and hid himselfe from Gods presence If therefore wee compare his sin to the Commandements of the Law wee shall find it to be a direct breach of some and a consequent breach of all For Gods first Commandement saith Exod. 20. Thou shalt have no other Gods but mee Adams sin by the eating of the forbidden fruit by the temptation and perswasion of the divell doth contradict the Commandement of God and saith Nay but my wife and I will both be gods Gen. 3.5 Againe Caine the second man he committed murther and thereby directly broke the sixt Commandement which when God and his conscience made him to understand Gen. 4.8 hee made a most desperate acknowledgement of his sin Vers 13. so that the Law being nothing but a reasonable duty which the creature oweth to his Creator there was therefore a generall knowledge of this Law in the reasonable nature of man at his creation and so to the succession of them of the old world unto the time that the Law was given to Moses by the ordinance of Angels Gal. 3.19 the old world then from Adam to Moses were not lawlesse and free from the service of the Law but had the law of nature for their direction which being grounded upon reason was even the very same with the law of the ten Commandements and the law of the ten Commandements before it was given to Moses was in the ages before going commonly transgressed and that law did both judge and condemne them the which law God gave man when he gave him his nature every man having the knowledge of this law in the naturall use of his reason This was the state of the old world before Moses all sinned and all were judged by the law of nature Now when iniquity began to raigne and be strong in the hearts of men and that their conscience became senslesse of sin neither would they admonish and judge their transgressions then God thought convenient to publish to mankinde this law binding the consciences of men to a strict and dutifull observation of every particular statute of the law Baruch 4.1 denouncing the judgement of condemnation to all them that transgresse against the least breach and particular of those Commandements A second reason why God ordained the Law Reason 2 was that men might rightly understand themselves and thereby know in what degree of holinesse they were because that men are often partiall in their owne judgement and willingly blinde themselves in the view of their owne calamities wherefore then serveth the Law Gal. 3.19 it was added because of transgressions that by the Law men might know wherein they have transgressed A third reason of the ordination of the Law is Reason 3 to provoke men to endeavour themselves with all diligence in a holy course to travell in godly exercise and to avoid both evill actions and idlenesse the Law giving every man sufficient matter of imployments wherein he is bound to spend his houres 4. Esd 9.31 his daies nay his life in the carefull service of his God For behold I sow my Law in you that it may bring forth fruit in you and that yee may be honoured by it for ever Fourthly the reason that the Law was given Reason 4 is that by the severity thereof we might be disciplined and made fit for the mercy of the Gospell for the judgement of the Law will humble us make us understand our misery Gal. 3.24 and provoke us to implore mercy for by the documents and directions of the Law wee are led to salvation in Jesus Christ wherefore the Law is our Schoolemaster to teach and bring us to Christ that wee might be made righteous by faith in him Lastly the Law was given for the glory and Majesty of God that all the world might judge of his infinite mercy to mankind In this respect that notwithstanding all men are judged and condemned by the law of nature and by the Law of his Commandements yet in the greatnesse of his love hee is content to forgive the trespasse and the judgement therefore due unto mankind Gods admirable mercy and finally to entertaine these transgressors his enemies into the bosome of his mercy giving them Mercy in stead of Justice and eternall life Rom. 5.20 when they deserved death and damnation 21. Moreover the Law entered thereupon that the offence should abound neverthelesse Where Sinne abounded there Grace abounded much more that as Sinne had raigned unto death so might Grace also raigne by righteousnesse unto eternall life through Jesus Christ our Lord and this is an admirable degree of love in God that he will decline or lay by his Majesty and to miserable wretched nay sinfull creatures exercise his Mercy in restoring and advancing us that have so highly offended his Majesty and abounded in transgressions for these causes was the Law given and delivered to man Deut. 27.26 The matter of the Commandements God thereby commanding every mans absolute obedience upon forfeiture of his soule to the paines of everlasting condemnation In the Law of the ten Commandements is to be considered the substance which is the matter of the Law and the circumstance which is the manner of the delivering it The matter is contained in ten Commandements the first foure teacheth us directly our duty to God the six last our duties to our neighbour In the manner of giving the Law we may principally consider these circumstances First the principall giver of the Law God Secondly the servants attending this office the Angels Thirdly to whom it was given to Moses Fourthly for whom it was given for the children of Israel who were then the people of God and by consequence to every people that professe themselves the servants of God these are the maine particulars in the circumstance of giving the Law First Exod. 20.1 Exo. 19.18 c. God was the principall authour of this worke to give it countenance and authority for who dare quarrell his worke and the operation of his hands therefore did God himselfe speake all the words of the Commandements he also spake in a fearefull and terrible manner to gaine the businesse a fearefull estimation Vers 9. he spoke in the hearing of the people that they might know it was Gods owne act and to prevent the distrust they might have in his servant Moses Secondly the Angels attend this holy service to declare the most excellent Majesty of God who in all his occasions is served and attended by an infinite number of that excellent nature Againe the Angels were there because they are most desirous of the good of mankind Heb. 1.14 Luke 15.7 10. and doe willingly attend the service of our salvation having joy among themselves in Heaven at the conversion of a sinner they were also to be witnesses betweene God and his people that the covenants might remaine established for ever therefore S. Paul saith The Law was ordained by the
here in this world wherewith he seeth us apt to be intangled he doth as it were fetter us with the shackles of adversity that we should not have scope to daunce after the Musicke and sweet syrens tunes of this worlds happinesse which so enchaunteth men of liberty and lovers thereof that they are thereby led as it were by a golden line to the everlasting pit but for the truely penitent and faithfull believer he hath prepared and provided an endlesse rich and surpassing Diadem of absolute glory Rom. 8.17 18. a beautifull City the Kingdome of joy the Kingdome of eternall consolation If with patience they beare this moment of tryall and fatherly light yoake though to flesh and blood most sharpe and unsavory yet will hee mixe them with spirituall sweetnesse and inward consolation God dealeth most providently for his children and turneth even their teares into great joy and their lamentations into songs of melody and although his working seemes strange unto flesh and blood and hard measure to be crossed yet God seeth it necessary for us therefore take it not grievously to fall into troubles to sustaine miseries to endure crosses and to abide afflictions neither thinke it strange for as the Apostle Saint James saith James 5. it hath beene the portion of Gods dearest children from the beginning and will be for ever found true Psal 91.14 c that Great are the troubles of the righteous and as true it is that the Lord will delivers them out of all Dan. 3. What greater danger could there be then to be in the firie furnace as was Sidrach Misach and Abednego yet did the Lord so qualifie the force of the fire mortifying as it were the nature thereof that it nothing annoyed them yet it did consume the ministers of their execution What greater perill could there be then to be in the Lyons denne with Daniel Dan. 6.16 24. yet the Lord shut up the mouthes of the Lyons that they could not hurt him but yet they devoured his accusers It is much to be in misery in want in sicknesse 1 King 19. Judg. 15.18 Luk. 16.20 21. and full of sores with Job to be in hunger with Elias to thirst with Samson poore sore and naked with Lazarus imprisoned and accused with Joseph persecuted banished and in exile with David with Jeremy with Peter Gen. 3.9 1 Sam. 21.22 27. Acts 14.19 to be stoned with Paul and infinite others yet did the Lord deliver them out of all their troubles such is the force of a sound confidence and trust in the Almighty God who in mercy worketh by outward crosses the inward comfort of his children and sheweth compassion alwaies upon them according to the multitude of his mercies And as sin is the root from whence springeth all our afflictions crosses miseries and calamities both inward and outward and our offences is the cause of Gods displeasure against us and God in his displeasure powreth forth both crosses and curses upon sinners Temporary to the elect and eternall to the reprobate therfore it behooveth every man carefully to consider the cause of his troubles whether hee be falne into the same by his owne riot wanton lascivious or licencious life and by his ungodly conversation and neglect of the feare of God for which things sake Ephes 5.6 Col. 3.6 the wrath of God comes upon the children of disobedience and he powreth out of the cup of his indignation upon them either in judgement to their condemnation The reprobate cannot breath one thought of repentance and so to be perpetuall or else to recall and reclame them from their wicked waies that they may be saved and so to live for ever Therefore let every man acknowledge and confesse their sins unto God be truly penitent and crave pardon for them Esay 49.8 and fall downe before him in hearty prayer and he will heare them grant their requests and deliver them out of all their troubles and afflictions and give them the reward of everlasting life for we cannot be so ready to come unto God by prayers God accepteth of our desires in stead of performance but he is as ready to meete our petitions and in a most fatherly loving manner hee imbraces us and graciously accepteth of our humble desires so that the godly men have no cause to faint undet the burthen of their miseries but that they may thereby the rather gather unto themselves continually more and more strength through the benefit and supply of Gods continuall inward succour and comfort for even their adversities their bitter afflictions and their miserable calamities shall all turne to their blisse Psalm 32. and perpetuall commodity Great plagues remain for the ungodly but whose putteth his trust in the Lord mercy imbraceth him on every side Generall Rules directing a Christian in a godly life EVery day thou drawest neerer to thy death judgement and eternity therefore thinke every day how thou mayest be able to stand in that most strict and severe judgement of God and so live for ever keepe therefore diligent watch over all thy thoughts words and actions Eccles 12.13 14. Ephes 4.2 3. because hereafter thou must give an exact account for them at the last day of judgement whether it be good or evill be carefull to suppresse every sinne in the first motion before it be ripe in thee let sinne be to thy heart a stranger 1 Sam. 12.3 4. not a home-dweller take heed of falling oft into one and the same sin lest the custome of sinning take away the conscience of sinne and then shalt thou waxe so impudently wicked that thou wilt neither feare God nor reverence men which to avoid thinke every evening that thou shalt dye that night and thinke every morning that thou shalt dye that day doe not therefore deferre thy conversion and thy good workes till to morrow for to morrow is uncertaine but death is most certaine and every day hangs over thy head nothing is more contrary to godlinesse then delay If therefore thou contemnest the inward calling of the holy Spirit Ecclesiast 18.22 c. thou shalt never attaine to true conversion Deferre not therefore thy conversion and good workes till thy old age but offer unto God the flowre of thy youth for no age is fitter for Gods service then youth which flourisheth in strength both of body and mind and as thou tenderest the salvation of thy soule live not in any wilfull filthinesse for true faith and purpose of sinning can never stand together approve thy selfe to be a true servant of Christ and study alwaies to walke in the way of the Lord and thinke of the worlds vanity to contemne it of death to expect it of judgement to avoid it of hell to escape it and of heaven to desire it consider in every thing the end before thou dost attempt the action let thy conscience deterre thee to eschew every knowne sin
Thus I wish to all in generall Of the Crosse of Christ and of his holy suffering for our sinnes BEhold thou faithfull soule the griefe of him that suffered Rom. 3.24 25 26. the wounds of him that hanged the torments of him that died on the Crosse that head at which the Angels tremble is crowned with thornes that face which was most beautifull above the sonnes of men is defiled by the spittings of the ungodly those eyes which were more brighter then the Sunne are darkned in death those eares which were wont to heare Angelicall praises did ring with the proud speeches and derision of wicked men Mat. 27 29 c. sinners that mouth which taught the Angels hath no other drinke but Gall and Vinegar those feete which are to bee adored those hands Iob 9.8 which stretcheth forth the Heavens are stretched forth and nayled on the Crosse that body which was the most sacred Temple of the Deity is whipped and wounded with the speare Iohn 19.34 37. neither remaines there any part in him whole save onely a tongue and that to pray for them which crucified him Christ declared himself to be the Sonne of God three manner of waies First by his power or working of miracles Secondly by the holy Ghost appearing in visible signes hee that raigneth with the father in the Heavens is grievously by sinners afflicted on the Crosse God suffers God dies God powreth forth his blood upon the Crosse and all for the redemption of man judge therefore the greatnesse of the danger by the greatnesse of the price judge the danger of the disease by the valew of the remedy Surely those wounds in sinfull man were great and dangerous indeed which could no otherwise be cured but by the wounds of the everliving and quickning flesh of Christ and the disease most dangerous which could not bee câ—red but by the death of the Physitian Consider thou faithfull soule the heavie and fierce displeasure of God against us after the fall of our first Father Adam and his posterity after him that nothing could appease his anger for our sins but the ignominious suffering of his deare and only begotten Sonne upon the corsse Christ his eternall and well beloved Sonne became suter to God his Father for us yet his anger was not turned from us he by whom the world was made Hebr. 1.2 Thirdly by his resurrection from the dead interceded for us became our advocate and tooke the cause of us miserable sinners upon himselfe and yet his anger was not turned from us our Saviour tooke upon him our flesh that by the glory of the divinity communicated unto the humanity hee might expiate and purge our sinfull flesh Eph. 2.13 c. that by the saving vertue of his most perfect righteousnesse communicated unto our nature he might wipe away that venomous quality of our sin which cleaveth so fast unto us and in stead thereof conferre grace upon us Esay 9. 2 Cor. 5.21 and yet the anger of his father was not turned away from us our sins and the punishment due unto them he taketh upon himselfe his body is bound whipped wounded pierced crucified and buried Matth. 27. Luk 22.44 his blood like a dew most copiously distilled downe all his members at his passion his most holy soule is made sorrowfull above measure even unto death hee feeleth the paines of hell the eternall Sonne of God cryeth out that he is forsaken of God so great was his anguish Vers 46. so great was his bloody sweat that he that comforteth the Angels stood in need of an Angel to comfort him hee dyed for us sinners who is the authour and giver of life to every living thing 1 Pet. 3.18 If God be so highly offended with the most just and holy One what shall become of us sinners how will God punish us for our sins who is so wrathfully displeased with his owne Sonne for the sins of others and if his Sonne was so grievously punished for us shall we his servants thinke to escape unpunished what shall the Reprobate suffer if such be the sufferings of his best beloved Surely if our hearts be not harder then the Adamant and more flinty than a stone they must needs be wounded and bleed within us to thinke how Christ was wounded for our sakes For Christ truely tooke our infirmities upon himselfe Esay 53.4 and bare our griefes and healed our sicknesses that which in us merited eternall punishment and condemnation Mat. 8.16.17 thou Lord Jesus tookest upon thy selfe that burthen which would have pressed us downe into hell thou tookest our sins upon thy selfe Rom. 3.24 c. and bestowedst thy righteousnesse upon us death which is due unto us thou undertookest thy selfe and conferredst life upon us we cannot therefore by any meanes doubt of thy grace or despaire by reason of our sinnes therefore if thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Jesus Rom. 10.9 10. and believe in thine heart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved for by faith we apprehend that Christ hath given satisfaction for us he bare the iniquities of those that are his he suffered for the sins of many he interceded for the transgressors Note 4 Esd 4.66 c. for he should have had very few just unlesse in mercy he had received sinners and remitted the sins of the unjust How then shall Christ judge according to severity the sins of the penitent which he hath taken upon himselfe how shall he condemne him that is guilty of sin for whom he dyed Joh. 15.13 will he condemne those whom hee loveth and calleth his friends will he condemne those for whom he hath intreated will he condemne those for whom hee dyed no Lift up thy selfe therefore Psal 42.14 43.5 Ezech. 18.22 O devout soule and forget thy sins for the Lord hath forgotten them hath forgiven them whom then dost thou feare as the punisher of thy sins but the Lord who himselfe hath made satisfaction for thy sins if any other had paid the price of my redemption I might have doubted Esay 53. whether the just Judge would have accepted of that satisfaction if either man or Angel had satisfied for my sins yet still I might have doubted whether the price of my redemption were sufficient but now there is no place for doubt all doubt is taken away and removed from the faithfull and penitent sinner how can it be that hee will not accept of that price which himselfe hath paid Psal 25.9 Psal 43.15 Psal 42.6 how can that but be sufficient which is from God himselfe Why art thou yet troubled O devout soule all the waies of the Lord are mercy and truth just is the Lord and just are his Judgements Why art thou so troubled O my soule let both the Mercy and Justice of God raise thee up if God be just hee will not exact double satisfaction for one
offence for our offences he hath smitten his Sonne how then can he smite his servants for them how can he punish our sinnes in us for which his Sonne hath already given satisfaction Psal 117.2 The truth of the Lord endureth for ever as I live saith the Lord I will not the death of a sinner Ezech. 33.11 but much rather that he may turne from his wickednesse and live Come saith our Saviour Mat. 11.28 unto me all you that are heavy laden and I will refresh you shall wee then make God a liar and labour with the weight of our sins to beare downe his mercy to make God a liar and deny his mercy is a greater sinne then all the sins of the whole world Mat. 27.5 Rom. 5.20 therefore Iudas sinned more in despairing of Gods mercy then the Jewes in crucifying Christ but rather where sin hath abounded there grace hath also much more abounded and over-weigheth our sins by infinite degrees Jude 21 c. for sins are but the sins of men but grace is the grace of God sins are but temporall but the grace of God is from eternity to eternity 2 Cor. 5.18 c satisfaction by Christ hath beene made for our sins and the grace of God is repaired in us by the death of Christ and is established in us through him for ever Of Repentance or sorrow of the Soule for sin VVHen Christian men have understanding by the Law of God of their miserable estate in respect of sin Joh. 15.22.24 Repentance what they were in innocency what they are in sin and what they shall be in judgement it bringeth a generall sadnesse on the soules of men dulleth the spirit and delight they have had in their prosperous fortunes for when God giveth grace to any one to examine his life God gives the first grace to repentance and to view his owne deformities consider his neglect in his dutifull and obedient service which hee oweth unto God the first knowledge thereof and apprehension of his miserie is most terrible because his conscience doth forcibly checke the former proceedings of his life and violently hale him against the currant of his owne affections for as rivers are not forced against their ordinary streame but by the tide which is more forcible than the streame it selfe so our sinfull actions The difficulty of repentance being in all men common and naturall motions is not reformed in us but by the spirit of God a power above our nature yet it is done with such contention and strife in our flesh and nature which for the time doth wonderfully distract the soule of the party repenting and needs it must for he that hath wasted and spent his time in the delicacie of fortune The reason glutting himselfe with variety of pleasures and in the hight of his vaine prosperity is admonished that he hath fed on poison and therby run himself into a desperate hazard wil doubtlesse hardly endure the extremity of griefe which sudden feare and amazednesse can lay upon him for so it is with sinfull man who not regarding the danger of their soule before they are warned and admonished by God and their conscience are taken unprovided with sudden griefe which doth alway inflict an unexpressible measure of sorrow The sorrow of a repentant soule and often times death and desperation when being taught by the Law to know our sinnes our miserable condition and the diseases of our soules so the Gospell teacheth us the cure both what and how to administer physicke to our sicke and diseased soules for else the knowledge of our sinnes were extreame misery without profit The sudden griefe is violent if wee should not also know the meanes of our recovery and to know also how to administer and apply them to our soules comfort for vertue hath no vertue but in use and that physicke which the sicke patient receiveth not cannot profit him bee it never so excellent or standeth never so neere him and as in corporall so in spirituall sicknesse the disease must first be knowne the physicke then administred for hee that ministreth before hee knoweth the cause or knoweth onely the cause and administreth not or administreth and taketh not away the cause of the disease can never recover his patient be he never so skilfull or industrious so in repentance and sorrow for sinne which is a sickenesse of the soule What must cure diseased soules must necessarily bee considered these two particulars the cause the cure The cause is either the materiall cause or the moving cause the materiall cause is sinne The cause of repentance that being the matter of our offence for which wee so sorrow and grieve at the time of our repentance This is proved in the examples of all men that have had the grace of true and unfeyned repentance every penitent child of grace having sorrow and affliction in his soule because of his sinne by which hee hath provoked his God and his Creator against him Thus did Iob and thus did David repent them and so doe and will doe all that would profit by their repentance Iob 42.6 2 Sam. 12 13. And here is necessarily to bee considered and observed that though our repentance have respect to the benefits of our owne estate as being a most necessary service in our salvation yet the maine respect we ought to have to God whose glory we must preferre God must be respected before our soules even before the salvation of our soules making him the principall and our selves but secondary respects of our repentance And herein appeareth the difference betweene true and false repentance for the false and Godlesse repentance sorroweth for their sinne onely because God doth punish and afflict them for their sinne Exod. 9.27 1 Sam. 15.24 25 King 21.27 Math. 27.3 4. and therefore their sorrow is chiefly for the punishment and but respectively for their sinne Thus did Pharaoh Saul Ahab and Iudas repent them and so doe all false and feyned repenters that feare God for their owne respects and not themselves for God Note A true and godly repentance sorroweth for sinne because it is sinne and not because it deserveth punishment and here the maine respect is to be had to God and to our selves onely for Gods sake for though the feare and dread of punishment be sufficient to move any mans repentance yet wee must not make that the cause of our spirituall sorrow but much rather because we have offended so gracious a God who hath declared himselfe to us in so many and great demonstrations of his love to mankind this ought to be more sensible to our wounded soules then the horror wee have of our condemnation thus are holy men moved in their griefe and passion of their repentance the maine difference then betweene true and false repentance is this Note true repentance is caused by reverence wee have of the love of
