outward respects only but also in Spirituals these are dying persons The Prophets do they live for ever But when all our Creature-comforts die and vanish yet the Lord lives There are three things that I shall speak to in the opening of this observation 1. The first is this That the Lord whom we serve is the living God he lives This Title I shall shew how far it is appropriated to God above all Creatures whatsoever 2. That as he is the living God so he lives as Lord. 3. How much this is to the support and comfort of all his people 1. That however all other Creatures may be dying yet God liveth all those Names by which God hath made himself known in Scripture do strongly imply this Truth That great Name Jehovah which is so often mentioned in Scripture signifies A God of Being a God that gives being to all other Creatures and a God that is the Fountain of Being in himself When God send Moses upon that difficult Errand of treating with Pharaoh about the releasing Ifrael out of their for bondage Exod. 3.14 this is the Name by which God makes himself known I am that I am hath sent thee that is I that alone am the name by which the very Heathen spake of their God Zena qusia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as one glosses upon that Name that is they thought him to be a living God But to be short We find that God is often stiled in Scripture the living God to denote him to be the true God 2 King 19.4 when Rabshekah came and put Hezckiah into those fears he sends to Isaiah to pray to the Lord It may be says he the Lord thy God will hear all the words of Rabshekah whom the King of Assyria his Master hath sent to reproach the living God that is the true God So when David expresseth his earnest affectionateness in desiring Communtion with God he speaks of him as the living God Psalm 42.2 My Soul thirsheth for God for the living God that is for the true God When shall I come and appear before God And so Psalm 84.2 My Soul longeth yea even fainteth for the Coasts of the Lord my heart and my flesh cryeth out for the living God And so the Prophet Joremiah parahprasing a little farther upon this word Jerem. 10.10 But the Lord is the true God he is the living God and an everlasting King at his wrath the earth shall tremble and the Nations shall nto be able to abide his indignation he is the living God and this is the Argument to prove him to be the true God So Dan. 6. when Darius had been surprized in the DecreÌ„e against Daniel and had consented unawares to his being cast into the Den of Lyons he came to the Den and cried with a lamentable voyce unto Daniel and spake saying O Danicl Servant of the living God is thy God whom thou servest continually able to deliver thee from the Lions He is a God indeed But farther he is often stiled the living God in opposition to dead Idols which were the Gods of the Heathen So you have a notable description of those Idols which the sinners of that age did worship Psal 115.3 and so on But our God he is in the Heaven he hath done whatsoever he pleased their Idols are silver and gold the works of mens hands they have mouths but they speak not eyes have they but see uot they have ears but hear not noses have they but they smell not they have hands but they handie not feet have they but they walk not neither speak they through the throat but our God is the living God Again he is stiled the living God in opposition to dying men as Magistrates are sometimes stiled Gods Psalm 82.6 I said ye are Gods but ye shall die like men and so Deut. 5.26 For who is there of all flesh that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire as we have and lived When God would give his people the greatest assurance of the certain accomplishment of his promises he speaks in this language as I live he swears by his own life So you have it Isa 49.18 Lift up thiâ—â— eyes round about and behold all these gather them selves together and come to thee as I live saith the Lord thou shalt surely cloath thee with them all as with an Ornament and bind them on thee as a Bride doth So Numb 14.20 21. when Moses interceded for that repining and murmuring people saith God I have pardoned according to thy word but as truly as I live all the earth shall be filled with the Glory of the Lord. When God would startle sinners and make them sensible of of what is coming upon them as sure as I live saith the Lord his iniquity shall not go unpunished So Ezek 5.11 But I have sufficiently cleared this from Scripture You see then all along that God in Scripture is stiled the living God and it is such a kind of life as no Creature is capable of that is here ascribed to God and that I shall shew in these 5 particulars 1. He lives Originally from himself Psal 36.9 For with thee is the Fountain of life he is the Fountain of life to others and he is the Fountain of life to himself That life which all Creatures have is a deriv'd life it is what they have receiv'd from God Acts 17.25 Neither is he worshipped with mens hands as though he needed any thing seeing he giveth to all life and breath and all things There is not that Creature that liveth upon the face of the