace by which a Soul that believeth the Gospel to be true doth comfortably expect that the benefits promised shall be its own it s an applying Act. The first act of Faith saith the Gospel is true which promiseth Grace and Glory through Christ The next act of Faith saith I will trust my Soul and all upon it and take Christ for my Saviour and Help And then Hope saith I hope for this Salvation by him But Melancholly overwhelming Sorrow and Trouble is as great an Adversary to this Hope as water is to fire or snow to heat Despair is its very pulse and breath Fain such would have hope but they cannot All their thoughts are suspitious and misgiving and they can see nothing but danger and misery and a helpless state And when Hope which is the Anchor of the Soul is gone what wonder if they be continually tost with storms 5. Over much sorrow swalloweth up all comfortable Sense of the Infinite Goodness and Love of God and thereby hindereth the Soul from Loving Him And in this it is an Adversary to the very Life of Holiness It is exceeding hard for such a troubled Soul to apprehend the Goodness of God at all but much harder to judg that he is good and amiable to him But as a man that in the Desarts of Lybia is scorched with the violent heats of the Sun and is ready to dyâ— with draught and faintness may confess that the Sun is the Life of the Earth and a Blessing to mankind but it is misery and death to him even so these Souls overwhelmed with Grief may say that God is good to others but he seems an Enemy to them and to seek their destruction They think he hateth them and hath forsaken them and how can they love such a God who they think doth hate them and resolve to damn them and hath decreed them to it from Eternity and brought them into the world for no other end They that can hardly love an Enemy that doth but defame them or oppress and wrong them will more hardly love a God that they believe will damn them and hath remedilesly appointed them thereto 6. And then it must needs follow that this distemper is a false and injurious Judg of all the Word and Works of God and of all his mercies and corrections Whatever such a one reads or hears he thinks it all makes against him every sad Word and Threatning in Scripture he thinks meaneth him as if it named him But the Promises and Comforts he hath no part in as if he had been by name excepted All Gods mercies are extenuated and taken for no mercies as if God intended them all but to make his sin the greater and to encrease his heavy reckoning and further his damnation He thinks God doth but sugar over poison to him and give him all in Hatred and not in any Love with a design to sink him the deeper in Hell And if God correct him he supposeth that it is but the beginning of his misery and God doth torment him before the time 7. And by this you see that it is an Enemy to Thankfulness it rather reproacheth God for his Mercies as if they were Injuries than giveth him any hearty thanks 8. And by this you may see that this distemper is quite contrary to the Joy in the Holy Ghost yea and the Peace in which Gods Kingdom much consisteth Nothing seemeth Joyful unto such distressed Souls Delighting in God and in his Word and Ways is the flowâ—r and life of true Religion But
holy thankfulness and joy And as for hardness of heart in Scripture it is taken for such a stiff rebellious obstinacy as will not be moved from their sins to obedience by any of Gods commands or threats and is called oft an Iron sinew a stiff neck c but it s never taken from the meer want of tears or passionate sorrow in a man that is willing to obey the hard hearted are the rebellious sorrow even for sin may be overmuch and a passionate woman or man may easily grieve and weep for the sin which they will not leave but obedience cannot be too much 3. And abundance are cast down by ignorance of themselves not knowing the sincerity which God hath given them grace is weak in the best of us here and little and weak grace is not very easily perceived for it acteth weakly and unconstantly and it is known but by its acts and weak grace is always joyned with too strong corruption and all sin in heart and life is contrary to grace and doth obscure it and such persons usually have too little knowledge and are too strange at home and unskilful in examining and watching their hearts and keeping its accounts And how can any under all these hinderances yet keep any full assurance of their own sincerity if with muchado they get some assurances neglect of duty or coldness in it or yielding to temptation or unconstancy in close obedience will make them question all again and ready to say it was all but hypocrisie and a sad and melancholly frame of mind is always apt to conclude the worse and hardly brought to see any thing that is good and tends to comfort 4. And in such a case there are too few that know how to fetch comfort from bare probabilities when they get not certainty much less from the meer offers of Grace and Salvation even when they cannot deny but they are willing to accept them and if none should have comfort but those that have assurance of their sincerity and salvation despair would swallow up the soules of most even of true believers 5. And Ignorance of other men increaseth the fears and sorrows of some They think by our preaching and writing that we are much better then we are And then they think that they are graceless because they come short of our supposed measures whereas if they dwelt with us and saw our failings or knew us but as well as we know our selves or saw all our sinful thoughts and vicious dispositions written in our fore-heads they would be cured of this errour 6. And unskilful Teachers do cause the griefs and perplexities of very many some cannot open to them clearly the tenor of the Covenant of grace some are themselves unacquainted with any spiritual heavenly consolations and many have no experience of any inward holiness and renewal by the Holy Ghost and know not what sincerity is nor wherein a Saint doth differ from an ungodly sinner as wicked deceivers make good and bad to differ but a little if not the best to be taken for the worst so some unskilful men do place sincerity in such things as are not so much as duty as the Papists in their manifold inventions and superstitions and many Sects in their unsound opinions And some unskilfully and unsoundly describe the state of grace and tell you how far an hypocrite may go so as unjustly discourageth and confoundeth the weaker sort of Christians and cannot amend the mis-expression of their Books or Teachers * One of my Hearers fell distracted with reading some passages in Mr. Sheepherds sincere Beleever which were not justifiable or sound And too many Teachers lay mens comforts if not Salvation on controversies which are past their reach and pronounce heresie and damnation against that which they themselves understand not even the Christian world these one thousand three hundred or one thousand two hundred years is divided into parties by the Teachers unskilful quarrels about words which they took in several sences Is it any wonder if the hearers of such are distracted IV. I have told you the causes of distracted sorrows I am now to tell you what is the cure but alas it is not so soon done as told and I shall begin where the disease beginneth and tell you both what the Patient himself must do and what must be done by his friends and Teachers I. Look not on the sinful part of your troubles either as better or worse than indeed it is 1. Too many persons in their sufferings and sorrows think they are only to be pittyed and take little notice of the sin that caused them or that they still continue to commit and too many unskilful friends and Ministers do only comfort them when a round chiding and discovery of their sin should be the better part of the Cure and if they were more sensible how much sin their is in their overvaluing the world and not trusting God and in there hard thoughts of him and their poor unholy thoughts of his goodness and in their undervaluing the heavenly Glory which should satisfie them in the most afflicted State and in their daily Impatiences cares and discontents and in denying the mercies or grace received this would do more to cure some than words of comfort when they say as Jonah I do well to be angry and think that all their denials of Grace and distracting sorrows and wrangling against Gods love and mercy are their duties its time to make them know how great sinners they are 2. And yet when as foolishly they think that all these sins are marks of a graceless state and that God will take the Devils temptations for their sins and condemn them for that which they abhor and take their very disease of melancholly for a crime this also needs confutation and reprehension that they may not by errour cherish their passions or distress II. Particularly Give not way to a habit of peevish impatience though it is carnal love to somewhat more than to God and Glory which is the damning sin yet Impatience must not pass for innocence did you not reckon upon sufferings and of bearing the Cross when you first gave up your selves to Christ And do you think it strange look for it and make it your daily study to prepare for any tryal that God may bring you to and then it will not surprize you and overwhelm you Prepare for the loss of Children and Friends for the loss of Goods and for Poverty and Want prepare for slanders injuries or poysons for sickness pain and death It is your unpreparedness that maketh it seem unsufferable And remember that it is but a vile body that suffereth which you alwayes knew must suffer death and rot to dust and whoever is the instrument of your sufferings it is God that tryeth you by it and when you think that you are only displeased with men you are not guiltless of murmuring against God or else his overruling hand
God but the Corruptions and Maladies of Christians are not You must hold nothing but what Christians of old have held as received from Gods Word but because they have all some Faults and Errors you must not hold and do all those V. Maintain the Vnity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace with all true Christians as such and live in Love in the Communion of Saints That is with them that live in the Belief and in holy Obedience to the Christian Faith and Law By their Fruits you shall know them The Societies of Malignants who suppress true Practical Knowledge and Piety and hate the best men and cherish Wickedness and bloodily persecute those that in Conscience obey not their Usurpations and Inventions are not the Communion of Saints Wolves Thorns and Thistles are not the Sheep or Vines of Christ VI. Prefer not any odd or singular Sect before the Universal Consent of the Faithful in your Learning or Communion so far as the Judgment of men is to be regarded Though we take not our Faith from the Number of Believers and though the most be usually none of the best and some few are much wiser than the most and in a Controversie a few men of such knowledge are to be believed before the multitude of less knowledge yet Christ is the Head of all true Christians and not of an odd Sect or Party only and he hath commanded them all to live as Brethren in Love and holy Communion And in all Sciences the greater number of agreeing men are liker to be in the right than some stragling persons who shew otherwise no more ability than they At least which side soever you like best in less necessary Points you must always be in unity with all true Christians and not unnecessarily differ from them VII Never set a doubtful Opinion against a certain Truth or Duty reduce not things certain to things uncertain but contrarily uncertain things to certain for instance It is certain that you ought to live in Love and Peace with all that are true Christians and to do good to all and wrong to none Let not any doubtful difference make you violate this Rule and hate and slander and backbite and hurt them for a doubtful indifferent or unnecessary thing Set not your Mint or Cummin Tythes or Ceremonies against Love and Justice and the great and certain things of the Law It 's an ill Sect or Opinion that is against the Nature and common Duty of Christianity and Humanity VIII Faithfully serve Christ as far as you have attained and be true to all the Truth that you know sin not by omission or practice against the Knowledge which you have lest God in justice give up your Understanding to believe a Lie IX Remember that all men on earth are ignorant and know but as in a Glass and in part and therefore the best have many Errors No man knoweth the smallest Grass or Worm with an adequate perfect knowledge And if God bear with multitudes of Errors in us all we must bear with such as are tolerable in each other It 's well if men be humble and teachable and willing to know As we have seen few more imperfect than the Sects that have asserted sinless perfection so we see few so fallible and erroneous as the Roman Sect which pleadeth their Infallibility when they tell you that you must believe their Popes and Councils that you may come to an end of Controversie Ask them whether we may here hope for any end of Ignorance Errour and Sin if not what hope of ending all Controversies before we come to Heaven where Ignorance is ended The Controversies against the Essentials of Christianity were ended with us all when we became true and adult Christians and the rest will be lessened as we grow in knowledge Divinity is not less mysterious than Law and Physick c. where Controversies abound X. Yet stiâ—t not your selves in Knowledge nor say we have learnt enough but continue as Christ's Scholars in Learning more and more to the Death the wisest know little and may still increase There is a great difference in Excellency Usefulness and Comfort between men of clear digested Knowledge and confused undigested Apprehensions These ten Rules practised will save you from being perplexed with Doubts and Controversies of all Pretenders in Religion II. But if your trouble be not about Doctrinal Controversies but about your Sins or want of Grace and Spiritual state digest well these following Truths and Counsels and it will cure you I. God's Goodness is equal to his Greatness even to that