that wee are the elect of God for they are the fruits of his love and the workes of his spirit and therefore irrefragable testimonies and tokens of election the Sunne by his light shines upon us and by the same light wee view and behold the Sunne againe a man may be elected though for a time he live unconverted Acts 9.1 c. Luk. 23.40 41 42 43. and in his sins as wee may see by the examples of Saint Paul and the thiefe upon the crosse for it is true that whosoever is converted is elected yet whosoever is not converted the same may be elected because the elect may be aliens for a time from God Ephes 2.1 Cor. 6.10.11 Colos 2.13 1 Pet. 4.3 and unregenerated as were the Ephesians Corinthians Colossians yea all men are such by nature so one good and constant motion or resolution of grace is sufficient to prove a mans election unto glory By this we may know that wee belong to God if wee finde the impression of the grace of God constantly in us there is yet matter of true comfort but if all these signes be wanting that a man shall not alwaies finde all these things in himselfe yet must wee not despaire but commend our selves to the grace and mercy of God and use the best meanes of our salvation therefore O devout soule Rom. 4.25 as often as thou dost meditate upon thy predestination behold and thinke on Christ hanging upon the crosse dying for the sinnes of the whole world and rising againe for our justification Begin from Christ lying in a manger Ephes 1.4 5 c. and so thy disputation of predestination shall proceed orderly God the Father elected us in Christ before the foundations of the world were laid if therefore thou art in Christ by faith doe not doubt but that election belongeth unto thee if with a firme confidence of heart thou adherest unto Christ doe not doubt but that thou art in the number of the elect but if thou goest further beyond the limits of the Word of God and wilt search into the profundity of predestination it is greatly to be feared that thou wilt fall into the profundity of desperation God by the voice and severity of the Law accuseth all without Christs satisfaction take heed therefore that thou drawest not the mystery of predestination out of the Law search not into the reasons of Gods secret Counsell lest thy cogitations doe much seduce thee God dwelleth in the light that no man can attaine unto 1 Tim. 6.6 presume not therefore to come unto it rashly but God hath revealed it unto us in the light of the Gospel in this thou mayst safely inquire into the doctrine of this secret Psal 36.9 and in this light thou shalt see true light search not into the profundity of this eternall decree made from eternity but convert thy selfe to the clearenesse of the manifestation of the Gospel which was made in time and in the glasse of Justification thou mayest behold thy election made without time out of the Law take notice of the wrath of God for sins and repent out of the Gospel take notice of the mercy of God through the merits of Christ and apply that unto thy selfe by faith take notice of the nature of faith and shew it by thy godly conversation take notice of Gods fatherly castigation in crosses and endure through patience then at length thou shalt come to the doctrine of predestination Note but in this mysterie there are alwaies three things to be observed the mercy of God loving us the merit of Christ suffering for us and the grace of the holy Ghost by the Gospel sanctifying us Gods mercy is universall because hee loved the world Psal 33.5 6. the earth is full of the mercy of the Lord yea his mercy is greater then heaven and earth for he hath promised Ezech. 33.11 as truely as I live saith the Lord I will not the death of a sinner but much rather that he may turne from his wickednesse and live yea he hath confirmed it with an oath if therefore thou wilt not believe him for his promise yet believe him for his oath The merit of Christ is also universall because hee suffered for the sins of the whole world therefore doubt not of the universality of Christs merits Christ dyed and suffering prayed for them that crucified him and shed his most precious blood for them that persecuted him the promises of the Gospell are universall because Christ saith unto all them that labour and are heavie laden Come unto me and I will refresh you Math. 11.28 God denies his grace unto none but to them that thinke themselves not worthy of it by thinking that their sinnes are greater then the mercy of God is able to pardon forgive so despairing of mercy desperately cast away themselves Consider therefore thou faithfull soule these three props of predestination and rest upon them with a firme confidence of thy heart Consider also the benefits of Gods grace wonderful mercy towards thee that are past and thou wilt not doubt of his finall perseverance towards thee for when as yet thou wast not God created thee Rom. 1.16 when by the fall of Adam thou wast condemned he redeemed thee when thou livedst in the world out of the Church hee called thee by his word when thou wast ignorant of the truth hee instructed thee when thou wentest astray out of the way hee reduced thee home when thou sinnedst he gently corrected thee when thou wast falne hee lifted thee up when thou camest unto him hee most graciously received thee 2 Pet. 3.15 his long suffering appeared in that hee expected thee and his mercy in that he pardoned thee Gods mercy prevented thy destruction hope therefore firmely that his loving kindnesse and mercy will also follow thee Consider thou faithfull soule Psal 23.6 that we were elected of God in Christ by faith faith shews it selfe by love and love hath hope of the promise therefore where there is not love neither is there faith where there is no faith neither is there apprehension of Christ and where there is no apprehension of Christ there is not election and where there is no election there is no hope of salvation Of Mortification HE that is resolved to endeavour his godly repentance and labour the reformation of his sinfull life Note must labour two things principally and of necessity The first is mortification the next is regeneration he must first destroy his sinfull estate before hee can obtaine the estate of grace for God and the gifts of God are so absolutely holy that they cannot admit any mixture or cooperation with sinne and wicked actions For as in curing of bodies infected with poysonous diseases Note the Physitian by severity and strict dyet bringeth downe the body of his patient to extreme poverty and leanenesse and then in that extremity helpeth the weaknesse of
admonishing them that of necessity they must chuse one either to mortifie the flesh and live or pamper the flesh and die there being no meanes no cause of avoydance of this necessity and S. Paul hath admiration at their simplicity that cannot apprehend this mystery who in the Allegory of seed proving the resurrection of the body proveth also the necessary mortifying of the flesh O foole saith hee 1 Cor. 15.36 that which thou sowest is not quickened except it die for as the blade of seed corne cannot appeare before the graine be first rotten in the earth and as there cannot be a resurrection to life before there be first a separation and rottennesse by death so there cannot be a regeneration by grace before there be a mortification to sin for new birth is gotten by the death of sin and mortification is the predecessour and next parent to regeneration they being necessary Relatives for where one is both are and where both are not neither is therefore it is generally necessary all men being bound to mortifie all sin without favour or dispensation of any Lastly it is moved in us by the Spirit of God but it is exercised by our owne reformed spirit Note God first kindling the fire of zeale in our hearts which when it is kindled burneth of it selfe but not without divine assistance for when it shall please the Almighty God by his grace to call us out of the grave of sin by hearty and serious repentance unto newnesse of life by faith in Christ and by the motion of his holy Spirit cause in us a loathing and a detestation of our sins then wee may assure our selves that the gracious goodnesse of God will not give us over but will assist us with his holy Spirit and support us with his divine grace so that we shall never fall away except wee prove voluntary revolters from him for by the promise of God made to his elect in the covenant of grace Ierem. 32.38 39 40 41 42. hee saith They shall be my people and I will be their God And I will give them one hearts and lead them in one way that they may feare mee all the daies of their life I will make an everlasting covenant with them namely that I will never cease to doe them good and that I will put my feare in their heartt so that they shall not depart from me yea I will have a lust and pleasure to doe them good with my whole heart and with my whole soule even so will I also bring upon them all the good that I have promised them and marke our Intercessour and Mediatour Christ Ioh. 17.11.15.20 who hath prayed effectually unto his father for our preservation and conservation in the world because we are his subjects and members who is a most puissant and gracious Prince and Advocate and a most perfect and blessed head and therefore wee may be sure that hee will protect and preserve his subjects profligate and extirpate their sins their enemies and by his Spirit convey spirituall sense and motion into all his members To conclude this calling is an argument of admirable power in God and of his infinite mercy to us for as hee shewed his power in creating and making of things to be that before were not even so he manifests his power in his effectuall calling men that were dead in sin and worse then nothing by their owne deserts to live the life of grace and in breathing into them the breath of new life which was utterly expired by their fall in Adam yea the Lord may seeme to exhibite more power or mercy when he calls men out of their sinnes then when hee did create them For at his creation there was none to hinder him but at his vocation there were many hinderers and great impediments though all inferiour unto God there is the Divell and his suggestions there is the world and her incantations scandalls and allurements and there is our owne flesh the rebellious corruption of the heart all these God must vanquish and overcome 2 Cor. 8.12 and perswade and incline our hearts and wills and of nillers make us willers to come unto him before he perfect and accomplish in us this his glorious and thrice happy worke of grace indeed there is more goodnesse shewed more grace exhibited in restoring of man out of his grievous and intollerable misery and in curing him of his cursed blindnesse then giving him a being Psal 27.1 having none before and in making him to see which before in spirituall things was blinde to raise a dead soule from the death of sinne unto a supernaturall life is a greater worke of mercy than to raise a dead body from bodily death to live a naturall life Joh. 11.43 44. when Christ had cryed to Lazarus being dead and said Lazarus come forth hee forthwith revived and came forth of the grave So when Peter had said to dead Tabitha Acts 9.40 Tabitha arise shee immediately opened her eyes and sate up even so when God shall please to vouchsafe to call a man with his powerfull voyce and shall effectually speake unto the heart and say Arise thou that sleepest in sin come forth of the grave of iniquity stand up and walke in the waies of righteousnesse his voice is so mighty and his Word so powerfull that the man to whom he doth so speake must needs awake arise come forth and walke The voyce of the Lord Psal 29. saith David it mighty in operation the voyce of the Lord breaketh the Cedars it divideth the flames of fire it maketh the wildernesse to tremble The voyce of the Lord is a glorious voyce that maketh the thunder these are the effects of that voyce likewise the voyce which God speaketh to the eare of the soule in his effectuall calling is so mighty and so glorious Heb. 4.12 as that it rendeth the heart and maketh it tremble Ioh 6.20 it discovereth the soule and pierceth into the most secret parts of it and looke as at the sound of the seven trumpets the wall of Iericho fell flat downe and as at that efficacious voyce of Christ saying I am hee Ioh. 18.6 his enemies that came to apprehend him went backward and fell to the ground even so when Gods voyce shall sound in a mans eare and when Christ shall speake effectually unto the heart the walls of hell shall reele and totter the fortresses of iniquity shall be ruinated the castles of sinne shall be cast downe our spirituall enemies shall be driven backeward the strong man Satan shall be fettered and his cursed workes dissolved these are the admirable effects of his glorious voyce Rom. 11.16 these are the worthy and wonderfull workes of Gods effectuall calling wee may therefore justly say The voyce of the Lord is mighty the voyce of the Lord is glorious and bringeth wonderfull things to passe this inward vocation is an infallible pledge of
the Apostle saith of Abraham that he believed in hope against hope Rom. 8. because hee knew that God is so mighty that he is able to performe whatsoever he promiseth faith commeth not of hope neither doth knowledge come of hope but hope is bred of the faith of the promises and knowledge of the might of God the Prophet saith They shall hope upon thee O Lord Psal 9. which have knowne thy name for that thou dost not forsake them which doe seeke thee and doe hope upon thy mercies in Christ But for as much as it is not possible that the heart of a sinner which is troubled for his sinnes and afflicted for Christ should be faithfull without hope whilest hee is in the very temptations and sufferings of his troubles the beginning of hope cannot come of proofe wherefore that which the Apostle saith Rom. 5.3 4. that proofe breedeth hope is to be understood not of the beginning but rather of the encrease of hope and maketh up and perfecteth it for the Apostle meaneth not that troubles laid upon men for Christs sake should decay the hope of the glory of the children of God God is our hope and strength a very present helpe in trouble but enforceth it the more making it therby more supreme and fast so then the beginning of hope comes of faith and the knowledge of God For as much as hope is of things invisible and to come and not of things visible and present it falleth out oftentimes that the hearts of them which live in hope be sore assaulted and their hope so impaired in their troubles miseries and afflictions that they need aid succour and strength whereby it may be cherished and encouraged lest it doe utterly decay and perish yea the very tarrying in the deferring of those things which we doe hope for is so troublesome irkesome and loathsome that though there be no temptation at all joyned with it yet it is alone sufficient to drive a mans hope unto desperation unlesse it be upholden by the divine assistance of Gods grace Prov. 13.12 this Salomon meant when he said the hope which is deferred and prolonged doth afflict and torment the soule who doth not see what great need wee have of the helps and ratifying of Gods grace especially if wee doe consider the weaknesse of our flesh ready to mistrust despaire and the understanding of our owne sins and unworthinesse according unto the which wee doe esteeme our selves as the refuse and cast-awaies of the people the very shame and filth of all men to stand steddy in assured hope but by the vertue and might of God therefore let us see whereby the hope of a Christian man is nourished and strengthened The Christian hope is nourished and confirmed from God Job 39. for it is a cleare case that both hope and faith are the speciall gifts of God so that the strength and nourishment thereof doth come specially from God in as much as he which giveth us the hope doth also nourish and confirme the same in our hearts God doth not forsake his gifts as wee doe reade of the Estrige in Job which departeth and leaveth her egges in the ground and careth not for them whether that they be saved or doe perish but hee doth nourish encrease and preserve all those gifts which hee hath once given unto any man Note and this hee doth by the operation of the holy Spirit whereby he doth cherish feed defend and strengthen both the fayth and hope in the hearts of the Elect. For this is the sure anker of our salvation which the divell may endeavour but never breake the cable hold thereof for God doth fasten and make it tough by his grace and vertue so that he doth preserve the same by his strength and ayd which could not bee wrought by all the power and might of man The party which is in hope when hee feeleth the strength of temptation Prov. 15 8. he flyeth immediately unto his Lord God by prayer earnestly requesting that he may be preserved and not to be overcome by temptations so the Lord warned his Disciples in the garden when the ppwer of darknesse was at hand saying Math. 26.41 Watch and pray that yee enter not into temptation indeed the spirit is willing but the flesh is weake and hee himselfe hath taught us in the Lords prayer to say Luke 11. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evill In the Psalmes of David the Prophet had made such formes of prayers whereby he sought comfort and strength to his hope by praying and singing to bee delivered out of all his troubles Therefore the fayth of Gods promises and the knowledge of the truth and might of God to performe Rom. 4 13 15. doth minister much helpe and strength to the travelling hope for the hope of things to come is nourished by the milke of the same fayth which breeds it and the strength of fayth is made the strength of hope Augustin cha 14. Augustine in his booke of meditations writing in the confirmation of his hope saith There bee three things which doe strengthen and confirme my heart that no lacke of deserts no consideration of my owne basenesse no regard of heavenly blessednesse can thrust mee downe from the high expectation of my hope for my soule is fast rooted therein Now to know the matter why wee must consider and weigh three things in which our whole hope doth consist the love of adoption the truth of Gods promise and his power to performe what he hath promised and if thus to beleeve we may be assured that God in his exceeding great love hath adopted us his children Patience of afflictions Rom. 5.1 c. Againe the very sufferance also of afflictions wherewith the Christian man is tranâ—aled and tryed doth make hope lusty and strong as appeareth by the Apostle and on the contrary impatience doth decay that hope that is The example of godly persons and makes it unprofitable unto us the examples also of godly men which have holden on their hope firme and sure in all kind of their temptations and troubles even till the very end have received the crowne of immortall life as the reward of their hope Heb. 11. may profit much to the cherishing and establishing of our hope as is shewed in the Epistles to the Hebrews and straight addeth in the beginning of the twelfth Chapter Heb. 12.1 2. Therefore seeing that wee have so great a number of godly fathers our witnesses let us shake off that burthen of sinne which sticketh so fast unto us and would presse us downe and with joy and sufferance Vers 3. let us runne the race appoynted us ever looking unto Jesus the Captaine and finisher of our fayth and for the joy that is set before us let us with hope endure the crosse hope keepeth and stayeth the workeman in his worke and desperation is full
thine owne eyes Be truely the same thou seemest to be be therefore the same in the sight of God who beholds thy heart that thou seemest to be in the eyes of men that see thy face content not thy selfe with an outward good name when thy conscience shall tell thee it is undeserved A deserved good name for any thing but for godlinesse lasts little and is lesse worth in all the holy Scriptures wee never reade of an Hypocrites repentance and no wonder for whereas after sin conversion is left as a meanes to cure all other sinners what meanes remaines to recover him who hath converted conversion it selfe into sinne woe therefore unto the soule that seemes religions and is not the same marke the fearefull end of notorious evill men to abhorre their wicked actions Numb 23.10 marke the life of the godly and imitate their life and actions and their blessed end obey thy betters Psal 37.35 36 37. Esay 58.5 6. observe the wise accompany the honest and love the religious And seeing the corrupt nature of man is inclined to hypocrisie beware that thou use not the exercise of religion Mat. 23.27 28. as matter of course and custome without care and conscience and make no more shew of holinesse outwardly to the world then thou hast in the sight of God inwardly in thine heart keepe thy speech cleane from all obscenity and let thy talke be gracious Ephes 4 2â— Prov. 31.26 Psal 139.20 21 22. that hee that heares thee may grow better by thee and be ever more earnest when thou speakest of religion then when thou talkest of worldly matters if thou perceivest that thou hast erred persevere not in thine errour rejoyce to finde the truth and magnifie it study therefore three things especially to understand well to say well and to doe well endeavour to rule those that are under thy charge and authority rather by loâ—e than by feare for to rule by love is easie and safe but tyranny is ever accompanied with care and terrour oppression will force the oppressed to take any advantage to shake off the yoake that they are not able to beare neither will Gods justice suffer the sway that is grounded upon tyranny long to continue rule therefore over Christians being a Christian in love and mercy like Christ thy Master make not an occupation of any recreation the longest use of pleasure is but short but the paines of pleasure abused are eternall use therefore lawfull recreation so farre forth Prov. 21.17 Phil. 4.8 9. as it makes thee fitter in body and minde to doe more cheerefully the service of God and the duties of thy calling be therefore carefull henceforth to make use of thy short time that remaines as a man would of an old lease that were neere expired doe not waste and consume thy time in idlenesse sports playes and toyish vanities for man was not created for sports playes and recreations but zealously to serve God in religion and conscionably to serve and helpe his neighbour in the use of his vocation and by both to ascertaine himselfe of eternall salvation esteeme therefore the losse of time Ephes 5.16 Luk. 16.2 Matth. 25.21 one of the greatest losses redeeme it carefully and spend it wisely that when that time shall come thou mayest be no longer here on earth thy master may welcome thee with an â—uge bone serve and give thee a better in heaven in thy prayer That is well done and welcome good and faithfull servant Matth. 6.6 pray fervently and devoutly for God detests the service of the outward man without the inward heart as hypocrisie so hee counts the inward service without externall reverence to be mere prophanenesse therefore hee requireth both in his worship in prayer therefore bow thy knees in witnesse of thy humiliation lift up thy eyes and thy hands in testimony of thy confidence hang downe thy head and smite thy breast in token of thy contrition but specially call upon God with a sincere heart serve him holily serve him wholly serve him onely for God and the Prince of this world are two contrary Masters and therefore no man can possibly serve both the more thou art separated from the world Prov. 15.8 the more acceptable thou art unto God aske faithfully of God whatsoever thou desirest to have and whatsoever thou hast give thankes unto God for it hee that is not thankefull for that which hee hath already is unworthy to receive more and Gods grace ceases to descend when our thankes cease to ascend whatsoever happeneth unto thee make use of it for good when thou art in prosperity thinke that thou hast just cause to blesse and praise God when thou art in advesirty thinke that thou art put in minde of thy repentance and conversion Prov. 14.25 when the glory of God or good of thy neighbour doth require speake the truth 1 Kings 22. and feare not the face nor frowne of man for sometimes the frowne of a Prince may be the favour of God neither shall flattery still hold in credit nor truth alway continue in disgrace Shew the strength of thy wisedome in instructing shew the strength of thy power in helping and the strength of thy riches in doing good to the poore and needy let not adversity cast thee downe neither let prosperity puffe thee up let Christ be the marke in the imitation of thy life Acts 3.21 follow him in the way that thou mayest overtake him in his country in all things have a speciall care of profound humility 1 Pet. â— 8 and be ardent in charity cleave unto God and lift up thy heart to him by charity let humility keepe downe thy heart that thou beest not proud judge God to be a father for his clemency and a Lord for his discipline a father for his power and gentlenesse and Lord for his severity and justice therefore love him as a father piously Psal 37.5 feare him as a Lord necessarily love him because he willeth mercy feare him because he willeth justice commit thy way unto the Lord and put thy trust in him Phil. 2.13 acknowledge thy sins and proclaime his mercy and thou shalt have ease in thy misery O God thou that hast given us grace to will the good give us also grace to perfect the good which thou hast willed Of Gods Glory VVHatsoever wee doe Colos 3.17 let us doe all things to the glory of God for God created all things by his power but to his owne glory for that was the holy end for which he created them for as waters are derived from the Sea returneth thither againe so all things that are being derived from the mighty power of God returne their duty service and the honour of all their actions to God discharging every one their duty and service in the maine Ocean of Gods glory the which though it receive not augmentation of honour by the supply of any his creatures being