earth but it hath its life from God and so ver 28. In him we live and move and have our being but that life which God liveth it is an underived life He is as one speaks One that hath his life from himself The Moon shines with a borrowed light and all Creatures have nothing but what they have receiveâ— their very light it is from God it is his light that we see light there is no Creature but it is beholding to God for its very Being for it is impossible that any Creature should be the Author of its own Being That which once was not could never produce it self for whilst it was nothing it could do nothing and in all successions of being that are in the world here is one Creature proceeds from another and that other from another before it and so on so that in all successions we must needs come to some first Being now this first Being must needs be of himself uncreated and of himself unoriginated that 's one particular how God liveth he liveth originally and from himself 2. He lives intirely and of himself without dependance upon any other The life of poor Creatures as it is received from God so it is upheld by God Rom. 11.36 All things are of him and all things are by him our very breath in our Nostrils he keeps it in
is an account given why the Gospel should extend to the Gentiles because God will be glorified among them 3. Ephes 21. He is able and ready to do for his People above what they can either ask or think That he might have glory in all ages even to the to the end of the world Secondly We are under the same encouragements because we are under the same promises that they were and what there is of difference is rather of advantage to us above what it was to them the promises to us are more clear and plain We have the same Covenant now that they had 3. Gal. 14. That the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles we have the same Covenant to plead And the terms and conditions upon which mercy is tendered in the promises is the same as faith and repentance which was accepted then is accepted now and these conditions are more clear now then at that time 3. The great design and intent of God in singling out such Persons is that he might give sufficient antidotes against all objections this is the account S. Paul gives in this place That in â—e first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffering for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe Now how hath God been pleased by such examples to provide against all the discouragements of poor humbled and doubting sinners 1. God hereby shews that as great and notorious sinners as we can think our selves to be have been pardoned I obtained mercy saith S. Paulâ— who was a blasphemer therefore let no man hence forward despair of mercy for there is riches and fulness enough of mercy in the bosome of God for the greatest sinners Manasseh whom the Scripture discovers to be as a summary or an abridgement of all kind of wickedness 2 Chrâ—â— 33.2 had done like the heathen in all their abominations 9. vers He made them equal with them in Witchcrafts and Idolatry and in all manner of abominations Nay to exceed the heathen and yet when he was in Affliction in the 12 13. vers he besought the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his Fathers and prayed unto him and he was entreated of him Great sinners may be pardoned 2. Some object the unworthiness of their Person but consider as unworthy Persons as you can be have obtained mercy and been made instruments of mercy to others 36. Ezek. 31.32 3. Persons as unwilling as you have found mercy 5. John 40. It s our Saviours great complaint you will not come to me that you might have life he is willing to give it what can poor dead Persons more need then life he is willing to bestow it he invites them to accept of it but they would not come to him that they might have life But yet many of those obtained mercy Nay Let me adde farther is it your inability that discourageth you As unable as you have found mercy our Saviour tells us 6. John 44. No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him We are all naturally unable unwilling and unworthy yet God gives encouragement by these instances and standing monuments of his favour to answer all objections Vse 1. This may serve by way of reproof to three sorts of Persons Hath God left such standing Monuments of his mercy to Notorious offenders even such as is sufficient to answer all objections if they be but once humbled and come to him upon his own terms Then this may reprove such as Consult not the Scriptures that know not what monuments God hath left upon record for our encouragement at what a loss are such Persons for the making use of such examples 2. It reproves such as are careless in making use of them that seldom concern themselves about the case of their souls that neither Consider how it is with them at present nor how it is like to be with them for the future 3. It reproves such as make a perverse use of these examples in turning the grace of God into Lasciviousness and Wantonness in making use of these examples of mercy either for the imboldening of themselves in sin