the Nature or Life of the Soul they are carnal sensible things and so are suitable to the flesh and sensual part and are pleasing to it but they have nothing suitable in them to an immortal Spirit nothing that an eternal Soul can feed upon the Body may as soon feed upon Air and Ashes as the Soul upon Creatures But now in God there is that Good that is every way suitable to the Soul to the Nature Life and Wants of the Soul the Soul is of a Spiritual Nature and God is a Spiritual Good God is a Spirit Joh. 4.24 The Soul is of a vast capacity 't is next to Infiniteness in its capacity and desires and God is a vast and comprehensive Good having as has been shewn all good in him Without suitableness in the Object to the faculty there can be no Rest Would you have an original independent Good such a Good is God Dulcius ex ipso fonte petuntur aquoe Waters drink most pleasantly at the Fountain-head In God you have all Good all Sweet all Comfort at the Fountain-head Hence he is said to be a Fountain of Living Waters and the Creatures broken Cisterns Jer. 2.13 the Fountain has all in and from it self but Cisterns you know have no more than is put into them all that Good that is in God he has it in and from himself but the Creatures yea the best of Creatures Angels themselves not excepted have no more than he puts into them Now how much is the Fountain to be preferred before a Cistern Would you have a pure and an unmixed Good Gold that has no Dross Wine that has no Water in it such a Good is God God is light and in him there is no darkness at all 1 Joh. 1.5 All things on this side God have their mixtures they have a dark as well as a bright side all this Wine is mixt with Wormwood this Gold with Dross Who of us did ever meet with the Creature-Injoyment that had not many allayes the sweetest Rose has its prickles and the rarest Beauty its spots among the Creatures but now God is every way a pure and an unmixed Good he is all Light Life Love Holiness and the like Would you have a sweet and satisfying Good Such a Good is God yea indeed there is infinite sweetness and satisfaction to be found in him he can infinitely delight ravish solace and satisfy the Soul for ever O how sweet how satisfying are the Sights of God the Tastes and Descents of his Love what an Heaven does one sight of God one descent of his Love make in the Soul David casting his eye upon God as his in Covenant is even ravished with it and cryes out the lines are fallen to me in pleasant places I have a goodly Heritage Psal 16.5 6. and elsewhere we read of Pleasures of Rivers of Pleasures of Satisfaction of abundance of Satisfaction and all as that which Souls do or may find in God and communion with God Psal 36.8 and David over and over tells you of Sweetness and Satisfaction and Satisfaction as with Marrow and Fatness in but the very thoughts and meditation of God Psal 63.5 6. and Aug. I remember speaking of God and to him often breaks out into such language as this O my God my Life Deus meus Vita mea Dulcedo mea c. my Sweetness O Sirs holy Souls who live in Communion with God will tell you that there is no sweetness like that in God no Love like his Love no Comforts like his Comforts They will tell you that one sight of God one sensible token of his presence in the Soul has more solace and sweetness in it than al the delights of this world yea than many Worlds and they accordingly chuse and desire it Oh how sweet is it to be led into the Banquetting House by Christ and there have the Banner of his Love displayed over us and Flagons of that Wine poured out unto us How sweet is it to have one sight of the King in his beauty how much more to walk and converse with him in his Galleryes How sweet is it with God in his Sanctuary and have him revealing Himself his Love his Beauty his Glory to us O taste and see how good the Lord is Would you have a sure eternal and unchangeable Good a Good that never fades failes nor has any period such a Good is God and God alone From everlasting to everlasting be is God Psal 90.2 But this has been sufficiently spoken to elsewhere Well you see what a blessed Rest God is for Souls Why then should we ever think of looking out any where else for Rest O wretched hearts of ours that will leave this God and go out to a vain World and dying Creatures for Rest and Happiness In a word if God has all that in him which thou needest or art capable of to give thee Rest and Happiness than retire solely to him for it Now what dost thou want or what art thou capable of to give thee Rest and Happiness Dost thou want and desire Life With God is the Fountain of Life Psal 36.9 Dost thou want Peace God is the God of Peace Rom. 16.20 and frequently elsewhere is he so called Dost thou want pardon he is the God of pardons so the words are in the Psalms when he is said to be ready to forgive and you know he has promised to pardon iniquity transgression and sin sins of all sorts and sizes all degrees and aggravations if Souls come to him Heb. 8.12 Dost thou want Grace he is the God of all Grace 1 Pet. 5.10 Dost thou want comfort he is the God of all Consalation Dost thou want Mercy he is the Father of Mercies 2 Cor. 1.3 Dost thou want strength strength to do to suffer to live to die he is the Lord Jehovah with whom is everlasting Strength Isa 26.4 Dost thou want Joy in his presence is fulness of Joy Psal 16.11 Dost thou want Salvation Salvation Temporal Salvation Eternal â—e is the God of Salvation and as such the Church glories in him Psal 68.20 Thus no Rest â—â—ke that in God Souls need not look elsewhere for Rest and Happiness for there is all in God alone 4. Consider what a restless World you live in â—nd what a troublesom time you are fallen upon The more restless this World is and the more troublesom the times are which we are falâ—â—n upon the more we are concerned to take up our Rest in God Now certainly the World was scarce ever more restless nor the times moâ—â— troublesom than now In Zech. 1.11 we reaâ— of a time when the whole World was at Rest excepting only the Church of God but 't is eveâ— quite contrary now for now the whole World Church and all are in a restless troublesom state We see and hear of little but Wars and rumours of Wars and as 't was of old destruction upon destruction is cryed and what and when the end
his Power his Wisdom his Holiness his Justice his Goodness his Faithfulness his All-sufficiency and the like all which are not distinguished in him either from himself or from one another but are all one and the same God revealed and manifested to us under various notions and that to help us the better to conceive and apprehend him as also to perform our homage and worship to him accordingly we may say the Holiness of God is God the Wisdom of God is God the Power of God is God the Goodness of God is God And to come to my Text the Unchangeableness of God is God and indeed the unchangeableness of God is God manifested and revealed under a sweet and blessed as well as a glorious Notion to us under such a Notion as conduces-much to the quickning and incouraging of our Faith and Love our Comfort and Obedience in him and to him and so indeed the Text represents it I am the Lord I change not therefore ye Sons of Jacob are not consumed In which words we have two things to be noted 1. Here is a Display or Representation of God in one Ray or Beam of his Divine Glory and that is his Unchangeableness I am the Lord I change not or I the Lord am not changed for it may be read either Actively or Passively and the sense will be the same I change not I am not alter'd or varied at all what I was I am what I am I still shall be Deus hic se tacitè mortalibus opponit et a se Procul repellit omnem inconstantiam Calv. God here as a judicious Expositor observes tacitly opposes himself to mortal men and removes and renounces all wavering and inconstancy from himself I change not as if he should have said Men die but I live men change but I change not I am still the same 2. Here is a Mention or Declaration of the blessed Fruit or Issue of this Glorious Perfection of God in reference to his Church and People and that is their preservation from destruction Therefore ye Sons of Jacob are not consumed Here two things must be enquired into First Who are we to understand by the Sons of Jacob And secondly What by their being not consumed 1. Who are we to understand by the Sons of Jacob By the Sons of Jacob here we are to understand God's Professing Church and People We read in Scripture of the House of Jacob the Seed of Jacob and the Sons of Jacob by all which are meant God's Church and People whom he takes into Covenant with himself and makes the Objects of his Love and this will be evident by comparing my Text with Cap. 1.2 where God sayes expresly that he loved them And again I loved Jacob. 