a free passage in its progresse and that it may take that good effect in mens hearts as is by mee desired to the glory of God for whose sake my soules comfort and the good of my country and Christian brethren I undertooke this worke take it in good worth if it be not as it should be impute it to the want of learning and not to the want of a loving heart to doe my country good For the places of Scripture cited in the margent are right take them on my word but howsoever it be trouble not thy selfe gentle Reader For if it be good that is said and agreeable to Scripture make use of it and be not solicitous to know from whose workes it is drawne The manner is plaine and simple and craveth pardon for what is amisse Thus committing the worke it selfe to thy courteous acceptance and judiciall reading and both it and thee to the Lord desiring him to honour thee with his grace that you may so know him as that you may be knowne of him what remaines but that I pray unto God that both you and I and all them that shall reade this Booke may profit by it by the assistance of his holy Spirit to the furthering of their salvation to the glory of his Name through Christ Iesus our Lord in Christian love I take my leave IOHN WELLES October 22. 1638. The Authors admonition to the Reader I Doe right well understand Christian Reader that many learned men have hertofore written set forth many excellent works touching religion whereupon it may seeme perhaps a matter both vaine and superfluous for mee to travell any further therein for as much as it is beyond all hope that any of my doings can be comparable or neere so good as that which is already done by others but like as I thinke their travell and labour in holy exercises well bestowed which have written therein before mee so shall not I mislike them neither which shall enterprise to doe any thing in the like case after mee the very endeavour it selfe being good is alwaies to be born withall and not to be misliked such is my judgement of the writings of others therefore I stand in this hope that others also may judge the like of mine because they may all turne the diligent Reader unto some profit if it be reverently used and may much profit all faithfull Christians towards the understanding of holy Scriptures and the exercise of godly life it may so fall out that those points which be to seeke and wanting in this worke of mine may be found in others Againe it is possible that some things which be not once touched by any one of my Authors may be found expresly noted down by me that matter by them handled in their workes is somewhat intricate and not in the weake capacity of simple people to comprehend for whose Christian good these paines of mine were principally undertaken which is by me in a briefe and compendious manner expressed and set downe that the weakest capacity may rightly understand the true sence and meaning thereof to the glory of God and to the consolation of their owne soule Againe many people that cannot spare much money to buy many bookes of great volumes of sundry Writers may spare a little to buy this little tractate wherein is comprised the substance of their works tending to my purpose sufficient to salvation wherein thou mayst behold the back-parts of God thy maker and creator and see the glory of Christ thy Saviour and mediatour Psal 34.8 and taste of the sweetnesse and consolation of God the holy Ghost thy Comforter and sanctifier with the duties of Christianity and Humanity civill and morall government with many singular and excellent things of speciall note worthy remembrance The manner is plaine but the matter is holy excellent and heavenly and if it be heedfully read rightly understood and carefully followed and effectually applyed it will conduct thee in thy progresse with alacrity through this vale of teares this worlds miseries in the Scriptures narrow path to heaven the desired Port the celestiall Canaan for this is but our sea but eternity is our haven but have a care that thou doest not croud with the godlesse multitude in the broad way to hell Wisd 5. take heed walke charily for the way is dangerous craggy and irksome full of windings and turnings out and many allurements in the way to hinder thy passage about the midst of thy progresse in the later end of this first part thou shalt finde the meditation of the discription of Hell which if by faith unfained and hearty repentance thou shalt escape the danger prescribed Esay 40.4 all difficulties are then removed Luke 3.5 6. the vallies shall be exalted and every mountaine and hill laid low whatsoever is crooked shall be made straight Baruch 5.7.9 and the rough shall be made plaine goe on with a godly and Christian courage and thou shalt attaine to the end of thy progresse but take heed to the first step of thy youth for the first step thou settest out of the way in thy youth thou steppest into the suburbes of Hell and if thou goest on in thy sins to the next step of thy middle age thou art at the very brinke but if thou perseverest and goe on to the next step of thy old age without the mercy of God and true repentance thou art plunged in the very depth of hell the pit of perdition Matth. 22.13 the bottomelesse gulfe the fiery lake there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth therefore in thy youth have a carefull and heedfull care to thy life and conversation that thou doe not step out of the right way for if thou beest once out it is a hard matter to finde the way in againe without the grace of God assist thee and his providence conduct thee For the soule of man is dearely beloved of God her father yet for her sundry good graces she is often and many waies tempted of the divell by three divers meanes In youth with lechery in manhood or middle age with pride in old age with covetousnesse three pernicious sinnes at three severall ages in this mortall life if she resist and overcome the same she is thereby adopted to the full fruition of eternall happinesse through Christ our Lord which God of his mercy conduct so many as appertaine to his kingdome in the right way to their lives end and in the end bring them to the end of their progresse thy everlasting kingdome the celestiall Canaan the haven of happinesse now the Lord prosper this worke direct our hearts aright and blesse the labours of his servants to the glory of his name through Iesus Christ our Saviour Amen Thine in the Lord JOHN WELLS Psal 40.12 11. I have not hid thy righteousnesse within my heart but have declared thy righteousnesse to the great congregation Deut. 32.1.3 Heare O yee heavens
him in trouble and deliver him and bring him to honour and shew him my salvation Thus farre of the nominall Attributes The reall Attributes are of two sorts either absolute or relative the absolute Attributes cannot in any sort agree to any creature but to God alone these are two Simplenesse and Infinitenesse Simplenesse is that whereby God is voide of all composition division multiplication accidents or parts compounding either sensible or intelligible so that whatsoever hee is he is the same essentially it hinders not Gods simplenesse that hee is three because God is three not by composition of parts but by co-existence of persons Job 11.8 Infinitenesse is that whereby all things in God are void of all measure limitation and bounds above and beneath before and after From these two doe necessarily flow three other absolute Attributes Act. 7.48 49. 1 King 8.27 1. Unmeasurablenesse or Ubiquity whereby he is of infinite extension filling heaven and earth containing all places and not contained of any space place or bounds and being no where absent is every where present hee is universally present repletively every where inclusively no where Psal 19.1 by which God is said to be in heaven because that there his power wisedome Hos 2.21 Esa 40.22 c. and goodnesse is in a more excellent manner seene and enjoyed as also because that usually he doth from thence powre both his Blessings and Judgements upon us 2. Unchangeablenesse whereby God is void of all change both in respect of his Essence and Will 3. Eternitie whereby God is without beginning of daies or end of time and without all bounds of precession Thus farre of the absolute Attributes now of the Relative or such as have reference to the Creatures Those are five 1. Life 2. Understanding 3. Will. 4. Power 5. Majestie 1. The life of God is that by which as by a most pure and perpetuall act Psal 36.9 hee not onely liveth of himselfe but is also that ever and over-flowing Fountaine of life from which all creatures derive their lives so as that in him they live move breath and have their being and because his Life onely differs not from his Essence therefore God is said onely to have Immortality the second Tim. 6.16 is Understanding or Knowledge of God and is that whereby by one pure act he most perfectly knoweth in himselfe all things that ever were are or shall be yea the thoughts and imaginations of mens hearts 2. This knowledge of God is either generall by which God knoweth simply all things eternally the good by himselfe 1 King 8.39 Psal 139.2 c. the evill by the good opposite unto it imposing first things contingent the lot of contingence and to things necessary the law of necessity and thus knowing all things in and of himselfe Luk. 16.15 Hebr. 4.22 he is the cause of all the knowledge that is in all both men and Angells secondly the speciall knowledge called the knowledge of approbation Rom 11.33 by which hee particularly knoweth and graciously acknowledgeth onely his Elect for his owne 2 Tim. 2.19 Understanding also containes the wisedome of God by which hee most wisely ruleth them to serve his owne most holy purpose and glory 3. The Will of God is that whereby of necessitie he willeth himselfe as the soveraigne good and by willing himselfe willeth most freely all other good things which are out of himselfe though in it selfe the will of God be but one 1 Tim. 2.5 Rom. 9.15 16 as in his Essence yet in respect of the divers objects and effects it is called in the Scriptures by divers names 17 18. 1 Joh. 3.1 The first Love whereby is meant Gods eternall good will whereby hee ordaineth his Elect to be freely saved through Christ Psalm 45.8 Ephes 1.11 and bestoweth on them all necessarie graces for this life and in the life to come taking pleasure in their persons and service 2 Thes 1.6 The second Justice is Gods constant will whereby hee recompenseth men and Angells 2 Tim. 4.8 according to their works ' punishing the impenitent according to their deserts called the justice of his wrath Deut. 7.9 10. and rewarding the faithfull according to his promise called the justice of his grace The third mercy Psal 145.7 c. which is Gods mere good wil and ready affection to forgive a penitent sinner notwithstanding all his sinnes and ill deserts Mat. 16.18 19. The fourth goodnesse whereby God willingly communicateth his good with his creatures Psal 146.6 c. and because hee communicateth it freely Numb 23.19 20. it is termed grace The fifth truth whereby God willeth constantly those things which he willeth 2 Pet. 3.9 10. effecting and performing all things which hee hath spoken in his appointed time Rom. 2 4. The sixt is patience whereby God willingly forbeares to punish the wicked so long as it may stand with his justice 1 Thes 4.3 and till their sinnes be ripened The seventh holinesse Heb. 12.14 whereby Gods nature is separated from all prophanenesse and abhorreth all filthinesse 1 Pet. 1.5 and so being wholy pure in himselfe delighteth in the inward and outward purity and chastity of his servants Esay 6.2.3 which hee infuseth into them The eight Anger whereby is meant Gods most certaine and just will Psal 106.23.29 40 41. in chastning the Elect and in revenging and punishing the reprobate for the injuries they offer to him and his chosen Reve. 19.1 2. and when God will punish with rigor and severity Thes 1.1.10 then it is tearmed wrath temporall to the Elect and eternall to the reprobate Fourthly Gen. 17.1 Psal 115.3 Math. 11.26 Math. 8.2 Eph. 1.11 Math. 3.9 20.34 Rom. 9.17 18. the power of God is that whereby hee can simply and freely doe whatsoever hee will that is agreeable to his nature and whereby as he hath made so hee still ruleth Heaven and earth and all things therein This almighty power of God is either absolute by which he can will and doe more than he willeth or doth or actuall by which God doth indeed whatsoever he will and hindereth whatsoever he will not have done Psal 115.3 Fifthly Majesty is that by which God by his absolute and free authority raigneth and ruleth Chro 29.11.12 2 Sam. 7.22 Apoc. 5.12.13 Rom. 9.15 Luke 19.27 Psal 2.9 110.1 as Lord and King over all creatures visible and invisible having both right and propriety in all things as from whom and for whom are all things as also such a plenitude of power that he can pardon the offences of all whom he will have spared and subdue all his enemies whom hee will have plagued and destroyed without being bound to render to any creature a reason or account of his doings but making his owne most holy and just will his onely most perfect and eternall Law from all these Attributes ariseth
counterfeiting and dissembling one may easily deceive and abuse another having one thing secretly hid in his heart when outwardly he saith and doth the contrary upon that is grounded the saying of the Prophet Jeremy Ierem. 17.9 The heart of man is overthwart and who shall know it but there cannot be such a perversity and dissimulation ascribed unto God but when he worketh hee declareth the quality of his nature in his working so that his workes may be most assured testimonies by which the hearts of the faithfull may bee perswaded of his goodnesse and will Esay 28. and although he seeme sometimes to worke contrary to his custome yet that is done to the intent that it shall come to that end which hee hath appointed This is to worke truly and verily according to the quality of his nature and to declare openly to the world the testimony of his good will or anger by word and deed Now there are five kinds of working One is Five kinds of working when things bee wrought according to the strength of their nature without any governance of understanding or will as in the working of fire water medicinall hearbes precious stones and such other things whose working if it bee guided by any reason or will it is not their owne but by some outward either by Gods or mans directions The second kind is of those things which followeth the drift of nature in their working but not without their owne will though the mastery of reason be lacking in them yet such is their working that sometimes it is forced against their will and so worke the bruit beasts The third kind is of men which doe also worke according to the quality of their nature and joyne theirs unto the governance of reason or will but wrong and corrupt and also subject and under a greater power either of man either of God and under this is also comprised the working of evill spirits The fourth is of good Spirits which wee call Angels they worke also according to their nature and that with understanding and will but without any depravation thereof wherein they differ from men and from evill spirits but they are also subject to a superiour power by whom their doings be directed The fift and last kind of working is also according to the nature of the worker Eccles 42.15 c. 43. with understanding and will and that pure and uncorrupt and is not subject unto the wisdome or will of any superiour but is most free wise mighty good and infinite upon whom all other things dependeth This is the working of one very God the beginning increase keeping repairing the rule and end of all things most good most free willing infinite everlasting perfect needing no other helpe No man is able sufficiently to praise God for he farre exceeds all praise necessary and profitable not to the worker but to the workes whose incomprehensible waies infinite multitude and unsearchable consideration no man may seeke to know whose infinite Goodnesse Wisedome Power Majesty and Glory all Angels and men must have in admiration and worship Though the Multitude Variety Majesty and Excellencie of the Workes of God be infinite and incomprehensible that neither the reason nor number of them can bee comprehended by any mans imagination or industry Eccle. 8.17 even as Ecclesiasticus said Yet among all the Workes of God Among Gods workes the worke of Creation is first wee ought first to understand the workes of the Creation and herein wee must leave the consideration of those workes that are of the Father towards the Sonne and of the Sonne towards the Father and of both of them toward the holy Spirit and of the holy Spirit toward both of them which are unsearchable and not necessary to know nor belonging to Creation But it is even enough if the creature doe acknowledge honour and glorifie the workes of his Creator in that that he is the Creator Encreaser Conserver Repairer Governour and Perfecter of all when we say the Father created all things the Word must not bee excluded neither the holy Spirit because that by the Word and with the Spirit all things were made and created When we say the sunne nourisheth and giveth light unto the earth wee exclude not his heate nor his brightnesse without which he doth not accomplish his worke Againe when we say all things are created of God we must not include those things that be evill in respect they be evill for they be not of God Iohn 8.44 but of satan the father of all evill this is the plaine description of our true and onely God from all false gods and idols To possesse our hearts with greater awe of his Majesty whilest we admire him for his simplenesse and infinitnesse adore him for his unmeasurablenesse unchangeablenesse and eternity seeke wisdome from his understanding and knowledge submit our selves to his blessed will and pleasure love him for his love mercy goodnesse and patience trust to his word because of his truth feare him for his power justice and anger reverence him for his holinesse and praise him for his blessednesse and to depend all our life on his faithfull promises who is the onely Authour of our life being and all the good things we have Eph. 5. Let us therefore stirre up our selves to imitate the divine Spirit in his holy Attributes and to beare in some measure the Image of his wisdome love goodnesse justice mercy truth patience zeale and anger against sinne and strive that wee may bee wise loving just mercifull true patient and zealous as our God is and that wee may in our prayers and meditations conceive aright of his divine Majesty and not according to those grosse and blasphemous imaginations which naturally arise in mens braines Psal 90.2 Rom. 1 23 c. as when they conceive God to be like an old man sitting in a chaire and the blessed Trinity to be like that tripartite idoll which Papists set up in their Church windowes When therefore thou art to pray unto God let thy heart speake unto him Psal 90.2 1 King 8.27 1 Iohn 5.7 as unto that Eternall Infinite Almighty Holy Wise Just Mercifull Spirit and most perfect and individuall Essence of three severall substances Father Sonne and holy Ghost who being present in all places ruleth Heaven and Earth understandeth all mens hearts knoweth all mens miseries and is onely able to bestow on us all graces which we want and to deliver all penitent sinners that with faithfull hearts seeke for Christs sake his helpe out of all their afflictions and troubles whatsoever If therefore thou dost believe that God is Almighty why dost thou feare devils or enemies Confidently trust in God and crave his helpe in all troubles and dangers if thou believest that God is infinite how darest thou provoke him to anger If thou believest that God is simple with what heart canst thou dissemble and play the hypocrite
is guilty of injustice and must answer the fault at the barre of death for God hee maketh his Sunne to shine upon all indifferently and hee hath given the world and the Creatures therein to mankinde generally and not to one man one family or one kingdome this may both teach and judge the mercilesse who can see and not relieve the extremities of men distressed men their brethren The meditation of this power of this love of God in creating a world of Creatures for the service of man and seeing it hath pleased him to make a reasonable soule and a sharer of these infinite blessings I have resolved with my selfe to declare my selfe in all dutifull demonstrations to my God and to use the Creatures hee hath given mee with moderation as hee hath commanded I have made a covenant with my soule that I will not appropriate that to my private which God hath made common If God give mee abundance I will open my liberality Luk. 16.2 How to employ Gods Talents I will give as God doth to all but carefully to the wants of faithfull men distressed I will remember that what I have I must use what I use not I must bestow lest Gods talents be without imployments and so God discharge mee of trust if God give me wisdome and knowledge more then some others I will not be silenced How to occasion an holy meditation I will not obscure the grace and gift of God I will not deny my God I will not deny the world my service but in whatsoever God shall enable me in that I will be industrious if I can doe nothing of desert or common profit yet will I spend my houres in holy meditation I have resolved I will still travell in holy exercise when I cannot profit generally I will pray generally wee are all the Creatures of one God the Word of God gave forme to every Creature therefore every thing that presents my eye shall move my holy meditations When I shall behold the wonderfull frame of heaven I shall revise on the creation and admire God his Mercy his Majesty I shall remember the happinesse of heaven and refresh my selfe in adversity with hopefull confidence Where to repose our confidence When I consider the earth I shall remember the basenesse of my beginning what I was in sinne what I am in grace this shall teach me to deny my selfe and wholly to depend on the favour of my God When I see unreasonable noysome and evill Creatures I shall have cause of acknowledgement for God might have made me so or worse Lastly when I shall see wicked men pride themselves in their vanities Pitty can respect our enemies I shal both pity and glory pity the misery of their soules and glory in the fortune of my owne and thus with these and such meditations my soule shall breath content Of the Angels their Nature their Office their Fall Moses of purpose did leave to speake any thing of the creation of Angels because of the disposition of the people bent to Idolatry It is supposed they were Created the first day of the Creation as appeareth Job 38. THat the Angels were created is most certaine the time of their creation is not certaine but doubtfully and diversely believed many men have spent their judgements in conjectures all such are more curious than wise because the truth thereof cannot certainly be determined neither if it could the knowledge thereof were not necessary or materiall to salvation for whatsoever knowledge is necessary for the happinesse of our soules is by God himselfe taught in the testimony of holy Scriptures This knowledge of the time of the creation of Angels being not taught by God doth make the search thereof unprofitable unlawfull for God doth nothing at peradventure but all things in judgement and with the advice of his divine wisdome God having denied this knowledge doth forbid the search of this unknowne unprofitable knowledge that which I desire to know which I desire to make knowne is contained in the testimony of holy Scriptures the which denying me this knowledge of the creation of Angells I forbeare to search the knowledge of Gods secrets and rather to be thought ignorant than audaciously bold with forbidden knowledge That which is needfull to be knowne of Angells is their nature their office in their nature must be considered what they are in substance what in quality they be heavenly invisible Creatures pure and spirituall of the substance and nature of our soules eternall in respect of ending without corruption in their quality is considered their power being at all times and upon all occasions able and ready to performe the excution of Gods service their office is that they are Gods messengers their imployment is either in Judgements or Mercies this Compendium is the knowledge of them all in generall The good and evill Angells were all created in one nature before the fall and apostacy of Angels The Angells and those that now are divells being at the first creation of one quality of one power and one excellence of nature after the fall of Angells who for their unsupportable pride were cast from the presence of God into eternall darknesse 2 Pet. 2.4 and damnation the Angels divided themselves the better part keeping their first estate kept their entertainment with God Math. 18.10 and continued his favour and service Iude 6. the worst dividing themselves left the service of God and the fellowship of good Angels and bend their whole endeavour against God and against his blessed Angels and against the Saints that love and serve him this apostacie and division of Angels have divided them in their nature and in their offices The full opposition of the good and evill Angels the good Angels ever labouring the good of men the evill angels to hinder and prevent the goodnesse of God and his good Angels labouring by all meanes to bring mankind to their owne condemnation In their offices likewise they disagree for God doth commonly imploy his good Angels in his workes of mercy and favourable protection the divels hee imployeth in the execution of his judgements and corrections not that hee needeth their service but that hee forceth them against their will to his obedience God can enforce the divels in workes of his own glory These severall imployments of the good and evill angels are not alwaies of necessity though very common for God when hee pleaseth maketh good Angels destroy and inflict vengeance and the divels hee can and doth use in his workes of greatest mercy and this the divels doe not with consent but are either forced by the unresistable power of God or else deceive themselves in the end of their owne working God making that which they intend for evill to tend to a good end farre beyond and contrary to their purpose and expectation Iude 6. The good Angels have both liberty and pleasure in the service of