to the hardening of their hearts against Gods fear or to encourage themselves in the delaying their repentance and applying themselves to God for mercy but let loose the reins of their Corruptions because such great sinners have been pardoned Therefore a Pardon is easie to be had it is but crying God have mercy upon me Oh take heed of such bold Presumption in sin it is a most dangerous thing to play the wantons with the tender grace and mercy of God how many are apt to plead for the justification of their sins because many have been saved who have been guilty of their sins I do not know of any kind of sins but God hath given us instances of his saving some from such sins But what a high degree of blasphemy is this to pervert the grace of God to such contrary ends to what God intended it All along in Scripture these Monuments are mentioned to keep us humble thankful and lively in the service of God and not to enbolden us in sin this is quite contrary to the whole design of the Gospel Hence see also the necessity of keeping these famous instances fresh in your thoughts for the supporting of your Spirits Oh think what their case is how difficult and dangerous who forget these examples and what success they will find who improve them faithfully and not wantonly And consider the great difficulty of believing it is what God Commands in a way of Condition and it is what God hath promised in a way of grace it is beyond our power to believe who hath believed our report to whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed it is onely the mighty Arm of God that can work faith in such hearts as ours are How much prejudiced are we against every thing of Faith as the Person of Christ and the righteousness of Christ What a hard task had S. Paul with many of the Churches as the Romanes and Galatians to bring them off from their self-righteousness and trusting to their works Oh it is not an easie matter to bring our hearts to close with Christ to think that Christ will entertain thoughts of mercy towards us These are the two Capital Mistakes by which most of the world miscarry either to think so slightly of sin as not to regard it or so blackly of sin as to think themselves past all remedy Let what hath been said encourage you to make this use to strengthen your faith and to lay hold humbly and thankfully on the promises made to you it is to this end that God hath left such paterns of mercy on record for us and consider it is the principal design of Satan to rob you of faith to weaken believing and to keep you off from believing Satan hath desired to winnow thee as wheat If Satan can but destroy our
is stiled The Great God and the true God 1 Epist St. John 5.20 And we are in him that is true even in his Son Jesus Christ This is the true God and eternal life The true God is to be taken in opposition to all Idol-Gods and all those Metaphorical expressions where we finde this Name Elohim as sometimes given to Creatures Again he is stiled The Mighty God Isa 9.6 For unto us a Child is born his Name shall be called Wonderful Councellour the Mighty God He is called God blessed for ever Rom 9.5 Whose are the Fathers speaking of the Priviledges of the Jews and of whom concerning the flesh Christ came who is God blessed for ever He is stiled also The Lord of Glory 1 Cor. 2.8 Which none of the Princes of this world knew for had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory Nay the Name Jehovah which throughout all the Scripture is not so much as singly ascribed to any Creature is ascribed to Jesus Christ He is called The Lord our Righteousness Jehovah our Righteousness That is the first 2. He in whom are all those high and eminent perfections those glorious Attributes which transcend the capacity of any Creature must needs be God and these the Scripture ascribes to Christ I shall only give you some few hints He who is Omnipotent whose Power is boundless and unlimited whose Government reacheth Heaven and Earth He that can do all things must needs be God Take all the Power that is in the Creature there is 〈◊〉 confinement and limitation of their Power but Jesus Christ is Almighty Rev. 1.8 I am Alpha and Omega the Almighty Rev. 19.6 The Lord God Omnipotent reigneth 'T is true Angels do excel in Power but Omnipotencie is peculiar to the true God for they are but his Creatures and their power is limited by him they are his Messengers whom he imploys Again Omnisciencie this is ascribed to Jesus Christ He searcheth hearts and tryeth reins he hath a window open into all mens breasts and discovers what is their thoughts he needs not that any should tell him any thing because he knows it and therefore he must needs be God John 2.25 And he needed not that any should testifie of man for he knew what was in man that is as he is God John 13.19 He that knoweth all things before they come to pass must needs be God Now I tell you says he before it come that when it is come to pass you must believe that I am he believe him to be God So Rev. 2.23 I am he that searcheth the Reins and Heart and will give to every one of you according to your work◠Now this is only peculiar to the great God 3. He is said to be Omnipresent He was in Heaven even while he was upon the Earth John 14.3 I go that where I am ye may be also He was on Earth but as God He was even then in Heaven Matth. 