2. What are we to understand by their being not consumed It imports and carries in it these two things 1. An Exemption from Temporal Ruine 2. A Preservation from Eternal Destruction 1. An Exemption from Temporal Ruine Therefore ye are not consumed that is therefore you are not cut off from being a People therefore you are not utterly broken by my Judgements 't is true some afflictions you have had yea great afflictions but yet still you live still you are a People you are preserved from utter ruine and destruction And why so Not because you have not deserved to be utterly cut off and destroyed but because I am unchangeable I am the Lord I change not therefore ye Sons of Jacob are not consumed 2. A Preservation from Eternal Destruction Therefore ye are not consumed that is therefore you are not in Hell therefore you are not under the eternal Revelations of my Wrath which alas is what you have deserved As if God should say to them True you have had affliction but alas it has been nothing to the desert of your sin your sins have been many and great against me such as deserved utter ruine yea eternal destruction an utter Consumption both of Body and Soul for ever and this had been your portion long since had you not had to deal with an unchangeable God not your desert but my unchangeableness is the sole cause why you are not utterly and eternally destroyed In short the design of the whole was to upbraid them with their sins and particularly their ingratitude and withall to let them know that the reason why it was not worse with them than it was yea why they were not totally and eternally destroyed was not because they did not deserve to have had it so but because their God was unchangeable I am the Lord I change not therefore c. In which God seems thus to bespeak them You complain of me and have hard thoughts of me because 't is with you as it is and I do not presently arise for your help but let me tell you 't is well for you that 't is not ten thousand times worse with you than it is 't is well you are a People 't is well you are not among the Damned Sure I am you highly deserv'd to have had it so with you you are a sinful sinning rebellious people a people that have deserved to be destroyed ten thousand times over I have done great things for you above any people I have shewn you much love but you have not walked sutably and answerably to the great things I have done for you nor the great love I have shewn to you No you have abused all and sinned against me under all and that with an high hand whereby you have deserved to be utterly consumed and destroyed and indeed had I not been an unchangeable God consumed and destroyed you had been long agoe I see that in you and among you for which I might justly destroy you and that for ever and nothing but my own Unchangeableness keeps you alive Should you therefore complain of me Should you not rather admire at my patience and forbearance so long with you and towards you Truly 't is a Miracle of Grace Goodness and Patience in me that you have not been long since destroyed once for all This I take to be the true scope and meaning of the Word the sum of which together with the foundation of my intended Discourse from them I shall give you in this short Position Namely That the Lord Jehovah is an unchangeable God or how changeable soever the Creatures are yet God the Lord changes not Whoever changes I the Lord change not I am alwayes and for ever the same Now that God is unchangeable wherein he is unchangeable why or whence 't is that he is unchangeable as also the vindication of his unchangeableness from all Cavils and Objections that seem to lye against it with the practical improvement of all are the principal matters that will fall under consideration in the prosecution of this Argument and I hope by the assistance of God we shall find some light and much comfort and quickening in our going through them CHAP. II. Which containes a
more excellent than they and should be accordingly prized by us O my Beloved there is more true worth and excellency in one dram of Grace one beam of Holiness one hint of the Pardon of sin one sight of God's reconciled Face one imbrace in the bosom of his Love than there is in a World of Carual Comforts and Contentments and accordingly we should prize and affect them our eye and heart should be taken off from the one and fixt upon the other But alas alas we are apt to dote upon these changeable things here below O how fond are we of and how passionately for the most part are we carried out after Carnal Earthly sensible Things But how cold are we in our love to and pursuits after Things Spiritual and Heavenly as if indeed Earthly and not Heavenly things were the only things of weight and moment whereas indeed the one hath no worth no glory in them in comparison of the Glory which excelleth Let us therefore with the holy Apostle not look at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal 2 Cor. 4.18 Mark the Apostle did not think Carnal and Earthly Things worth a cast of his eye because they are temporal changeable but Spiritual Things which are durable and eternal these he counted worthy of his eye his heart and all O let us measure the worth of things by their resemblance to God and what they do partake of him 3. Behold here as in a Glass the notorious folly and madness of such as prefer the Creature before God in their choice and affections placing their happiness in it and not in him Many not one or two or a few but many say Who will shew us any good and what good is it they would have shewn them Corn Wine Oyle Psal 4.6 Creature-good sensible-good good to feed and fill a sensual Appetite and indeed this is the good which the most of men prefer in their choice and affections before God placing the rest and happiness of their Souls therein The generality of men have high thoughts of the Creature and low thoughts of God great affections for the Creature and small affections for God 'T is but here and there one that does truly and indeed carry his happiness above the road of Creatures and place it in God Take the most of men and 't is the Creature they love 't is the Creature they prize 't is the Creature they choose and 't is the Creature they take up their rest and happiness in as for God they will have none of him as God complained of them of old Israel would none of me Psal 81.11 In a word God and the Creatures share the hearts and affections of the whole World between them God tenders himself to men as the rest and happiness of their Souls and accordingly to be loved to be prized to be chosen to be delighted in by them on the other hand the Creatures they tender themselves to men in like manner and both plead for acceptation and which I pray carrys it God or the Creature Truly the Creature with the most Alas we are carnal and sensual and do naturally incline to carnal and sensual things imbracing them to the neglect of God and so the Creature is preferred before God Oh what folly and madness is this to prefer the Creature before God in our choice and affections is not only to prefer emptiness before fulness nothingness before sufficiency but 't is also to prefer vanity before immutability and variableness before unchangeableness and Oh what folly what madness is this to prefer the Creature before God in our choice and affections is to prefer a broken Cistern that can hold no Water before a Fountain of Living Waters So God himself speaks of it and withal brands it for a black and horrid evil Jer. 2.12 13. an evil which he calls upon the Heavens to be astonisht at and the Earth to be horribly afraid because of O my Beloved to prefer a Cistern before a Fountain a poor narrow scanty borrowed Good before a full ample original all-sufficient Good a drop before an Ocean of Goodness and sweetness this is great folly but to prefer a broken Cistern and a broken Cistern that can hold no Water before a Fountain of Living Waters fleeting nothingness before unchangeable fulness this is greater folly folly even to madness and yet this is the folly of the most of men Carnal men are often in Scripture called Fools and their folly appears in nothing more than this Namely their preferring changeable Creatures before an unchangeable God and indeed than this what greater folly can there be In Luk. 12.19 we read of one that talked to his Soul saying Soul eat drink and be merry for thou hast much goods laid up for thee for many years take thine ease Pray mark he had never a word of God in his mouth and as we may safely conclude never a thought of God in his heart but he was wholly taken up with his Barnes and Goods and Treasures and yet he bids his Soul to take its ease to sit down at rest God was as nothing with him and the Creature was all Well what title does Christ give him does he give him the title of a wise Man No Thou fool says he Christ calls him fool as well he might for what greater folly than this to be wholly taken up with perishing Creatures and neglect and forget an unchangeable God yea and to bid his Soul take its ease too because he abounded with Creature-injoyments Indeed had he said Soul take thine ease be merry thou hast Heavenly Treasures laid up in abundance for thee God is thine Christ is thine the Blessed Spirit the Comforter is thine Heaven and Eternal Life is thine this had been something like but to have his heart taken up with carnal things altogether preferring them before God and to bid his Soul to rest and be merry upon the account of these this is folly with a witness and who deserves the name of a Fool if he did not What shall I say this namely to prefer the Creature before God is such folly as will at last expose to shame and contempt for ever all that are guilty of it and such are even hung up in Chains for the highest instances of folly and madness Lo sayes the Psalmist this is the man that made not God his Strength but trusted in the abundance of his Riches c. q. d. Consi erate quam miser nunc sit qui antea tam foclix crat Piscat in loc Videte quis sit illius exitus Musc in loc Psal 52.7 Lo this is the man that preferred the Creature before God that made Riches not God his Portion this is that Fool that very Fool that mad Man yea and whoever they are that do this they will at last though perhaps too late