it for man to pride and boast himselfe in his prosperitie and disgracefully to repute men for their difference of fortunes Pride the vainest folly in mans nature for the best man is but base earth and the basest man is created of God in his owne Image all of one nature and in one office and all to one end ordayned therefore in a Christian judgement there is no difference of men but the difference of good and of bad men and this inequality is not in their nature The difference of grace and fortune but in the corruption and defect of their nature and the best and safest way to esteeme men is to compare them in their gifts of grace and not of fortune Note for with God the least Spirit of grace though in the lowest degree of fortune is of more value and esteeme then the greatest of the world if not gracious This knowledge of our creation should remember us in our dutifull obedience to God that seeing his hand hath fashioned us and that his mercy hath made our bodie a Temple or Sanctuary for his holy Spirit to dwell in 1 Cor. 3.17 therefore let us carefully keepe the temple of our bodies from the filth of sinne and endeavour our selves in such holy exercises that our soules may have the perpetuall fellowship of the holy Ghost without which there is no happinesse nor salvation let us therefore refraine to accompany with the leprosie of sinne lest we runne into their danger in defiling our bodies the Temples of the holy Ghost with diseased company let us hate the imitation of mens vices let us not bee tempted with their fellowship because we know that when we prophane our bodies the temples of the holy Ghost wee shall banish that sweet society frustrate our hope and wound the quiet of our conscience O God of all goodnesse of base earth thou madest us noble creatures we had no life no soule before thou inspiredst it thou gavest us reason and understanding to enable us for thy divine service and worship thou hast given us thy favourable entertainement continue us wee beseech thee in this service God that gave grace can only continue it let our soules let our bodies let every power let every part thereof have their imployments therein we desire no change we are thine from the beginning O continue us thine for ever thy selfe good God inspired our soules it is thy breath and therefore precious it was thine before we had it helpe as to keepe it in the time and in the danger of this our progresse in this our pilgrimage through this sinfull and wicked world and when thou shalt call it home we may gladly breathe it backe for with thee there is onely safety How and where to repose our confidence with thee there is happinesse infinite without time without measure in the meane time keepe us from the danger of leesing let us walke in the directions of thy holy Spirit we are not able to walke to move our selves in any holy course if thy hand lead us not wee shall either faint or wander O keepe us from both that we may travell in the passage of this life with alacrity and spirituall profit that this earth our bodies of earth may passe to the grave in hope that this breath A needful care our soule may returne from whence it came with confidence this is the happinesse for which I will onely endeavour for which I will alway pray O my God make me resolute in this my intended course Of the state of Mans Innocence before his fall THat man was created good holy and innocent is evident by the testimony of Scripture neither is it doubted of the Christian world for when God had ended the Workes of his Creation Gen. 1.31 the holy Ghost saith That he viewed all that he had made and loe it was very good for God being the father and fountaine of all goodnesse Nothing but â—ood can be derived from God Eccle. 15.14 15 16 17. it was not possible that any thing that was evill should bee derived from him but like himselfe so his workes were perfectly good without blemish without defect it is therefore generally to be believed that Adam at the first creation was holy and innocent no defect of nature no corruption of sinne and that God gave him liberty and power of free-will if so he would to continue his estate and happinesse for Adam in the estate of his innocence had this condition of happinesse First he was in the full favour of God a joy unexpressable Secondly hee had the world and the creatures therein for his use and pleasure which then were perfectly good hee had power also given him of God to continue this happinesse to himselfe and his posterity for ever for the gifts both temporall and spirituall which God gave him doe well declare the infinite measure of Gods love to him God giving him all that was created Note and enduing him with a divine soule and with that such endowments of grace as made him both excellent and happy that God gave him the possession of the world both for his use and pleasure is already proved yet more God for an extraordinary demonstration of his favour to him planted a garden in Eden Gen 2.8 9. of admirable variety both for use and ornament For out of the ground made the Lord to grow every tree pleasant to the sight that was for ornament and good for meate the tree of life also in the middest of the garden and the tree of Knowledge of good and evill These were there both for the beauty of the place and for the triall of mans obedience Verse 16 17. and God gave Adam liberty to eate of every tree thereof freely onely prohibiting him to taste of the tree of Knowledge of good and evill These benefits this bounty was large yet doth God still encrease his favour to Adam and deviseth to make him an helpe fit for him for he said Gen. 2.18 It is not good for man to be alone as if God had laboured his invention to devise for the good and for the helpe of man 1 Tim. 2.14 then God made woman and gave her for the consolation of man Thus did God derive his blessings by degrees upon man still inlarging the measure of his bounty and goodnesse towards him so as there wanted nothing which in the wisedome of God was thought fit for mans prosperity Lastly to all these favours God yet giveth one more then all and that was a free will and power in himselfe to derive these infinite blessings upon himselfe and his posterity for ever no mixture of griefe to distaste them no death to deprive them but themselves and these pleasures to bee infinite and unspeakeable and all these pleasures and continuance was given upon such easie condition as in our imagination could hardly tempt a reasonable man to a small forfeiture
prevent him SEing the Divell is so apt and ready to assault and tempt the faithfull and the elect of God consider therefore thou devout soule in what danger thou art because the divell thine adversary is alwaies lying in wait for thee hee is an enemy for boldnesse most ready for strength most powerfull for subtilty most cunning for engines well stored in sight indefatigable into all shaps changeable he intiseth us into many sinnes and having inticed us hee accuseth us before Gods judgement seate 2 Cor. 2.11 2 Cor. 11.14 hee accuseth God to men and men to God and one man to another hee exactly considereth every ones inclination and then hee layes for them the snares of temptations for the devill when he assaulteth the soule of man first sets upon that part he findes softest and best affected for his purpose for him the easier to worke upon and if hee once be withstood and overcome hee doth not presently remove nor give over but comes againe to tempt with greater force that so hee may by tediousnesse and neglect overcome those whom by violence and force of temptations he could not overcome Against whom will he not be bold to use his subtill trickes when hee was so bold to set upon the Lord of Majesty himselfe with his craft and subtilty Math 4.2 3. when hee had fasted forty daies and forty nights what Christians will he spare when hee sought to winnow Christs Apostles like wheate He deceived Adam in his nature instructed whom then can hee not deceive in his nature corrupted he deceived Judas in the schoole of our Saviour Luke 22.31 and whom will hee not deceive in the world Gen. 3.4 5. the schoole of errours in all states the divels trecheries are to bee feared In prosperity hee lifts us up with pride in adversity he drives us downe to despaire if he sees a man delighted with frugality he intangleth him in the fetters of insatiable covetousnesse if hee sees a man of an heroicall spirit hee sets him on fire with flaming anger if he sees a man somewhat merrier then ordinary hee incites him to burne with lust those whom he sees to be zealous in religion he labours to entangle in vaine superstition those whom he sees exalted to dignities hee prickes them forward with the spurres of ambition when hee allureth man to sinne hee amplifieth Gods mercy and when hee hath cast him headlong into sinne then he shewes and amplifies Gods justice first hee will lead a man to presumption and afterwards he labours to bring him to desperation sometimes he assaults outwardly by persecutions sometimes hee assaults inwardly by fiery tentations sometimes he sets upon us openly and by force sometimes hee sets upon us secretly and by fraud in eating he sets before us gluttony in generating luxury in exercising sluggishnesse in conversing envie in governing covetous extortion in correcting rage in dignity pride he possesses the heart with evill cogitations in the mouth he puts false speakings in the other members wicked actions when wee are awake he moves us to evill workes when we are asleepe he moves us to filthy dreames so then at all times in every place and in every thing we must beware of the divels trecheries wee sleepe but hee watcheth wee are secure but he goes about like a roaring Lyon seeking whom he may devoure 1 Pet. 5.8 Consider therefore thou faithfull soule the trecheries of this most potent enemy and seeke the ayd of spirituall armes to defend thee from his subtilties let thy loynes be girt with the girdle of truth Eph. 6.14 and covered with the brest-plate of righteousnesse put on Christs perfect righteousnes thou shalt bee safe from the divels tentations Iohn 14.30 as Satan hath no power over Christ neither hath he power over the faithfull his members Let thy feet be shod with the preparation of the Gospell of peace so the fiery darts of the divell shall not hurt thee take the shield of faith to defend thee from the assaults of this most wicked enemy Eph. 6.15 Math. 17.20 Faith is that which removes Mountaines which is to be understood the mountaines of doubts persecutions and tentations if thou hast faith neither shall any thing be unpossible unto thee Vers 20. Exod. 12.17.12.13 The Israelites whose doore posts were figured with the blood of the paschall Lambe were not smitten with the destroying Angell so likewise those whose hearts are by faith sprinkled with the blood of Christ shall not be hurt by this destroyer faith relies upon Gods promises in the mercy of the Almighty and Satan cannot overthrow them that believe faith is the light of the soule and hath a bright eye a holy eare a cleane heart and a sure foote shee is the strength of hope the trust of truth the honour of amity and the joy of love and Satan cannot prevaile against it and the tentations of this malignant spirit are easily discerned through this light Mich. 7.19 By faith our sins are throwne into the profound sea of Gods mercy and in that the firy darts of the divell shall be easily quenched we must likewise put on the helmet of salvation that is Ephes 6.17 holy Hope endure tentation and expect an issue thereof by hope and thou shalt find comfort thereby For God is an Assister of them that contend and the crowne of them that overcome Vers 19. wee must also take the sword of the spirit that is the Word of God For the consolations of the Scripture will prevaile against the contradictions of the divell Nazianz. for by the Word Christ overcame all Satans temptations Math. 4.4 c. 11. and still the faithfull shall overcome the divell and all his subtilties To conclude by prayer thou hast great aid against tentations for as often as the little ship of thy soule is ready to be overwhelmed by the waves of tentation awake Christ by thy prayers we overcome visible enemies with striking but wee overcome our invisible enemies by powring forth prayers unfained fight thou O Christ both in us and for us that so through thee we also may overcome our deadly enemy with victory that in thee and through thee we may triumph gloriously Of the Morall Law of God the ten Commandements THe Law of God The morall Law of God and the Law of nature is all one though it was not given to man with solemne promulgation before the time of Moses yet was there a generall sense thereof given to Adam in his creation For when God gave him his nature and endued him with the use of reason and discourse he gave him capacity to understand his duty the which duty is nothing else but the observation of the Law of God and therefore when Adam had transgressed the commandements of God and had eaten the forbidden fruit the reason of his naturall soule could tell him his offence and then his conscience judged him he was afraid
that as he hath performed the Law in all sincerity and righteousnesse so we should endeavour a strict imitation of his vertuous doings for such faith only hath the benefit of the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ as is proved by the testimony of holy life Workes the testimony of faith and hath the witnesse of vertuous living therefore it doth needfully behove all men carefully to endeavour in the exercise of the Law of God for though no man can be justified by the workes of the Law so no man can declare and approve himselfe to be justified but by the workes of the Law for it is God that doth justifie effectually faith doth justifie apprehendingly and good workes doe justifie declaringly Againe By the Law we may judge our selves the knowledge of the Law of God may give every man a true understanding of the state of his life whereby to know in what condition hee standeth whether in the favour or displeasure of Almighty God for the Law is the revealed Will of God to which all men owe conformity upon paine of grievous forfeit and therefore whosoever shall examine the behaviour of his life and compare his severall committings and omittings with the duties of the Law for all ought so to doe shall be well able to understand and judge himselfe The Law a patterne to a Christian life for the Law is the patterne of our lives to which wee ought to square our actions So then when wee find a dissimilitude betwixt the Law and our lives we cannot but judge our selves to be disobedient and rebellious to God and his Lawes and consequently to forfeit our soules to the state of damnation This judgement ought to cause humiliation in all men and so it will in them that God shall make gracious who when they know themselves to be in the disease of sin How the Law doth humble us and that the Law doth wound their consciences with guiltinesse and that themselves have a naturall pronenesse rather to cause then to cure their infirmities this maketh them to deny themselves and their owne power which is but weaknesse and with humblenesse to resort to the mercy and merits of Jesus Christ the Sonne of God and the Physician of our soules Christ the Physician of our soules who only hath beene able to satisfie the justice of the Law and who onely hath beene able to worke the Redemption of mankinde and to repossesse them of Gods favour who had lost it by their transgressions and this our Redeemer hath done by assuming our nature Christ hath fulfilled the Law for us that could not bearing our sins satisfying our contempts and finishing our neglects who in our nature hath fulfilled the Law for us that could not who hath triumphed over sin and made conquest of hell and by his death hath slaine death which but for him had seized our soules into everlasting condemnation Thus will the knowledge of the Law admonish us and thus it will remember us This knowledge presents our soules with matter of serious meditation wherein wee may have a full view of the miserable condition of our life what strength is in our nature what endeavour in our actions for when wee finde an impossibility of our dutifull and strict obedience to the Law wee shall then acknowledge our defects and the corruption of our nature when we examine the particulars of our life and compare them with our duties we shall acknowledge the neglect of our endeavours and that wee have failed not onely in the maine performance of the Law of God which our nature could not performe but in our desires and carefull endeavours to doe well The effects in the Reprobate issuing from the meditation of the Law which our nature might And from this meditation doth necessarily follow one of these two effects in the Reprobate and gracelesse it causeth desperation and a hopelesse distrust of their salvation for when the divell and their consciences expose before them the justice of God the severity of his Law and the infinite measure of their offence the extreme terror and sense of their wickednesse doe so confound their understandings that often they execute upon themselves torment and death despising and despairing of the mercy of Jesus Christ in whom if they had reposed trust The effect of grace in the Regenerate believed and apprehended his righteousnesse their sins had not beene imputed neither had their soules perished But in the children of grace this meditation doth produce a contrary effect for when they by the Law understand the misery whereinto their sins have brought them it causeth in them a wonderfull degree of feare but not desperate for though the divell presents their sinnes in most ugly formes and urge them to a desperate apprehension yet the Spirit of God in thē doth withstand this temptation God supporteth the Elect against temptation and giveth them holy motions to devise the meanes of their salvation presenting them in their spirituall sorrowes with the mercy and merits of Jesus Christ then giving them grace to understand the mysterie of his death and the promise of the imputation of his righteousnesse which when the grieved sinner understandeth he allayeth and mitigateth his sorrow and affieth in the mediation and merits of Jesus Christ his Redeemer The divers effects of the Law Thus the Law produceth contrary effects in contrary spirits it damneth the Reprobate without hope it condemneth the Elect but not damneth them but instructeth and giveth him hope them it judgeth without mercy these it teacheth admonisheth and bringeth them unto Christ therefore though the Law condemne us Resolution let it not condemne our hope for though wee cannot our selves performe the righteousnesse of the Law yet there is one hath done it for us our Lord and our Saviour Jesus Christ in whom let us confidently repose our hope and respire new life The worke of Faith because we know that his righteousnesse is ours by imputation and that our sins were nailed upon his crosse and suffered death with him when he wrought our redemption Let us therefore enlarge our love without limits to this our Saviour who for our salvation hath beene pleased to undergoe so great a travell Let us admire the admirable degree of his love that for our sakes did descend from his Majesty to take and dignifie the basenesse of our nature Christ hath freed us from the judgement of the Law let us with unspeakable joy meditate his most holy sufferings whereby we are released from the condemnation of the Law let us despise our selves and our owne righteousnesse and apprehend him the onely staffe of our confidence let us never despaire because we know our Redeemer liveth the hope of our salvation but in all the extremities of our life and in all the sorrowes of our conscience To whom repentant sinners should resort let us resort to Jesus Christ the Physician of our soules let
this is when men give themselves over to commit sin with affectation and greedy appetite and oppresse their conscience with the multitude of their committings so that such conscience doth not remember us our sins for the outragious conscience in the Reprobate is when the conscience of the Reprobate hath for a time beene silenced and hath given the sinner an unchaste liberty in his ungodlinesse yet so as that once apprehending the knowledge of his sin and knowing the state of condemnation wherein it is it breaketh out into violence which wanting moderation urgeth the sinneâ— to execute upon himselfe some desperate vengeance such was the conscience of Judas the traitor which slept all the time hee was plotting and practising his treason but when his sinne was brought into act then his conscience though evill did upbraid his sin with such violence as made the griefe unsupportable and the traitor not able to indure the torment of his conscience thought as Caine that his sin was greater then the mercy of God and so despairing of mercy he desperately hanged himselfe Mat. 27.3 4 5. such is the conscience of the Reprobate their conscience is sleepy and doth reprove but seldome yet when it doth reprove it is then most terrible and without all comfort and though conscience in this life never afflict for sin but seeme senslesse and dead in its appointed offices yet in the day of judgement Rev. 20.12 when the booke of every mans conscience shall be opened then will their consciences that in this life have beene most silent be most loud and terrible in their accusations denouncing judgement Wisd 17.9 10 11. and inflicting a greater torment on the soule then the damned can have patience to beare this is both the office and end of an evill conscience A good conscience Now the conscience of the childe of grace is in full opposition to the conscience of the Reprobate for when God shall please to call his servants to the knowledge of themselves How God moveth the conscience and to a detestation of their sin the grace of his holy spirit moveth in the hearts of such and first awaketh the conscience and giveth it sense to understand the calamity of the soule and spirit to reprove and admonish it in needfull directions and this grace of God giving the conscience sence to understand sinne and spirit to reprove it is the first degree of our reformation and a preparation to our spirituall conversion God himselfe being the prime and principall author thereof When God doth stirre our conscience it continueth that holy motion to our reformation for when our conscience is once touched with this godly desire to examine the errors of our life God doth not then leave us but giveth us assistance continually to finish that needfull care without despaire without fainting the conscience being once instructed by grace understandeth that the soule is in danger of Gods judgement this knowledge causeth a desire in the soule to examine the particulars of our life then doth it compare our severall actions The manner how a good conscience worketh with the severall duties of the Law and thereby is made manifest the many and great defects and transgressions of our life and that therefore our soules and bodies are guilty and stand in the danger of condemnation From this knowledge doth arise the griefe of a wounded conscience for the statute Law of God condemning us for the trespasse of our lives The cause of the griefe of conscience the conscience then whose office is to excuse or accuse upbraideth our sinne and denouncing the judgement of the Law against us which is eternall damnation neither can we free our soules from these extremities untill God who is the judge of all the world shall please to offer mercy and the benefit of his cleargy which is nothing else but the story of the meritorious sufferings of Jesus Christ the Lambe of God which is in spirituall characters upon the crosse of his death and this booke being the testament and writ with the blood of Christ the most righteous God presents to all the world all the world in respect of themselves being guilty and condemned by the Law doth promise remission of sinnes How to quiet the trouble of â— grieved conscience a generall pardon to all them that with their eyes or faith shall be seene and read in the booke of life and apprehend and apply Jesus Christ the contents thereof to their salvation Thus and but thus it is possible to quiet the trouble of a grieved conscience the conscience being never satisfied for sinne before the justice of God be satisfied by the apprehensive righteousnesse of Jesus Christ Rom. 5.1 and therefore saith Saint Paul Being then justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Iesus Christ for before we can live to God wee must die to our selves neither is there a spirituall regeneration where there is not first a spirituall mortification and where grace would enter sinne must avoyd for he that would follow Christ must deny himselfe therefore let no man presume to apprehend the mystery of the righteousnesse of the Crosse of Christ before hee hath reformed his actions quieted the clamour of his conscience and utterly denyed the strength of his owne nature for how shall hee beare the Crosse of Christ No man can be able to apprehend Christ before his conscience hath thus prepared him that is laden with his owne infirmities or how shall hee be benefited by the promise of the Gospell that doth not first judge himselfe by the Commandements of the Law for hee that knoweth not his disease seeketh no physicke and Christ came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance This doth admonish all men carefully to watch the behaviour of their lives Revel 20.12 for if the conscience of every man be a book wherein is writ the records of all his actions good and bad and that seeing this booke must be read at the day of judgement in the audience of all the world before God and his Angels and Saints what manner of men ought all to be in godly conversation This ought to move in every one a double care First that they avoyd carefully all ungodlinesse both in thought and action whereby they may suffer disgrace before God and all his creatures at the generall day of judgement when the booke of their conscience shall bee opened to every ones eye Secondly it doth perswade a diligence in all godly exercise and that all men contend with a holy emulation to exceede in godly actions whereby they may receive applause and generall reputation in the generall assembly of God and all creatures for as in earthly affaires men covet most desirously to gaine reputation and a generall good name There is no ambition lawfull but the covetous desire of heaven because it argueth an extraordinary degree of desert in him that hath
