ever before him Godly sorrow will every day follow sin hard at hells Look as a wicked man in respect of his desire and will to sin would sin for ever if he should live for ever so I may say if a godly man should live for ever he would sorrow for ever After Paul had been converted many years some think fourteen you shall find him a mourning and lamenting over his sins Rom. 7. An ingenious child will never cease mourning till he ceases from offending an indulgent father Though sin and godly sorrow were never born together yet whilst a believer lives in this world they must live together And indeed holy joy and godly sorrow are no wayes inconsistent Psal 2.11 yea a godly man's eyes are alwayes fullest of tears when his heart is fullest of holy joy c. A man may go joying and mourning to his grave yea to heaven at the same time But now the sorrow the grief of wicked men for sin 't is like a morning cloud or the early dew or the crackling of thorns under a pot or a Post that quickly passeth by or a dream that soon vanisheth or like a tale that is told c. their sorrowful hearts and mournful eyes soon dry up together As you may see in Esau Ahab Pharaoh and Judas but the streams of godly sorrow will last and run as long as sin hangs upon us and dwells in us 1 Cor. 15.9 I am the least of the Apostles that am not meet to be called an Apostle because I persecuted the Church of God Psal 25.7 Remember not the sins of my youth nor my transgressions David prayeth to the Lord not only to forgive but also to forget both the sins of his youth and the sins of his age David remembred all his faults both of former and of later times David was well in years when he defiled himself with Bathsheba and this he remembers and mourns over Psal 51. And 't is very observable that God charged his people for to remember old sins Deut. 9.7 Remember and forget not how thou provokedst the Lord thy God to wrath in the wilderness Repentance is a grace and must have its daily operation as well as other graces witness the very covenant of grace it self Ezek. 16.62 63. I will establish my covenant with thee and thou shalt know that I am the Lord that thou mayest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done Certainly a true penitent can no more satisfie himself with one act of repentance than he can satisfie himself with one act of faith or or with one act of hope or with one act of love or with one act of humility or with one act of patience or with one act of self-denial Godly sorrow is a Gospel-grace that will live and last as well and as long as other graces 't is a spring that in this life can never be drawn dry Sixthly Godly sorrow is a divorcing sorrow it divorces the heart from sin it breaks that ancient league that has been between the heart and sin It is an excellent saying of Austin He doth truly bewail the sins he hath committed who never commits the sins he hath bewailed there is a strong firm league between every sinner and his sin Isa 28.15 18. but when godly sorrow enters it dissolves that league it separates between a sinner and his sin it sets the soul at an everlasting distance from sin The union between the root and the branches the foundation and the building the head and the members the father and the child the husband and the wife the body and the soul are all neer very neer unions yet that between a sinner and his sin seems to be a neerer union Observable is the story of Phaltiel 2 Sam. 3.14 15 16. You know when David had married Michol Saul injuriously gave her to another but when David came to the crown and sent forth his Royal commands that his wife should be brought to him her husband dares not but obey brings her on her journey and then not without great reluctancy of spirit takes his leave of her But what was Phaltiel weary of his wife that he now forsakes her O no he was enforced and though she was gone yet he had many a sad thought about parting with her and he never leaves looking till he sees her as far as Baharim weeping and bemoaning her absence Just thus stands the heart of every unregenerate man towards his sins as Phaltiel's heart stood towards his wife But when the springs of godly sorrow rise in the soul the league the friendship the union that was between the sinner and his sins comes to be dissolved and broken in pieces Hosea 14.8 All godly sorrow sets the heart against sin he that divinely mourns over sin can't live in a course of sin when of all bitters God makes sin to be the greatest bitter to the soul then the soul bids an everlasting farewel to sin now the soul in good earnest bids adieu to sin for ever O Sirs ☜ this is a most certain Maxim to live and die with that either a mans sins will make an end of his mourning or else his mourning