that 't is an Unchangeable Love a Love that never fades never varies True his Love may be and sometimes is vailed and clouded but though it be vailed yet 't is not varied though it be sometimes clouded yet 't is never changed Love under a Vail or Cloud is Love The Sun may be under a Cloud yea there may be an eclipse upon it for a time which may keep it out of our view and deprive us of the comfortable influences and shinings of it for a season but yet even then the Sun is in being and after a while it will shine again and that as sweetly brightly and comfortably as ever So there may be a Vail a Cloud an eclipse as it were upon God's Love such as may deprive us for a time of the comfortable views shinings and influences of it but yet even then 't is Love and sweet Love too and after a while it will shine and shew it self again 'T is a sweet Word which you have Psal 30.5 His anger endureth but a moment in his favour is life weeping may endure for a right but joy comes in the morning in his favour is life Vitam momento opponit benevolentia qua suos complectitur Deus durat per emnem vitam Deus favorem suum prorogat in longum tempus Mol. Life here as a judicious Interpreter observes is opposed to a moment mentioned in the beginning of the verse and so the sense is that that Love wherewith God loves his People lasts throughout all life it lives and lasts for ever 't is a durable abiding love So Isa 54.8 In a little wrath I bid my face from thee for a moment sayes God to his Church but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee Thus I say though God's Love to his People may be vailed yet 't is never varyed 't is a constant Love and Oh how sweet does this speak his Love to be and how happy are they that are interested in it Oh to be beloved by an Unchangeable God with an Unchangeable Love this is sweet indeed The Creatures Love has little worth or sweetness in it and that not only because of its weakness and emptiness but also because of its changeableness Alas the Creature loves to day and hates to morrow Oh but now God's Love is another manner of Love a Love that has fulness and firmness sufficiency and immutability both in it and accordingly must needs be infinitely sweet and desirable Well therefore might David admiringly cry out as he did Psal 36.7 How excellent or how precious is thy loving-kindness O Lord and as in Psal 63.3 Thy loving-kindness is better than life 'T is before all lives one dram of it is to be preferred before many Worlds of Creature-injoyments God's Love it is all good all comfort all happiness in its fountain-fulness and purity it is an eternal never-failing spring of sweetness an unvariable fountain of delight in it there is Grace all Grace Peace all Peace Joy all Joy Satisfaction all Satisfaction Rest and Solace all Rest and Solace O Soul look upon the love of thy God to thee look upon it and in it thou wilt see unsearchable Riches unmeasurable Fulness unfathomable Depths and which crowns all eternal Unchangeableness and Oh how happy wilt thou therein see thy self With what full consolation of Spirit mayest thou sit down and say God loves me and he loves me unchangeably Friends change outward comforts change I my self change but God's Love to me changes not I am for ever upon his heart nor can either Men or Devils sins or sorrows cast me out of it True he sometimes afflicts me but yet he loves me he sometimes frowns upon me but yet he loves me he sometimes seems to slay me he breaks me with breach upon breach but yet he loves me he confines me to a sick Chamber he layes me upon a sick Bed he seems to resolve to lay me in the Dust but yet he loves me yea all this is in love I break with him and depart from him I am sinning against him every day and hour but yet he loves me he loves me notwithstanding all his Love cannot be broken off from me and after a while I shall bathe in the Fountain thereof for ever Oh sweet who would not long for this Love He loves me unchangeably and he will therefore cleanse me purifie me pardon me make me perfectly holy He loves me and he will love me till he has lodged me in his own Presence and Bosom above and there he will love me for ever 2. From God's Unchangeabless we conclude and infer the infinite bitterness of his Wrath and the extream misery of all such as fall under the weight thereof God's Love is not more sweet than his Wrath is bitter his Love is not more desirable than his Wrath is formidable and that because he is an Unchangeable God and oh how miserable must they be that do fall under this Wrath. In Isa 10.6 we read of the People of God's Wrath there are some then that are properly the People of God's Wrath they are Children of Wrath Heirs of Wrath and Wrath yea God's Wrath will be their portion for ever such are all finally impenitent and unbelieving Ones all who live and die in their impenitency and unbelief and oh how extreamly miserable must they be God's Wrath is a great Wrath a fierce Wrath a sore Wrath a powerful Wrath an irresistible Wrath a burning consuming and devouring Wrath So the Scripture speaks of it all which speaks the exceeding bitterness and terribleness of it and the extream misery of such as fall under it but that which adds even infinitely to all is this that 't is eternal and unchangeable Wrath Wrath that abides for ever Hence 't is set forth in Scripture by unquenchable fire Mat. 3.12 God's Wrath is called Fire because of its exceeding heat and fierceness being of a consuming and devouring nature and 't is called unquenchable Fire because 't is durable and unchangeable it being what admits of no more change or period than his Love does and to fall under this unquenchable fire under the revelation of this eternal unchangeable Wrath oh how sad how miserable must this be Solomon tells us that the Wrath of a King is as the roaring of a Lyon Prov. 19.12 and what then and how terrible is the Wrath of God to whose Wrath the wrath of all the Kings on the Earth is as nothing We are afraid sometimes of Man's Wrath yea so afraid of it as to suffer our selves to be driven from our duty by it But my Beloved what is the Wrath of a Man to the Wrath God What is the Wrath of a changeable Man to the Wrath of an Unchangeable God let me say to each Soul of you as God by the Prophet to them Isa 51 12.13 Who art thou that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die a changeable Creature and forgettest the Lord thy Maker 'T
Vera Effigies R di Edwardi Pearse Aetatis Suae 40. 1673. R White sculp A BEAM OF Divine Glory OR THE Unchangeableness of God Opened Vindicated and Improved Whereunto is added The Soul's Rest in God By EDWARD PEARSE To which is prefixed the Author's last Letter written in the time of his Sickness to some peculiar Friends Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord c. LONDON Printed by J. D. for Jonathan Robinson at the Golden Lion in St. Pauls Church-yard and Brabazon Aylmer at the three Pigeons in Cornhil 1674. TO THE READER THE Vnchangeableness of God is one of those Perfections of his whereby he is in a peculiar manner distinguished from the Creatures The Creatures are made up of Changes Their Beings Life Conditions are subject to many Changes But God knows none of these Changes his Being is most immutable his Life the most even constant Uniform serene Life his Happiness at all times alike and the Same God doth alwayes abide in the same likeness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Philo Judaeus sayes one of the Ancients with him there is no Variableness nor shaddow of Change Now there is an instinct in us whereby we are carryed out to desire unchangeableness Every thing doth naturally desire its Perfection Man therefore being a reasonable Creature finding himself subject to many Changes longs after a perfect State which is to be Unchangeable he would fain come to an Vnchangeable Life to an Vnchangeable Happiness Now what we cannot find or attain unto in our selves we should aspire after by attaining Vnion and Conjunction with our Maker Every thing is made perfect by reaching or attaining its First Cause or Principle God is the Fountain of Life the Fountain of Vnchangeableness so far as unchangeableness is communicable to the Creatures Indeed in a strict and proper sense Vnchangeableness is one of the Incommunicable Attributes of God none but God is simply and absolutely Vnchangeable or can be so It implies a Contradiction to suppose a Creature and that Creature intrinsecally and in its own Nature not to be under a possibility of Change but yet after a sort the Creatures may be made Vnchangeable in having an Vnchangeable Life an Unchangeable Happiness given to them by some kind of participation of God who is the chief Good and who hath all Life and Happiness in himself Thus the holy Angels who are not simply and absolutely unchangeable in themselves do yet enjoy an unchangeable Life and Happiness in way of donation and Communication by the sight of God and Communion with God We should therefore aspire after the sight of God and press after the most perfect adherence to him God only is the