Power that ruleth Heaven and Earth His Attributes are commensurate And Goodness will do good to capable Receivers He loved us when we were Enemies and he is essentially Love it self II. Christ hath freely taken Humane Nature and made Satisfaction for the Sins of the world as full as answereth his Ends and so full that none shall perish for want of sufficiency in his Sacrifice and Merits III. Upon these Merits Christ hath made a Law or Covenant of Grace forgiving all Sin and giving freely everlasting Life to all that will believingly accept it so that all mens Sins are conditionally pardoned by the Tenor of this Covenant IV. The Condition of Pardon and Life is not that we sin no more or that by any price we purchase it of God or by our own works do benefit him or buy his Grace but only that we believe him and willingly accept of the Mercy which he freely giveth us according to the Nature of the Gift that is that we accept of Christ as Christ to justifie sanctifie rule and save us V. God hath Commissioned his Ministers to proclaim and offer this Covenant and Grace to all and earnestly intreat them in his Name to accept it and be reconciled to him he hath excepted none VI. No man that hath this Offer is damned but only those that obstinately refuse it to the last Breath VII The Day of Grace is never so past to any Sinner but still he may have Christ and Pardon if he will and if he have it not it is because he will not And the Day of Grace is so far from being past that it is savingly come to all that are so willing and Grace is still offered urgently to all VIII The Will is the Man in God's account and what a man truly would be and have he is and shall have Consent to the Baptismal Covenant is true Grace and Conversion and such have right to Christ and Life IX The number and greatness of former Sin is no exception against the pardon of any penitent converted Sinner God pardoneth great and small to such where Sin aboundeth Grace superaboundeth and much is forgiven that men may be thankful and love much X. Repentance is true though Tears and passionate Sorrow be defective when a man had rather leave his Sin than keep it and sincerely though imperfectly endeavoureth fully to overcome it No Sin
some a Dram of Cremor Tartary in broth will do it in the Morning 4. Sit not down nor walk as soon as you rise in the Morning but stand still upright a quarter of an hour when you are drest and as long after Dinner it helpeth the excrements too descend And if you feel the least possibility go to Stool and make not too much haste away 5. If you have no Rheum or cold windiness of Stomach eat sometimes ten or twelve stewed Prunes and sometimes four or five roasted Pippens half an hour before Dinner 6. Take Chio Turpentine or Venice Turpentine if that cannot be had wash it well and make it into hard Pills with Powder of Epithyme as much as you can get it to take up Let the Pills be small and take a Dram or more or less as you are able to get them down all at a swallow covered in a Spoonful of Syrup of Apples or of Balm or of Mallows a little before a late Supper to work the next morning or Turpentine with Liuqorice powder or of it self in an Egg or any way got down may serve 7. If more be needful make the same Turpentine into Pills with Rubarb powdered or Senna powdered or both together and take it before Supper It goeth down easily in a Spoonful of any pleasant Syrupe But use no more Clysters nor purging things when once the Melancholly is overcome then you needs must for it difuseth nature as to its proper office 8. Their drink is of great moment that unless in cold bodies they take no strong Wines nor Claret but either Ale or good Beer with a little white Wine or Possit drink made but with little Milk and some strong Ale and white-Wine or Posset drink made with Syder Ale and a little white Wine Or take a quart of the juice of Balm with a little ground Ivey and put it into a Vessel of good Ale or Beer of about three or four gallons and drink this at meat Or sometimes some Wormwood Ale but not long But cold dull bodies may drink good strong Beer or Ale that is not hard and fat cold persons may endure Sack The Devil hath another cure for the sad and Melancholly than such as I have here prescribed which is to caste away all belief of the immortality of the soul and the life to come or at least not to think of it and for to take Religion to be a superstitious needless fancy and for to laugh at the threatnings of the Scripture and go to Play-Houses and Cards and Dice and to drink and play away Melancholly Honest Recreations are very good for Melancholly Persons if we could get them to use it but alas this Satanical cure is but like the Witches bargain with the Devil who promiseth them much but payeth them with shame and utter misery The end of that mirth is uncureable sorrow if timely repentance cure not the cause the Garrison of Satan in the hearts of Sinners are strongly kept when they are in peace but when they have fool'd away time and Mercy and Hope dye they must there 's no remedy and to go merrily and unbelievingly to Hell after all Gods calls and Warnings will be no abatement of their torment to go out of the world in the guilt of Sin and to end life before they would know the use of it and to undergo Gods Justice for the mad contempt of Christ and Grace will put a sad end to all their mirth for there is no Peace to the wicked saith my God Isa 48.22 and 57.21 But Christ saith to his mourners Mat. 5.4 Blessed are you that mourn for you shall be comforted and John 16.20 Ye shall weep and lament but the world shall rejâ—â—câ— and ye shall be sorrowful but your sorrow shall be turned into joy And Solomon knew that the House of Mourning was better than the house of feasting and that the heart of the wise is in the House of Mourning but the heart of Fools in the house of mirth Eccles 7.2 3 4. But holy joy of Faith and Hope is best of all Quest How we may grow in the Knowledge of Christ SERMON XII 2 PET. III. XVIII And in the Knowledg of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Petrus Cruci affigitur capite in terram verso elevatisque in sublime pedibus Plat. in vit Pet. p. 14. THE Apostle Peter when he wrote this Epistle lookt upon himself as a Dying Man the Ministers of the Gospel would preach with more Life if Death were but more within their view His Death which was violent for he ended his days upon a Cross had been foretold by Christ himself accordingly he was perswaded that quickly he should be made to put off his earthly Tabernacle But like a good Shepherd before he departed he expresses his care of the flock which he was to leave behind him He commends the Gospel to them as that which is of the Highest Authority of the Greatest Certainty That their Faith might be firm and that they might persevere in their Obedience The Apostle having lookt as far as the Grave he looks farther he beheld his own and likewise the Worlds Dissolution he plainly foresaw the end of all things and tells them to whom he writes That the Day of the Lord will come as a Thief in the night and that the Heavens will pass away with a great noise the Elements melt with fervent heat the Earth and the Works therein will be burnt up and then most rationally infers seeing all these things shall be dissolved Mali sunt intâ—rpâ—â—â—es qui in arguâ—â—s speculationibus multum consumunt operâ— cum Apostolus totam hanc do â—rinam ad piaâ— exâ—â—rtationes accommodâ—t Ca vin ad loc what manner of Persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and Godliness He speaks of a new Heaven and a new Earth wherein dwells Righteousness Interpreters conclude that this refers not to the substance of the World which will remain but to the qualities of it which will be changed and even at last quâ—te purged out of it Calvin thinks meet here to give a caution against Curiosity and too great Inquisitiveness which will be unprofitable which may prove dangerous and tells us that the scope of the Apostle is mainly to be attended which is to awaken and exhort unto serious Holiness since this World must be purged by Fire all that are Christians should endeavour after a greater measure of Purity and ought to be growing in Grace and in the Knowledg of Christ continually In the words we find 1. A growth and Increase urged the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 supposes Imperfection but also that perfection ought to be aspired unto and that the Christians growth does make him truly great 2. This growth must be in the Knowledg of Jesus Christ the Object Christ is high and large unto Infiniteness his fulness his riches unsearchable the Knowledg of this Object must not be meerly notional verbum
prevent and cure Spiritual Pride SERMON XVI 2. COR. XII VII And least I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the Revelations there was given me a Thorn in the Flesh the Messenger of Satan to buffet me least I should be exalted above measure THE case that calls for resolution and falls under our present consideration is what we must do to prevent and cure spiritual pride Pride is said to be Spiritual in a double respect 1. In respect of its Object when that is something which is spiritual as gifts graces priviledges c. for it may be differenc't from fleshly pride which is conversant about more carnal objects as strength beauty riches honours or the like 2. In respect of its Subject which is the heart or spirit of man there is its proper Seat And so all pride whatsoever be the object of it may be said to be spiritual To prevent and cure are terms that may be thus differenc't the former respects more especially the actings of pride the latter the habit of it in the heart Pride is an evil and a sore disease some call it the tumor or timpany of the Soul it is dangerous to all it is deadly to some The scope of this discourse is to prescribe proper remedies against it Mâ—rc 1 23. and 5 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Is a man acted or agitated by a Diabolical Spirit These words of the Apostle Paul are the fundation upon which I shall build He speaks a little before of a man in Christ that had a wonderful Viâ—ion or revelation from God Bâ— a man in Christ he means either a man united to him or else a man that was extraordinarily acted and transported by him Some expound it by that passage in Revel 1 10. where the Apostle John says he was in the Spirit on the Lords Day That is he was extraordinarily acted and transported by the Spirit Farther by this man in Christ the Apostle means himself because he is speaking of his own priviledges and enjoyments he chuseth to speak in the person of another A good man is always backward to speak any thing in his own praise he knows it savours of pride and folly that it should come out of another mans lips and not his own therefore he never doth it but when 't is necessary for the hand of God and the vindication of his truth And as he is always backward to it for he is ever modest and self-denying in it therefore the Apostle speaks of another Person when he means himself I knew a man in Christ above 14 years ago Some think the Apostle had this rapture or revelation he here speaks of at the time of his first conversion then he lay 3 days and 3 nights in a kind of extasy and did neither eat nor drink Several at their first conversion to God have found such raptures and ravishments as they have had cause to remember all their life after and such as they have not experienc't again during the whole course of their lives Others for the good reasons to long here to insert are of opinion that the time of this revelation was after his conversion yea several Years after it During the time of this extraordinary Vision or revelation he was caught up to the third Heaven for he calls it as some think with respect to the Heavens under it The air in which we breath is the first therefore the Fowls of the air are call'd thâ— Fowls of Heaven the Starry Firmament is the second and the place of the Holy Angels and Glorify'd Spirits is the third Others don't like this distribution of the Heavens and indeed we can speak of them but conjecturally This third Heaven which the Apostle was caught up to he calls Paradice v. 4. for he doth not speak of two raptures but of one and the same only he doubles it to shew the certainty of it Heaven is elsewhere in Scripture call'd Paradice in allusion to that excellent and diligent Garden that Adam was put into before his Fall Our Saviour said to the repenting thief thou shalt be with me in Paradice The way and manner of this rapture he possesseth himself to be ignorant off Hence he says it that whether he was in the body or out of the body he could not tell That is whether he was caught up Soul and Body together or in Soul only The Soul is not so ty'd to the body but that for a season it may be separated from it and afterwards return again to it While he was in this condition he heard unspeakable words such as he neither could nor might utter it was not lawful for him possibly he was forbidden God saw not all that meet to be communicated to a world of Sinners which was allured and indulged to this one eminent Saint This divine rapture or revelation was like to be an occasion of self Exaltation to the Apostle he was in danger of being exalted above measure by means thereof This he mentions twice that it might be the better minded It is the nature of pride as it is of Fire to turn all things into fewel to feed its self The holyest Saint on Earth is not secure from spiritual pride if one should come down from the third Heaven and bring this imperfect nature with him he were still in danger of this Sin To prevent this Sin in the Apostle least he should be exalted in himself as he had been exalted by God there was given him a thorn in the Flesh this prick't the bladder of pride and kept him from being trust up through the abundance of revelations By whom was this given him By God himself it was by his wise ordination or permission The love of God to his People is wonderfully seen in his preventing mercies particularly in his preventing their falling into Sins as here by putting a thorn into Pauls Flesh he prevents the pride of his heart This is thâ—â— mercy for which David prays and for which he also prayseth God T is as great a mercy to prevent our committing of Sin as it is to pardon it when it is committed But what was this thorn in the Flesh which was given the Apostle to prevent spiritual pride and self exaltation Various are the conjectures of Interpreters about it The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is but this once used in all the New Testament it signifies a sharp stake upon which malefactors of old were fastned when executed As also a pricking thorn that runs into a mans flesh or foot as he goes through woods and thickets Some think that this thorn in the flesh was a fleshly lust some evil concupiscence that the Apostle felt to be active or stirring in him Others think that we are thereby to understand some sore temptation of Satan a blasphemous or Atheistical suggestion or injection this is a pinching thorn indeed and hath made many of the Souls of Gods People to bleed Others understand it