me helpe mee now or I perish for ever Alasse the hands are so weake and doe so tremble that they cannot reach to the mouth a spoonefull of supping to relieve languishing nature The wretched soule seeing her selfe thus desolate and altogether destitute of friends helpe and comfort and knowing that within an houre she must be in everlasting paines retires her selfe to the heart which of all members is the first that lives 2 Sam. 22.5 c. and the last that dies from whence she makes this dolefull lamentation with her selfe O miserable caitife that I am how doe the sorrows of death compasse me how doe the terrors of Belial make me afraid how have the snares both of the first and second death overtaken me at once Oh! how suddenly death hath stolne upon me with unsensible degrees like the Sunne which man perceives not to move and yet is most swift of motion How doth death wreake on me his spite without pity What joy remaines now of all my former fleshly pleasures wherein I placed my chiefest delights those foolish pleasures were but deceitfull dreames and now they are all past like vanishing shadowes but to thinke of those eternall paines which I must endure for those short pleasures paines me as hell before I enter into hell yet justly I confesse as I have deserved I am served that being made after Gods Image a reasonable soule able to judge my owne estate and having mercy so often offered and I intreated to receive it I so wilfully neglected Gods grace and preferred the pleasures of sinne before the religious care of pleasing God leudly spending my short time without considering what account I should make at the last day and now all the pleasures of my life put together countervaile not the least part of my present paines my joyes were but momentary and gone before I could scarce enjoy them but my miseries are eternall and never shall have end Oh! that I were now to begin my life againe how would I contemne the world and the vanities thereof how religiously and purely would I lead my life how would I serve my God frequent the Church and sanctifie the Lords day if satan should offer mee all the treasures pleasures and promotions of this world he should never intice mee to forget my God and these terrours of this last dreadfull houre Esay 66.24 But O corrupt carkasse and stinking carion how hath the divell deluded us and how have wee served and deceived each other and pulled swift damnation upon us both now is our cause more miserable then the beasts that perisheth in the ditch for I must goe to answere before the righteous Judge of Heaven and Earth where I shall have none to speake for me and these wicked fiends who are privie to all my evill deeds will accuse me and I cannot excuse my selfe my owne heart already condemnes me I therefore must needs bee damned before his judgement seate and from thence be carried by these infernall fiends into that horrible prison of endlesse torments and utter darknesse Oh! Math. 22.13 where shall I lodge to night and who shall bee my companions O horrors to thinke O griefe to consider Oh! cursed be the day wherein I was borne how is it that I came forth of the wombe to endure these hellish miseries and sorrowes and that my daies should thus end with eternall shame Cursed be the day that I was first united to so leud a body oh that I had but so much favour as that I might never see thee more our parting is bitter and dolefull but our meeting againe to receive at that dreadfull day the fulnesse of our deserved vengeance will be farre more terrible and intollerable But what meane I thus by too late repentance and lamentation to seeke to prolong time my last houre is come I heare the heart-strings breake this filthy house of clay ready to fall on my head here is neither hope helpe nor place of any longer abiding The separation of the soule from the body and must I needs bee gone thou filthy carcase with fare ill farre well I leave thee And so all trembling shee comes forth and forthwith is seazed upon by infernall fiends who carry her with violence torrenti simili to the bottomelesse lake that burneth with fire and brimstone where shee is kept as a prisoner in torments till the generall judgement of the last great day Apoc. 21 8. 1 Pet. 3.19 The loathsome carkasse is afterward layd in the grave in which action for the most part the dead bury the dead that is they who are dead in sinne bury those who are dead for sinne And thus the Godlesse and unregenerated worldling who made earth his paradise his belly his god and his lust his law as in his life hee sowed vanity so now hee is dead and reapeth misery in his prosperity hee neglected to serve God now in his adversity God refuseth to save him and the divell whom he long served now at length payes him his wages detestable was his life damnable his death the divell hath his soule the grave hath his carcase In which pit of corruption den of death and dungeon of sorrow let us leave the miserable caitiffe rotting with his mouth full of earth his belly full of wormes and his carkasse full of stench expecting a fearefull resurrection when it shall bee reunited with the soule that as they sinned together so they may be tormented together eternally Thus farre of the miseries of the soule and body in death which is but cursednesse in part now followeth the fulnesse of cursednesse which is the miserie of soule and body after death Meditations of the misery of man after death which it the fulnesse of cursednesse Luke 8.28.9 16.23 Thess 1.10 Math. 23.33 Luk. 16.22 23 24. THe fulnesse of cursednesse when it falles upon a creature not able to beare the brunt thereof presseth him downe to that bottomelesse deepe of the endlesse wrath of Almighty God which is called the damnation of hell and the torments thereof This fulnesse of cursednesse is either particular or generall particular is that which in lesse measure of fulnesse lighteth upon the soule immediately as soone as shee is separated from the body 1 Pet. 3.19 for in the very instant of dissolution shee is in the sight and presence of God for when she ceaseth to see with the organes of her fleshly eyes shee sees after a spirituall manner like Stephen who saw the glory of God Acts 7.55 and Iesus standing at his right hand and there by the testimony of her owne conscience Christ the righteous Judge who knoweth all things maketh her by his omnipresent power to understand the doome and judgement that is due unto her sins and what must be her eternall state and in this manner standing in the sight of heaven not fit for her uncleannesse to enter into heaven shee is said to stand before the throne of God
2.7 because he was the true Light which illuminateth the darkenesse of the world hee is laid in a manger because hee is the true Food of our soules hee was borne betwixt an Oxe and an Asse that men which were become as beasts beastly might be restored to their former dignity he is borne in Bethlehem which is the house of bread because he brought with him the most plentifull food of divine benefits hee is the first and onely begotten of his Mother upon earth 2 Cor. 8.9 because he was according to his divine narture the first and only begotten of his Father in heaven he is borne poore and naked yet to purchase for us celestiall riches he is borne in a stable Luk. 2.10 c. yet to bring us to his royall palace which is in heaven the Angels from heaven brought the first message of this great Joy and benefit because no man on earth understood the greatnesse thereof And further it was meet that the messenger of celestiall gifts should be celestiall the armies of the Angels rejoyce because we are by the incarnation of the Sonne of God made partakers of their heavenly happinesse To the Shepherds first is declared this so wondrous and great a miracle because the true Shepherd of our lost soules came to bring backe the lost sheepe into his fold The quire of heaven which became sorrowfull for the sinne of our first father doth now sing and rejoyce the brightnesse and glory of that Lord and King appeareth now in the heavens whose lowlinesse men despised here on earth joy was declared from heaven because the Author and Giver of Joy was borne joy is commanded because the enmity betweene the just God and sinfull man the cause of all sorrow is removed glory in the highest is rendred unto God which our first father Adam by his unlawfull transgressions of Gods Commandements had taken away true peace is obtained by his nativity because before men were enemies unto God and their owne consciences true peace is restored to the earth because he is overcome which held us captive Joh. 8.5 6. Abraham rejoyced when hee saw the Lord in an humame shape assumed for a time and appeared unto him and shall not we rejoyce seeing Christ hath coupled and taken upon himselfe our nature by an everlasting and inviolable covenant Let us here admire the infinite goodnesse of God let us also admire the infinite power of God who of two things most different and distant one from the other I meane the divine and humane nature could make one so neerly that one and the same should be God and man 1 Tim. 3.16 Let us admire the infinite wisedome of God who could find out a meanes to worke our salvation when men nor Angels could find no meanes of reconcilement the infinite goodnesse of God was offended and an infinite satisfaction was required man had offended God and of man was satisfaction required neither could an infinite satiâ—faction be made by man neither could Gods justice be satisfied without an infinite price therefore God was made man that both he which had sinned might satisfie and he which was infinite might be paid an infinite price Let us admire this wonderfull temper of Gods Justice and Mercy which no creature could find out before God did manifest it unto him neither could any fully perceive it after it was manifested let us admire these things and not curiously pry into them let us desire to understand this high and secret mysterie though wee cannot rightly conceive all let us rather confesse our ignorance Luk. 2.10 then to deny Gods Omipotence I bring tidings of great joy unto you saith the Angel at our Saviours Nativity of great joy indeed such as passeth mans understanding It was a very great evill and dangerous that we had incurred the wrath of God and were held captive under the power of the Divell and under eternall damnation but it was yet greater because men knew not it neither could eschew the danger thererof or else did wilfully neglect the meanes of their owne salvation But now great joy is declared unto us because he that delivereth uâ— from all evill is come a Saviour into the world he is come a Physician to the sicke a Redeemeâ— to the captive he is the Way to the wanderer Life to them that were dead in sinne and Salvation to them that were condemned Exod. 3.10 As Moses was sent from the Lord to redeeme the children of Israel which were the select people of the world from the servitude and bondage of Egypt so Christ Jesus was sent from his Father to redeeme all man-kind from the slavery and bondage of the Divell and to preach peace and the reconciliation of man with God therefore we have great cause to rejoyce and conceive great things of the goodnesse and mercy of God for he which loved us so being his enemies that hee did vouchsafe to assume our nature to be united to his divinity what will hee deny us Rom. 5.10 c. being joyned unto him by participation of our flesh An infinite goodnesse was offended and none could intercede but a Mediatour of infinite power and what is infinite but God therefore God himselfe reconciled the world unto himselfe 2 Cor. 5.19 God himselfe redeemed man-kind by his owne blood God himselfe became Mediatour for us who can conceive the greatnesse of this mysterie the chiefe Creatour was offended with sinfull man Acts 20.28 and the creature sought not with diligence to appease God or to reconcile himselfe unto him So hee that was offended assumed the flesh of the creature and becomes reconciliatour man had forsaken God and turned himselfe unto the Divell Heb. 2.14 15. the enemy of God man and he that was forsaken makes diligent inquisition after the forsaken and incites him most bountifully to come againe unto him and when man had departed from that infinite good and falne into that infinite evill then that same infinite good by giving an infinite price of redemption delivered the creature from that infinite evill Is not this infinite mercy of God farre exceeding all the finite understanding and thought of man for our nature is become farre exceeding and more glorious by Christ then it was debased and dishonoured by the sinne and fall of Adam Rom. 5.20 21. we have received more in Christ then we lost in Adam for where sinne did abound Gods grace doth much more abound in Adam we lost our innocency in Christ we have received perfect righteousnesse Eph. 2.4.5 Let us admire Gods power but his divine mercy is yet more to be admired although power and mercy are both equall in God for both are infinite Let us admire our creation but rather let us admire our redemption although creation and redemption are both acts of infinit power in God It is a wondrous great thing to create man having deserved nothing for as yet he had no being but
by the Apostles to be propagated throughout the world the Holy Ghost came downe upon them there was thundring and lightning and the lowd sound of the trumpet so that all the people were afraid Vers 16. because the Law doth thunder terrible things against our disobedience and makes us subject to Gods indignation But here is the sound of a gentle wind where the Lord from heaven doth powre out his Spirit upon all flesh Acts 2.2.17 for the preaching of the Gospell doth lift up the soules that are cast downe with dispaire by reason of their sinnes there was feare and trembling of the people because the Law bringeth wrath Rom. 4.15 but here the whole multitude doe flocke together to heare the wonderfull things of God for by the Gospell we have accesse unto God their God descended in fire but it was in the fire of his wrath therefore was the mountaine moved and did smoke but here the holy Ghost descended in the fire of his love so that the house is not shaken by the wrath of God but rather replenished Exod. 19.18 Acts 2.3 with the glory of the holy Ghost What wonder is it that the holy Ghost bee sent from the Court of Heaven to sanctifie us seeing the Sonne of God was sent from Heaven to redeeme us But the holy Ghost came upon the Apostles when they were assembled together in prayer with one minde for he is the Spirit of prayer which moveth us to pray and is obtained by prayer Wherefore John 20.19 22. Zach 12.10 because hee is that bond by which our hearts are knit and united unto God as he doth unite the Father with the Sonne and the Sonne with the Father for hee is the mutuall love of the Father and the Sonne This our spirituall conjunction with God is wrought by faith in Christ but faith is the gift of the Spirit and is obtained by prayer but true prayer is made in the Spirit In the Temple of Salomon when Incense was offered unto God 1 King 8.10 11. the Temple was filled with the glory of the Lord so if thou offerest unto God the sweet odours of prayers the holy Ghost shall fill the temple of thy heart with glory Let us here admire the grace and mercy of God Psal 50.15 Rom. 8.34 35. Gal. 4 6. the Father promiseth to heare our prayers the Sonne intercedeth for us and the holy Ghost prayeth within us the Angels of Heaven carry our prayers unto God and the Court of Heaven is open to receive them God of his mercy doth give unto us the effect of prayer because he giveth unto us the Spirit of grace and prayer and doth alwaies heare our prayers if not according to our desire yet according to that which is most profitable for us The holy Ghost came when they were all met together with one accord in one place Acts 2.1 for hee is the Spirit of love and concord Note that joyneth us unto Christ by faith and unto God by love and to our neighbour by charity because he is the Authour of all goodnesse and the fountaine of all grace and mercy Now the Spirit of God effects in man such motions as himselfe is for as the soule giveth unto the body life sense and motion so the holy spirit maketh man spirituall seasons his minde with divine saltnesse Note and directs all his members to the performance of all good duties towards God and towards his neighbours and proceedeth from all eternity he came in the type of breath and affordeth unto the afflicted conscience quickening consolation because wee live according to the flesh by the reciprocall breathing out and sucking in of the aeriall spirit he came under the type of spirit and breath because he giveth us to live according to the better part The winde bloweth where it lusteth Iohn 3.8 and thou hearest the sound thereof but thou knowest not whence it commeth nor whither it goeth So is every one that is borne of the Spirit it was meete that he should come in the type of breath because hee proceedeth from both the Father and the Sonne by one incomprehensible breathing from eternity it was a powerfull breath because the grace of the holy Ghost comes with power and moveth the godly in whom he dwelleth to all that is good and so effectually moveth and strengtheneth them that they neither regard the threats of tyrants nor feare the trecheries of the Divell nor the hatred of the world Psal 19.3.4 hee conferreth upon the Apostles the gift of tongues because their sound was to goe into all lands and so the confusion of tongues which was the punishment of pride and rashnesse in the building of the tower of Babel was taken away and the dispersed nations Gen. 11 7 8 9. by the gift of the holy Ghost through the diversity of tongues were gathered together into the unity of faith Againe it was meet that he should come in the figure of tongues because holy men of God did speake as they were inspired by him For hee spake by the Prophets and Apostles and putteth the Words of God into the mouthes of the Ministers of the Church therefore the Prophets in the old time came not by the will of man 2 Pet. 1.21 but were moved by the holy Ghost for these great gifts blessed and praised be the holy Ghost together with the Father and the Sonne now and for ever Of the Love of God THis love of God is commanded by God to the Israelites by the mouth of Moses being then the select and peculiar people of God saying Deut. 6.5 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soule and with all thy might and Christ himselfe in the Gospel doth alledge this Precept to the Doctor of the Law which tempted him saying Master which is the greatest Commandement in the Law He answering Matth. 22.36 37 38 39. said unto him Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soule and with all thy mind and thy neighbour as thy selfe this doth teach all Christians that without the knowledge of this love of God they can never attaine to the saving knowledge of God and without the love of God all knowledge is unprofitable For love is the life of Nature and the joy of Reason in the Spirit of grace where Vertue draweth affection the concord of sense makes an union unseparable in the divine apprehension of the joy of election it is a ravishment of the soule in the delight of the spirit which being caryed above it selfe into inexplicable comfort feeles that heavenly sickenesse that is better then the worlds health When the godliest of men in the swounding delight of his sacred inspiration could thus utter the sweetnesse of his passion my soule is sicke of love for love is a healthfull sicknesse of the soule it is a pleasing passion in the heart a contentive
greater and more excellent thaâ— either faith or hope because it is more necessary to the life of man and also inâ—iuturnity because it never dieth nor hath any end and so extendeth further Walker and keepeth a man from doing hurt unto his neighbour Charity seeketh not those things which are her owne because that shee loveth her neighbour and preferreth his good before her owne Charity is not provoked to anger Charity imagines no mischiefe Charity rejoyceth not in anothers iniquity but Charity condoles anothers griefe and maketh anothers misery to be her owne Charity suffers all things believes all things endures all things and hopes of good issue in all things Charity refuseth not to doe unto others as she desires that others should doe unto her for Charity is not partiall in her owne cause tongues shall cease prophesies shall cease Sciences shall be destroyed but Charity shall never cease but remaine for ever the perfection and fruition thereof shall be compleate in the life to come Thinke upon these things O devout soule Note to study and endevor godly charity the maine ground of Christian amity Whatsoever thy neighbour be Eph. 4.31 32. yet he is one for whom Christ dyed why dost thou then deny to shew thy charity unto thy neighbour whom God hath commanded thee to love Christ laid downe his life for him why shouldest thou then deny thy love unto him If thou truly lovest God thou must also love his Image Wee are all one spirituall body let us therefore have all one spirituall minde Why should those soules live at variance here upon earth which one day must live together in heaven Whilest our minds agree in Christ Eph. 4.5 6 7. let our wills also be conjoyned in one wee are all members of one body let us not live at variance but cherish one another that member of the body is dead which hath not a feeling sense of anothers griefe neither let him judge himselfe a member of Christs mysticall body who doth not grieve at the misery of another which suffereth we have all one Father that is God whom Christ hath taught us to call upon daily Matth. 6.9 saying Our Father and how shall hee acknowledge thee to be his Sonne Hatred stirreth up strifes but loue covereth a multitude of sinnes Matth. 6.14.15 Eccl. 28.1 c. unlesse thou againe owne his sonnes to be thy brethren love thy brethren which God hath commanded thee to love if he be worthy doe it because he is worthy if he be not worthy yet for his sake who hath commanded thee and whom thou oughtest to obey if thou lovest him that is thine enemy thou shewest thy selfe to be a friend to God and in his favour doe not marke what man doth against thee but what thou hast done against God whom by thy sinnes thou hast offended in a farre more grievous manner observe not the injuries offered thee by thine enemies but observe the infinite benefits God hath conferred upon thee in Christ Ephes 5.2 who commandeth thee to love thine enemies by the condition of our earthly nativity we are neighours and by the hope our celestiall inheritance wee are brethren Marke what Christ saith Matth. 5.44 Love your enemies blesse them that curse you doe good to them that hate you and pray for them that hurt and persecute you therefore let us love one another in a brotherly love Psal 133.1 kindle in us O God the fire of true love and charity by the operation of thy holy Spirit Of Gods eternall Election and Predestination OF the eternall decree of God concerning Predestination surely no man of Christian beliefe doth make doubt thereof The consideration whereof doth commend unto us Ephes 1.3 the wonderfull power and purpose of God wherein hee determined with himselfe upon our salvation before the world was made Esa 43.11.13 For what else is it to choose and elect men that be not but to fore-see and appoint unto them their salvation before they were borne and it is an incredible matter how great an assurance of salvation there riseth in the hearts of the faithfull to understand and believe Rom. 4.16 c. that God had a care of them before the world was made and that they were chosen by him unto salvation before they had being hereupon the faithfull Christian may gather confidently and most assuredly that God cannot forsake them after they be made and are existant whom he choose and appointed unto salvation before they were existant and before the world was made God elects the faithfull unto salvation before they had being No man will deny that God hath not liberty to doe with his owne what he listeth for seeing that hee is the Maker Creator preserver and conserver of all things and Lord of heaven and earth it followeâ—h Rom 9.18 Esay 45.8 9. that he hath power upon all things for he hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardeneth when he made the world hee made it after his owne will when hee dissevered those things that he had made he disserved them as hee would the heavens from earth fire from water darknesse from light beasts from beasts plants from plants times from times seasons from seasons and man from man therefore we may assure our selves and stand in this that God hath power to determine at his owne will of the salvation of man either else wee must utterly deny him to be God and say that hee hath not power over all his creature O man Esay 43.13 Rom. 20.21 Reade the whole Chapter what art thou that thus disputest with God shall the worke say to the worke-man why hast thou made me on this fashion Hath not the Potter power over his clay even of one lumpe to make one vessell to honour and another to dishonour who is able to resist his will Joh. 36.23 albeit hee did know before what we should be yet for all that hee found nothing in us whereby hee should be moved to choose us wee are all by nature borne the children of wrath hee knew before wee should be such wherfore he had cause to refuse us rather then to choose us The free election of God is the efficient cause of our salvation the materiall cause is Christs obedience the formall cause is our effectuall calling and the finall cause is our sanctification neither can wee boast that hee chose us in respect of our godlinesse and justice that was to come for if there be any godlinesse and justice in us it is in us not as a cause but as the fruit of election and grace of God for as is said hee chose whom hee would of his free mercy not because they would be faithfull but because they should be faithfull and he gave them grace not because they were faithfull but to the intent and end they might be made faithfull wherefore it appeareth that the choyce or election of us