Centre of Unchangeableness and by fixing our hearts in him we shall after a sort become unchangeable Joyn thy heart to Eternity sayes Austin and thou thy self shalt be eternal Junge Cor tuum aeternitati aeternus eris The Author of the following Discourses hath now blessed experience what that participated Vnchangeableness is if we may so Call it which glorified Souls have in the Divine presence by having Communion with God the first unchangeable Being Whilst he lived here on Earth he saw many Changes passing over himself both as to his Person and Condition this put him upon the Contemplation of the Vnchangeableness of God and caused him to seek for that Rest in God which he could not find in himself nor in any thing here below And as those that observed his Spirit did clearly perceive that he was much quickned and helped as to his Spiritual Estate by meditating much of an Holy Rest in God So it is not to be doubted if we take the same Course and keep the eye of our minds fixed on God labouring to take up all our Rest and Satisfaction in him there shall we find that true quiet to our Souls which we vainly seek after in the Variety of Objects here below And the serious perusing of these Discourses which carry much of the Impress of the Authors Spirit upon them may be of good use to us to help us to attain such an end The Author had no thoughts at first of bringing forth these Sermons unto publick view but being much perswaded hereunto by his Nearest Relation at last he yielded unto that Importunity and perfected them with his own hand The rest of his Notes being left in Characters it is much to be feared these are the last Sermons of his that are like to see the Light For a close I may only add this That it is matter of sad Lamentation to us to consider how many of the Faithful Servants of God who have been eminent in their Generations have been taken away in a few years Certainly it becomes us to bewail greatly the deaths of so many Godly Ministers and since the Harvest is great and the faithful Labourers are but few we should pray the Lord of the Harvest that he would thrust forth Labourers into the Vineyard Thine in the Lord Christ JOHN ROWE Mr. Pearse ' s last Letter To my dearly beloved Friends that small Company to whom by the providence of God I have some years last past preached the Everlasting Gospel Dearly and longed for in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Grace Mercy and Peace unto you from God our Father through our Lord Jesus Christ by the Eternal Spirit IT is now many years since by the providence of God we have been called to worship his great and Reverend Name together during which time God hath â—een exceeding good to us manifesting his Power in our weakness and his Love in our unworthiness He hath declared his Name to be recorded amongst us by his coming to us and blessing of us Some of you have been Convinced some Converted some Edified and all I hope quickened and encouraged Heavenwards And not only your selves but through the Grace of God many others have been born to Christ amongst us and more built up in the holy Faith O the many warm sweet and refreshing Sabbaths we have enjoyed together And what shall we say to these things or what shall we do O let us bow down at the foot of God and adore his infinitely infinitely infinitely free rich and powerful Grace ascribing all the glory to that alone to which I am sure all is due God hath now called me aside from you and not only from you but he seems to be calling me out of his Vineyard yea out of this World I have long had a weak and infirm Body but now God in his wise and holy Providence hath seen good to reduce me to a far lower and weaker state of Body my Health being now vtterly broken Yet I must say God is exceeding good to me and deals in fatherly tenderness with me I have neither much sickness nor much pain only my Disease according to its name gradually consumes me nor am I without some lucid intervals God both lifts me up and casts me down as he
God is unchangeable in all the special saving Fruits and Effects of his Love to his People Rom. 11.29 the Gifts and Calling of God are without repentance that is the Gifts of his effectual Calling or his saving Gifts such as effectual Calling and the like shall never be repented of never be recalled or reversed by him as they who receive those Gifts will have no cause to repent but to rejoice in them for ever so God who gives them will not repent that he gave them to them God gives Christ he gives Grace he gives Peace he gives Pardon he gives Righteousness he gives Salvation he gives eternal Life to his People and all out of his love to them and he never recalls or reverses these Fruits and Effects of Love You have another full Text for this Jam. 1.17 Every good and every perfect Gift is from Above and cometh down from the Father of Lights with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning Mark haveing spoken of the perfect gifts of God presently he adds with whom is no variableness as if he should say as all good and saving Gifts come from God so he is unchangeable in all Indeed there are common Gifts and Gifts of a meer outward Calling which God out of a common love and bounty gives to men and these many times he recalls they not improving them so the Talent was taken from the slothfull Servant Mat. 25.28 and you know what Christ speaks immediately thereupon v. 29. Vnto every one that hath shall be given and he shall have abundance but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath Pray observe To him that hath shall be given that is who ever God hath bestowed Gifts and Talents upon and he improves them for God and his own Salvation he shall have more Gifts and more Talents he shall have an abundant encrease of these things But from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath Here seems to be a contradiction Him that hath not and yet what he has the meaning in short is this That when God bestowes such and such Gifts and Talents upon a person to be imployed for his Glory and he does not so imploy them he does not rightly use and improve them what God hath bestowed upon him shall be taken away But 't is otherwise with the saving Gifts and Fruits of God's special Love these God never recalls which is a sweet contemplation Soul Hath God bestowed some of his saving Gifts upon thee then they are thine for ever Has he given thee his Christ he will never repent of it never call him back again but sweet Jesus is thine for ever Has he given thee his Spirit He will never repent of it nor will he ever recall this blessed Gift from thee the holy good and glorious Spirit is thine for ever Has he given thee a new and spiritual Life Has he given thee Grace Pardon Righteousness Justification and the like He will never repent of it all these are thine for ever O how sweet is this to contemplate thou mayest sit down and say Christ is mine the Comforter is mine Life Peace Pardon Righteousness Salvation are all mine and that for ever 3. God is unchangeable in the real designs and workings of his Love I say real though not sensible God's Love to his People may be suspended and interrupted as to the sensible influences and manifestations thereof but yet even then 't is active and really at work for them however the outward dispensation may vary now smile then frown now lift up then cast down now fill then empty now form light then create darkness yet in all still he goes on in one even constant tenure of love towards them in all his love is at work for them and towards them and he intends and designs them as much love in one as in the other and accordingly first or last effects and accomplishes it and this is but agreeable to his Covenant with them and promise to them Jer. 32.40 I 'le make sayes he to his People an Everlasting Covenant with you never to turn away from you to do you good And All things shall work together for good to them that Love God Rom. 8.28 Whatever God does with us however he seems to carry it towards us yet stil he is doing us good and acting his love towards us We as an Holy Man speaks are apt to think that God shews us love when he doth some great thing for us but faith he God is alwayes acting out his Love towards us when he frowns as well as when he smiles when he withdraws as well as when he approaches to us In a word Soul whatever God does there is love in it and he designs thee love and good by it Does he smile give fill keep alive draw near to thee In all there is love his special love works and runs through all or does he frown take empty kill hide his face In all this there is love yea the the same special love of his works in all and runs through all God is acting out his Love to thee in the one as well as in the other O how sweet is this Death to the People of God comes from the same Fountain of Love in God's heart that Life does CHAP. IV. Which gives an account why or whence it is that God is Unchangeable THat God is unchangeable as also wherein you have already seen That which falls next under consideration is to shew whence it is that God is indeed thus unchangeable or if you will what Basis and Foundation the unchangeableness of God is built upon 't is built upon a three-fold Basis or Foundation 1. The infinite purity and simplicity of his Nature 2. The infinite excellency and Perfection of his Being 3. The infinite extent and compass of his Wisdom 1. The unchangeableness of God is built upon or springs from the infinite purity and simplicity oâ—â—â—s Nature God my Beloved is a most purâ—â—â—st He is a Spirit an Infinite Spirit Joh. â—â—â—4 and so an infinitely pure simple uncoâ—â—â—unded Being and therefore unchangeable God says a learned Man is a most simply and perfectly pure Act Deus est simplissimè perfectissimè purus actus omnis compositionis expers ideoque nec dissolvi nec corrumpi nec senescere potest Sca. free from all composition and therefore cannot possibly be dissolved corrupted or wax old and decay And Austin I remember founds God's unchangeableness upon this ground or Basis * Tu solus es Deus id quod neque in melius neque in deterius commutari potest quia solus simpliciter es Aug. Thou only art God sayes he and canst not be changed either into a better or worse Being than what thou art because thou art a most pure and simple Being Men and so other Creatures have their mixtures and compositions they are compounded and made up of different Elements Qualities