degree you will let it alone and little trouble your selves about it This therefore is a Second thing that you must be convinced of and one would think there needed not much ado to bring you to this Conviction Pride indeed is such a hateful thing that few will own it the proudest persons would be accounted humble But if you look into your selves you will easily discover the manifest Symptoms and Indications of this evil disease run over the foregoing effects of Pride and then consider how many of them are found in your selves Effects do always imply and suppose their proper Causes Some bless themselves and say they thank God they are not proud because they do not follow Fashions and go brave in their Attire because they do not affect great Titles and high Places but would rather move in a lower sphere but let such know this Plague may be in their hearts though they have no such tokens of it in their faces Little do men think what a humble outside what contempt of honourable Places and Titles what meanness and plainness of Apparel in themselves what exclaiming and crying out against Pride in others yea what confessing and bemoaning of this sin to God will consist with the prevalency and predominancy of it in their own hearts You remember I distinguish'd in the beginning betwen fleshly and spiritual Pride and the latter is much the worser sort and more hateful to God he is a Spirit and as he likes best of spiritual worship so he hath the greatest dislike of spiritual Pride What matters it then that thou art not lifted up with aiery Titles with gay Apparel and the like so long as thou art puft up with things of a more spiritual Nature as with thy Gifts and Knowledge thy Priviledges and Enjoyments thy Graces and Duties Pride is a Worm that will breed in any of these The Apostle Paul was like to have been catch'd in this Snare by means of his being caught up into the third Heaven A Christian if he hath not a care may be proud of his very Humility it is hard starving this sin when as there is nothing almost but it can live upon But I remember I was too long in the first Direction therefore I must be the shorter in this and those that follow 3. Be much in the Meditation of Death and Judgment The serious Direct 3 and frequent meditation of Death will be a means to kill Pride Some to mortifie the Pride of their hearts have kept a Death's-Head or a dead mans skull always in their Chambers it is of more use to have the thoughts of Death always in their Minds What is man but a little living Clay and what is his Life but a Vapour that appears for a little while and then vanishes away Augustine doubted whether to call it mortalis vita vel vitalis mors a dying life or a living death One says of mans Life that it is a little warm Breath turn'd in and out at the Nostrils The Prophet Isaiah tells us that mans Breath is in his Nostrils and therefore in nothing is he to be accounted of And as for this reason man is not to be accounted of by others so neither by himself 't is but a little a very little while more and you must be gone hence and be seen no more your Breath goeth out and all your thoughts perish and you your selves will rot and perish and shall rotting and perishing things be proud things Shall man be lifted up with what he hath who shortly himself must not be I mean in this world Now you differ it may be from other men and are above them in riches and greatness in parts and priviledges but two Questions may clip your wings and keep you from soaring too high in your own conceits 1. Who made you to differ I suppose none of you will say as one once did that you made your selves to differ you 'll confess I hope that you have nothing but what you have received and so there is no room for pride or glorying therein If you excel in any gift or grace you must say of it as he of his Hatchet alas it is but borrowed 1. How long will there be this difference Death is at hand it stands at the door and that will level you with those that are lowest In the grave whither we are all hastning there is no differece of skulls there the rich and the poor the learned and the unlearned do all meet together the dead bones of men are not distinguish'd by the ornaments or abasures of this temporal Life As the meditation of Death will be a means to mortifie Pride so will also the meditation of Judgment The time will come when you must be accountable unto God for all you have and do enjoy all your mercies and enjoyments are but as so many Talents with which you are intrusted and for which you must give an account You are not owners but stewards of them and the time will come when you must give an account of your Stewardship So the Apostle Paul concludes Rom. 14.12 Every man must give an account of himself to God He must give an account of himself in his natural capacity as a man in his civil capacity as a great or rich man and in his spiritual capacity as a good or religious man he must give an account of all his Receipts of all his Expences what he hath received of God and how he hath laid it out for God A serious Reflection upon this one thing will have a double Effect 1. It will make you careful 2. It will keep you humble you will not easily over-reckon your selves for any thing when you consider the reckoning that you must make for all things Especially if this be added that the more you do receive the greater will be your Reckoning that is a sure word of our Saviours Luke 12.48 To whomsoever much is given of him much shall be required When God sows much he expects to reap much he requires not only an improvement of our Talents but a sutable and proportionable improvement of them that they should be doubled that two Talents should be be made four and five Talents ten 4. Consider the many and great imperfections of your Graces and Direct 4 Duties 1. Consider the imperfections of your Graces How much water is mingled with your wine and dross with your silver and honey-comb with your honey how much greater your ignorance is than your knowledge your unbelief than your faith how the love of the world is as much if not more than your love of God if you were perfect in Grace and Holiness then you would have no Pride at all how is it then that you are so proud and conceited when Grace is so imperfect when you are so short of what is attainable and of what others have attained should that man be proud who hath so little love to God and delight in him as thou hast
whose faith and patience whose holiness and heavenly mindedness is so little as thine is Should that man admit of a proud thought whose Grace and Holiness is so small that he is uncertain whether he hath any at all in sincerity Surely the weakness and imperfection of your Graces should prevent the Prid and haughtiness of your hearts 2. Consider the imperfections of your Duties If you did all that was commanded you were but unprofitable Servants what are you then when you fall so short of your duty you neither do what God commands you nor as he commands it to be done How often are Duties neglected and how often are they negligently performed how listless are you to them how lifeless in them how quickly weary of them Can they be proud who consider how coldly they pray how carelesly they hear how distractedly they meditate how grudgingly they give Alms and the like Leave Pride to the Papists who vainly think their works are works of supererrogation let us be humble who know that our works are works of subtererrogation God may say of the best of us as he doth of the Angel of the Church of Sardis Rev. 3.2 that our works are not perfect or full before him oh no! the Lord knows they are full of gaps and imperfections 5. Reflect seriously upon the sinfulness of your hearts and lives Our Direct 5 defects in Grace and Duty may keep us low but our abounding in Sin and wickedness may keep us much lower Can that heart be proud and lifted up that considers the desperate wickedness and deceitfulness that dwells in it and proceeds out of it those Thefts Adulteries Murders Blasphemies and such like that appear abroad in the lives of others they lie lurking at home in your hearts How would it humble and shame you if others should know the one half nay the hundredth part of that sin and wickedness by you that you know by your selves In order therefore to the Cure of spiritual Pride be you much in self-reflection be not strangers to your selves and to the sinfulness of your own Hearts and Lives Should that man be proud that hath sinn'd as thou hast sinn'd and liv'd as thou hast liv'd and wasted so much time abus'd so much Mercy omitted so many Duties neglected so great Means that hath so grieved the Spirit of God so violated the Laws of God so dishonoured the Name of God Should that man be proud who hath such a heart as thou hast so full of Atheism Unbelief Ignorance Impenitency Hypocrisie Envy Malice Discontent Worldliness Selfishness c. Nay should not thy very Pride it self be a matter of great Humiliation to thee Surely it should greatly humble thee to think that a sin so odious in it self so mischievous in its effects should be still so predominant in thy Soul 'T is possible that a Christian may turn his Pride against its self and his very reflecting upon it may be a means of the subduing of it Direct 6 6. Labour after a more distinct knowledge of God and of his Excellencies 'T is helpful to cure Pride for a man to know himself his own nothingness and vileness but 't is a greater help to know God his Holiness and Greatness c. The Apostle Paul saith that some knowledge puffs men up but this pulls them down 'T is true by all our searching we cannot find out God unto perfection we can never come to a full understanding of all his Excellencies but so much may be known of God as may make us to admire him and to abhor our selves What is man the best of men in comparison of him Job sometimes thought and spake overvaluingly of himself but when once he came to compare himself with God to set God before him then he is presently in the dust yea he abhors himself in dust and ashes Job 42.6 We never have such low thoughts of our selves as when we have the clearest discoveries of God When the Prophet Isaiah had a glimpse of the Glory and Holiness of God he presently cries out Isa 6.5 Wo is me for I am undone I am a man of unclean lips He had a deep sence upon him of his own vileness and wretchedness The true reason why mens hearts are so lofty and lifted up within them is because they have not right Notions and Apprehensions of God and do not consider that infinite distance that is betwixt him and them It might serve a little for the Cure of spiritual Pride to compare our selves with such men as are above us as it is a good means to keep down discontent to consider that many others are below us so 't is a good means to keep down pride to consider that many others are above us Our Knowledge is but Ignorance our Faith but Unbelief our Fruitfulness but Barrenness if compared with theirs But this will more subdue our Pride if we compare our selves with God and consider how infinitely he is above us We are no more to him than a drop to the Ocean than the small dust of the Balance to the whole Body of the earth our Wisdom is Foolishness to God our Strength is Weakness and our Holiness is Wickedness unto him Direct 7 7. Be well instructed in this that Humility and Lowliness of Mind is the great Qualification and Duty of all Christ's true Disciples and Followers They must be converted and become as little Children in two things especially they must be as such in Malice and in Humility instead of contending to be greater than others they must be servants of all Mat. 20.27 Rom. 12.10 John 13.14 Mat. 11.29 Col. 3.12 Eph. 4.1 2. Phil. 2.3 in honour preferring one another They must follow their Lords Example in stooping to wash one anothers feet and must learn of him to be meek and lowly in heart As the Elect of God they must put on bowels of Mercy and humbleness of mind They must walk worthy of the Vocation wherewith they are called with all lowliness and long suffering In lowliness of mind they must esteem others better than themselves These are all Scripture-Injunctions and they plainly shew how all Christians ought to be qualified Let me add that excellent Passage 1 Pet. 5.5 Be all of you subject one to another and be ye cloathed with humility The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to tie or fasten together Humility is the Ribond or string which ties together the Graces and Fruits of the Spirit if that fails they are all scattered and weakned Humility as well as Charity is the Bond of Perfectness The Noun 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from whence the Verb is derived doth signifie a Knot 'T was the Usage of old and so 't is still for persons to adorn their Heads and other Parts with Knots The Apostle exhorts Christians to adorn themselves rather with Humility that is the great Ornament of a Christian therewith all Christ's Disciples must be cloath'd and adorn'd This