will make an end of his sin for he that holds on sinning will certainly leave off mourning no man can make a trade of sin and yet keep his heart in a mourning frame but he that holds on mourning for sin will certainly leave off the trade of sin holy grief for sin will sooner or later break off all leagues and friendships with sin Isa 59.1 2. As sin makes a separation between God and a man's soul so godly sorrow makes a separation between a man's soul and his sin All holy mournings over sin will by degrees issue in the wasting and weakning of the strength and power of sin nothing below the death and destruction of sin will satisfie that soul that truly mourns over sin But now though you may find an unsound heart sometimes a lamenting over his sins yet you shall never find him a leaving off his sins Pharaoh lamented over his sin crying out I have sinned Exod. 9.27 10.16 the Lord is righteous and I and my people are wicked And again Then Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron in haste and he said I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you But though you find him here lamenting and complaining over his sin yet you never find him leaving or forsaking of his sin So Saul could cry out he had sinned but yet he still continued in his sin he acknowledged that he did evil in persecuting of David and yet he still held on persecuting of him An unsound heart mourns over sin and yet he holds on in a course of sin he sins and mourns and mourns and sins and commonly all his mourning for sin does but the more imbolden him
to be willing to marry the person of Christ 't is our marriage-union with Christ that gives us a right and title to all the promises of Christ 2 Cor. 1.20 For all the promises of God in him are yea and in him Amen All absolute and conditional promises either of grace or unto grace are made to us in Christ and only enjoyed by our enjoying of Christ Seventhly He that can clear his right to any one promise he may safely and boldly conclude his interest in every promise The promises are a golden chain and he that has a right in one link of the chain 2 Pet. 1.5 6 7. Eph. 5.22 23. 2 Pet. 1.4 has a right in every link of the chain As there is a chain of graces so there is a chain of promises He that can lay his hand upon any one promise and truly say this is mine he may safely lay his hand upon every promise and say these are mine he that is an heir to any one promise he is an heir to every promise Hence it is they are called heirs of promise Heb. 6.17 not hei s of this promise or that but of promise that is of every promise or the Covenant which comprehends all the precious promises of the Gospel in it Though the promises may be distinguished one from another yet they may not be severed one from another he that has a right to any one promise he may safely infer his right to every promise The whole Covenant which is a bundle of promises is certainly thine if any one promise be thine the promises by a divine hand are mutually tyed and linked together and those whom God has joyned together no man may put asunder The promises can be no more divided than Christ can be divided or than heaven can be divided the promises are not like loofe and unstringed pearls but as pearls made into one entire chain He that can lay his hand upon that promise Mat. 5.6 Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be satisfied and truly say this promise is mine he may safely lay his hand upon that promise ver 8. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God and say this promise is mine and the same he may say of the rest of the precious promises that are specified in v. 3 4 5 7 9 10 11. of that Chapter He that can lay his hand upon any one promise that God has made to them that love him and truly say this promise is mine he may safely lay his hand upon every promise that God has made to them that love him and say these are all mine He that can lay his hand upon any one promise that God has made to them that fear him and truly say this promise is mine he may assuredly lay his hand upon every promise that God has made to them that fear him and say these are all mine He that can lay his hand upon any one promise that God has made to faith in Christ to believing in Christ and truly say this promise is mine he may safely lay his hand upon every promise that God has made to faith in Christ to believing in Christ and say all these promises are mine He that can lay his hand upon any one promise that God has made to the returning sinner and truly say this promise is mine he may securely lay his hand upon every promise that God has made to the returning sinner the repenting sinner and say all these are mine He that can lay his hand upon any one promise that God has made to the waiting soul and truly say this promise is mine he may without all peradventure lay his hand upon every promise that God has made to the waiting soul and say all these are mine prove but your right in one and you may safely infer your right to all But Eighthly If in the times of your greatest outward and inward straits and trials when you are most sadly and sorely put to it you flie to the precious promises as to your sureest and choicest City of refuge then certainly you have an interest in them Thus Abraham did Rom. 4 17-22 and thus Jacob did Gen. 32.6 7 8 9 11 12. compared and thus Sarah did Heb. 11.11 and thus Moses did Num. 10.29 and thus Jehosaphat did 2 Chron. 