they be saved without a change But God can change in neither the change must be in them God being unchangeable they must change or die change or perish and there must be a double change pass upon them or they cannot be saved a change of their estate and a change of their image a change of their state in justification by the Blood of Christ and a change of their Image in Regeneration and Sanctification by the Spirit of Christ and without both these they are undone for ever 1. There must be a change of their state in justification through Christ's Blood if ever they be saved When a poor Soul is justified freely by Grace through the redemption that is in Jesus as the Apostle expresses it Rom. 3.24 when his sins are once pardoned and his person accepted with God by the imputation of Christs perfect righteousness to him through believing then is his state changed and this change of state sinners must pass under or God being unchangeable they cannot be saved they must through the Blood and Righteousness of Christ applyed and appropriated in a way of believing get their sins pardoned and their persons accepted they must get all Guilt removed and all Debts paid or they cannot possibly be saved this is frequently mentioned in Scripture Rom. 5.1 Being justified by Faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Again v. 9. Being justified through his Blood we shall be saved from wrath by him Again vers 17 18 19. If by one mans offence death reigned by one much more they which receive abundance of Grace and of the Gift of Righteousness shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous Still you see justification through the Blood and Righteousness of Christ is necessary unto Life and Salvation So Eph. 1.6 7. God hath made us accepted in the Beloved in whom we have redemption through his Blood even the forgiveness sins The like is held forth 1 Cor. 6.10 Rom. 8.30 Oh without pardon and justification through the Blood of Christ there is no Life no Salvation to be expected for sinners Unpardoned sin will surely damn and no pardon is to be had for sinners but in and by Christ and union with Christ through believing When once a Soul is pardoned and justified by Christ through believing then he is passed from Death to Life as you have it Job 5.24 but till then he remains in Death and under Death and Condemnation 2. There must be a change of their Image in Regeneration and Sanctification by the Spirit of Christ When a sinner is new born born of Water and of the Spirit as Christ's expression is when he is made a new Creature old things being past away with him and all things being become new as the Apostle phrases it 2 Cor. 5.17 when he is created in Christ Jesus and has a sound Work of Grace wrought and carried on in him by the Spirit of Christ then is his Image changed and such a change of Image must sinners pass under or they cannot be saved God never did and never will save an unrenewed Soul his unchangeableness will not admit of the salvation of such an one And indeed the Scripture is full in it Job 3.3 5. Verily verily saies Christ to Nicodemus except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God And again vers 5. Verily verily sayes he except a man be born of Water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God You see this is what Christ asserts and that over and over and with the highest asseverations imaginable Hence also Heaven is said to be the Inberitance of Saints Col. 1.12 and of sanctified Ones Acts 26.18 Hence the Corinthians are said to be sanctified as well as justified and so made capable of inheriting the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 6.10 11. and Tit. 3.5 God is said according to his mercy to save us by the washing of Regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost Thus there must a change of Image as well as State pass upon us or we cannot be saved and that because God is unchangeable Oh how should we all therefore look after this change Soul assure thy self 't is not thy civility and morality how much soever raised and refined 't is not thy external reformations 't is not thy conforming thy self to the outward Rules and Laws of Duty and the like that will save thee or avail thee any thing as to eternal Life unles thou comest under this double change of which thou hast heard Paul I am confident could compare with thee for morality external conformity to the Law when yet he was in a lost estate and afterwards coming to faith in Christ he sees cause to account all but as loss and dung Phil. 3. begin And he that came to Christ of whom we read in Mat. 19.16 17 18 19 20 21 22. had certainly attained to a great degree of morality and external conformity to the Law who yet was lacking and so far lacking as that for any thing we find he fell eternally short of Heaven and Salvation Oh there must a change a change of State and a change of Image pass upon us or our morality will leave us at last to perish Let us therefore mind this change Am I changed or no Changed I must be and that with a great change with a change of State and a change of person or I cannot be saved have I therefore any acquaintance with such a change O my Beloved let unchangeness in God ingage us all to look out after a change in us God will not change to save any of us all he is willing to change us that we may be saved but he himself will not change to save any of us 5. Again from what has been declared touching God's Unchangeableness we conclude and infer the infinite sweetness of his Love and the infinit bitterness of his Wrath and so the exceeding happiness of such as are interested in the one and the extream misery of such as fall under the other Sinners slight God's Love preferring Creature-love before it and they disregard his Wrath wilfully provoking it against themselves but if they will view the one and the other in the Glass of his Unchangeableness they will find that there is more sweetness in the one than that it should be slighted and more terribleness in the other than that it should be disregarded 1. From God's Unchangeableness we conclude and infer the infinite sweetness of his Love and so the happiness of them that are interested in it God has a people whom he loves and his Love to them is a free love a rich Love a peculiar Love a Love of singular eminency and perfection in all respects But that which indeed crowns all and puts an infinite sweetness into it is this
us The Creatures they are vain fading changeable things they are even vanity it self and changeableness it self but God is an eternal unchangeable Good He is the same for ever an unchangeable Fountain of all Goodness Sweetness Blessedness and Delight Now to live upon these changeable Creatures and not upon this unchangeable God this is a great evil and calls for great mourning and humbling at our hands 'T is a great speech which I have read in Austin wherein he bewails this very sin Bonus est qui fecit â—â—e ipse est bonum moum at in hoc peccabam quod non in ipso sed in creaturis ejus me atque caeteras voluptates quaerebam atque it a irruebam in dolores confusiones errores Aug. He that made me is Good sayes he and he is my Good but in this I sinned that not in Him but in his Creatures I sought my self and my other pleasures that is I took up my solace and happiness in the Creatures and not in God and what then and so sayes he Iran my self upon many dolors errors and confusion of Soul And may not many of us make the very same complaint He that made us is Good and he is our Good but in this we have sinned and do sin that we live upon the Creatures and not upon Him and so run our selves upon many dolors errors and confusion of Soul We live upon changeable Creatures more than upon an unchangeable God and hereby God is dishonoured his Spirit is grieved our Souls are bereaved of Good yea the best Good the Good of Grace and divine discoveries and communications hereby we eat Husks when we might eat Bread and we drink Swill when we might drink Wine in our Fathers House Hereby we are exposed to sorrows snares and death yea and hereby we are in danger of being excluded from God for ever Oh my Beloved let us be convinced of this evil and mourn over it for My own part when I reflect upon my self I find cause to fear that I have lived upon Creatures all my dayes upon changeable Creatures to