28.20 His promise to his Disciples is And loe I am with you always to the end of the world and so he is as God He is with them while he is in Heaven As Ubiquity is only peculiar to the great God he fills Heaven and earth with his presence for the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain him Now I will be with you when I am taken up from you when you cannot see me nor converse in the flesh with me any longer 4. Immutability and Eternity are ascribed to Jesus Christ Prov. 8.22 it is applied to him who is the Wisdom spoken of there principally The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way before his works of old ver 23 24 25 26. I was set up from everlasting from the beginning or ever the Earth was c. This shews that Jesus Christ was Antecedaneous to all Creatures and that speaks him to be Eternal Psal 90.2 Before the Mountains were brought forth or ever thou hadst formed the Earth and the World even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God So everlasting is peculiar to God which is ascribed to Christ Micha 5.2 Whose goings forth have been from of Old from everlasting Your Margent reads it From the days of Eternity Heb. 13.8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday and to day and for ever It is said of him There is no variableness nor shadow of changing and he is called The everlasting Father Isa 9.6 Lastly He that hath life in Himself and is the Principle of life to others must needs be God It is a Contradiction to be a Creature and to be self-Originated So is it said of Jesus Christ Acts 3.15 And killed the Prince of Life v. 16. And his Name through Faith in his Name hath made this man strong that shews the greatness of his power through faith in his Name John 5.26 For as the Father hath life in himself so hath he given the Son to have life in himself 3. He to whom works of Infiniteness are ascribed must needs be God No Creature can possibly do any act of Infiniteness because it is above the rank of a Creature The work of Creation which is a work of Infiniteness is ascribed to Jesus Christ John 1.3 All things were made by him So the work of Supportation is ascribed to him Heb. 1.3 Vpholding all things by the Word of his power He that not onely brought all things out of nothing by the Word of his power but he that upholds them from falling back into their first nothing again by the same All-mighty power must needs be God and this is ascribed to Christ So the work of Redemption this is attributed to Jesus Christ He that could subdue him that had the power of death that is the Devil He that could conquer Principallities and Powers and lead Captivity captive He to whom all things are made subject both in Heaven and in Earth Principallities Dominions and Thrones and every thing that is named that is every thing that is excellent are made subject to him Eph. 1.22 And hath put all things under his feet and hath left nothing unsubdued and gave him to be Head over all things to the Church That is the third Argument 4. He whom Angels adore and Creatures worship must needs be God and thus they do Jesus Christ God is very jealous of his own Honour and will not suffer them to be given to any other But honour and worship is by the Command of God to be given to Jesus Christ Heb. 1.6 Let all the Angels of God worship him And we are baptized in the Name of Christ Mat. 28.19 And we are bound to pray in the Name of Christ Whatever you ask in my Name that will I do John 14.13 And to believe in Christ John 14.2 Let not your hearts be troubled ye believe in God believe also in me Now to believe in any thing is to make a God of it weare taken off from setting our faith on any Creature Trust not in man nor in the
they exceed our thoughts It hath not entered into the heart of man When David speaks of them he speaks by way of admiration How great is that goodness thee thou hast laid up for those that fear thee Psal 31.19 It is greater then I am able to express greater then I am able to think Nay God describes himself 3. Ephes 20. to be a God that does for his people beyond what they can ask or think Now our raised thoughts and apprehensions when they come up to their highest pitch do not reach the excellency of those enjoyments 1 Ephes S. John 3.2 Behold says S. John what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God He is astonished at what God hath done already Behold what manner c. but yet says he We know not what we shall be S. John was that Disciple that lay in the bosome of Christ that had many singular discoveries made to him but says he We know what we shall be Nay let me adde one word more it is not only beyond all comparison and all expressions and all apprebensions but the transcendency of this inheritance is such as is beyond all Scripture Revelations For you may find it is stiled a glory that shall be revealed in us 8. Rom. 18. I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us That is revealed fully