20.1 10 compared with the 7 8 9. verses of that Chapter And this was Davids common practice Psal 27.12.13 and Psal 60.1 2 3 6 7 8 9 10. compared and Psal 119.49 50. Turn to these Scriptures and ponder upon them And so when a man is under the guilt of sin he flies to promises of pardon and forgiveness as to his surest and choicest City of refuge Num. 14.19 Isa 55.7 Jer. 33.8 Isa 40.1.2 Chap. 43.25 Mich. 7.18 Jer. 31.34 Exod. 34.7 Dan. 9.9 And so when a man is under the strength power and prevalency of sin he runs to such promises wherein God has engaged himself to subdue the sins of his people and to purge and cleanse away the sins of his people Mich. 7.19 Rom. 6.14 Psal 65.3 Isa 1.25 Mal. 3.3 Zach. 13.9 Isa 27.9 Mat. 3.12 Ezek. 36.25.33 Jer. 33.8 as to his surest and choicest City of refuge And so when a man is deserted he runs to such promises as are proper to that state as to his surest and choicest City of refuge Mich. 7.19 Isa 54.7 8 9 10. Psal 5.12 Psal 84.10 Psal 97.11 Psal 112.4 Isa 49.14 15 16. And so when a man is tempted he runs to such supporting succouring and incouraging promises as are most sutable to that state as to his surest and choicest City of refuge 1 Cor. 10.13 Heb. 2.18 Rom. 16.20 James 4.7 Now certainly such as in all their inward and outward straits run thus to the promises as to their surest and choicest City of reâ—uge they have an unquestionable interest in the promises The rich mans wealth is his strong City Prov. 10.15 Wealthy worldlings in times of distress danger do run to their hoards and heaps of riches as to a strong City that is able to outstand all sieges and assaults and to be safety and security to them so when once a man makes the precious promises to be his strong City and runs to them in the day of his distress and dangers as his only safety and security then he has doubtless an interest in them But Ninethly and lastly If you daily present a greater and a choicer good in the promises to your souls than any this world affords then certainly you have an interest in the promises If when honours or riches or pleasures or the applause of men do present themselves unto you you can readily present to your own souls higher honours in the promise 1 Sam. 2.30 Luke 12.32 Rev. 2.17 26 27. Chap. 3.5 12 21. Chap. 5.10 and more durable riches in the promise Prov. 8.18 1 Pet. 3.4 and sweeter and choicer pleasures in the promise Psal 16.11 Isa 12.3
of an upright man is to depart from evil 't is possible for an upright man to step into a sinful path or to touch upon sinful facts but his main way his principal work and business is to depart from iniquity As a Bee may light upon a Thistle but her work is to be gathering at Flowers or as a Sheep may slip into the dirt but its work is to be grasing on the Mountains or in the Meadows Certainly there is no man in the world so abominable wicked but that he may now and then when he is in a good mood or when he is under distress of Conscience or bleeding under a smarting rod or beholding the hand-writing upon the Wall or under a sentence of death depart from evil but this is not his course this is not his business this is not his work this is not his highway Thieves do but now and then step into the Kings Highway to take a purse they do not keep the Kings Highway But now the upright mans Highway his common and ordinary course is to depart from evil and therefore he cannot allow himself liberty to walk in an evil way Titus 2.11 12. For the Grace of God that bringeth Salvation hath appeared to all men without distinction of Nations Sex Age or condition teaching us that denying ungodlyness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present World Under the name of ungodliness he compriseth all the breaches of the first Table and under the name of worldly lusts he compriseth all inordinate desires against the second Table and those three words soberly righteously and godly have a threefold reference the first to our selves the second to our neighbour and the third to God We must live soberly in respect