government of his creatures the creatures not being ordained for the service of them but man for whom all things were made and from whom was to be derived a world of people when he sinned God himselfe punished him and his posterity and the creatures he had made and had given him For as the sin of man had infected the whole world mans house so the curse of God and the worke of his displeasure was seated on that house the world all things then being subject to alteration and evill change from this curse is the inecessity of regeneration all things being now in their owne nature in the state of corruption and death therefore Saint Peter saith When Christ shall come to â—udgement 2 Pet. 3.10.7 the heavens shall passe away with noyse and the elements shall melt with heat and the earth with the workes therein shall be utterly burned up and there shall be a new heaven and a new earth according to the promise of God Verse 13. wherein dwelleth righteousnesse What manner of persons ought wee then to be in holy conversation and godlinesse of life Verse 11. seeing that all these things shall perish so that nothing shall be able to abide the glory of Gods presence but that which is reformed and regenerate not the elements nor earth no nor heaven it selfe but as all have endured for sinne the bad alteration so must they endure by grace the good alteration all were transformed by the sin of one man Adam all must be reformed againe by grace in Christ or else remaine still in their deformity Saint Paul is peremptory in this opinion Gal. 6.15 for he saith in Christ Jesus neither circumcition availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new creature that is a regeneration by a lively faith in Christ is onely necessary at many â—n walke according to this rule peace be upon them and meâ—â—y upon them that be of God Verse 16. all ceremonies being insufficient and not effectuall and our Saviour Christ preached to Nichodemus the necessity of regeneration and affirmeth his doctrine with a double asseveration saying Verily verily I say unto thee John 3.3 except a man be borne againe hee cannot see the kingdome of God if not to see the kingdome of God we cannot inherit it This may suffice to perswade the necessary knowledge and the necessary care of regeneration being that without which it is impossible to be saved now to know what regeneration is it is an act of the holy Ghost in Gods elect whereby they are admitted and entred into a constant and faithfull exercise of godly life for as it is said before all grace is the gift of God Iam. 1.17 18. and every motion to good is caused onely by the spirit of God of his owne good will hee begat us by the Spirit of truth our selves being meerely passive in the first action of grace God himselfe being the actor and principall mover thereof for the holy Ghost by whose directions we learne the use of all spirituall exercise doth move both our capacity and power to understand the knowledge and use of necessary and Christian performance without which wee should never be able to comprehend the rudiments and first elements of divine learning regeneration being then a Christian office of most necessary performance it must needs then be caused in us by the inspiration of the holy Ghost who is the first mover of every grace This Doctrine Saint Peter concludeth in expresse words saying Blessed be God 1 Pet. 1.3 even the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ which according to his bâ—â—â—den mercy hath begotten us againe unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the dead so that wee are regenerate and new begotten by God in Jesus Christ at the motion and instance of his abundant mercy cowards us Regeneration or sanctification is the gift of God whereby our corrupt nature is renewed to the Image of God by the operation of the holy Ghost or it is an inward change of man justified Hippocates whereby the Image of God is restored in him for as one saith that physicke is an adjection and a substraction an adjection of things wanting and a substraction of things redounding in the bodies of men Even so is sanctification a removing of the corrupt humours of our soules and adjection or infusion of spirituall graces which are wanting in us Greenham for in every generation there is a corruption and we see that the seed sowne is much changed before it grow up and beare fruit then it is needfull in generation that there be a corruption of sinne so that as the seed in the ground so sinne in our mortall bodies must decay that the new man may be raised up by the Spirit of God taking possession of our soules Heb. 12.14 This transformation of man is very requisite to salvation for without holinesse no man shall see God Therefore if wee will not live to God by grace upon earth Ezech. 18.30 31 32. Rom. 6.23 we shall not live with him in glory in the Heavens if we will not die to sin in this world we shall not escape death the wages of sin in the world to come if we do not live to God in holinesse in this life wee shall not live in happinesse with God in the life to come it is not onely necessary to him that is to be saved that sinne bee abolished by remission but that it bee likewise mortified by regeneration our regeneration must then of necessity be wrought in the whole man according to both soule and body Albeit our sanctification be the worke of the whole Trinity yet it is immediately performed by the holy Ghost yea and like also This act of regeneration is caused by the holy Ghost in the hearts of the Elect and Gods labour is never fruitlesse but what he willeth to attempt is finished there being no resistance of his power nor any greater then himselfe to countermand him as holy David saith The Lord hath done whatsoever pleased him By this act of grace they are entred and admitted into the exercise of godlinesse which doth promise us an extraordinary degree of hope that wee are in Gods favour yet have we then our best assurance when we are adopted his children by regeneration for then wee bring our holy purpose of reformation into act and faithfully endeavour those duties which before wee had onely determined we are then made fruitfull and the Sonnes of God and not before for wee are then Gods first fruits because we are then first made fruitfull we must therefore bee constant and faithfull in the exercise of good workes because that not those that faint in the race of godlinesse but those that goe on with hope and alacrity shall obtaine to the ends of their progresse and have the garland for so saith Saint Iohn Revel 2.26 Hee that overcommeth and keepeth my workes to the end
thereof to gaine this honour and for to gaine this honour let us spend our houres spend our actions and our endeavours nay let us spend our honours and all to make this purchase let us run our spirituall course with alacrity seeing this honour is proposed us when we have it let us esteeme it precious it was given by grace it cannot be redeemed by nature let us esteeme it as it is worthy and having once obtained the honour to be the childe of grace nay the childe of God let us carry that honourable title to our grave and with that wee will present our selves in the day of judgement before God our honourable Father and before the honourable company of Angels and Saints and then it will appeare by direct evidence before all the world whether our honour in being the childe of God regenerate and made the sonne of God which the world despised Jerem 4.2 or their transitory honour and prosperity of fortune wherein they gloried and proudly exalted themselves be of better proofe worth or esteeme when God shall call us his sonnes and bid us enter the Kingome of our joy and call them reprobates and bid them enter their prison bonds Matth. 25.46 John 5.29 and paines perpetuall this will be the blessed priviledge our honour will then give unto us therefore to be regenerate thereby to have God our Father and our friend let us not care what neglect what scorne and what disgraces the world cast upon us for as those will vanish with time yet so will our honour be as God our Father is infinite in joy infinite in worth infinite in time let us therefore infinitely esteeme of it and by all meanes strive to attaine it Amen Of Sanctification SEeing that hee which is regenerate is also sanctified and made holy but it is not derived to us from our parents Ephes 2.10 But Almighty God is the fountaine and proper efficient cause of our sanctification and holinesse whose worke-manship wee are created in Christ Jesus unto good workes Colos 1.13 who in mercy hath translated us out of the kingdome of darkenesse and hath delivered us from the power of the Divell and made us fit for the Kingdome of his beloved Sonne Ephes 2.4 5. in whom hee hath quickened us through his love and riches of his mercy together with Christ even when wee were dead in sins him hath God lifted up with his right hand Acts 5.31 to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance unto his chosen Hebr. 2.4 and forgivenesse of sinnes and albeit our sanctification be the worke of the whole Trinity yet it is immediately performed by the holy Ghost because hee doth set us on fire and inflame us with a zeale of Gods glory with a care of our duty and with a love of all men Sanctification is the very translation and alteration of the heart and life of man or a spirituall reduction and conversion of a man from his wickednesse unto God and from the uncleannesse of sin to true purity and Christian sanctity The persons sanctified are such as are elected Rom. 8.30 called and justified therefore the Apostle saith that whom God predestinated called and justified them also he glorified these are truly sanctified whom he maketh to be the temples of his Spirit Sanctification of the body is that whereby the members thereof are made fit instruments for the soule regenerated to worke the workes of God with it being become obedient to the minde illumined 1 Cor. 6.19 and the heart reformed through the worke of the Spirit who now hath made it the temple of his holinesse whereas before it was a slave to the flesh and a shop of uncleanenesse and iniquity Ephes 2.8 It is a most gracious and free worke of the Lord without all obligation or merite of ours for the Spirit of God bloweth with the blasts of his grace both when how where and on whom he lifteth and the Apostle teacheth us Verse 4 5. that wee are quickened together with Christ through whose great love and grace wee are saved this is the vertue of Christs resurrection by the power of his God-head raising up his man-hood and releasing him of the punishment and tyranny of our sins by which vertue and power wee are quickened and restored that wee might live unto God in holinesse and newnesse of life Note Now the sanctification of the soule consists in the alteration of the mind the renovation of the will Note the sanctification of the memory and the regeneration of the conscience in the alteration of the mind whereby ignorance is by little and little abolished and the mind enlightened to know the true God and his mercy in Christ and to know and understand a mans selfe and his secret corruptions against the Law of God and to know how to behave himselfe towards God and man as also to prove the things of God and to mind and meditate on things spirituall and celestiall The renovation of the will is when God gives a man grace truely to will good as to believe honour feare and obey God the sanctification of the memory is an aptnesse by grace to keepe and to bee mindfull of good things especially of the doctrine of our salvation and such like the regeneration of the conscience is when it is fitted to give true testimony to a mans heart of the remission of his sinnes and of the carefulnesse of his care to serve God and to doe other good duties concerning our Christian brethren it consists also in the spirituall transformation of the affections as joy love sadnesse feare anger and such like whereby a man that is justified doth so temper them by his reason refined and by the light of the Law with the helpe of the holy Spirit that they do not break out as in the wicked that give the reines to their lusts but are held in some good order howbeit in this life this is not done without much strife and reluctation of the flesh and Spirit and is rather affected then effected Here we must observe that sanctification doth not alter the substance of man but onely his corrupt and sinfull qualities it rectifieth affections but abolisheth them not it corrects and moderates mirth sorrow anger and such humane passions but takes them not quite away it tunes the jarring strings of a mans heart but breakes them not in peeces As the fall of man did not abolish a mans essence but corrupt his faculties even so the raising up and renovation of man doth not alter his very substance but doth onely change his corrupted qualities and powers this visible reformation of a man is when hee dedicates himselfe unto God and good duties to his neighbours whose sinnes bee abandoned which before raigned in his heart This worke of the Spirit is wrought in the whole man but it belongs chiefely to the faithfull and elect of God for civill moralities and
and reputed his as if they had beene committed by him he supplying our place as our surety and mediatour even so his righteousnesse is made ours not as though his were infused or translated into us as a thing inherent and inhabiting in us but because it is reputed ours and imputed freely to us as if we our selves Note We are the righteousnesse of God in him as he is sin in us by imputation had wrought it in our owne persons for justification and remission of sins are all one and the same for to justifie is for God not to impute sin unto us but to accept us for righteous and to pardon absolve and pronounce us just for the righteousnesse of Christ imputed unto us For so soone as the elect are absolved from their sins they are forthwith adopted into the right and priviledges of the children of God the effect of justification is peace of conscience that is when wee perceive our selves to bee delivered from our sinnes before Gods Judgement seate and the judgement of our owne consciences Rom. 8.1 Rom. 5.1 For there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ and being justified by faith wee have peace with God Even that peace which passeth all understanding whereas there is no true peace to the wicked but they are like the raging sea that cannot rest whose waters cast up nothing but mud filth and mire Esay 57.20 21. even so the wicked hath no peace saith God Againe our justification makes us have free accesse to God by prayer with confidence to be heard for Christ his sake for sinne was the make-bate and wall of partition betwixt God and us Now our sinnes are done away when wee are justified and therefore with boldnesse wee may approach unto the throne of grace Rom. 8.15 16. For wee have now received the spirit of adoption by which we cry Abba Father the Spirit it selfe beareth witnesse to our Spirit that we are the sonnes of God By which wee conceive very great good hope in him to whom we pray like suppliants that hee will in his fatherly affection towards us and in his good time give us those things whereof wee stand in need justification also begets patience in afflictions and maketh a man rejoyce in the midst of his tribulations knowing that tribulation produceth patience Rom. 5.3 4. patience proofe and proofe hope through the perswasion of our reconciliation unto God and our assurance that all things how bitter and grievous soever doe worke for the best unto them that love God Rom. 8.28 and are pleasing unto him in their good actions Now glorification is an inseparable companion and a notable effect of justification being freed from sinne and made the servants of God Rom. 6.22 23. we have our fruit in holinesse and the end is everlasting life for the reward of sinne is death but the gift of God is eternall life through Iesus Christ our Lord. The obedience of Christ by grace imputed to us and by faith received of us Note workes in us a desire care and endeavour to obey God and his death for which our sins are remitted workes in us another death whereby we die to sin and his glorious righteousnesse wherewith wee are invested and made to be reputed righteous doth purchase and merit for us eternall life and glory Remission of sins is a gracious act of God whereby for the merits and satisfaction of Christ hee doth perfectly forgive both the fault and punishment Therefore Saint Paul saith That by him we have redemption through his blood Eph. 1.7 c. even the forgivenesse of sinnes according to the riches of his grace Rom. 8.1 Heb. 1.3 and that there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who hath by himselfe purged our sinnes and by whom the father hath reconciled us unto himselfe Therefore it were absurd to thinke that the punishment is retained when the sinne is remitted for if the proper cause be defaced then the effect thereof must needs bee abolished if the body bee removed the shadow thereof remaines not so if sins bee pardoned the punishment is remitted as for the crosses which the faithfull suffer they are not to be reputed as curses or penalties of vengeance inflicted of God as of an irefull and direfull Judge but they are to bee esteemed onely as tryals or as punishments of castigation imposed of God as a loving father desiring the welfare and weldoing of his children Revel 3.19 Heb. 12.6 As many as I love saith the Lord I rebuke and chasten he scourgeth every sonne which he receiveth The Lord tries us by afflictions as gold is tryed with fire in the furnace hee keepes us by the crosse within our limits as water is held in with bankes Note and with the thorny hedge of troubles and vexations hee keepes us within our bounds and walkes being given by nature to breake out and stray therefore David saith Before I was afflicted I went astray but now have I kept thy word Psal 119.67 It is the Lord which sendeth crosses to his children to save them that they perish not with the wicked world Augustin Augustine saith that sorrowes before pardon of sinnes are punishments of sinners but after pardon they are tryals and exercises of just men and so for death it selfe the sting and strength thereof which is sin 1 Cor. 15 56 57. is abolished by the death of Christ upon the Crosse and therefore it is to be reputed but as a tryall or chastisement whereby the Lord doth humble us and teach us humility and the flight of sin and doth exercise and prove our faith fortitude and patience Note Justification is a most free act of God and performed freely by God without coaction or the least inducement by any dignity present or foreseene to be in us hereafter for being absolute Lord of all hee may shew mercy on whom he list Eph. 2.3 for we are by nature all the children of wrath and the vessels of the divell destitute of all true grace Rom. 5. and subject to the curse of the Law remember then that it is free in regard of us that did not nor could not no way deserve it and free also in respect of God who did freely devise and dispose the meanes thereof and freely worketh faith within us by which we doe apply it to us and is justly performed in regard of Christ who by his all-sufficient merits did deserve it and by desert did acquire it for us Justification is also one absolute entire and individuall act it is onely acted in this life although it bee divers times renewed and applyed afresh in us as when the person justified doth fall into sin and repent now though it be a most perfect and plenary worke of God yet we come to the full perswasion of it but by degrees and though God at once forgive a man his sins by an
good King Hezekiah 2 King 20.5 6. whose successe of his faith was such as it effected what he desired namely in his sicknesse hee recovered health and had fifteene yeares added to his life after the Lord sayd by his Prophet that he should dye This is a comfortable example to bee applyed to the case of him that is deeply diseased within with sin and without with crosses and calamities wherein if he seeke the Lord in this lively and working faith hee will offer himselfe unto him The efficacy of faith and make him see the issue of his hope even delivery out of all his troubles The prayers of the faythfull are of wonderfull effect for thereby God sheweth himselfe to bee a God of great compassion and exceeding in mercy towards all believers and at an instant hee heareth and in his good time for Christ his sake hee granteth our desires as is seene in this example of Hezekiah whose prayer no sooner issued out of his mouth but his petition was granted and the Lords mercy came to meete as it were the Kings miseries whereby we may learne that the faythfull soule being in distresse hath God as present as if Heaven and earth were conjoyned together No distance of place or processe of time can prevent God to performe his will in a moment of time but where prayer is and fayth the ground of it there is the presence of God Esay 49. who giveth presently or delayeth for a time according to his will alwayes for the best and good of the faythfull petitioner God delayed to grant Davids request a long time suffering him to live in banishment and in the wildernesse crying yet at the last in an acceptable time hee delivered him and made him King over Israel Gen. 41.1 c. so Ioseph made long suite and prayed unto the Lord being in prison and no doubt the Lord heard him yet in two yeeres he gave him not his liberty but when the time was come wherein occasion was administred for his advancement hee then not only gave him freedome but also made him viceroy as it were over all Egypt thus doth God often try our faith whether it be sound or not and after proofe thereof by patience then it hath the reward Infinite examples might be shewen of the force of faith Hebr. 11. how it stopped the Lyons mouthes how it qualified the heat of the fire and how faith gave David the victory over Goliah but let these suffice And sith that faith and humble prayer are so effectuall 1 Sam. 17.46 c. let us not rest dissolute and carelesse to seeke it but with all diligence and carefulnesse let us aske it of the Lord and hee will give it us abundantly so shall wee be able to performe and bring mighty things to passe beyond humane expectation the examples in the Scriptures are common they are infinite which may confirme our faith seeke therefore the Scriptures the sweet Manna of our soules they will shew us the admirable things which have beene wrought by lively faith let us therefore assure our selves that this God who hath done for us wonderfull things will be present also at our prayers and if wee aske faithfully he will bring such things to passe for us as shall seeme marvellous to the eyes of men Now sith this excellent sweet and surpassing jewell is the gift of God and that he giveth all his rich blessings freely and for nought let us not feare to frame our prayers unto him in all humble obedience and goe freely to the throne of Grace and he will give us at large what wee shall desire in faith In briefe faith is the hand of the soule which layeth hold of the promises of Christ in the mercy of the Almighty she hath a bright eye that pierceth heaven a holy eare a cleare heart and a sure foot standing upon a rocke she is the strength of hope the trust of truth the honour of amity and the joy of love she is rare among the sonnes of men and hardly found among the children of women but to the sonnes of God she is the assurance of their inheritance and in the children of grace she is the promise of their portions shee lookes toward heaven but lives in the world in the soules of the elect to the glory of the Electour shee was wounded in Paradise by a dart of the Divell and healed of her hurt by the death of Christ Jesus faith is Gods blessing and mans blisse reasons comfort and the glory of vertue Of Hope AFter the knowledge of God which is by faith there followeth hope love patience invocation and feare of God obedience and such other like which doe belong unto true godlinesse wherefore like as before is noted those things which a godly person ought to consider of God and to conceive by the knowledge of him and his Sonne Christ So it is meet to speake of those things which doe follow in the knowledge of God in us without the which true godlinesse can take no place for those things which be recited before of God cannot doe us any good unlesse wee doe depend upon him in sincere faith hope charity patience invocation reverence and obedience for as of true faith is said sufficiently before What is the hope of Christian men Rom. 1.24 25. it is not amisse likewise to note something touching hope for the definition of hope it is an expectation of things to come for the Apostle saith that we are saved by hope but hope which is seene is no hope but if we hope for that we see not then doe wee with patience abide for it looking and hoping to be adopted the children of God and to looke for the delivery of our bodies which is to come by the resurrection and glorifying of the children of God therefore the hope of true Christians is the assured and unmoveable expectation of those things which be promised unto us in Christ Jesus 1 Pet. 1.13 Hebr. 6.17 18 19 20. whereof nothing doth appeare to us in this life but wee shall have the full fruition of our constant hope in the world to come at the comming of our Saviour to deliver us and to bring us out of the middest of evill the rising againe of our bodies to glory and life everlasting salvation and felicity the fellowship of Angels yea of Christ himselfe and the perfect sight and knowledge of God besides that which neither eye hath seene nor eare hath heard nor the heart of man conceived which is provided for the elect of God Christian hope is bred of faith and commeth of the knowledge of God because wee doe know that God is in creating Almighty in governing wise in preserving just in helping good and in his promises true and sure and wee doe credit his promises and the same which wee doe credit and believe in faith that wee doe looke for also with a fast and a firme hope for