we have no other account than what the Holy Ghost gives in verse 1. The Words of Agur the Son of Jakeh even the Prophecy the man spake unto Ithiel and Ucal The Jewish Rabbins would make each of these Names to import some great Mysteries an account of which I do not think to be of such importance as to trouble my self or you to search after but will content my self with the most vulgar Interpretation viz. that this Agur was a person contemporary with Solomon one eminent for his Wisdom and that the other two before mentioned were his Disciples to whom in the following Instructions he applies himself In the second and third Verse you have his humble acknowledgment of the meanness of his own natural abilities and that whatever wisdom he had attained to it was not the product of his own industry but donum desuper a Gift from above Surely I am more brutish than any man and have not the understanding of a man I neither learned wisdom nor have the knowledge of the Holy In the following Verses you have a short yet very significant confession of his Faith and that with respect to God and Christ the Son of God displaying some of his most glorious perfections by which he infinitely exalted above as well as distinguished from all his Creatures v. 4. Who hath ascended up to heaven or descended who hath gathered the Wind in his fists c. Next followeth an excellent Encomium of Gods Word that Transcript of the divine Will which saith the Apostle 2 Tim. 3.15 is able to make us wise to salvation v. 5. Every word of God is pure he is a Shield unto them that put their trust in him The Application of these Instructions you have v. 6. Add thou not unto his words lest he reprove thee and thou be found a Liar Thus have I given you a brief account of this excellent Sermon I have not now leisure to acquaint you either with the importance of the matter or the Method here used but shall proceed to the Prayer that followed this Sermon In the Verse before my Text you have first the Preface v. 7. Two things have I required of thee deny me them not before I die In which you have first the Sum of his Requests Two things David goes to God with his single Request Psal 27.4 One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after Not but that David and Agur too doubtless had many things to ask of God upon whom they depended for whatever they had in hand or in hope but that one or these two Requests must either be supposed to lie uppermost upon their hearts at this time or else that they were such Petitions as were comprehensive of all things substantially good and necessary What these two Requests are and how large and extensive might appear if I had time to give you an account of them in their due latitude 2. You may observe the Object to whom he directs his Prayer viz. to God Two things have I required of thee who for our encouragement in our addresses to him hath ascribed to himself that Title to be a God hearing Prayer Psal 65 2â— 3. You have the manner of his Address expressive both of his Faith and Fervency two necessary ingredients to an acceptable Prayer 1. Two things have I required of thee There is his Faith To require is more than barely to request it imports a looking and a longing for a thing with expectation of receiving what is asked This is the Language of Faith and the freedom that Christ hath purchased for his People in their approaches to the Throne of Grace Eph. 3.12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him 2. His Fervency Deny me not importing that holy courage laying hold on God as not willing to let him go without a blessing 4. You have his Constancy and Perseverance in this Duty Deny me not before I die q. d. I intend not to give over calling upon thy Name whilst I have breath I 'll give thee no rest I 'll never take thy seeming delays for deniâ—ls Here are many profitable Instructions that might hence be collected did not the present design of this Exercise hasten me to step forward to the words of my Text where you have these two more general Parts 1. The Requests the things pleaded for at the hands of God 2. The Arguments for the enforcing these Requests I. The things pleaded for Their Number you heard in the foregoing words Two things Here we are acquainted with their Nature 1. Remove far from me Vanity and Lies This Petition did primarily respect his inward man the Concerns of his Soul Whenever we are sending Dispatces to Heaven spiritual and eternal things should alway have the preheminence Peccata omnis complectitur sub nominibus Vanitatis Mendacii Jun. The things he deprecates are Vanity and Lies By which as is conceived we are to understand those sinful Soul-Maladies under which he groaned and unto which by nature we are wholly addicted and enslaved This then in short is expressive of the breathings of his Soul after a freedom from the damning domineering Power of his in-dwelling Lusts that his Sins might be pardoned that his Conscience might be purged that all might be removed far from him that kept him at a distance from and interrupted him in his communion with God But 2. That Request in which I am at present concerned especially to give you an account of is the next which doth more immediately respect his outward man and the temporal enjoyments of this transitory Life These are also the gifts of God and though they are the Blessings of the Footstool Mercies of an inferiour rank yet as â—ur Saviour tells us such things as during our abode in this lower world our heavenly Father knows that we have need of Mat. 6.32 The Request is this Give me neither Poverty nor Riches feed me with food convenient for me Which though made up of several Sentences yet is it but one single Request According to the Order observed in my Text we must consider First Somewhat that he deprecates and declines viz. Pâ—â—â—â—â—y and Riches Secondly Something for which he supplicaâ—â—s viz. Feed me with food convenient for me 1. The things he deprecates are the two Extreams of a worldly condition Poverty on the left hand Riches on the right 1. Poverty I suppoâ—e you all know at least in the Notion what that means viz a Nâ—â—â—tion or Privation of such â—hings 〈◊〉 God in the ordinary course of 〈◊〉 Providence hath mâ—de neceâ—â—â—â—y for â—he support of our outward man or for our comfortable subsistence in thâ—â— world and in that station in which God hath set us Such as are destitute of necessary supplies for the satisfying of the cravings of Nature these we reckon to be truly poor Such as want Cloaths to coâ—â—â— their nakedness Bread to satisfie
be without the help of an Omnipotent Spirit which only is able to enlighten our Minds and turn our Hearts from the power of Satan unto God All which supposes the Third Person of the Trinity the Holy Ghost By this 't is very manifest that such is the frame of the Christian Religion such the great Fundamentals thereof that without the supposing the Truth of the Doctrine of the Trinity of Persons in the Godhead the Christian Religion is gone 't is lost And how to comprehend this Mâ—stery is impossible There is no contradiction in this Doctrine nothâ—ng in it contrary to our Reason for 't is not said that Three Gods are One but Three Persons are One One God But how to fathom the Mystery we are at a loss 't is certainly beyond Us. So much concerning the Nature and Persons of the Godhead 3. Those Doctrines that have regard unto the ACTS of God are also very profound and mysterious 1. There are the Immanent Acts of God which do not terminate on any Objects ad extra off from God such as Divine Knowledge and the Decree whether of Election or Reprobation 2. Transient Acts such as terminate on an Object off from God namely the Works of Creation and Providence In my discoursing about the Immanent Acts of God I might be very distinct in considering what is very much insisted on by the School-men with reference to the Knowledge of God and acquaint the Reader with the many Distinctions that are used by that sort of men but if I do so I shall exceed the Bounds allotted me I will therefore pass by the Doctrine of Praescience which whatever may be said of it by some has such difficulties in it as admit not of our Solution and make some search into these profound Doctrines about the Decrees of Election and Reprobation That God has decreed the Salvation of some particular Persons is evident enough to any that will deliberately consult the Word of God and that 't is the Vnchangeable Determination of God That such as die in their Sins shall be eternally damned is as manifest The Eternal Decree of Election is so clearly so fully and distinctly reveal'd in Scripture that few or none presume wholly to deny it and such is the known Nature of Election that 't is not easie to believe the Doctrine of Election but withal we must take in the other of Reprobation for Election is but of some and if but some are taken the other are left they are not chosen they are refused they are reprobated But how this Doctrine of Gods leaving or reprobating any from all Eternity is reconcileable to these other that concern the Glory of Divine Goodness and Righteousness is above us The Sublapsarians have done very much towards the clearing up of this by supposing all in their lapsed estate under the guilt and pollution of Sin and God from all Eternity concern'd for his own Glory to Elect some who by being interested in the Blood of Christ should through the sanctification of the Spirit obtain Salvation with eternal Glory but left others to themselves who continuing in Sin are determined to die Hereby the glorious Grace of God in the eternal purpose of Calling Justifying Sanctifying some and thereby preparing them for Heaven is excellently displayed and the purposing from Eternity to leave others to themselves in their Sins for which after much long-suffering they shall be eternally damned is no way inconsistent with that goodness that is so infinitely extended to the Vessels of Mercy but does most fully illustrate how just and righteous God is in condemning them for their Sins and Transgressions Besides 't is obvious enough that the Decrees are but internal Purposes which have no influence on the thing decreed Decreta nil ponunt in Esse Though there is a certainty of the Event yet neither the Sin nor Destruction of the Reprobate is an Effect of the Decree What is here said towards the clearing up the Difficulties that attend this Doctrine is very well urged by the Synod of Dort and 't is no more than what has great countenance from the Holy Scriptures which suppose all in a laps'd and fallen Estate and therefore represents the Elect as Chosen in Christ Ephes 1.4 and Predestinated unto the Adoption of Children by Jesus Christ Elect according to the Fore-knowledge of God the Father through Sanctification of the Spirit c. 1 Pet. 1.2 All which Expressions seem to suppose the Elect in a fallen estate standing in need both of a Redeemer and Sanctifier even as the Reprobates are said Jude 4. to have been before of Old ordained unto Condemnation which Condemnation does presuppose a Judicial Procedure and the Sentence past against them for their Sin which sufficiently suggests that they were considered to have been in a sinful a fallen state Nevertheless it must be acknowledged That this does not remove the difficulty it only supposes it to be insuperable and therefore to be passed over in silence The great Difficulty is How the Absolute Decree of Reprobation is consistent either with the Goodness or Righteousness of God or those other Methods which are taken for the salvation of all men What of Goodness is there in destinating men to eternal Misery or what of Justice in purposing to punish them for ever without any regard to their Sin even before any evil done or how can the unalterable secret Decree for their damnation accord with the sincerity of God in the many Offers which are made of future Glory 'T is true supposing the consideration of their faln state as antecedent to the Decree 't is goodness enough that any are chosen out of the sinful Mass and it would have been a righteous thing for God to have proceeded against all to a Sentence of Condemnation and seeing Christ has died and thereby satisfied Justice and the Spirit strives and that common Grace which is sufficient to enable men to do more towards their Salvation than they do is offered them and that 't is their Sin which is the only proper cause of their denying due Subjection unto Christ these things seem to be cleared up only the greatest difficulty remains to wit How 't is supposeable that such who came pure out of the hand of God can be considered as fallen without some respect unto the anteceding Decree of God What! is their Fall on the supposition of which depends all the Discoveries of the glorious Perfections of God made unto us in the Scriptures a meer casual hit One would assoon think that this curious and beautiful Fabrick the World was owing only unto the casual concourse of Epicurean Atoms for its being so as that the Glory and Beauty the Wisdom and Harmony that shines forth most illustriously in the Christian Religion should be only the product of Casualty or Chance but if the Fall or Sin of man must be considered to be decreed by that God the Purity and Holiness of whose Nature is infinite