of our selves righteously in respect of our neighbours and godly in respect of God And this is the sum of a Christians whole duty Now if the Grace of God which bringeth Salvation teaches Saints to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts then certainly Saints that are taught by that Grace cannot live nor allow themselves in ungodliness or worldly lusts without all peradventure Heaven is for that man and that man is for Heaven that can appeal to Heaven that he allows not himself in the practice of any known sin Thus David did Search me O Lord sayes he and know my heart Psal 13â— 24 try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me 'T is a most sure sign that sin hath not gained a mans heart nor consent but committed a rape upon his Soul when he allows not himself in it but cryes out bitterly to God against it as Paul did Rom. 7. If the ravished Virgin under the Law cryed out she was guiltless Deut. 22.25 26 27. Certainly such as cry out of their sins and that would not for all the world allow themselves in a way of sin such are guiltless before the Lord. That which a Christian does not allow himself in that he does not do in divine account c. But now the whole Trade the whole life of formal and carnal Christians is nothing else but one continued web of wickedness there is no wicked unregenerate person in the world but lives in the daily practice of some known sin or other but allows himself in some Trade or way of wickedness or other as you may evidently see by comparing of these following Scriptures together Prov. 1.20 to 33. Jer. 5.3 Jer. 44.16 17 18 19. Jer. 9.3 4 5 6. Jer. 7.8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16. Psal 50.16 17. Isa 66. 3. Matth. 7.23 Rom. 6.12 13 19. Rom. 8.5 Luke 13.27 Ephes 2.2 3. Phil. 4.19 Titus 3.3 2 Pet. 2.14 Sin is a sinners absolute work it is his main work and the sinner is besides himself besides his Calling as it were when he is besides his sin Fifthly He that conflicts most with heart-sins and is most affected with spiritual sins Psal 19.12 Psal 119.113 I hate vain thoughts Psal 30.6 7. Isa 64.7 and that laments and mourns most over secret sins invisible sins sins that lye most hid and remote from the eyes of the World he is certainly a gracious soul Grace in truth and grace in power will rise and conflict and make head against the most inward and secret vanities of the Soul as against secret self-love and secret hardness of heart Isa 63.17 and secret unbelief Mark 9.24 and secret carnal confidence and secret hypocrisie and secret envy and secret malice and secret vain-glory and secret fretting and murmuring and secret lustings and secret runnings out of the Soul after the meat that perisheth and secret pride hence Hezekiah humbles himself for the pride of his heart 2 Chron. 32.25 2 Sam. 24.10 Psal 42.11 and so David he humbles himself for the pride of his heart in numbring of the people And how does the same Prophet chide himself for sinful dejection of spirit Psal 73.22 Why art thou cast down O my Soul and why art thou disquited in me And how does he at another time be-fool himself and be-beast himself for his secret grudging and fretting at the prosperity of the wicked So foolish was I and ignorant I was as a beast before thee And so Paul was most affected and afflicted with a law in his members rebelling against the law of his mind Inward pollutions and defilements did sit closest and sadest upon his spirits And the same Apostle in that 2 Cor. 7.1 is for keeping down the filthiness of the spirit as well as the filthiness of the flesh he is for inward cleansing as well as for outward cleansing Rom. 7.22 23 24. Having therefore these Promises dearly beloved let as cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God So Mr. Bradford was a man that had attained to so great and eminent a heighth of holiness that Doctor Taylor the Martyr calls him That Saint of God John Bradford and yet O how sadly does he bewail his secret hypocrisy True Grace makes opposition as well against the being of sin in a mans nature Col. 3.5 as against the breakings out of sin in a mans life True Grace will make head against the corruptions of the heart as well as against the excursions of the feet 't is as willing and desirous to be rid of a polluted heart as 't is willing and desirous to be rid of a polluted hand It would fain have not only sinful acts but also sinful dispositions and not only irregular actions but also inordinate affections mortified and subdued O friends heart-sins are root-sins they are the springs that set all the wheels a going the Fountain that sets all the streams a running the fire that sets the Furnace a smoaking the Bellows that sets the fire a burning Certainly a proud heart hath more of Satan in it than a proud look and a wanton heart is more vile than a wanton eye