opposite against it for when it doth but slightly assaile the mind of man it putteth into him a fansie to forsake his worke he hath begun but as long as a man doth continue fast his hope Gal. 5.1 it suffereth him not to forsake his worke so the stedfastnesse of hope maketh up the worke For like as hope to gaine riches and wealth keepeth the workman in his worke and maketh the Merchant-man to venture so the hope wee have of the felicity to come keepeth the Christian man in the course study of godlinesse for like as fayth is effectuall by love so it is made also effectuall by hope without which it is utterly voyd and dead for what shall it profit to believe of those things which are to come if we have not hope of them to come Note Fayth doth also establish patience in her bold and maketh us invincible when wee be strengthned by hope to heare constantly all adversity with patience so hope and patience by an intercourse of ayd doe one helpe the other and the one doth strengthen and support the other in continuall troubles crosses and afflictions and contention of godlinesse it maketh the minde of him which is in hope quiet in the middest of his troubles which the counsell of mans wisdome is not able to worke but doth rather disquiet the travelled conscience then appease it hope grounded upon the certainety of Gods promises keepeth us safe from confusion so witnesseth the Apostle that Hope maketh not ashamed Rom. 5.5 because the love of God is shed abroad into our hearts by the holy Ghost which is given unto us but the hope of the world is so vaine and fond that it doth daily deceive shame her darlings But blessed is the man which hopeth upon thee O God Psal 84.5 Prov. 16.20 Psal 4.5 The blessednesse of them which be in hope is of God and blessed i he that putteth his trust in the Lord blessed is the man whose hope is in the Name of the Lord. This blessednesse is not to bee attributed neither to the hope neither to him that hopeth so that of nâ—cessity it must be of God Hereof the Scriptures doth often testifie of God that hee is well pleased with them which doe hope upon his mercy as the Prophet David singeth that hee is good to them which doe trust upon him Blessed is he that hath the God of Jacob for his helpe Psal 146. and whose hope is in the Lord his God What favour grace and benefits can they lacke which doe feele of his goodnesse and doe well please him is not that true blessednesse when a man pleaseth God and findeth him favourable and loving in all things how can hee but have mercy upon them which doe hope upon him which doe please him those hee willeth well unto yea those he doth specially regard and esteeme Great plagues shall remaine for the ungodly Psal 32. but whose putteth his trust in the Lord mercy imbraceth him on every side Againe the eyes of the Lord bee upon them that doe feare him which doe hope upon his mercy Againe our fathers hoped upon thee Psal 22.4 Psal 37.5 and they were not confounded For looke what the hopefull man is not able in his necessity to bring to passe of himselfe that will the Lord their God in whom they doe put their hope bring to good effect and end They called upon thee and were holpen Psa 22.5 Psal 17.7 they put their trust in thee and were not confounded Thou art the Saviour of them which putteth their trust in thee and keepest them as the apple of thine eye and hideth them under the shadow of thy wings Prov. 28.25 and Salomon sayth He which hopeth upon the Lord shall be saved Here may wee see how blessed are they which hope upon the Lord they doe well please him and they shall feele his goodnesse in time convenient Psal 91. whom the mercy of God doth compasse and embrace and upon whom his eyes bee bent can be neither forsaken nor confounded but doth deliver them preserve and save them by the might of his power whereupon there commeth the blessednesse of them that doe hope upon God but in the meere goodnesse and truth of God whereby he is so affected towards them that he cannot forsake them which doe hope upon him and that without any desert of ours so that our heart be cleane towards him and that they hope heartily upon that which they doe hope for for no other respect but only in respect of his goodnesse mercy and truth Of Patience THe vertue of Patience is commendable and profitable yea and also necessary and is adorned with many excellent gifts The singular gift of patience Patience is a kinde of heavenly tenure and a sweet temper in the spirit whereby the soule is held in possession which restraineth nature from exceeding reason in passion shee attendeth wisdome in in all her workes and proportioneth time to the necessity of matter shee is the poyson of sorrow in the hope of comfort and the paradise of conceit in the joy of peace shee is the Imitator of the incomprehensible in his passage to perfection and a servant of his will in the map of his worke-manship she pacifieth wrath and puts off revenge and in the humility of charity She is esteemed of God amongst the best vertues shewes the nature of grace she is beloved of the highest and imbraced of the wisest honoured with the worthiest and graced with the best Therefore let us commend patience as it is of it selfe commendable and commanded by the testimonies of holy Scriptures therefore we will note somewhat of patience which may profit not only others but my selfe also For when I doe write of those things which concerne our salvation I doe as well instruct my selfe as others Patience is a kind of perseverance when wee doe willingly and constantly suffer those things that be hard painfull sorrowfull and to our losse every suffering of adversity is not straightway to be termed patience for there is no man in the world It is requisite that a patient man do sustain and suffer his adversities willingly but hee suffereth many things that hee would not doe if he could any waies withstand it yet they are not to be called patient men neither are they called impatient which do suffer adversity but doe sustaine it with an evill will and discontented minde for it is impatience when we doe unwillingly strivingly and with anger suffer that which wee doe suffer Patience is not onely the willingnesse but also the long sufferance of evills for the vertue of patience consisteth also in the constancy of suffering there be many that are willing to suffer for a while but they be soone weary and become impatient unto them cannot be attributed true patience which must be both willing and continuall like as the faith of them which doe believe for a time and
doe shrinke away at time of temptation is no true faith nor their love true which doth love to day and hate to morrow or hate upon every sleight occasion neither is it true patience to be patient for a season Note and after a while to change their patience into impatiency for the truth of vertues cannot stand without constancy Patient abiding is constancy to suffer and susstaine all adversity This patient abiding is the vertue and constancy to suffer and sustaine all adversity with patience it is impossible that any man can be voyd and free from the disposition of anger but by impatience wee be overthrowne though wee be but sleightly assaulted and thereby are driven from the purpose of godlinesse righteousnesse and truth but the parts of true repentance be the calmenesse which is not stirred to anger the assured looking for Gods ayd and helpe is the constant abiding in that which is right just true and good and the vertue to suffer and sustaine all troubles and adversities by these parts patience is made perfect and in the faithfull man there cannot one of them be wanting without the hinderance of the whole true patience is commanded unto us in holy Scripture Rom. 5.3.4 as to the Romans Rejoyce in tribulations knowing that affliction worketh patience and patience triall and proofe hope whatsoever things be fore written they be written for our learning that we may have hope through patience and comfort of Scriptures Gal. 5.22 and to the Galatians the fruit of the spirit is love joy peace patience gentlenesse goodnesse faith against such there is no Law and to the Thessalonians 2 Thes 1.4 5. In so much that wee our selves doe glory of you in the Churches of God for your patience and faith in all your afflictions tribulations and persecutions which ye suffer that yee may be counted worthy of the kingdome of God for which yee also suffer Luke 8.15 and our Saviour Christ himselfe commending patience unto us saith that the seed which fell upon the good ground be they which with a pure and good heart doe keepe it and bring forth fruit through patience againe Luke 21.19 through patience saith hee you shall possesse your soules Againe by the Scriptures we are advised counselled and admonished to patience as to the Corinthians 2 Cor. 6.4 5 6. Let us be have our selves saith S. Paul in all things as the Ministers of God in much patience in troubles in necessities in straits and dangers and so forth and to the Ephesians Ephes 4.1 2. I which am in bonds for the Lord beseech you walke worthily in the vocation whereunto yee be called with all weekenesse and humblenesse with patience forbearing one another in love therefore put you on saith hee Col. 3.12 13. as the holy welbeloved and chosen of God the bowels of mercy gentlenesse humblenesse sobernesse and patience forbearing and forgiving one another even as Christ forgave you Againe 1 Tim. 6.11 follow after righteousnesse godlinesse faith love meekenesse patience exhort rebuke them saith he with all patience 2 Tim. 4.2 Tit. 2.2 and to Titus Advise the elder men to be watching grave sober sound in faith in charity in patience and to the Hebrewes Take heed that yee faint not Heb. 6.12.15 but be yee followers of them which through faith and patience inherit the promises and through patient abiding hee obtained the promise 2 Pet. 5.6 7. and Peter saith hereunto apply all your endeavours and declare your faith in your vertue and in your vertue knowledge and in your knowledge temperance and in your temperance patience and in patience godly life in your godly life brotherly love and in your brotherly love charity to all men thus wee may see how wee are commanded and admonished in the new Testament to patience as also there be many places in the old testament wherein the great vertue of patience is highly commended unto us especially in the Psalmes of David and the Proverbs of Salomon all which be to this purpose set forth that wee should be moved and stirred up to the study of true patience by the commandement and authority of Gods Word that wee being exercised and tryed thereby wee may constantly without feare or fainting persevere and continue in the course of holy exercise and godly life Psal 91.14 c. and after long continuance have the reward of eternall life Now will I call to remembrance some of those holy Fathers in which the godly person may as it were in a glasse behold and consider the patience of the holy Saints and appoint himselfe ever to endeavour and follow the same And first and before all and farre surpassing all others the example of patience God is in God himselfe who in his infinite mercy and goodnesse Whereas wee have deserved his indignation malligrace and curse towards us doth bring forth his Sunne upon both the good and the evill that hee suffereth and directeth the times and seasons the services of the elements the increase of all things that are bred to serve the turnes and use of the wicked and the unworthy as well as the worthy and godly and in his long suffering bearing with the wicked and unworthy whereas of his just judgement Christ he might destroy them all at once but the mirrour of example of Gods patience is shewed unto us in Christ our Saviour whose whole life doth represent unto us a wonderfull degree of patience in all points and thereunto wee ought all of us to frame our selves as many as doe glory of his name and doe shew to be Christians and professors of his faith and Religion 1 Pet. 2 20 21 22 23. For Saint Peter saith If you doe abide and continue patiently in well-doing there is grace and favour with God for thereunto you be called for Christ also suffered for us leaving in an example to follow his steppes which committed no sinne neither was there any guile found in his mouth who spake no evill when he was evill spoken of when he suffered he threatned not but yeelded the revenge to him which judgeth righteously Wee should follow the example of Christs patience not onely in his sufferings but in his upright living also and in patiently abiding the afflictions laid upon us for our uprightnesse and other waies And thus wee be moved and provoked unto true patience both by the examples of our heavenly Father and of Christ our Saviour his onely begotten by the following of whom wee shall declare our selves to bee the children of God Let us therefore follow the bright shining vertue of God according to the proportion of his heavenly grace such a one was Noah who living in the middest of the malice of the most wicked and corrupt world Noe. Gen. 6.5 8 c. being armed with the vertue of patience continued in the trade of godly life and innocency untill the end and proceeded
be able to beare the conditions contradictions and cumbers of the other and so the unity and concord betwixt them might soone bee broken but impatient hearted men they doe stirre great variance strife and contention and doe breake the tranquillity of quiet and peace Patience is the gift of the holy Spirit in this respect we may well call patience the preserver yea the repairer of peace it cannot worthily enough be expressed how large how notable and necessary the use of true patience is all which doth stand upon the strength of mens desires For without patience all the rest of our vertues will be altogether blemished therefore in any wise let us not stay untill wee have attained true patience the mistresse and governesse of all our affections which keepeth us within the lists of a contented mind howsoever it fareth with the outward man this patience therefore which we must seeke and imbrace in all things must be a joyfull acceptation of our miseries not as compelled but cheerefully resting under the burthen of our adversitie which then although it seeme to make us figh by reason wee see no end of the griefe yet it shall in the meane time cloath us with spirituall joy for patience stayeth the patient man from fainting in any distresse yea when neither friend counsell Hebr. 6.12 c. nor any comfort appeareth then is patience the remedy which like a mighty Gyant beareth it out with a godly courage true patience loveth the afflictions which shee suffereth and if wee doe attaine to this patience then shall wee give praise to God in the midst of our miseries and commit our selves to his providence and care in all our troubles and adversities neither can poverty keepe us backe or hinder us from commending highly the great bounty and goodnesse of Almighty God who is able to restore and bring us out of all our afflictions the mother of this precious and admirable jewell Rom. 5.4 5. is tribulations afflictions persecutions poverty and crosses patience begetteth experience and experience hope and hope maketh not ashamed it is concluded then by the holy Apostle that tribulation maketh not ashamed Faith whereof wee have spoken before is the evidence of things not seene which so worketh in time of tribulation and affliction Psal 22.4 5. that it assureth the afflicted that his delivery is easie and at hand his comfort and reliefe is comming So that tribulation and affliction seasoned with faith worketh patience and a contented tolleration and sufferance of the misery present which patience bringeth forth experience namely it hath proofe of Gods continuall providence wherein he worketh mightily beyond all humane expectation and mortall reason of mans capacity the great joy ease comfort reliefe and release of all the faithfull afflicted members of Christ and that by so many and admirable meanes that of this experience springeth hope which worketh through the same experience by an undoubted assurance that such successe will follow patient expectation So that faith hope and patience appeareth to be the whole furniture of a true Christian which being joyned together in man hee shall finde that as faith is the ground of things hoped for and maketh them as it were present before our senses and our selves as certaine of them as if wee were already possessed of them so hope maketh us attend the time of delivery restraining our corrupt natures from practising any unlawfull and forbidden meanes for the supply of that wee looke for and having the working of faith and hope those two singular vertues in us there is no place of impatience of grudging of griefe nor of desire to seeke sinister devices for ease or reliefe but setteth downe his rest and resolution to be as cheerefull and full of joy in distresse Dan. 3.17.18 as in any prosperous events whatsoever So said the three children when they went to the fire though God would not deliver them yet would they not dishonour him so resolute and patient was Job who said though he kill me yet will I trust in him such is the fruit of true patience it is necessary that we be tryed with affliction and delay of comfort to the end that wee should be well armed with these vertues and have experience how God in his providence worketh for us yea wee shall finde that as the promises of God are irrevocable firme and sure so is our faith and hope grounded upon God and his promises also stable and sure and shall have the reward which is eternall and everlasting life To conclude patience is the gift and grace of Christ the true vertue of Christianity it is the praise of goodnesse and the preserver of the world and rests upon the providence of God to the exceeding comfort of the afflicted Of Prayer VVE be charged by the Commandement of God to offer unto our Lord God thankesgiving and praise who saith Call upon me in the day of trouble Psal 50.14 and I will deliver thee this calling upon him is a point of service required of us and doth serve to the glory of his name for hee saith thou shalt glorifie me Vers 15. wee be therfore as necessarily bound to pray and call upon the name of God as wee be bound to the study of his obedience and service this prayer and calling upon the name of God is not onely profitable unto us but also necessary unto godlinesse and exercising of our faith for without faith we cannot truely call upon the name of God Rom. 10.13 14 Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved but how shall they call upon him on whom they have not believed whereby it manifestly appeareth that study and use of prayer is an exercise of our faith in this respect wee are specially by the providence of God required to aske such things of him as our necessities doe require hee could liberally bestow on us all things unasked for Before thou prayest prepare thy soule and be not as one that tempteth God as hee doth to the Reprobate and other living beasts but his will is to be called upon of his children to the intent that they should practise the assured trust of their hearts towards him and be the more out of doubt of his goodnesse and promise when they doe obtaine that which in faith they doe desire at his mercifull hands hee which doth truely pray unto God doth accuse and esteeme himselfe unworthy and therefore doth submit himselfe onely and wholly to the will of God Psal 34.16 The holy men of God when they pray doe powre out the ferventnesse of their hearts before the Lord with most earnest meditation and wayling accuse and judge themselves they doe beseech the mercy of God they doe expresse the sorrow of their heart with crying and lamentation and also in words doe set forth Petitions and Prayers but generally prayer is the lifting up of the minde and heart unto God for prayer is the
strangers Job 30.25 and the innocents are oppressed in this world without care and conscience Eccles 8.11 and doe reigne without regard or looking to the poore lieth oppressed in every corner without reliefe or redresse of their wants or wrongs Psal 69 21 22 the Apostle maketh mention of many other afflictions as tribulation anguish perill persecution hunger Rom. 8.35 nakednesse Verse 18. 2 Cor. 4.17 all which shall not separate us from the love of God for saith he I am certainly perswaded that the afflictions of this world are not worthy of the glory which shall be shewed upon us in the life to come the occasions of these evills wherewith we be afflicted doth proceed of our selves By the providence of God Psal 89. because of our sins therefore the Prophet saith I wil visit their wickednesse with the rod and their sinnes with stripes neverthelesse my loving kindnesse will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my truth to faile as the Lord said to him that was sicke of the palsie Matth. 9.2 Be of good cheere my sonne thy sins be forgiven thee Againe hee said to him that had beene diseased thirty eight yeeres Joh. 5.5.14 Lo thou art made whole sinne no more lest a worse thing happen unto thee Every man must be fully perswaded Afflictions be sent from God that troubles crosses losses and all manner of afflictions doth come and fall upon us by the disposition and ordinance of God and no otherwise this is confirmed by the testimony of God himselfe Esay 45.5 saying I am the Lord and without we there is no God it is I that created light and darkenesse it is I make peace and trouble yea Verse 7. even I the Lord doe all these things whereby we doe perceive that wee be scourged of God for our sins and iniquities and by them wee doe provoke the wrath of God upon us besides there be some sins that of nature A covetous minde is never satisfied nor thinkes any thing unlawfull they doe afflict both our bodies and soules as drunkennesse doth trouble and marre mens bodies and minds and covetousnesse and envie the mind and soule one saith that every disordered affection is a punishment to it selfe There be also many afflictions wherewith the godly just and innocent be oppressed by the wicked in this world by their ungodlinesse malice anger hatred enmity envie pride and delight in strife and variance in which they doe hate and trouble them without desert Iob 37.23 it is not the property of God to afflict but to deliver and save the afflicted for hee is good gentle milde and loving towards man-kind so that he delighteth in doing good to them according to the saying of Jeremy Ierem. 1.19 I will rejoyce in them when I shall doe them good but it is wrought by the malice of our nature that hee is compelled like a most loving father to chasten and instruct us by the rod of discipline Afflictions are sent as chastisments temporary to the elect but eternall to the reprobate to the intent to save them which otherwise should perish to this intent hee did often times afflict and scourge the people of Israel because of their intollerable sins and rebellion to bow and turne them unto himselfe so he doth punish sinners to the intent they should leave off their trade of sinning and turne unto him and amend their lives thus the godly be exercised in the faith of Gods providence to the intent that knowing their owne weaknesse they may put their trust in their Lord God and have hope upon him Eccles 51. whose aid doth comfort them in all their afflictions and who in his good time will bring them out of all their troubles thus they be trained up to call upon the Lord in whom they doe depend in stedfast trust and hope and not in the vaine hope and trust in man or worldly meanes and to offer the sacrifice of continuall praise unto God by whom they have hope to be delivered out of all their afflictions Afflictions do confirme the faith of the godly Patience and sufferance of afflictions maketh our faith strong whereupon commeth our hope which doth not confound this is the assurance of our salvation when a man hath a tryed faith towards God and an assured hope against all temptations as armed against the very gates of Hell Againe Iob 5.15 c. wee be not onely allowed and well tryed by afflictions to be the sonnes of God By affliction we be brough to be the children of God and be assured of his care of us 2 Cor. 1.3 4. but the very care of God is commended unto us whereby hee doth marvellously comfort the afflicted of this the Apostle maketh mention saying Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which is the father of mercies and the God of all comfort which doth comfort us in all our tribulations like as the passions of Christ doe abound in us so by the grace of Christ our comfort doth more abound and David saith According to the multitude of the sorrowes in my heart thy comforts doe rejoyce my soule Psal 93.19 so that by the grace of God the troubled and afflicted are comforted in all their troubles and afflictions in these extremities the afflicted have great need to be strengthned and cōfirmed in the grace of Christ Without faith wee cannot have the comfort of the Spirit to believe that they be chastened exercised reformed tryed and saved from ruine and destruction by the immediate hand of God their heavenly father unlesse that they have this faith they cannot have the comfort of the Spirit wee must have also stedfast hope whereby wee must not doubt but that God in his mercy and in his good time shall once deliver us from all our tribulations crosses and afflictions which by his chastening hand and in his love he hath laid upon us this hope cometh of faith in that we doe believe that God is faithfull standing to all his promises and able to performe what he hath promised and that he will not suffer us to be tempted further than we be able to beare and that this hope is not vaine it appeareth by that which God himselfe faith Psal 91.1 c. For as hee hoped upon mee I will deliver him out of all his tribulations and afflictions after his stedfast faith and strong hope there followeth that unknowne and exceeding commendable vertue Patience of these three most excellent vertues doth come the rejoycement of the spirit Acts 5. So St. Paul doth testifie that he doth not onely rejoyce in the hope of the glory of Gods children but also rejoyce in their troubles James 1. and Saint James saith My brethren Rom. 5. count it all joy when yee fall into divers temptations knowing that the triall of your faith worketh patience therefore we must so beare our