5.3 His Vineyard were themselves in a Figure and God is willing the case should be referred to their own determination if they would give themselves time and leisure to think of it So Amos 2.11 Is it not even thus O ye Children of Israel saith the Lord as if God had said I call your own Consciences to witness and let them but speak they will testifie both my Mercies to you and your sins against me or as elsewhere Ezek. 18.25 Are not my wayes equal and your wayes unequal And oh that men would consider how self-condemned they must needs be for all their sins against God and all their neglects of Salvation and disregards of their Souls their sins usually go thus beforehand unto Judgment and men cannot but condemn themselves who can think but that a humble useful temperate pious Life is far better than a proud useless luxurious and prophane Conversation Would we but shew our selves men in the concerns of our Souls as we do in those of our Bodies or Estates acting with that caution and concern in the one as we do in the other what a vast change should we soon discover for all Gods Commandments are for our good and his ways are pleasantness would we but seriously view and consider them Howsoever this is that which will make the Worm to gnaw and the fire to burn the ungodly in the other World in that they have sinn'd against those notices of good and evil which they had or might have had and in that they have put no difference between their vile bodies and their precious Souls whereas our Saviour here appeals to them concerning the worth of their Souls and the worthlesness of all things comparatively besides 2. From the form or manner of expression here used by way of a positive interrogation or Expostulation What is a man profited or what shall a man give We observe that the Negation is intended to be more vehement It being usual not only in Scripture but in common speech by a positive question vehemently to deny as by a negative question vehemently to affirm any thing as by these Scriptures before quoted Amos 2.11 18. Ezek. 25. amongst many other places may appear so that the sense of these words amounts to this 1. It is most evident and undeniable that if any man could gain the whole World not that such a thing was ever done or is indeed possible but upon that supposition he would be a vast loser by it if he lost his Soul for it Because 2. There is nothing of worth or value sufficient to exchange for a Soul with all Now this Text is as it were a ballance or pair of Scales in which the Commodities therein spoken of are weighed 1. In the one Scale is layd the whole world 1 Jo. 2.16 here you may take in the lust of the Flesh the lust of the Eye and the Pride of Life or whatsoever serves for Pleasure Gain or Honour the worldly man's Trinity Abate nothing make good weight more than was ever weighed out to any one but supposed or granted only for Arguments sake Yet here is a Mene Mene writ against it it is weighed and found too light It is touched and found under value 2. In the other Scale only a single Soul is put yours or mine and that doth so far praeponderate and outweigh or outvie the whole World as that there is no comparison betwixt them nothing is of value to be given or taken in Exchange for any of them As to the former of these the World and the Glory of it Our present purpose is to take no further notice of it Sic transit gloria mundi The Moon is not worth the looking after whilst the Sun appears nor all these fading changeable things when the Soul comes under consideration Gal. 6.14 It is now expected that the World should be crucified to us and we to the World and then only we shall be able to hear i. e. to understand what our Saviour here says concerning our Souls which being my intended Subject I shall take occasion from his words to speak to these following Particulars 1. What is meant by the Soul here spoken of 2. What this Soul here spoken of is 3. In what more particularly the worth of this Soul does appear As to the first of these viz. 1. What is meant by the Soul What is meant by a Soul in the Text To mention no other acceptions of the word than such as may be accommodated to this place and our present purpose 1. Soul or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word here used is put for Life by a Metonymy of the Efficient for the Effect because our Life depends upon the Soul thus Matth. 6.25 take no thought for your Lives when the same word is used which is here translated Soul which well considered will give a great light into the meaning of this place For these words are looked upon as a proverbial Speech taken out of Job 2.4 All that a man hath will he give for his Life As if our Saviour had from thence inferr'd if a man being in an apparent danger of a corporal Death would give any thing or do any thing to prolong or redeem his Life how much more should a man do or part with to prevent an Eternal Death or to procure an Everlasting Life 2. The word Soul is put for the Whole Man Synecdoche Partis frequently in Scripture thus Gen. 46.26 The number of Persons that came with Jacob into Egypt are reckon'd by so many Souls as also Act. 2.41 They that were Converted by St. Peter's Sermon are counted three thousand Souls This if considered furthers our present purpose and must needs add to our esteem of our Souls for the Soul is the Man Our Souls are our selves and what by this Evangelist our Saviour calls losing of the Soul in Luk. 9.25 That Evangelist relating the same thing calls losing of our selves The Body is but the House or Cabinet the Soul is the Jewel in it the Body is but the cloathing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the Soul for a while is cloathed with and must put off 3. This word Soul is taken most properly and strictly for the Form constituent and better part of Man that Breath that is breathed into him from God Gen. 2.7 when Man becomes a Living Soul And in this acception we shall take this word here in our following Discourse and are come to enquire what it is 2. What this Soul is But we shall not be throughly able to satisfie our inquiry for being all our knowledge ariseth from our Sences and there is nothing in our Understanding which was not first in one of them Our Souls not incurring into our Senses Our understanding is at a loss to frame any adaequate conceptions of them There are three things reckoned amongst the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such things as cannot be known and by consequence be defined and they are
reference both to the Way and to the End He led them on safely Psal 78.53 I do but allude to it Here 's no such Leader as Those the Prophet speaks of Is 9.16 The Leaders of this people cause them to err they that are led of them are destroyed Oh who then would not be desirous to be led by him The skilfullest faithfullest safest Guide the Traveller pitches upon O Christian wilt not thou do the same for thy precious and immortal Soul 5. The Advantages Benefits Blessings that attend and result from this Leading of the Spirit are great and glorious As to instance in a Few inward Peace and Comfort whereever the Spirit is a Leading Spirit there he is or will be a Comforting Spirit A Readiness to all Dutys of Holiness so as to do them spontaneously and with Delight Gal. 5.18 If ye be led by the Spirit ye are not under the Law i. e. so as in your Obedience to act from a servile Spirit and from the meer External Compulsions of the Law but having the gracious Conduct of the Spirit this will make you do all Freely with the greatest Promptitude and Alacrity Sonship to God so it here comes in as many as are led by the Spirit are the Sons of God As it leads to Conversion it makes us the Sons of God as it leads after Conversion it evidences us to be the Sons of God as has been already said If the Spirit be thy Leader God is thy Father And what a Priviledge is this John 1.12 1 John 3.1 And then as the Consummation of all comes the Glory and Blessedness of Heaven as the certain portion of such who are led by the Spirit Death and Hell are not more sure upon the leading of Sin and Satan than Life and Heaven are sure upon the leading of this Spirit God ever saves in Heaven such whom he leads on Earth Gal. 6.26 As many as walk according to this Rule mercy and Peace be upon them Thou shalt guide me with thy Counsel Psal 73.24 and afterward receive me to Glory All being put together and seriously weighed have I not said enough and enough to excite you all to attain and close with this Blessed Leading of the Spirit of God Much more might have been added by way of Motive but if what has been said will not prevail I despair of ever prevailing with you A Third Enquiry follows 3. Enquiry How may this Leading of the Spirit be attained What is to be done by us that we may be thus led by Him Answ In order to this take the following Directions 1. There must be the having of the Spirit before there can be the Leading of the Spirit This Order is founded in the Nature of the Thing We cannot expect to participate of the Spirits Operations such as are saving before we participate of the Spirit Himself Therefore pray attend upon the Gospel by which He is convey'd to Sinners and then when you have once received him he will not be * Non est spiritus sanctus otiosus movet Mentes et ducit Mel. Idle and Ineffective but an Operative and Leading Spirit in you 2. The Antecedent First leading of the Spirit must be had before there can be the having of his Subsequent and Secondary Leading That is to say He must First lead you to God by Conversion first bring you into a state of Grace and then way is made for his subsequent Leading and Direction When he has been a quickning Spirit in the infusing of a vital Principle into the Soul then succeeds this Act which I am upon And not till then for who will attempt to lead a thing that is dead This Method of the Spirit therefore must be regarded and comply'd with 'T is first Sanctification then Manuduction in the several Things contained therein 3. Be willing to follow the Leading the Motions of the Spirit He gives again and again his secret Guidance to you shewing what you are to do what not if this be followed and comply'd with he 'l continue it if not he 'l withdraw and leave you to follow the Conduct of your own Inclinations a sore Judgment Psal 81.11 12. My people would not hearken to my voice and Israel would none of me So I gave them up unto their own Hearts Lust and they walked in their own Counsel Oh dreadful Word The same will the Spirit do upon our rejecting or resisting of his Leading He may long strive but he will not always strive Gen. 6.3 If the person led shall once begin to struggle with him that leads him and shall refuse to follow his Guidance what is then to be done but to leave him to himself Continued rooted allowed Resistance to to the Spirit makes him so to cast off a person as to lead him no more His Initial Workings in this are to be closed with or he goes no further That one Act in the Leading of the Spirit viz. his Powerful Inclining of the Heart to comply with what he leads unto secures all the Rest If thou art an Opposer of the Spirit he will not be thy Guide Yield to Him and close with Him and he will not withhold this Grace from thee 4. Let your dependance be upon God and his Spirit for Guidance and Direction Would you have Him to lead you Oh let your Trust and Relyance be upon him and see that you renounce all confidences in yourselves He that thinks he has Wisdom or Grace enough in himself to order his Conversation aright shall never find the Spirit to be a Guide to him The meek will he guide in Judgment the meek will he teach his way Psal 25.9 VVhen a man is brought to this meek humble Frame then he is in the way of the Spirits Leading Prov. 3.5 6. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not to thy own understanding In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths Christian Prudence Caution and Circumspection is our Duty but do we lay the stress of our Confidence upon that The steps of our strength shall be straitned and our own Counsel shall cast us down as he speaks Job 18.7 Mans goings are of the Lord how can a man then understand his own way Prov. 20.24 So long as thou thinkest thou canst go by thy self the Spirit will not take thee by the hand to lead thee 5. Pray much for this Grace of the Spirit It being a free and Arbitrary Act on his part he will be sought to for it and give it forth in that way which best suits with his Soveraignty Psal 25.5 Psal 5.8 Psal 31.3 Psal 139.24 Psal 143.10 How much was David in Prayer to God for this Lead me in thy Truth and teach me Lead me O Lord in thy Righteousness Make thy way strait before my face For thy names sake lead me and guide me Lead me in the way Everlasting Teach me to do thy will for thou art my
Thess 2.13 God hath from the Beginning chosen you to Salvation 1 Thess 5.9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtain Salvation which Salvation doth include absence of all evil and presence of all good and this Salvation being Eternal Heb. 5.9 infers the absence of all evil for ever and the presence of all good for ever and whosoever is delivered from all privative Evils and possessed of all positive Everlasting good and that for ever can not be denyed to be happy for ever II. Christ hath redeemed some to be infallibly brought to Eternal Glory What reason can be given of the Incarnation and Death of the Son of God if there be no Eternal misery for men to be delivered from nor any Eternal happiness to be possessed of For 1. Did Christ dye to deliver his Followers from Poverty and Prisons from Sorrow and Sufferings from Trouble and Tribulation What! and yet his Holy Humble and Sincere people lye under these more than other Men that are wicked and ungodly why was Paul then in stripes and imprisonments in hunger and thirst in cold and nakedness in perils and jeopardy of his Life continually and such as Pilate Faelix and Festus in great worldly prosperity Or can it be imagined that Men persisting in Sin should be more partakers of the fruits of Christs Death than those that forsake their sin repent and turn and follow him 2. Did Christ suffer and dye to purchase only Temporal good things as Riches Honours for his Disciples Were these worth his precious Blood VVhatever Christ dyed for it cost him his most Sacred Blood Was it then for Temporal enjoyments only which Turks and Pagans may and do possess more than Thousands of his true and faithful Followers Did Christ intend the benefits of his Death for these in more especial manner then for such as remain finally impenitent and yet shall such reap the fruit of all his Sufferings and those that believe on him go without them Sober reason doth abhor it and all the Scripture is against it Would Christ have humbled himself to such a contemptible Birth miserable Life lamentable painful shameful Death only for transitory temporal fading Mercies If we consider the variety of his sufferings from God Men and Devils the dignity of the Sufferer I profess I cannot imagine any reason of all Christs undertakings and performances if there be not an Eternal state of Misery in suffering of evil things by his Death that Believers might be delivered from and of Glory in enjoying of good things to be brought unto III. The Spirit of God doth sanctifie some that they might be made meet to be partakers of the Eternal Inheritance of the Saints in light As all are not Godly so all are not Ungodly Though most be as they were born yet many there be that are born again there is a wonderful difference betwixt men and men the Spirit of God