haughty some hasty and the like or as in every mans body there is a seed and principle of death yet some are more prone to die of a Fever than of a Dropsie and others are more prone to die of a Dropsie than of a Fever c. So though original sin hath spread it self over all our noble and ignoble parts yet every man hath his particular inclinations to one kind of sin rather than another and this may properly be called a mans own sin his own evil way Now mark a gracious heart makes most head most opposition against his darling sin against his complexion sin against those sins that were once as dear to him as his right hand or as his right eye or as Dalilah was to Sampson Herodias to Herod Isaac to Abraham and Joseph to Jacob Psal 18.23 I was also upright before him and I kept my self from mine iniquâ—ty That is from my darling sin whereunto I was most inclined and addicted what this bosom sin was that he kept himself from In that 1 Sam. 21.2 8. he tells three or four round lyes and the like he did in that 1 Sam. 27.8 10. is hard to say Some suppose his darling sin was lying dissembling for it is certain he often fell into this sin Psal 119.29 Remove from me the way of lying others suppose it to be some secret iniquity which was only known to God and his own conscience others say it was uncleanness and that therefore he prayed that God would turn away his eyes from beholding vanity Psal 119.37 Others juge it to be that sin of disloyalty which Saul and his Courtiers falsly charged upon him Well be it this or that it is enough for our purpose that his heart did rise against that very sin that either by custom or complexion or some strong inclination he was most naturally apt ready and prone to fall into This is the laying of the ax to the root of the Tree and by this practise David gives a clear proof of the integrity of his heart Jer. 17.1 2. Hos 2. â— Isa 31.6 7. 44.9 c. Idolatry was the darling sin of the people of Israel they called their Idols delectable or desirable things they did dearly affect and greatly delight in their Idols But when the Lord in the day of his power wrought savingly and gloriously upon their hearts Oh! how did their hatred and indignation against their Idols rise as you may see Isa 30.22 Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver and the ornament of thy moiten images of gold thou shalt cast them away as a menstrous cloth thou shaâ—t say unto it get thee hence They were so delighted and enamouâ—ed with their Idols that they would lavish gold out of the bag or they waste or spend riotously as the Hebrew runs that they might richly deck them up Isa 46.6 After the return of the Jews out of Babylon they so hated and abhorted Idols that in the times of the Romans they chose rather to die than to suffâ—r the Eagle which was the imperial arms to be set up in their Temple and set them forth in the greatest glory and bravery O but when the Lord should make a glorious turn upon their spirits then they should readily and roundly deface defile and disgrace their Idols then they should hate and abhor them then they should so detest and loath them that in a holy indignation they should cast them away as a menstrous cloth and say unto them get ye hence pack be gone I will never have any more to do with you And so in that Isa 2.20 In that day that is in the day of his people vers 17. A man shall cast his idols of silver and hâ—s idols of gold which they made each one for himself to worship to the Moles and to the Bats In the day when God should exalt himself in the souls of his people and before the eyes of his people they should express such disdain and indignation against their Idols that they should not take only those made of Trees and Stones but even their most precious and costly Idols those that were made of silver and gold and cast them to the Moles and to the Bats that is they should cast them into such blind holes and into such dark filthy nasty and dusty corners as Moles make under ground and as Bats roust in So when Christ and grace and holiness comes to be set up in mens hearts and lives then all their darling sins their bosom lusts which are their Idols of silver and their Idols of gold these are with a holy indignation cast to the Moles and to the Bats they are so loathed abhorred abandoned and cashiered that they desire they may be for ever buried in oblivion and never see the light more Idols were Ephraim's bosom sin Hos 4.17 Ephraim is joyned or glewed as the word signifies to Idols let him alone But when the dew of grace fell upon Ephraim as it did in Chap. 14.5 6 7. Then saith Ephraim What have I any more to do with Idols ver 8. Now