the great if not total neglect of the unchangeable God and believe it 't is an hard thing to come off from the one to live so purely and intirely upon the other as we ought to do The Lord humble us for these things CHAP. VIII God has a revenue of honour due to him upon the account of his unchangeableness We should give him that honour Several short and plain Directions in order thereunto EVery Attribute or Perfection of God has a revenue of Honour and Glory due to it from the Creature and 't is a great part of both the Wisdom and Duty of the Creature to give to each Attribute and Perfection of his its proper Glory God is pleased to reveal and discover himself sometimes in one and sometimes in another Attribute of his sometimes he reveals and discovers himself in his Wisdom sometimes in his Power sometimes in his Holiness sometimes in his Faithfulness sometimes in his Justice sometimes in his Grace sometimes in his Greatness and sometimes as here in his Unchangeableness now I say a great part of a Christians skill and duty lies in this To give to each Attribute in which God reveals himself its proper Glory that is to say to honour God suitable to the present Revelation he makes of himself Now God being unchangeable our work and care should be to give him the Glory of his Unchangeableness which let me tell you is very dear to him But how may we give God the glory due to this Attribute of his Take only these few plain Directions as to that breifly 1. Would we give God the Glory of his Unchangeableness then let us get our hearts deeply affected with this Attribute of his being in an holy manner overawed therewith The Unchangeableness of God is an aweful Attribute an Attribute that chalenges much holy awe and dread from the Creature and when our hearts are indeed in an holy manner over-awed with the sense of this Attribute and we are filled with a reverential regard of God as he is an unchangeable God then do we give him the Glory thereof This seems to be pointed at Isa 41.4.5 in vers 4. God reveals himself in his Unchangeableness when he sayes I the Lord the First and the Last I am the First and the Last or as some render it I the same I the same and in vers 5. you have the Isles affected and over-awed with this Attribute of his the Isles saw it and feared Accordingly if we would indeed give God the glory of his Unchangeableness we should labour to get our hearts over-awed with the sense and apprehension thereof we should dwell much in the meditation of this Perfection of God our language should be Well how changeable soever we are yet God is unchangeable he is for ever the same unchangeable in Greatness unchangeable in Goodness unchangeable in Wisdom unchangeable in Power unchangeable in Holiness unchangeable in Faithfulness unchangeable in Fulness and Sufficiency he is every way an unchangeable God what he was he is what he is he will be for ever Thus we should sit down and contemplate this Attribute till we find our hearts affected and over-awed by it 2. Would we give God the glory of his Unchangeableness Then let us ascribe this Attribute to God and celebrate his Glory in it In Deut. 32.3 we are called upon to ascribe Greatness to God and as we should ascribe Greatness so we must ascribe Unchangeableness to God and with all admire and adore him therein if we mean to give him the glory of this Attribute of his This the Psalmist does once and again From everlasting sayes he to everlasting thou art God Psal 90.1 2. and again They shall perish sayes he speaking of the Heavens but thou Lord shalt endure they shall be changed but thou art the same and thy years shall have no end Psal 102.25 26 27. He celebrates the Glory of God in his Unchangeableness admiring and adoring him in this Perfection of his The Church does the same thing in Rev. 4.8 where we read of four Beasts which rest not day night saying Holy holy holy Lord God Almighty which was and is and is to come Pray mark first They celebrate the glory of God's Holiness saying Holy holy holy Secondly They celebrate the glory of God's Power and Sovereignty Lord God Almighty Thirdly They celebrate the glory of God's Unchangeableness and Eternity which was which is and which is to come q. d. thou art an holy God and we adore thee for thine Holiness thou art a Potent and Sovereign Lord and we adore thee for thy Power and Sovereignity thou art an Unchangeable God and we adore thee for thine Unchangeableness how fading soever the creatures are thou art still the same In like manner should we do we should ascribe Unchangeableness to God and be much in admiring and adoring him for and in
shall we not chuse him for our God and Portion shall we stick in the Creature still and reject the offer God makes of himself to us God forbid Oh let us now chuse this Unchangeable God and let him be our Rest our Portion our Happiness and our All for ever Let us reason matters a little in our own Souls the World that is fall of changes all my Creature-comforts and Contentments they are subject to change I am not sure of them one moment my own last and great change is near at hand I know not how soon 't will come upon me nothing but the Unchangeable God can make me happy and he freely offers himself in his Covenant to me and shall I yet notwithstanding all this neglect him shall I cleave to the Creature and not to this Unchangeable God by no means He not the fading oying Creature shall be my Portion and my Happiness for ever Or if all this does not do than once more 6. Consider how sad and dreadful a thing it will be to have the Unchangeableness of God against you This is a sure rule that unless we make God ours by chusing of him and closing in his Covenant with him as our God and Portion he and all his Attributes will at last be found against us against us to destroy us and make us miserable for ever if we make not God's Unchangeableness ours and ingage it not for us by chusing him as unchangeable his Unchangeableness will stand for ever ingaged against us and Oh how sad will that be 'T is sad to have any Attribute of God against a Man but to have his Unchangeableness against us how sad is that O for a Man to have God for his eternal Enemy God eternally and Unchangeably set against him this is enough to render him compleatly and unchangeably miserable Again therefore let me call upon you to look and live above changeable Creatures and to chuse rest in and live upon the Unchangeable God as your God and Portion look upon him in Christ in whom you will find him infinitely full of love and sweetness in whom you will find him Love it self God is Love 1 Joh. 4.8 and accordingly let your souls chuse him and cleave to him as yours for ever CHAP. X. We are to imitate God and labour for a likeness to him in his Unchangeableness by being more constant in that which is good this in some measure is attainable in this World 't is the perfection of the Soul where attained and brings him near the life of Heaven UNchangeableness being one of the glorious Excellencies and Perfections of God why should we not imitate him why should we not labour to be like unto him herein why should we not covet and press after an holy Unchangeableness in our Spirits and walkings with him Sure I am 't is what his Unchangeableness calls upon us for From the consideration of God's Immutability A Dei immutabilitate sequitur nos in his quae Dei sunt fide spe charitate debere esse immutabiles Schar says a learned Man it follows that we also should labour to be immutable in the things of God in Faith in Hope in Love and the like Look as the consideration of God's Holiness calls for Holiness in us and the consideration ration of his Goodness and Mercy calls for Goodness and Mercy in us and the consideration of his Patience calls for Patience in us and the like so the consideration of his Unchangeableness calls for an holy Unchangeableness at least somewhat like it an holy evenness steadines and fixedness of Spirit in our wayes walkings with him and before him it calls upon us to be more constant and uniform in all holy Obedience and in the exercise of all Grace True my Beloved there are some things so peculiarly appropriate to God that in respect of them there can be no formal likness in the Creature to Him and it would be impious boldness for any to aspire thereunto such are his Supream Dominion and Sovereign Authority his Absolute Independency and self-Sufficiency c. Now in these while men affect to imitate him they as one observes wickedly affront him But now some other perfections there are found in the blessed God not so incommunicable and appropriate to him but that his Creatures may be said to have some participation thereof with him and so far to be truly like him such are his Holiness his Justice his Mercy his Patience and the like wherein 't is our duty as well as our glory to imitate him and to labour for as great a resemblance and as full a conformity to him as possibly we can In Mat. 5.48 Christ commands us to be perfect as our Father which is in Heaven is perfect and Eph. 5.