infusing a principle of spiritual Life and making some all over new working in them Faith in Christ Holy Fear and Love Patience and Hope longing Desires renewing in them the Holy Image of God is as the earnest and first fruits assuring of them in due time of a plentiful harvest of Everlasting Happiness Faith is in order to Eternal Life and Salvation Joh. 3.16 Love hath the promise of it 1 Cor. 2.9 2 Tim. 4.8 Jam. 1.12 Obedience ends in it Heb. 5.9 Hope waits for it Rom. 8.25 and because their hope shall never make them ashamed Rom. 5.5 therefore there must be such an Eternal-Blessed state they hope for IV. The Souls of all men are immortal though they had a beginning yet shall never cease to be therefore must while they be be in some state and because they be Eternal must be in some Eternal state This Eternal state must be either in the Souls enjoyment of God or in separation from him for the wit of Man cannot find out a third for the Soul continuing to be must be with God or not with God shall enjoy him or not enjoy him for to say he shall and shall not or to say he shall not and yet shall is a contradiction and to say he neither shall nor shall not is as bad if therefore the Soul be Eternal and while it shall be shall perfectly enjoy God it shall be Eternally happy If it shall for ever be and that without God it shall be Eternally miserable because God is the chiefest good the ultimate end and perfection of man The great work in this then is to prove that the Soul is Eternal and shall for ever be For which I offer these things 1. There is nothing within nor without the Soul that can be the cause of its ceasing to be here except God who though he can take away the being of Souls and Angels too yet he hath abundantly assured us that he will not Nothing within it because it is a Spiritual Being and hath no Internal Principle by contrary qualities causing a cessation of its Being and because it is simple and indivisible it is immortal and incorruptible for that which is not compounded of parts cannot be dissolved into parts and where there is no dissolution of a Being there is no corruption or end of it there is no Creature without it that can cause the Soul to cease Matth. 10.28 Not able to kill the Soul Luc. 12.4 Fear not them that kill the Body and after that have no more that they can do if they would kill the Soul they cannot when they have killed the Body they have done their worst their most their all 2. The Soul of man hath not dependance upon the Body as to its Being and Existence It hath certain actings and operations which do not depend upon the Body and if the operations of the Soul be independent from the Body such must the principle be from whence such operations do arise and if it can act without dependance on the Body then it can exist and be without the Body In the Body without dependance on the Body it hath the knowledge of immaterial Beings as God and Adgels which were never seen by the eye of the Body nor can because there must be some proportion between the object and the faculty and the Soul doth know it self wherein it hath no need of the phantasie for when it is intimately present to it self it wanteth not the ministry of the phantasie to its own intellection Besides it can conceive of universals abstracted from its singulars in which it doth not depend upon the phantasie for phantasmata sunt singularium non universalium therefore since it can act in the body without dependance on the Body it can exist without the Body and not dye when the Body doth which yet is more plain and certain from the Scripture which telleth us that the Soul of Lazarus after death was carryed by Angels into Abrahams bosom Luc. 16.22 but they did not carry it dead or alive but alive
Death where note 1. His Submission to the will of the Father He puts himself into his Fathers hands and Subjects himself to his pleasure 2. His design the Fathers glory Glorify thy Name He doth not say simply let my Agony and Death come but Glorify c. q. d. This being the means of thy Glory which thou hast fixt upon here I am do to me as seemeth good in thy Sight Hence observe First The best way to quiet and compose our Spirits in time of distress is the Prayer of Faith Wrastle with God and you Conquer your own Tumultuatings 1. Sam. 1.10 11 18. Secondly That Soul will be heard who forgets or neglects himself in Comparison and Prayeth for the Accomplishment of the Will and Glory of God So doth Christ here and God heard him See Heb. 5.7 Thirdly Our Exemption from suffering may sometimes be inconsistent with the Glory of God Save me from this hour saith Christ but for this cause came I unto this hour Father Glorify thy Name The Ground of the Point lyes in his Correction of his first Petition Fourthly The best and most Effectual means to prepare our selves to meet God either in the way of Mercy or Judgment is to resign our selves to the Soveraign Will of God to be disposed of for his Glory 1. I shall prove the Doctrin 2. Open the Nature of this resigned Frame of Spirit 3. Give some Arguments manifesting that it is our Duty especially in a Day of Distress 4. Apply the whole Before I enter upon the first I lay down this Supposition That believer who is prepared for Affliction is prepared for Salvation that the same qualification fits for both these dispensations I know some are Vessels of Wrath fitted only for Distruction Ro. 9.22 If the Apostle did there Treat of a Moral preparation which I know he doth not then we must Distinguish between Destruction and Affliction and of the fitness of the Vessels of Wrath for that and Saints for this But to decide this matter Our Doctrine and Question speaks of an Holy Gracious Preparation for Sufferings to bear them quietly and benificially not of a judicial Aptitude for Ruin much less an Eternal act of Preterition which is the Apostles meaning there This premised I suppose none will deny him who is holily qualified for Suffering to be in a blessed readiness for comfortable Dispensations and Providences Now that the above mentioned Resignation to the will of God for his Glory Prepareth a Soul both for Mercy or Judgment Suffering or Deliverance appeareth as follows 1. In that we find Holy Men of Old in this Spirit ready for either Dispensation Tribulation or Comfort Adversity or Prosperity Job shall be our First Instance his Resignation is notably expressed Chap. 1.21 Naked came I out of my Mothers Woumb and Naked shall I return Thither The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh Blessed be the Name of the Lord. The good Man upon the first gust of the Storm that beats Terribly upon him falls down at the Feet of God acknowledging his Soveraignity and Adoring his Name Well in this Frame he met with greater Tryals afterward and how did he bear them See James 5.11 Ye have heard of the Patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord that the Lord is very Pitiful and of tender Mercyes In this Spirit he bear Affliction Patiently and received Mercy Plentifully God had two Designs on Job to Try and Bless him and Job's humble Spirit equally quallified him for both Take David for a Second Example By Absaloms Rebellion he was brought to a great Strait that must flye to prevent the Surprize of his Person Now take notice of his Frame 2 Sam. 15.25 26. And the King said unto Zadack carry back the Ark of God into the City If I shall find favour in the Eyes of the Lord he will bring me again and shew me both it and his Habitation But if he say thus I have no delight in thee behold here I am let him do to me as seemeth good unto him David was not without hopes of being Restored to his Throne and yet he had fears of the Contrary but whether God would dispose of him that way or this he Submits to his Pleasure Resigns himself to his Will and this prepared him for Suffering and qualified him for Deliverance Isa 41.2 'T is said that God call'd Abraham to his Foot i. e. to an intire Subjection to his Will He disputed nothing that God revealed refused nothing which he commanded what was this for why to fit him for great Tryalls Mercies Gen. 12.1 2 3 4. Cap. 22.1 2 3 10 16 17 18. this was Pauls Frame Acts 20.22 23 24. 2. That Frame is most fit to meet the Lord in the way of Judgment or Mercy which Christ chose to suffer in and so to enter into Glory In the Text this was his case he was shortly to meet with two Contrary Dispensations He was to bear our Sin and to Conflict with the Wrath of God for it to Suffer the Violence of Hell and the World and to Dye an accursed Death but with all immediately he is to be Glorified at the Right Hand of the Father Both these he had in his Eye in this Chap. v. 23 24. He expected a double Glory upon his Death here by the Propagation of the Gospel in Heaven by the Exaltation of his humane Nature Chap. 17.15 and both these he looked for Heb. 12.2 Well how will he prepare himself for Suffering and Glory even by lying at his Fathers Foot in the Text. And now he can grapple with all his Enemys and now he can wait for his reward Matt. 26.39 42 44. 'T was in this Spirit that he went to meet his betrayer v. 45 46. This all the Evangelists mention for our Example Certainly Christ knew what was the best preparation for Judgment or Mercy and Chose it for himself and was therein our Pattern 3. That 's the best way to meet God in the way of his Judgments or Mercies which himself prescribeth but a Resigned humbled Spirit to his Will and Pleasure is commanded by himself to qualify us for such Dispensations 1 Pet. 5.6 Humble your selves therefore under the mighty hand of God and he shall Exalt you in due time q. d. bear my Afflicting hand and you shall feel my Supporting Exalting hand 4. That 's the best Preparation for Mercy or Judgment which God aimeth at in Afflicting and Rewardeth in Delivering his People and this is a Resigned Frame an Obedient Submiss Subdued Will to the Will of God If he afflict his Children 't is because they are Froward if he Cherrish them t is for the Compliance with his Pleasure Ephram was Smitten for his Stubborness and Comforted for his Obedience Jer. 31.18 19 20. God hath no Contention with us but our Crosness because our Wills Thwart his and our ways contradicts his First we resist his Commanding Will by Disobedience and then his chastizing Will
Saints and Martyrs yea and of Jesus Christ himself are a full proof of this Truth Proposi II. Though Men be Great and Good yet may their Souls be cast down and disquieted within them My Soul refused to be comforted my Spirit was overwhelmed in me Psal 77.2 3. 'T is hard and rare for the best Men to keep their Spirits composed and equal when troubles urge them closely The time would fail me and the limits of this discourse would be transgrest should I but shew you from sacred writ what passionate escapes might be observed from Gods Worthies there Proposi III. Good Men should therefore well discern and weigh what troubles and anxieties are upon them and not increase their loads and sorrows by being strangers to themselves Psal 77.6 1 Cor. 10.13 Eccl. 7.14 2 Cor. 12.7 9. Psal 119.28 and they should well distinguish too betwixt what God inflicts upon them and what they cause unto and lay upon themselves and sift their troubles to the bottom they must observe what it is that troubles them and so survey their sufferings and not subject themselves to strange Confusions and Amusements Lam. 3.20 for t is not what we think of what afflicts us but what God really inflicts upon us that we must mind And they must carefully observe in all their sorrows what Ministers to grief and what to shame and what to their Awakening and Refining and what serves to prevent a greater mischief to them 1 Cor. 11.30.32 and to what use God may put their sufferings as to the Church and World and to the unseen State and then resolve it with themselves for what how far and why they are or ought to be dejected and disquieted Proposi IV. What troubles and resentments by gracious Persons are observed should be discoursed by them with their own Souls Psal 4.4 they are to ask themselves how these evils came upon them Is it the immediate hand of God that layes them on if so what have I done against the Lord my God Have I neglected or negligently managed any parts of publick or private Worship as Prayer Praise Thanks Hearing Sacraments or Sanctification of the Lords Day Have I dishonoured God by misrepresenting him to others or to my self Have I reflected any dishonour upon my Christian Calling Have I neglected the exciting and improving of the Grace of God in me in any of its Principles or Functions Or have I behaved my self unworthily or indecently towards others or my self Or is it by the Tongues or Hands of Men that God afflicts me If so what instances of injuriousness negligence indiscretion or immoderate passion can I or others charge upon my self What undue heats or ferments have they discerned in my Spirit by rash or wrathful words or actions If any failures have been on my part where when and how and why were they committed by me If none of these are have been or can be charged upon me what do I undergo from God or Man that Gods great Favourites have not undergone before me And why may not I repair unto the same Encouragements and Consolations which have Relieved and Supported them when they have been exercised as I am What! can not I pledge the best Men in the most bitter Cups but I must presently entertain dismal and undue thoughts of God and make censoriously the worst Constructions of what he lays upon me For to think or say that God deals unfaithfully or unkindly with me is to conclude and utter what neither the Name nor Love of God nor the experiences of his best and wisest Servants will allow of therefore our calm and close debatings of these matters with our selves put us into a fair way to obtain Composures and Relief Proposi V. Good Men when most disquieted and dejected are then to discourse their gracious Selves Heb. 12.5 and to consider what is within them as well as what is laid upon them Psal 44.17 they should remember whose who and what they are by Grace and so repress the tumults and despondencies of their own Spirits for they that are Sanctified can never be forsaken of their God Proposi VI. A revived Sence of God of their Interest in him and of their expectations from him afford great Succours and Supports to gracious Souls and ought to be pleaded and urged upon them by themselves when all things look dreadfully towards them both within and about them Hab. 3.17 18. impatience and despondency are best rebuked Hereby a Sence of God must be revived for as we think of God so shall we value our relation to him and fix and keep our confidence in him and proportionate our expectations from him and 't is to this end that we have such glorious and great accounts of God in sacred writ as to his attributes of Power Wisdom Patience Grace c. Riches and Honour are with him all Kingdom Glory and Power are ascribed unto him and t is with him how things shall go with us and in all the parts of his Creation It is Peace or War with us serenity or disturbance in us and Good or Evil towards us as God himself determineth concerning us Job 34.29 and he that worketh all things after the Counsels of his own Will is to be concluded and believed to be as Good and Gracious as he is either Wise or Great for as Power is his Majesty and Holiness is his Glory so Mercy is his Riches and to him it is a pleasure to be kind and bountiful and a Name of Praise and Joy to be abundant in Compassions and Remissions Jer. 9.24 33.8 9. Mic. 7.18 And yet this is not all but our relation to and interest in him must be revived in the remembrances thereof upon our own Hearts Deut. 33.29 Isa 41.10 Jer. 3.4 5. Heb. 11.16 Hab. 3.18 Every relation is for relative purposes and designs and so affords us great Encouragements Psal 23.1 6. My God! the God of my Life I will say to God my Rock why hast thou forgotten me Psal 42.8 9. O my Strength to thee will I sing for God is my Defence and the God of my Mercy Psal 59.17 68.20 thus David encouraged himself in the Lord his God 1 Sam. 30.6 and here the Foundation of our liveliest hopes is fixt for as Gods infinite perfection assures us that he can do all things so his relation to us and our interest in him assures us that he will be gratious to us and hereto may we safely trust and in the Sence hereof may we address to God by Prayer and Hope Psal 5.2 12. 