Ephraim loaths his Idols as much or more than before he loved them he now abandons and abominates them though before he was as closly glewed to them as the wanton is glewed to his Dalilah or as the enchanter is glewed to the Devil from whom by no means he is able to stir as the words in the fountain imports When it was the day of the Lords power upon Ephraim then Ephraim cryes out What have I any more to do with Idols O I have had to do with them too long and too much already O how doth my foul now rise against them how do I detest and abhor them Deut. 13.6 7 8 9. Surely I will never have more to do with them The Scripture tells us That if father or mother or brother or sister or kinsman or friend should go about to draw a man from God his hand should be first upon him to put him to death Now bosom sins complexion sins they seek to draw a mans heart from God and therefore a gracious soul can't but rise up against them Gen. 27.41 and do his best to stone them and to be the death of them The dayes of mourning for my father are at hand saith bloudy Esau then will I slay my brother Jacob 't is a bloudy speech of a vindictive spirit whom nothing would satisfie but innocent bloud So saith the gracious soul The dayes of mourning for the death of my dear Saviour are now at hand and therefore I will slay my bosom lusts my constitution sins now will I be revenged on them for all the dishonours that they have done to God and for all the wounds that they have made in my conscience and for all the mercies that they have imbittered and for all the favours that they have prevented and for all the afflictions that they have procured and
consolation doth as it were put his hand and seal to our receits Eph. 4.30 whence he is said to seal us up unto the day of redemption The graces of the Spirit are a real earnest of the Spirit yet they are not alwayes an evidential earnest therefore an earnest is often superadded to our graces For ever remember these few hints 1. That it is the work of the Spirit to plant grace in the soul 2. That it is the work of the Spirit to act and exercise the graces that he has planted there 3. That it is the work of the Spirit to shine upon those graces that he has planted in the soul and to cause the soul to see and feel what he has wrote 4. That it is the work of the Spirit to raise springs of comfort and joy in the soul upon the discovery of that grace which he has wrote in the soul O Christians till the Spirit of the Lord shine upon your graces Job 33. you will still be in the dark 'T is only God's own Interpreter that must shew a man his righteousness When the holy Ghost shines upon a Christians graces then a Christian finds the springs of comfort to rise in his soul and then he finds the greatest serenity and calmness in his spirit O Sirs no man can by any natural light or evidence in him come to be assured of the grace wrought in his soul Look as no man can see the Sun but in the light of the Sun so no man can see the graces of the Spirit but in the light of the Spirit 1 Joh. 5.13 A man may have grace and not see it he may be in a state of grace and not know it as the child lives in the womb but don't perceive it is heir to a crown but don't know it Isa 50.10 Rom. 8.13 O! till the Spirit shines upon his own work a child of light may walk in darkness and see no light Look as no man can subdue his sins but by the power of the Spirit so no man can see his graces but in the light of the Spirit The confidence that a believer hath of the truth of grace wrought in him springs more from the Spirits removing his slavish fears and answering his doubts and shining upon his graces and supporting his soul than it does from that excellency and beauty of grace which shines in him A man may read the promises over and over a thousand times and yet never be affected delighted or taken with them till the Spirit of the Lord set them home upon his soul And a man may read the threatnings over and over a thousand times and yet never startle nor tremble though he knows himself guilty of those very sins against which the threatnings are denounced till the Spirit of the Lord sets home the threatnings in power upon his conscience and then every threatning will be like the hand-writing upon the wall which will cause his countenance to be changed and his thoughts to be troubled Dan. 5.6 7. and his joynts to be loosed and his knees to be dashed one against another It is just so in the matter of our graces and gracious evidences till the holy Spirit shine upon them till in the light of the Spirit we come to see them they won't be witnessing comforting and refreshing to us and therefore let not the pious Reader think that by the strength of his natural light he shall ever