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Si Filii Dei sumus debere nos esse ejus imitatores Calv. in loc we are enjoyned to be followers of God as dear Children be yea followers of God the Word is be ye imitators of God be ye like to him bearing his Image upon you and if you are his Children indeed you will do so We should imitate God in all his imitable Excellencies and Perfections yea this observe moreover that where there cannot be a proper and formal likeness or similitude in us to God in respect of those peculiarly appropriate Excellencies that are in him yet even there should we labour for impressions affections dispositions and demeaners of Soul towards him sutable and answerable to those Excellencies and Perfections of his As for instance He being absolutely Supream there ought to be in us an humble subjection and self-resignation of Soul disposing us to constant obedience to him so he being simply and absolutely independent and self-sufficient there ought to be in us a self-emptiness and nothingness living wholly and entirely out of our selves upon him as such a God fetching all in from his Fountain-fulness Thus where we are not capable of any formal likeness to God we should yet study his Perfections and labour for dispositions of Spirit and demeanors of Soul sutable there unto But where we are capable of any likness to him there we should covet it and press after it God therefore being Unchangeable we should labour for an holy Unchangeableness in our Spirits and Walkings before him we should imitate him and conform to him herein so far as we are capable of so doing we should labour for more fixedness more evenness more constancy and uniformity in all Grace and Holiness in all Heavenliness and Obedience in all acts of Duty and walking with God 't is what in a good measure may be attained unto even here in this World 'T is possible my Beloved for these roving inconstant unstable Souls of ours to be in some good measure brought up to an holy evenness and Unchangeableness in the wayes and things of God for this is what some of the Saints have attained unto in Gen. 5.22 't is said of
much as ever he did he is as just now as ever he was and so as ready and propense to take vengeance as ever he is as jealous now as jealous for his Name Worship Gospel and People as ever he was and so will as little bear with the opposers and abusers of them he is as wise and powerful now as ever and so as able to deal with his Enemies 'T is a great Scripture that Job 9.4 He is wise in heart and mighty in strength Who ever hardened himself against him and prospered O never any yet did and never any shall No but Psal 68.21 He will wound the head of his Enemies and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses Oh that all the Enemies of God and his People and all rebellious impenitent ones would lay this to heart 4. God being Unchangeable the purposes and promises of his Grace to his Church and People shall certainly be accomplisht God's Heart my Beloved has been full of counsels and purposes of Love towards his People from all eternity and he has also made many blessed Promises to them Promises that are exceeding great and pretious 2 Pet. 1.4 because full of exceeding great and pretious things Greatness and pretiousness do not often meet together many things are great but then they are not pretious and many things are pretious but then they are not great but in the promises of God to his Church and People greatness and pretiousness do meet Now look what-ever purposes God has had in his Heart and whatever promises he has made in this Word to his People they shall all be accomplisht because he is an Unchangeable God he is the same now that he was when he took up those purposes and made those promises and therefore will assuredly make them all good in the due season and so much he tells us Isa 46.9 10 11. I am God sayes he and there is none else I am God and there is none like me declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things that are not yet done saying My Counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure I have spoken and I 'le bring it to pass I have purposed it I also will do it Mark first he asserts his Godhead and Unchangeableness and then he tells you all his pleasure shall stand and be accomplisht God being Unchangeable First None can turn him or make him alter his mind Job 23.13 14. He is in one mind and who can turn him and what his Soul desiveth even that he doth for he performeth the thing that is appointed for me c. The wisest and most resolved among men may possibly be wrought upon and brought over from what they purposed but 't is not so with God Secondly None can hinder him from or in his making good his purposes and promises Isa 43.13 Before the day was I am he and there is none that can deliver out of my hand I will work and who shall let it Poor Soul whoever thou art that art one of the Lord's People look back to the eternal counsels and purposes of his Love towards thee and thou wilt find them a great Deep a Fountain of infinite Sweetness in them thou wilt see heaps of Love and treasures of Grace and then turn thine eye to the promises of his Covenant which thou wilt find unexpressibly sweet and exactly suitable to thy condition to all thy wants and then know assuredly that the whole both of the one and the other shall be accomplisht to thee in due season 'T is true indeed his Counsels may seem to us to be frustrated and his Promises may for a time be deferred and delayed in so much that our hasty unbelieving hearts may be ready to conclude that they will never be accomplisht saying with the Psalmist Does his Promise fail for evermore Psal 77.8 But Soul wait a while and they shall all be made good to a tittle Has he promised to pardon thee to cleanse thee to give thee a new Heart and a new Spirit to write his Law in thine Heart Has he promised to save thee and lodg thee at last in his own Bosom then know it shall all be accomplisht Oh how sweet is this Oh to fasten upon a Promise and see it sure to be made good as in God's Unchangeableness we may there we may see all as sure as if 't were already accomplisht Oh what strong consolation does this afford what unexpressible sweetness will this give unto a Soul 5. God being Unchangeable the Saints are unchangeably happy and have a blessed Assylum to flee unto under all those changes and emergencies that may at any time come upon them Pray mark my Beloved God is the Saints God and Portion and in him does their happiness lye He therefore being Unchangeable they have an Unchangeable Happiness they are an happy People and they will be unchangeably so The Counsel of the Lord standeth for ever the Thoughts of his Heart to all Generations and what then Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord and the People whom he hath chosen for his own Inheritance Psal 33.11 12. The Saints as one well observes are in all respects a blessed People they are blessed in the pardon of their sins Blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven Psal 32.1 They are blessed in regard of the disposition of their Souls Blessed are the poor in Spirit blessed are the Meek blessed are they that hunger and thirst after Righteousness Mat. 5.3 4 6. They are blessed in their Obedience and walking with God Blessed are the undefiled in the way Psal 119.1 They are blessed in their hopes and expectations Blessed are they that wait for God Isa 30.18 Thus they are every way and in all respects a blessed People but here lies the perfection and top-glory of their blessedness and what indeed comprehends all the rest in it namely that the Unchangeable God is their God and Portion Happy is the People whose God is the Lord Psal 144.15 Oh this speaks them to be infinitely and unchangeably happy and accordingly they should live upon him and that under all their streights and difficulties Oh Sirs what is there that this will not support and comfort you under Do your Friends and Comforts here change however God your best Friend and Comfort changes not and that is enough Do times and seasons change and that for the worse from sun-shine to storms Well however Soul thy God changes not and that is enough to sweeten all Dost thou thy self change changes and war are upon thee and which is the worst of it thy Spirit changes it will not keep even with God one hour well still thy God changes not and that is enough Do new temptations arise and oldcorruptions break out a new Does guilt revive and recur upon thee be it so yet thy God is Unchangeable and so can and will relieve and succour thee now as well as