109.26 119.114 And then the sence and value of what we are to look for is to be lively too upon our heart Slighty and Contemptible Thoughts and Estimations of what we look for will never considerably stem the Tide nor stop the Fluxes of our Sorrows and Discouragements Gods Favour is a valuable Blessing and as the Root of all the rest his Face is glorious and delightful when indeed
like Cases Moses's Prayers prevailed to deliver Israel when the Aegyptians so closely pursued them Exod. 14.15 Why Cryest thou unto me and at other times Exod. 32. Numb 14. Asa's Prayer prevailed against Zerah and his Ethiopian Army 2 Chron. 14.11 12. and Jehosaphats against the Amonites 2 Chron. 20. And if Prayer hath been so prevalent why may it not be so still It is an old tried means which hath not used to fail do not say These were more Eminent Saints and so could do more with God by Prayer than you can but remember you have the same God to Pray to that they had and he delights as much in Prayer now as then he did and can do as much for us as theâ—â— he could You Pray with the same kind of Faith that they did and your Faith is grounded on the same Promises they are still the same and the Mediatour who is to present your Petitions to God is still the same and his Interest in those that fear him and his Concern for them is still the same it was and then why may not Prayer now prevail as much as formerly and do as much with God 2. If you do prevail it will be both your Honour and Comfort to have been Instrumental in keeping off Publick Judgments and procuring Publick Mercies So far as your Prayers have been of use for the obtaining such Mercies so far they are your Mercies and you will have comfort in them Any Mercy is sweet when obtained by Prayer much more such as are of advantage to others as well as your selves And it will be as Honourable as Comfortable to be the Saviours of a Land as Saints seem to be called Obad. ult The Repairer of Breaches and Restorers of Paths to dwell in Isa 58.12 3. If you should not prevail for Publick Deliverance yet your Prayers shall not be lost They â—hall return into your own Bosom Psal 35.13 in deliverance for your selves either God will separate you from others you shall deliver your own Souls Ezek. 14.14 or if not God will hide you in the â—â—â—ve and while you continue here will Sanctifie your Sufferings make yoâ— Rejoyce in Tribulation it will be no small comfort to have done your Duty and discharged your Consciences and to suffer without the Guilt of Negligence and not providing against Sufferings 4. You will have little comfort in suffering in the common Calamities if you have not done your part to keep them off If the breaking in of Wrath upon the Land lie at your Doors if a Nation be lost for want of your Praying and Wrestling with God for it It would be sad Suffering with the Guilt of your own Negligence or Slothfulness or Coldness or Security upon your Consciences and having your Hearts reproach you and tell you that had you stood in the Gap you might have made up the Hedg had you Pray'd more you and others might have Suffered lâ—ss Religion might have flourished Ordinances have continued the Gospel continued the Glory of God might not have departed had you laboured to keep it 5. If you that are Godly do not prevail none else are like to do it Others either Prey no◠〈◊〉 all but wholy restrain Prayer before the Lord or if they do yet â—g such as regard Iniquity in their Hearts the Lord will â—r theâ— Psal 66.18 Either their Guilt choaks their Prayers or â—hey have not the Face to look up to God with any Confidence or the Wickedness of their Lives way-lays their Prayers their Sins intercept their Petitions and hinder any Gracious reception of them the Sacrifices of such are an abomination to the Lord and are so far from making up the Breach that they make it wider 6. Lastly Consider How many there be that labour all they can to Ruâ—n the Land The Sinners of the Land are by far the greatest part of 〈◊〉 Sin iâ—â—pread over all And Sinners Act as if they were weary of 〈◊〉 Mercies weary of their Liberties weary of Christ and his Saints of tâ—â— Gospel and Ordinances as if they were all in a Plot against the Land and resolved to try if could Sin it into Destruction into its old Darkness and Spiritual Bondage How many are laying Designs against the Liberties and Privileges the Estates and Lives of others How many are Opprâ—â—â—â—â— and Persecuting and Molesting those that are Peaceable in the Land And how loud do so many Sins Cry in Gods Ears You had need Pray hard for Mercy when Sin Crys so loud for Vengeance Be up then and doing set Prayer against Sin if others attempt to out-sin your Prayers do you labour to out-pray their Sins do not think that a little cold heartless Praying will prevent or Obviat the consequents of so much Sinning When their be Armies of Enemies and Armies of Sins there needs an Army of Prayers too 2. Do not rest in Prayer but hinder all the Sin you can not only in your selves but in others with whom you have to do and over whom you have any power hinder it in your Families by Restraint and Correction in your Neighbours and Friends by Admonition and Reproof So much Sin as you hinder so much you contribute to the Peace and Prosperity of the Nation It is vain to think of preventing Judgment if you do not endeavour to hinder Sin which calls for it though Punishment may not immediately follow at the heels of Sin Sentnce against an Evil Work may not be speedily Executed Eccles 8.11 yet so long as Sin is spared or connived at it is all the while breeding Judgment the store of Sin adds to the Treasure of Wrath. 3. Do all the Good you can 't is your several places not only your Personal but Relative Capacities by Instruction by Counsel by Example labour to propagate Goodness to all with whom you converse while others are spreading Sin do you endeavour to promote Holiness Commend the Ways of God to others by walking exactly in them your selves Practice those things that are Lovely Philip. 4.8 That may be a means to make those love your Religion who hitherto never lov'd your selves The more you do for the gaining of Souls the more you do for the good of the Nation every Saint you are Instrumental to make will be a new Stake in the Hedg a new Stone in the Wall an addition to the Strength and Security of the Land 2. To Sinners How many of those to whom this Exhortation is Address'd will Read it I know not and if they do whether they will own themselves Sinners and count themselves concern'd in what is said but this I am sure of that if they are not Sinners and Wicked they are Saints these Two divide the Land all are either Godly or Ungodly though there be different degrees among both and if Saints they are the former Exhortation will reach them let them then Act up to it and shew themselves Saints let them appear and stand up for the Publick Good and Interpose
temper of the Offender A small Offence like a Fly on the forehead is not to be kill'd with a Beetle nor is a Venice Glass and so tender are some tempers to be scowred with as much strength as we scowre an Iron Pot with Prudence is also to be observed in Reproofs by care to preserve our own safety and not to expose our selves by indiscreet and lavish expressions to the malice of those whom we reprehend 4. Reprove Sinners with Patience knock twice nay thrice at the door of a Sinners Conscience Importunity may prevail with a Sinner for his own Soul if with the unjust Judge for another Wait if peradventure God may give the Sinner Repentance 5. With expressing that Commiseration towards a Sinner in private which thou expressest for him before God in secret A profane person going once to hear a Play and telling of a Godly man whom he met whither he was going this good man intreated him to forbear and not to go to so wicked a Meeting that might easily endanger his Soul but the man was obstinate and notwithstanding all the Arguments the good man could use to hinder him from going he told him he was resolved to go to the Play-house with that the good man shed abundance of tears upon the beholding his obstinacy They part one from the other the one the resolute person goes towards the Play-house but just as he was entering into it the remembrance of the tears shed by the godly disswader so wrought upon him that he durst not adventure to go into that hurtful place but returned from it without incurring the danger of that temptation § 10 6. We must mourn for those Sins of others that are in appearance advantageous to our selves Thô a Sin may bring us profit or honour yet it must bring us no Pleasure if it bring God dishonour and the Sinner destruction Act. 14. 'T is very observable in Paul and Barnabas that they rent their Cloaths the usual sign of mourning for a Sin that did cast the greatest Honour imaginable upon them that attributed a Divinity to them by doing Sacrifice to them Act. 14.14 We must never endure the advancement of our Interest by the diminution of Gods Glory through Sin As God will not give his glory to another so God not giving it we must not dare to take it That he may be advanced we must be willing to be debased and depressed We should not desire any Glory that promotes not his nor should we shun any disgrace that sets up his honour All our Glory and Gain are unprofitable to us that further not the End why we had out beings Nothing done to a Tree is profitable to it which makes it not more fruitful Though its Leaves be gilded though its Branches should have Pearls and Diamonds hung thick upon them thô the Body be adorned with Sattens and Cloath of Gold yet this makes not the Tree better as a Fruit-tree It would be better for the Tree to dung it than to adorn it To cut its bark than to beautifie its body We should embrace the vilest debasures and the most torn and poor condition if they conduce to our end the glorifying of God rather than by any ones Sin to shine and be advanced in the World 'T was an excellent option of that ingenious Writer Nierembergius to this purpose I had rather L. 4. de ador c. 11. Lord could it be without Sin that all should hate me than that they should love me for my self for if all should hate me I should have but what is mine if they should love me for my self I should usurp what is thine Besides we purchase any temporal Benefit at too dear a rate if it be with the loss of an eternal Soul that sins to obtain it for us If David poured out the water to the Lord 2 Sam. 23.17 and would not drink thereof because it was brought with the jeopardy of the lives of the bringers how far should we be from delighting in those Gains that are obtained by endangering the Souls of those that procure them for us A Factor an Apprentice by whose sin thou gainest should more grieve thee than if by his weakness thou hadst been never so great a loser 3. I shall consider how we should mourn for the Sins of others § 11 in respect of our selves 1. They whom God hath set in any Place or Station of Superiority over others either more publick or in Families should be the most eminent Mourners for the Sins of those committed to their charge Persons who have publick Relations must have publick Affections They have greater opportunities and authority to advance Gods Glory and benefit Souls than their Inferiors have To them much is given and of them much shall be requir'd They are more responsible to God for publick abuses than the Common People The Heads of Places and People are more concern'd to reform than private members If they lay not the Sins of Inferiors to their Hearts they shall be laid to their charge One great if not the greatest reason why England is so full of Ungodliness is because it is so full of Gallio's Acts 18.17 who regard none of those things Now they who resent no Sin will reform no Sinners All must give account for their idle words and Governours especially Magistrates and Ministers for their idle Silence Superiors will not reform those Sinners publickly for whom they do not mourn privately How abominable is it for base Bribery or Face-fearing to deterr Governours from reforming 'T is as cruel to spare all as to pare none Solomons Throne was not held up by Apes but by Lyons Tenuisse silentia Clerum 't is the basest tenure in the World for a Minister to hold his Living by holding of his Peace Luther once said That sinful silence in a Minister was Peccatum irremissibile an unpardonable fault That blessed man * See his Life in his Works Mr. Samuel Hieron mourn'd upon his Death-bed for his defectiveness in the Duty of private Reproof thô blessed Saint he knew upon whom to lay that and his other Sins I doubt not but God makes the World so bitter to us by sufferings Joel 2.17 because we make their Sins no bitterer to them by Reproofs A Minister and Magistrate in Love and Christian Condescension ought to be flexibiliores arundine but in opposing of Sin duriores adamante 2 Cor. 11.29 Heb. 23.17 in the former as flexible as a reed in the latter harder than an adamant § 12 2. Those who now converted have been the most open Sinners in their unconverted state should more lay to Heart the Sins of the openly wicked than those who have lived more Civilly and without scandal The greatest Sinners converted should have the greatest Compassion They who have obtained most should shew most Mercy Ye know saith God the Heart of a Stranger Exod. 23.9 and therefore they are enjoined to be kind to Strangers Great