Indeed God hath revealed enough of it already to make every thing in this world contemptible and to cause us to have mean thoughts of all things else but the full and perfect discovering of this inheritance is reserved for another world we know not what we shall be but this we know we shall know him as we are known of him and see him as he is 2 Thes 1.10 When he shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired in all them that believe because our testimony among you was believed in that day That is the second Argument 3. The excellency of this inheritance may farther appear if you consider the concurrance of all things that may strengthen the title of Gods people to this inheritance Reckon up all the titles that can be to any estate and all meet in this inheritance Do any claim a right to any inheritance by way of gift This is the gift of God Luke 12.32 Do any claim a right by way of purchase This is the puchase of Christ 1 Ephes 14. it 's called the purchased possession Do any claim a right by way of Conquest Christ hath conquered all those enemies that might keep Gods people from it Do any claim a right by way of Inheritance It is theirs by succession for they are the children of God If any have a title to an inheritance is any of these respects singly if their title be right their inheritance is secure but here is a concurrence of all these belonging to the people of God this inheritance is the gift of God the purchase of Christ conquest of Christ and it is theirs by succession 4. Consider the admirable certainty of possessing this inheritance God hath promised it and faithful is he that hath promised My father is greater then all No power can over-match him My father is greater then all and none can take you out of his hands He hath undertaken 1 Pet. 1.5 That they shall be kept by his power through faith unto salvable They shall be kept and kept by the mighty power of God kept from danger so long as there is any thing of danger remains they shall be kept till they are landed in that blessed inheritance It is Gods promise 13. Heb. 5. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee The words in the Greek are very emphatical 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he hath said I will never leave thee c. which God ascertains by no less then five Negative Particles And if God hath said it it is not for us to question it The Pythagoreans had so much reverence to their Master that they lookt upon it as too much arrogancy to question his dictates 1. Phil. 6. He that hath begun a good work in you will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ Where God hath once laid the foundation of grace he will carry on the superstructure when God hath brought home any soul to himself he will take care of that soul it is his promise it is his Covenant And so much in general for the second Observation the excellency of this Inheritance For Application I shall only insist on one or two Uses Is it so That this inheritance is no mean no slight no contemptible thing is it so admirable that it exceeds all comparison all expression all conception all Scripture revelation Then This may inform us how well it is with the people of God in this regard let it go never so ill with them in other things there is enough in this single Meditation to render their condition lovely above the condition of all others Who would not chuse the estate of poor Lazarus rather then rich Dives who would not chuse the estate of Job upon the dung-hill rather then Pharaob upon the Throne who would not rather be in any kind of condition here so they may but obtain this blessed condition hereafter then enjoy all the delights and advantages of this world and be deprived of or come short of this inheritance Certainly there is enough in this single meditation to support the hearts of the people of God in their greatest trials and troubles Are all the sincere people of God intitled to such an inheritance and shall they most certainly be possessed of this inheritance are they upon so sure a foundation and is it in so sure a hand though they have enemies without them and enemies within them inraged enemies diligent enemies enemies that continually endeavour to overthrow them yet are they at such a certainty that they shall at last possess such an inheritance this speaks their condition to be truly good 2. This may inform us what cause we have to be ashamed and to stand amazed at our own others neglects of this inheritance is their such a thing as this to be obtained and yet how do the generality of men bestow their time upon trifles and vanities and how little hath this inheritance of their time or thoughts May not God expostulate with the professours of our age as he did with the professours of old Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which profiteth not Isa 55.2 Since there is such fulness of happiness to be had why do we busie our selves so much about things of an inferiour nature we have cause to be amazed at others those that hear of heaven and the glory of another world that they should live in a continual neglect of these things and what cause have