afflictions that wee must abide them not onely patiently but with joy also through faith and hope Whosoever is wretched and afflicted is to be pitied and relieved for that he is distressed and afflicted the Samaritan which is spoken of in the Gospel did pity Luk 10.30 c. relieve and helpe him that was falne into the hands of thieves having no respect of his Country or religion but in consideration that hee was a man himselfe hee had compassion and tooke pitty of the miserable case and perill of the man distressed therefore it is a good and charitable deed and to be used of all men towards their Christian brethren to relieve helpe succour and comfort the needy distressed and afflicted person not onely for that hee is afflicted but for his Saviour Christ his sake who hath commanded it wee ought to doe good to all men as the Apostle saith Gal. 6.10 Especially to them which are of the houshold of faith there must mercy also be shewed unto him that is chastened for his sinnes God is well pleased withall and doth require it as wee may perceive in Esay where he charged the Moabites lovingly to entreat the Israelites whom hee had scourged for their sinnes Hide the chased saith he Esay 16.3 4. and bewray not them that are fled let them that are persecuted dwell with thee and be thou their refuge Therefore seeing that it is a worke of true goodnesse to have pitty and mercy upon the distressed and afflicted wee ought not to enquire after their religion life and occasion of their affliction at what time wee ought to succour them but for compassion sake to bestow our ayd and reliefe upon them in their distresse and miseries as men afflicted for their misery and affliction doth sufficiently declare their wants and necessities but when the afflicted is thus perplexed vexed grieved and in anguish they must patiently suffer and beare them and not despairingly runne to desperation nor to rest dissolute and carelesse what become of them but they must in Christs Name repaire unto God who although he be offended will yet shew mercy for hee doth not cast off upon every offence nor revenge every wrong as the world doth Luke 15.20 but like the Father of that unthrifty sonne receiveth againe him that strayed and lovingly imbraceth him that returneth unto him by true and serious repentance faithfull prayer and holy contemplation and uprightnesse of living with the consideration of Gods purpose in afflicting him for hee may not censure these evils or the least of them to come by chance as the world often and most rashly and unadvisedly affirmeth or that they befall him by reason of the unfortunate Planet Psal 73.5 Esay 47.13 under which he was borne as the starre-gazer fondly maintaineth for the Lord God Almighty that high and incomprehensible Jehovah Revel 1.8 that everlasting Alpha and Omega He which was and is and is to come he is the former framer creator preserver and governour of all things and who but hee made and prepared those famous starres in the Firmament Iob 38. Esay 51.13 Psal 89.13 Arcturus Orion and Pleiades who spread forth the Heavens like a curtaine who limited the North and South climates who made the Sunne and Moone but hee and therefore let all men thinke that his creatures which he hath formed framed and placed for the use and behoofe of man for the distinction of times and seasons and to give light unto the earth and his creatures thereon keepe every of them his Sphere as a walke whereas unto a continuall taske they are tyed by the omnipotent Commander who keepeth them without variation in the first course doing their continuall service and labour for the behoofe of man as other creatures doe and are not as Gods or governours of mans nature neither can they dispose of their inclinations constitutions or affections or make them happy or unhappy but are ruled governed and commanded by God as other inferiour creatures are to stand and move at his pleasure the Sunne stood still in Gibeon and the Moone in the Valley of Aialon Iosh 10.13 2 King 20.10 and that for a whole day so the Sunne at the commandement of the Lord retyred ten degrees in the Firmament as a signe for Hezechias health which proveth that these creatures are as all other even subject to the will of the superiour Governour who needeth not the helpe of such weake meanes to worke the long or short life of man the happy or unhappy estate of man the poore or rich portion of man 1 Sam. 2.6 7 8 or any matter belonging to the soule or body of man but all cometh from his sacred wisedome and divine providence all men are in his hands as the clay in the Potters and he frameth and forgeth of all formes and fashions Rom. 9.21 some to honour some to dishonour some to bee high some to bee low some to bee rich some to be poore some to be reverenced and some to bee despised afflicted and persecuted and every man must rest contented with his portion bee it good or bad sweet or sowre And therefore bee not so hardy and voyd of reason as to dreame that thy constitution inclination good or bad successe in thy proceedings the prosperous or adverse issues of thine endeavours thine estate poore or rich or thy troubles and afflictions proceedeth from the influence dominion rule or power of these creatures but that a divine and supernaturall cause worketh that in thee which the wit of man cannot conceive wherein though the world afford thee no comfort All our afflictions troubles miseries and calamities which happen unto us commeth of our sinnes yet art thou bound by an inward bond of duty to acknowledge all thine infirmities all thine afflictions and all the crosses which happen and fall upon thee to proceed even from thine owne sinnes and filthy corruptions as buffets to rouze thee from the forgetfulnesse of thy duty to his sacred Majesty for thy roving and ranging astray after vaine and foolish things superfluous desires and overmuch negligence of thy calling and in great love and favour doth thy loving father give thee these gentle corrections even of mercy to reclaime thee from the way of sinne unto a more sincere and sacred course of life Heb. 12. So that the troubles and miseries and all the adverse things that can befall us are Gods gentle chastisements to his children to reforme them but to the obstinate and unbeleeving they are messengers of his judgements Numb 14.2 Judg 6. Judg. 10. and utter renunciation who by his punishments waxe worse and worse who doe murmure and grudge at the course he taketh to amend them as did the rebellious Israelites whom he did often visit in mercy before he entred into judgement with them hee calleth us by his punishments from perils to the end wee should not be subject to the dangerous security of a pleasing estate
of men still and in death it selfe living hee regards not the threats of the tyrants because hee feeles within himselfe the riches of divine consolation hee is not sorrowfull in adversity because the holy Spirit within doth comfort him effectually hee is not vexed in poverty because the goodnesse of God doth continually succour him the reproches of men doe not trouble him because hee enjoyeth the delight of divine honour he regards not the pleasure of the flesh because the sweetnesse of the spirit is more acceptable unto him 〈…〉 â—ot the friendship of the world because he seeketh the love of God who is a mercifull father gracious and a friend unto him hee feareth no death because in God he alwaies liveth hee feareth not Lightening Tempests Fire Water-flouds the sorrowfull aspects of the Planets nor the obscuration of the light of Heaven because hee is carried up above the Sphere of Nature and by faith he resteth and liveth in Christ he feareth no mortall nor evill power because he that liveth and overcomes in him is farre more stronger then the Divell that in vaine labours to overcome him hee followeth not the inticements of the Flesh because living in the Spirit hee â—eeles the riches of the Spirit and by the vivification of the Spirit Gal. 5.24 mortifies and crucifies the lusts of the Flesh hee feares not the Divell his accuser 1 Ioh. 2.1 because he knowes Christ to be his Intercessour the true rest of the Soule hee grants unto us who is the onely Author thereof O Christ with-draw our hearts from the love of this world and stirre up in as a desire to thirst after the Kingdome of Heaven to thy eternall glory and the unspeakable comfort of our Soules Of temporary Death and of the severall estates of Salvation and Damnation DEath is an ordinance of God for the subjecting of the World which is limited his time for the correction of Pride it is a separation and absence of the Soule from the Body whereby the Body is reduced to his first matter earth and the Soule brought to a sense of either justice or mercie To understand this better wee must consider Death in his originall and first being also in his powerfull and generall continuance and the end or dea◠〈◊〉 â—atâ— the originall cause that gave Death life was sinne therefore when Adam had eaten the forbidden fruit and thereby committed sinne then had Death his first beginning for though Adam did not at the instant of the act die yet at the very instant of the sinne he was made mortall and subject to the power of death so God fore-told him Gen. 2.17 that whensoever hee did eate thereof he should surely die and from this bad beginning was Death first derived So did the woman of Zareptha acknowledge that her sinne was the cause of her childs death 1 King 17.18 so have all the Children of God understood of Death and the cause thereof and Saint Paul saith Rom. 6.16 that Death is the wages of sinne as if it were a necessary care in the justice of God that all that committeth sinne should have the reward and wages thereof Death Now the cause of this cause of Death was the Divell Gen. 3. who envying the prosperitie of our nature suggested his temptations to our first Parents by whose disobedience we are all made mortall so saith Salomon Through the envie of the Divell came death into the World and they doe prove it that doe hold of his side and so from these two Parents the Divell and Sinne was Death first derived from whence hee had his being and first beginning Wee must consider Death also in the passage of his life or in his powerfull continuance which is evident in this respect that Death hath a generall power over all Flesh the which hee doth execute upon all without respect had either to the greatnesse or goodnesse of any Ios 23.14 therefore Death is called the way of all the World Gen. 15.15 and the way to our Fathers because as our Fathers are gone the way of Death before us so must wee after them and our posterity after us for ever for though Death be but one his office the cutting off the lives of all the world yet it is to him but an easie taske having the diseases of our flesh and infinite other occasions to attend him to the performance of the execution of his deadly office His power then is generall over all being limited by God and time only who though hee bring all Flesh to corruption yet no Flesh can corrupt him or procure favour in the strict execution of his Office The end or the death of Death is the living righteousnesse of Jesus Christ which he wrought by his owne death in his owne person therefore saith the holy Prophet that Death is swallowed up in Victory Hos 13.14 and Saint Paul saith 1 Cor. 15.25.26 that Christ Iesus must reigne till he hath put all his enemies under his feet and that the last enemie that shall be destroyed is Death therefore the Apostle insulting over Death saith O death verses 55.56.57 where is thy sting O Hell where is thy victory the sting of Death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the law but thanks bee unto God that giveth us victory through our Lord Iesus Christ Whereby it is evident that God by his sonne Christ hath given us victory over Sinne Death and Hell if wee doe faithfully beleeve in him and whereas before wee were all servants of sinne and the slaves of Death wee are now made Conquerors and despise them that did command us This happie alteration doth reach benefit to all the faithfull but not to all men therefore it is limited by God and doth extend to such particulars onely as are in his election for though God cast the beames of his Sonne upon every mans face alike and distribute his temporall blessings scatteringly as it were without any heedfull respect where they fall yet those favours that are eternall and import perpetuity of happinesse hee giveth them onely to his beloved Elect barring all the reprobates from spirituall grace and eternall happinesse and therefore though the death of Christ hath disarmed Death and blunted his weapons that have wounded holy men yet are those weapons still sharpe and that Death is still living and made immortall against them that have not received the image of the Lambe of God for though all men enter their graves alike yet with different condition holy and good men enter their graves Mat. 9.25 as their houses of rest where they quietly sleepe and for a time repose in rest and safetie but the wicked enter their graves as fellons doe their Prisons to be reserved to a more terrible day of judgement Eccles 41.1.2 Therefore the Wiseman saith Philip. 1.20.21 the remembrance of Death is bitter to some and acceptable to other for the godly make it their
without lust wisedome without wilinesse simplicity without simulation perpetuall solace and solatious perpetuity prosperous security and secure prosperity There is no malady no crosse no curse no vexation nor calamity no defect nor deformities Rev. 22.3 no tumults nor troubles no paine nor penury Rev. 21.4 all teares shall be done away all evills removed all sinne abolished all wants supplied There shall be a perfect plenary and perpetuall possession of all good things even of God himselfe vers 3. who is Goodnesse it selfe There shall be perfection of knowledge 1 Cor. 13.12 1 Ioh. 3.2 1 Cor. 13.10 Phil. 3.21 no defect in love happy immortality certaine security constant amity and secure tranquility The Soule shall have perfection of Vertues the Body shall be full of beauty strength and agility the whole man shall enjoy fellowship with God fellowship with the Lambe fellowship with the Angells a happy society 1 Thess 4.17 a sweet communion all holinesse all happinesse all joyes shall be enjoyed The King is verity the Law Charity the Possession eternity yea the full fruition of Eternall God who will be All in all unto us 1 Cor. 25.28 Indeed God is now All in all unto us but by meanes and in a small measure But in heaven God Himselfe Immediately in fulnesse of measure without all meanes will bee unto us All in all the good things that our Soules and Bodies can wish or desire Hee himselfe will bee salvation and joy to our Soules life and health to our Bodies Wisd 13.16 beauty to our Eyes musicke to our Eares honey to our Mouthes perfume to our Nostrills meate to our Bellies light to our Vnderstanding contentment to our Mindes delight to our Hearts pleasure to our Wills And what can be lacking where God Himselfe will be the the Soule of our soules To conclude we shal raigne like kings with the King of kings for ever with fulnesse of Grace in our Hearts and a Diadem of Glory on our Heads celebrating an everlasting Sabboth and singing an Allelu-jah to the Lord for ever where there is that unspeakeable splendour and that most excellent order and well ordered excellencie of that happy condition and heavenly company O what joy will it bee to thy Soule which was wont to see but misery woe afflictions calamities and sinfull sinning and sinners now to behold the glory of the face of God and to see Christ welcomming thee with an Euge bone serve Well done and wellcome thou good and faithfull servant Col. 1.16 Eph. 1.21 eneer into thy Masters joy And what joy will this be to behold so many thousand thousands of Cherubins Seraphins Angels Thrones Dominions Principalities Powers all the holy Patriarchs Prophets Apostles Martyrs Priests Professors and all the soules of thy Friends Parents Husbands Wives Children and the rest of Gods Saints who departed before thee in the true faith of Christ standing before the Throne of Gods Majestie in perpetuall blisse and glory How shall thy Soule be ravished to see her selfe by grace admitted to stand with this glorious Company to behold the blessed face of Christ and to heare the treasures of his Divine wisedome How shalt thou rejoyce to see so many thousand thousands welcomming thee into their heavenly societie for as they all rejoyced at thy conversion so will they now be much more joyfull at thy Coronation Luk. 15.1 c. Who can sufficiently expresse the rejoycing of this heavenly Company to see thee thus crowned with glory Revel 7.9 arrayed with the bright shining Robe of Christs righteousnesse and to have the Palme of victory put into thy hand Oh what gratulations will there bee that thou hast escaped all the miseries and afflictions of the world the snares of the Divell the paines of Hell and obtained with them thy eternall rest and happinesse For there every one joyeth as much in anothers happinesse as in his owne because hee shall see him as much beloved of God as himselfe yea they have as many distinct joyes as they have Co-partners of their joy and in this joyfull and blessed state the soule resteth and remaineth with Christ in Heaven for ever the holy Angels together with this blessed and heavenly Society there keepe without any labour to distract them a perpetuall Sabbath to the glory honour and praise of the aye-blessed Trinitie for the creating redeeming preserving and sanctifying of the Church and the members thereof and for his might power wisedome justice mercy and goodnesse in the government of Heaven and Earth Therfore when thou hearest a sweet consort of Musicke meditate how happie thou shalt be when with the Quire of heavenly Angels and Saints thou shalt sing a part in that spirituall Hallelujah on that eternall blessed Sabbath where there shall be such varietie of pleasures and saciety of joyes as never know tediousnesse of time or doing nor end of delight and happinesse 1 Cor. 13.12 Oh life to be desired Oh blessed felicitie in which the most holy Trinitie shall be the perfection of all our desires which we shall see without end love without end and praise without being weary to see God will surpasse all ioyes to see Christ to live with Christ to heare Christ will surpasse all the desires of our hearts What can there be wanting what can be there beside to be desired or expected more 1 Cor. 15.28 Where God is all in all and shall distribute to every one all good things according to the measure of his owne heart If thou desirest life if health if peace if honour God shall bee there all in all the blessed humanitie of Christ shall bee there present unto us and shall entertaine us with a most sweet voice Cant. 2.14 His voice is sweet and his face is comly full of grace are his lips and is crowned with glory and honor There shall he be fulnesse of light to the understanding Psal 45.3 Ps 68.32 c. plenty of peace to the will and continuance of eternity to the memory The Sonne will satisfie the understanding with perfect knowledge the Holy Ghost will satisfie the will with most sweet love and the Father will satisfie the memory with the remembrance of both Let the faithfull Soule be heere astonished and adore the mercie of her Saviour for hee doth not onely receive us his enemies into favour but hee doth also forgive us our sinnes and bestow upon us righteousnesse and receive us into our heavenly inheritance and makes us like unto the Angels yea like unto himselfe blessed for ever Oh most blessed City Revel 21.23 celestiall Canaan Oh heavenly Ierusalem O the most holy seate of the most holy and blessed Trinitie When will that Sunne rise upon mee which inlighteneth that holy Citie We are yet banished from our Countrey but there we shall enjoy an ample inheritance Ioh. 1.12 To those that beleeve power is given to be made sonnes of God and if we be sonnes then
are wee also Heires of God Psal 16.1 and coheires with Christ Lift up thy selfe O devout soule and long to come to the Lord the portion of thine inheritance and thy exceeding great reward Gen 15.1 What could the most ample mercie and bountie of God bestow more upon us He gives us life he bestowes his Son Act. 27.27.28 and bestowes himselfe if he had any thing greater in heaven or earth he would bestow even that also upon us In God we live Gods Temple we are 1 Cor. 3.16 God we possesse indeed here in the spirit and in a Mistery but in heaven in truth and indeed our hope there shall become our full fruition and dwell with him for ever Psal 42.1.2 Come Lord Iesus Come quickly and make us partakers of that heavenly glory Esteeme not thou faithfull soule the trifling pleasures of this life to bee the way to this everlasting worlds wealth nor the ignominious estate heere nor troubles and afflictions to be any barre to prevent thee from the injoying of the full use and joyfull fruition of the glory there prepared for thee bee assured that though thou want heere thou shalt have riches there though thou hunger heere thou shalt have fulnesse there though thou beest ready to faint heere thou shalt be refreshed there and though thou be heere abjected and cast downe and accounted as a dead man yet shalt thou there live in perpetuall glory and though thou hast run this comfortlesse race through this miserable earthly vaile yet there shalt thou raigne for ever the honour on this earth in comparison of that is basenesse the riches of this world is povertie the fulnesse of this life is want the joyes of this worlds Kingdome are sorrow woe misery sadnesse griefe and calamitie Psal 53.1 and yet the Foole saith in his heart that there is no other Heaven but this harmefull deceiving worlds happinesse no other Hell but this Worlds bitternesse no bitter torment then this worlds cares no further helpe then this worlds wealth thus is the wisedome of man become foolishnesse his glory turned into shame mans power made of no force and the faithfull poore that are heere despised are there advanced the sorrowfull are comforted and the cast-awayes of this world are received to that blessed being that cannot be expressed with the tongue described with the Pen nor conceived with the heart of man Psal 55.6 O that I had wings saith heavenly hearted David that I might flye away from this worlds vanities and to possesse Heavens eternall happinesse Phâ—lip 1.23 Oh that I were dissolved saith blessed Paul that I might bee with Christ Oh that I were in this place of such wished happinesse where I might rest from this Worlds labours earthly miseries and transitorie vanities Let us daily meditate of the greatnesse and Majestie of this high Heavens glorious and blessed estate where we shall one day blesse our God with the blessed Company of that most excellent Vnitie where wee shall one day sit secure and free from the dangers perils troubles crosses and afflictions which doe in this world assaile us on every side both within and without that wee are never free from one calamitie or other 2 Cor. 1.3.4.5.6.7 Oh blessed are all they that are thus assured blessed are the poore that shall have this Heavens riches blessed are the base that shall be thus exalted blessed are the low and cast downe that shall bee thus raised and advanced and blessed are the World 's despised that shall have this Heavens happinesse yea happy is this worlds unhappy man for he shall be happy for ever Now therefore O devout Soule stand up feare not faint not but give glory to this great God praise this high and helping God seeke him in time while it is to day drive not off to pray to this God notwithstanding any hope thou hast in mortall men pray for and reject not his gracious meanes who in favour infinite and mercie endlesse moveth the hearts of men in this life to doe good unto such as hee seeth distressed hee can finde out and afford infinite meanes to succour them that are his and will not leave them forsaken in danger 1 Cor. 10.13 for hee even here giveth his blessings as pledges of his never-failing love that being visited in his mercy with timely comforts here we may assure our selves of greater blessings in Heaven where they are prepared for his faithfull Elect beyond all that humane nature can aske or thinke Therefore O devout Soule sigh no more sorrow no more bee no more pensive at outward poverty fret no more at the worlds crosses grieve no more at the worlds miseries dismay no more for thy many sinnes but strive alwayes to stand in the favour of this high and helping God and hee will set thee free and banish thy feare and fill thy cup and feed thee with the hidden treasures of his never-failing love Vnto whom be given all Glory Praise Honour Power Might Majestie and Dominion now and evermore Amen Thus endeth our PROGRESSE The Conclusion NOw hast thou seene how glorious and perfect God is and how that all thy chiefe blisse and happines consisteth in having an eternall Communion with his Majestie therefore O impenitent Sinner in the bowels of Christ Iesus I intreat thee as thou tenderest thy owne Salvation seriously to consider with mee how false how vaine how vile are those things which still retaine and chaine thee in thy wretched and cursed estate wherein thou livest The vanitie and wretchednesse of this present life and doe hinder thee from the favour of God and the hope of eternall life and happinesse and seeing that likewise thou seest how great is thy happinesse in Christ and how vaine are the hinderances that debarre thee from the same Beware as the Apostle exhorteth of the deceitfulnesse of sinne Heb. 3.13 for that sinne which seemeth now to bee so pleasing to thy corrupt nature will one day prove the bitterest enemie to thy distressed soule and in the meane while harden unawares thine impenitent heart Sinne as a Serpent seemes beautifull to the eye but take heed of the sting behind whose venomous effects if thou knewst thou wouldst as carefully flye from sinne as from a Serpent To conclude all forasmuch as thou seest that without Christ thou art but a slave of sin deaths vassall and wormes meat whose thoughts are vaine whose deeds are vile whose pleasures have scarce beginning whose miseries never know end what wise man would incurre these Hellish torments though hee might by living in sinne purchase to himselfe for a time the Empire of Augustus the Riches of Croessus the Pleasures of Salomon the Policy of Achitophel 2 Sam. 17. the voluptuous Fare and fine Apparell of Dives Mat. 16.26 Mark 8.36 for What should it availe a man as our Saviour saith to win the whole World for a tiâ—â— and then to lose his Soule in Hell for ever FINIS Jmprimatur THO WYKES Septemb. 1. 1638.