attain to know the certainty of that grace which is in his soul but let him rather beg hard of God for his holy Spirit and that his Spirit may shine upon that good work which he hath begun in him that so he may be perswaded assured and comforted Without the light of the Spirit the work of the Spirit can't be seen no more than a book written in the fairest hand or print can be seen without light to see it or read it by But The ninth Proposition is this Sincere Christians may safely and groundedly rejoyce Most Christians by experience find that their assurance and joy rises and falls as grace and holiness and as the evidences of grace and holiness rise and fall in their souls delight and take comfort in those graces or in those divine qualities which in the light of the Spirit they see and know are wrote in their souls I don't say that a Christian should build the comfort of his justification upon his graces or that he should rest on his graces or trust to his graces or make a Saviour of his graces for this would be such a piece of Pharisaical Popery as is justly to be detested and abhorred by all that love Christ or are looking towards heaven But this I say a Christian may make several uses of his graces he may safly look upon his graces as so many evidences of Christ's dwelling in him and he may look upon his graces as so many heavenly bracelets or as so many love tokens from God in which he may safely rejoyce The gracious evidences that I have laid down in this Treatise are blessed symptoms of salvation and therefore to rejoyce in them can be no transgression of any royal Law of heaven He that can experimentally subscribe to any of the gracious evidences that are laid down in this Book has such a fair certificate to shew for heaven that no wicked man or hypocrite under heaven has the like to shew and why such a man should not rejoyce in such a certificate I can't at present see I may and ought to rejoyce in the works of Creation O! how much more then ought I to rejoyce in the work of Renovation in the work of sanctification which does so infinitely transcend the work of Creation I may and ought to rejoyce in my natural life health strength beauty and why then should I not rejoyce in grace and holiness which is the life health strength and beauty of my soul Cant. 4.9 Christ delights in the graces of his people Thou hast ravished my heart or thou hast behearted me as the Hebrew runs my sister my spouse thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes or with one glance of thine eyes as some read it with one chain of thy neck The eye of faith say some the eye of love say others The chain of obedience say some the chain of spiritual graces say others ravished Christ's heart the one eye of faith the one chain of obedience unhearted Christ wounded Christ this one eye this one chain robbed Christ of his heart and laid the Spouse in the room of it Now shall Christ's heart be ravished with his childrens graces and shall not their hearts be ravished and delighted with those very graces that ravish Christ's own heart I may yea I ought to rejoyce in the graces of others 1 Thes 1 â— 3 4 5. 2 Thes 1.3 4. and why then not in my own I may yea I ought to rejoyce in others outward
wanting to relieve a people so that must needs be a well ordered Covenant where there is nothing wanting to govern poor souls or to relieve poor souls or to save poor souls and such a Covenant is the Covenant of grace And sure the Covenant of grace is a sure Covenant Jer. 31.31 33 35 36 37. Psal 19.7 Rev. 3.14 Isa 54.10 Deut. 7.9 The Lord thy God he is God the faithful God or the God of Amen which keepeth Covenant with them that love him Psal 89.33 My Covenant will I not break Hebrew I will not prophane nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips All God's precepts all God's predictions all God's menaces and all God's promises are the issue of a most just faithful and righteous will God can neither dye nor lye Tit. 1.2 In hope of eternal life which God that cannot lye promised before the world began There are three things that God can't do 1. He can't dye Nor 2. He can't lye Nor 3. He can't deny himself Josh 23.14 And behold this day I am going the way of all the earth and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you all are come to passe unto you and not one thing hath failed thereof O Sirs the Covenant of grace is bottomed upon God's everlasting love John 13.1 upon Gods unchangable love upon God's free love whom God loves once he loves for ever Jer. 31.3 I have loved thee with an everlasting love God can as well cease to be as he can cease to love those whom he has taken into Covenant with himself And as the Covenant of grace is bottomed upon God's everlasting love