will not flee to Sinful Shifts and Refuges neither is any thing Chidden Cited or Arraigned but the disquieted and disturbed Spirit and yet even here it is not so much Clamourous and Impatient as it is Inquisitive after and resolved upon its Regular Self-redress If any thing ail it or afflict it it minds the Grounds the Measures and the Effects thereof upon it self Stupid indeed it is not for it feels Gods Hand upon it Immoderate or Careless in its Griefs it will not be for it will call its Sorrows and it Self unto the Test and Bar and there impartially examine all its Pressures its Sence of them and its Behaviour under them nor will it sullenly be neglectful of it self in Troubles for it will urge it self to all Just Observations and Improvements of its best Helps and Remedies and when it finds that only hope in God must bear it up and succour it Oh then how copiously and closely is the Name of God considered by it I shall yet Praise him the Health of my Countenance and my God If it be forced abroad as Holy David now was to Sorrowful Wandrings Solitudes and Retirements its very Privacies shall be spent in pertinent Soliloquies and so be improved to its own best advantage and consequently be made to turn to very good account at last It is and will be provident for Soul-good where e're it is and what ever it is called to undergo And when upon impartial search it finds as it will quickly do that no Relief can be expected but from and by Hope in God how prevalent are its Gracious Principles and Instincts in carrying it to look much higher than it self for Help Nor will it ever look upon its Case as desperate and lost remedilesly whilst there is room and ground for Hope in God to help it yet is it orderly and calm in its Procedures for it first talks with it self and then looks up to God and though it be difficult to disperse and quell its Griefs and Sorrows when they are gathered to an head yet Duty is Duty Hot or Cold and 't is not difficulty that can divorce the Gracious Soul therefrom It can find work in Storms and Tryals for all its Faculties Principles and Graces and they must vigorously perform their Functions to serve those weighty Turns and Purposes which so much concern the exercised Soul And it well knows and doth consider it as wisely that Storms and Tumults of this Nature are never truly laid nor the afflicted Soul refresh'd either by transient and hasty or by hard Thoughts of God and it is its happiness and support that it hath a God to flee to an Heart to Hope in him and to Praise him and an Interest in God and a Covenant of Promises from God to encourage Hope in God Infer IV. O what Refreshments do a due sence and lovely Thoughts of God afford to Gracious Souls under their Troubles and Disquietments 2 Tim. 4.18 O let those passages be Read considerately in Lam. 3.21 36. It is in Gods Gracious Name so solemnly proclaimed in Exod. 34 6 7. that Gracious Souls may Act themselves when all things shake and fail about them and their Hearts tremble in them Joel 3.16 Here is that Anchor which must stay the Soul and hold its Hope when all the Seas of its Concerns and Thoughts are most sevearly prest and broken by Storms and Tempests in it and about it Good Thoughts of God will make us chearfully to endure Afflictions and to Improve the worst Condition Psal 42.7 8. 43.1 2. David here found Relief when all things else proved Miserable Comforters to him The Sorrows of Death compassed me about the Pains of Hell got hold upon me I found Trouble and Sorrow then called I upon the Name of the Lord O Lord deliver my Soul And what was his Encouragement Gracious is the Lord and Righteous also our God is Merciful Psal 116.3 7. And they that would cherish Hope in God should not so much resort to Sinai as to Zion and rather go to Gerizzim than to Ebal if they would have such Thoughts of God as shall and will Encourage Hope in him God here was represented by David to himself as His God as the Health of his Countenance and as that God whom he should surely Praise whatever other Face and Aspect were at present upon things and by these things did he resolve upon awaken and refresh his Hope in God If God be only set before our Eyes as Clothed with Vengeance as an Inexorable and Severe Judge and as upon the Throne of Judgment our Hopes will quickly turn to Desperation and who can possibly Hope in him that takes him for his Enemy But he that remembers and minds God as Love it self as ready to Commiserate the Cases of his Afflicted Servants and as One waiting to be Gracious and ready to Forgive Hear Heal and Save this Man gets presently upon the Wing and freely throws himself as at the Feet of Mercy and can more easily part with his Life than with his Hope in God Job 13.15 And now to give no Check to your Patience by my Prolixity let me close all and drive the matter home if possibly I may and Exhort you to these things Exhort I. Keep up all Amiable and Attracting Thoughts of God in all your Troubles and Disquietments Mic. 7.18 20. Thus did this Gracious Person in my Text. Have Mercy upon me O God according to thy loving kindness according to the multitude of thy tender Mercies blot out my Transgressions Psal 51.1 119.75 76. Nothing can stint or bound Gods Mercies nor check the Efforts and sensible Explications and Productions of Gods most Gracious Name but the culpable unfitness of your Souls to be receptive of his Royal Favours Psal 85.8 Rejoyce the Soul of thy Servant for unto thee O Lord do I lift up my Soul for thou Lord art Good and ready to Forgive and plenteous in Mercy to all them that call upon thee O God the Proud are risen against me But thou Lord art a God full of Compassion and Gracious Long-suffering and Plenteous in Mercy and Truth O turn to me and have Mercy upon me Psal 86.4 5 14 16. The Gracious Soul can never Justifie its own Despondencies for take it under its severest Pressures from Evil Men and Things let it but Act still like it self and it hath more causes for Consolation than for Dejectedness 2 Cor. 6.10 Think not that God forgets or hates thee because thy bitter Cups are not to be dispensed with We are Troubled on every side yet not Distressed Perplexed but not in Despair Persecuted but not Forsaken Cast down but not Destroyed 2 Cor. 4.8 9. Sing therefore O ye Saints of his unto the Lord give Thanks to the Memorial of his Holiness For his Anger is but for a Moment in his Favour is Life and Weeping may endure for a Night but Joy comes in the Morning Psal 30.4 5. And He that is
our God is the God of Salvation Psal 68.20 Think on him therefore as Infinitely Aimable Trusty and Compassionate for were not his Fideliey Inviolable his Mercy and Grace exceeding Rich and his Compassionate Bowels deep how could these Characters of Excellence which he Imprints upon the Gracious Soul be called his Image 'T is Blaspemy against the Grace and Goodness of your God and a flat Contradiction to all the Endearing Accounts which he hath given you of his Grace and Clemency for you to think him Careless or Cruel Inaccessible and Inexorable or False Exhort II. Bless God for Jesus Christ by whom we are brought to this Relief and our Hope in God 1 Pet. 1.3 9. For Christ brought in this better Hope by which we thus draw nigh to God Heb. 7.19 By Christ we have access by Faith unto this Grace wherein we stand and Rejoyce in hope of the Glory of God and can Rejoyce in Tribulation as knowing what Excellent Fruits they are now made productive of Rom. 5.1 5. see Ephes 1.11 and let those Two Chapters Engage your deepest and most serious Thoughts I cannot now stand to open them least I should grow too large When Sin had torn us from our God and set his Face against us how Dismally did all things look about and towards us then the Face of God was Terrible the Thoughts of God were Frightful and Amazing the Way to God was blockt up from us and the Majesty of God was no where visible but in the Presages and Effects of Dreadful Jealousies and Revenges till Christ arose a Prince and Saviour sent from God to give a Glorious Resurrection to our dead and buried Hopes there was enough to cast and keep our Spirits down and to Disquiet us for ever Infinite Wisdom to contrive our Snares and Miseries Insuperable Power to bind and keep us to our Torturing Wracks Inflexibe and Inexorable Justice as to us incenst and prompted by deep and keen Resentments of our Degeneracies and Defections to call for Rigid Satisfaction and to Demand the Absolute Resignation of our All unto Divine Revenges and the Concerns and Glory of Gods disturbed Government rendring it needful that Gods Violated Laws by us be fully Executed on us to cut off all Relief and Hope from us and nothing in our selves to be discerned but what must Justifie Divine Severities and Revenges on us and fit us for and vex us in that Sea of Wrath and Fury which we expected and over which we hung Surely such things as these could not but make us every way Hopeless Helpless and Disconsolate and Wrack our Spirits to the utmost with Disquietudes and Dejections But our Hope dawned when Christ was promised and prefigured and made its Advances by gradual discoveries towards the Glorious shining of that more perfect Day wherein the Sun of Righteousness arose with Healing under his Wings in Mal. 4.2 with Isa 50.10 And when the Lord Redeemer came our Hope and Trust in God was taught by his Doctrine Enjoined and Regulated by his Laws Sanctified and illustrated by his Practice Purchased by his Blood Ingenerated and Cherished by his Spirit Confirmed by his Exhibited and Sealed Covenant and all his Federal Relations to us Enforced and Encouraged by his Intercession with the Father for us and its Accomplishment undertaken and secured to the full by his most Glorious Resurrection and Ascention 1 Pet. 1.21 And its Success is to be visibly and compleatly full at his Appearance and his Kingdom and hence Christ is called The Blessed Hope Tit. 2.13 So that with most Tryumphant Thankfulness and Joy may we Cry out If God be for us who can be against us He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all How shall he not with him also freely give us all things Who is he that Condemneth seeing it is God that Justifieth and Christ that Died yea rather that is Risen again who is even at the Right Hand of God who also maketh Intercession for us Who or what shall separate us from the Love of Christ shall Tribulation or Distress c. Rom. 8.31 39. And what Acknowledgments to God can bear proportion to so great a Gift as this whereby our Hope and Trust in God is thus Revived and Exalted Col. 1.21 27. View but the Face of God in Christ and let that Name of Christ be studied by you in Isa 9.6 7. and then see what can any way discourage you from Hope or Trust in God the Smiles of Majesty and the Supplies of Grace which we Expect and Covet are all from God in Jesus Christ Phil. 4.19 Epes 3.19 21. Christ is himself our Hope and the great Anchor of it 1 Tim. 1.1 Hebr. 6.18 20. And it is by him that God so Reconciles us to himself as to Encourage and Accept our Hope and Trust in him 2 Cor. 5.18 21. Both Comforter and Comforts are through him John 16.7 22. And he is the Patron and Exemplar of our Hope in God Exhort III. Look to your selves least any way your Hope or Trust in God be starved or stifled or trodden down by you Judg. 20.21 2 Pet. 3.11 14. 1 John 3.3 Phil. 2.12 13. If God make great Provisions to countenance sustain and raise this Hope and Trust in him must it not be our care and work to bear our Spirits up in the Liveliest Exercise thereof Let then my Text be Viewed again and see therein how your Work lies before you see that you mind your Souls and be more Conversant therewith than ever see what you have to Trust to your God and the Salvations of his Face or Presence see that your Hope and Trust be suited to the Grounds and Object thereof Observe the Timings of your Duty then most repair to this your Hope and Trust when Troubles and Discouragements press most severely on you and let your Spirits be Argued and Urged hereto by a due Sence of God and by Motives drawn from him Quest How the Religious of a Nation are the Strength of it SERMON XXX The Text is Isa 6.13 But yet in it shall be a Tenth and it shall return and shall be eaten as a Teil-Tree and as an Oak whose substance is in them when they cast their Leaves so the Holy Seed shall be the Substance thereof The Prophet was sent with heavy Tydings to the People 1. OF Spiritual Judgments like to befal them blindness of Mind and hardness of Heart to which they should be left the most dreadful Plague on this side Hell verse 9.10 2. Of Temporals to verse 11 12. until the Cities be wasted without Inhabitant c. God many times seconds Spiritual Judgments with Temporal they that are under the former can not be secure against the latter they that are insensible of the one may be made to feel the other But lest it should make the hearts of the few Righteous among them over sad and should prove in the event a temptation to despair and deject