so 't is bottomed upon Gods immutable counsel Heb. 6.17 God willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel confirmed it by an oath And as the Covenant of grace is bottomed upon the immutable counsel of God so it is bottomed upon the free purpose of God 2 Tim. 2.19 The foundation of God standeth sure that is the decree and purpose of God's election stands firm and sure Now the purpose of God's election is compared to a foundation because it is that upon which all our happiness and blessedness is built and bottomed and because as a foundation it abides firm and sure And as the Covenant of grace is bottomed upon the free purpose of God so 't is bottomed upon the glorious power of God The power of God is an infinite power Isa 33.11 Isa 41.2 Mal. 4.1 1 Cor. 1.25 it is a supream power a power that overtops the power of all mortals What 's the stubble to the flames the chaff to the whirlwind no more is all created power to the power of God The weakness of God is stronger than men and did not Pharaoh find it so and Haman find it so and Sennacherib find it so and Nebuchadnezzar find it so and Belshazzar find it so and Herod find it so In all the ages of the world the power of God hath bore down all before it the power of God is an independant power a matchless power an incomparable power an enduring power an eternal power And as the Covenant of grace is bottomed upon the power of God Heb. 6.17 18 Psal 89.34 35. so it is bottomed upon the oath of God Luke 1.72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy Covenant Ver. 73. The oath which he sware to our father Abraham To think that God will break his oath or be perjured is an intollerable blasphemy Once more give me leave to say the Covenant of grace is bottomed not only upon the oath of God but also upon the precious blood of Christ The blood of Christ is called the blood of the everlasting Covenant Heb. 13.20 Mat. 26.28 This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins Heb. 9.15 And for this cause he is the Mediator of the New Testament that by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the fiâ—st Testament they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance Ver. 17. A Testament is of force after men are dead It is called a Covenant and a Testament 1. A Covenant in respect of God and a Testament in respect of Christ 2. A Covenant in respect of the manner of agreement and a Testament in respect of the manner of confirming Jesus Christ died as a Testator and by his death confirmed the Testamentary gift before made of Life and Salvation Now the Covenant of grace being thus gloriously bottomed as you seâ— it must roundly and undeniably follow that thâ— Covenant of grace is a sure Covenant For this is all my salvation and all my desire i. e. This is the great ground of all my hope concerning my salvation and of all the happiness and blessedness which I look for in another world This everlasting Covenant this sure Covenant is the great Charter of Charters that I have to shew for eternal bliss David was drawing neer to his eternal home and whether his graces and gracious evidences for heavens happiness were bright and shining or blotted and clouded I shall not at this time stand to enquire it is enough that he stayes his soul upon the Covenant of grace and that he comforts and solaces his soul in the Covenant of grace And O that all Christians when their graces and gracious evidences are either clouded or blotted or else sparkling and shining that they would frequently eye these three royal Forts viz. 1. The free-grace and favour of God 2. The Mediatory righteousness of Christ 3. The Covenant of grace Now that I may the more effectually prevail with you to look upon these royal Forts and to delight in these royal Forts and to prize these royal Forts and to improve these royal Forts Give me leave to offer these three things briefly to your consideration First Our best graces and performances are not commensurate and square payment in the eyes of pure justice all of them as inherent in us and acted by us are but imperfect excellencies No man hath so much grace and holiness as is required nor doth he so much as he is obliged to do Every particular grace though it be of an heavenly and divine original yet it is like the Stars twinkling though placed in the heavens so that if God should enter into judgment with the most righteous person even the righteousness that is in him Psal 143.2 Job 14.3 4. Rom. 3.20 would not be safety and defence unto him for what a deal of pride have we mixt with a little humility and what a deal of passion have we mixt with a little meekness and what a deal of hypocrisie have we mixt with a little sincerity and what a deal of earthly-mindedness have we