and I am satisfied with what he does Thus the Soul gets right apprehensions of the Will and Providence of God concerning him and hereupon is sweetly satisfied and sits down at Rest in God in the midst of all he does to him or with him True God may deal somewhat severely with him he may break him with breach upon breach as he did Job he may cause all his Waves and his Billows to pass over him as he dealt with David but still the Soul looks upon all to be Holy Just and Good and no other than what God in his Sovereignty may do and so he Rests satisfied therewith he Rests content in God and his Will under all there are no disquietments or perplexities of Spirit no distractions or discomposures of Soul no frettings no tumults no murmurings no risings of heart against God or his Will but there is a sweet calm serenity and Rest in the Soul he is in a sedate serene posture in his God and this Rest in God the Psalmist speaks of Psal 37.7 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him fret not thy self because of him that prospereth in the way Resting in God is here opposed to fretting and so must note a quiet sedate well-composed Spirit in God 2. 'T is for a Soul to sit down satisfied with what God is as all and so it lies in a full and ample satisfaction in and with the Divine presence and fulness 'T is for a Soul to take up in and with the blessed God as his only and all-sufficient Portion and happiness for ever God my Beloved is an All-sufficient God he asserts his own All-sufficiency Gen. 17.1 I am God all-sufficient saies he to Abraham q. d. I am infinitely sufficient for my self and I am infinitely sufficient for thee and all my People to make the one and the other happy for ever God is an inexhaustible Fountain of Light Life Love Blessedness Perfection and Glory there is all good in God and he that has God has all To him that overcometh will I give to inherit all things And how so I will be his God Rev. 21.7 He has all good all happiness in him and in him we may find all as in its Fountain-fulness and purity Now the Soul seeing God to be such a God and withal looking upon him as his God in Covenant sits down satisfied with him alone saying I have enough I have all and so is at Rest in him whether he has much or little any thing or nothing of this worlds good whether the streams run high or low with him yet here is a a Fountain of infinite sweetness and blessedness and he drinks there and satisfies himself there he sees the Fountain is so full that he needs not the streams to make him happy and accordingly sits down satisfied therewith and is at Rest Thus David's Soul was at Rest in God Ps l. 16.5 6. the Lord is the portion of mine Inheritance and of my Cup Well and what then Why he sits down at Rest in him the lines saies he are fallen to me in pleasant places yea I have a goodly heritage I have enough enough for delight and enough for satisfaction I have as much as my Soul can wish or desire so Psal 17.15 As for me I will behold thy Face in Righteousness I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness in the verse immediately preceding he had spoken of some whose portion and happiness is in this World well and pray David where and in what is your Portion your happiness My Portion is in God and my Happiness is in God saies he in the sight of God and in the likeness of God let others take up their Rest Portion and Happiness where and in what they will God is my Rest my Portion my Happiness my All for ever as for me I will behold c. Again the Lord lives saies he and blessed be my Rock Psal 18.46 q. d. such and such Comforts are dead and gone they are not as Jacob spake of his sons well but however God lives still I have a living God and he is a living Happiness and that 's enough So 2 Sam. 23.5 Although my House be not so with God yet he hath made with me an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure and this is all my Salvation and all my desire q. d. God is my God by Covenant and here is my happiness even all that my Soul can wish and accordingly he is at Rest in his God And Psal 73.25 26. Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon Earth that I desire in comparison of thee my heart and my flesh faileth but God is the Rock of my heart and my Portion for ever How dark soever things lookt with him yet he looking to his God was satisfied and at Rest in him and with him as infinitely enough for him The Prophet Habakkuk resolved upon the same course Hab. 3.17 18. Although the Fig-tree shall not blossom neither shall Fruit be in the Vines the labour of the Olive shall fail c. yet will I rejoice in the Lord I will joy in the God of my Salvation He supposes the worst that could come and yet still resolves to be at Rest in God and that God alone shall be enough for him when all other things fail Thus the holy Soul sits down satissied with God alone setting God and an interest in God over and against all his Wants Losses Burthens Difficulties Temptations as one infinitely able to relieve and satisfie him under all his language to God is Lord let others take the Word and the good things thereof give me thy Self and I have enough run out to broken Cisterns who will let me have a free recourse unto the Fountain and I am satisfied 't is true the Tyde of Creature-comforts runs low with me and on the other hand the Waves and Surges of Affliction rise high but God is all-sufficient and I have enough in him he sees a little of that glorious Fullness Sweetness and Blessedness that is in God and hereupon sings an holy Requiem unto himself saying Soul take thine ease thou hast Goods Light Life Love Blessedness Salvation enough laid up for thee for many dayes yea for the dayes of Eternity take thine ease sit down satisfied in and with thy God alone had'st thou ten thousand Worlds without him thou had'st nothing but in him thou hast all Rest thou therefore in him Thus you see what 't is for a Soul to be at Rest in God and when he may be said to be at Rest in him CHAP. III. The great Obligations the Saints are under thus to live at Rest in God Several of these Obligations insisted on as the first evidence of the Truth of our Proposition HAving seen what 't is for a Soul to be at Rest in God our next work shall be to shew you what Obligations the Saints are under thus to live at Rest in him and that
as an undenyable evidence of the truth of our Position the Saints are under mighty Obligations thus to be at Rest in God I shall insist only on four which are full of weight and I beg they may accordingly affect and influence us 1. The first Obligation the Saints are under to live at Rest in God is this The blessed God hath freely made over himself in his Covenant to them and that in all his glorious Riches and Fulness that in him their Souls might be at Rest He hath given himself to them as their Rest and Portion and is not this a mighty Obligation in the case God my Beloved in the Covenant of his Love hath freely given and made over himself to his People in all his Riches and Fulness in all his Excellencies and Perfections to be used possest and injoyed by them as an All-sufficient Rest Portion and Happiness for ever This is evident in the very tenour of the Covenant and where-ever you have a formal Mention or Record of the Covenant in Scripture this is put in I will be your God You have three great and solemn mentions of the Covenant in Scripture and in all of them this is in one is Gen. 17.7 another is Jer. 31.33 34. and the third is Heb. 8.10 11 12. In these places you have the most express Records of the Covenant God's Covenant with his People that are in all the Scripture and in all there is this I will be your God In the two later places we have other Promises Promises of Pardon cleansing Teaching and the like but in that to Abraham in Genesis we have only this I 'le be thy God for indeed this comprehends all the rest and all the other Promises that are contained in the Covenant of God are but branches growing out of this Root and do but open this to us this as one speaks is Caput Faederis the Head or Top of the Covenant Anima Faederis as another the Soul of the Covenant Substantia Foederis as another the Life and Substance of the Covenant And indeed when God saies to a Soul I 'le be thy God he does therein say I 'le Pardon thee I 'le cleanse thee I 'le teach thee I 'le save thee I 'le make thee happy for ever For God to be our God is for God to be and communicate all good to us that a God can communicate and Creatures receive 't is for God to love us to bless us to care for us to make us happy for ever 't is for God to give us eternal Life to be a Friend a Father an Husband and a Saviour to us 'T is as Luther somewhere expounds it for God to make over himself in all his Excellencies Perfections and Glory his Wisdom Power Goodness Faithfulness All-sufficiency Vnchangeableness and Eternity to his People as their Rest and Happiness to be possest and injoyed by them for their good for ever In a word for God to say to a poor Creature I will be thy God is as much as if he should say look whatever I am that I will be to thee and look whatever I can do that I will do for thee so far as thou art capable of the one or thee other to make the happy for ever I am a Fountain of Life and such will I be to thee I am a God of Peace and Pardon and such will I be to thee I am a God of Grace and Love yea I am a God that is Love it self and such I will be to thee I am the Father of Mercies and the God of all Grace and such will I be to thee I 'le beget new Mercies for thee every day I am a God of Comfort yea of all Comfort and such will I be to thee I am an Unchangeable Eternal All-sufficient God and such will I be to thee I can pardon guilty Souls break the hardest Hearts inlighten the darkest Minds cleanse the impurest Spirits I can make unbelieving Hearts believing I can support drooping Spirits all this I 'le do for thee I can carry thee through Life and Death and bring thee safe to Heaven and there communicate my self to thee for ever to the filling of thy Soul with delight and satisfaction and this I will do for thee and surely happy is the Soul that has thus the Lord for his God and well may he sit down satisfied with him and at Rest in him Now my Beloved hath God made over himself in his Covenant to his People as their Rest that in him they might find Rest and should they not be at Rest in him O sirs Is not God enough for us has he laid himself under bonds to us to be a God to us and to do like a God for us and should we not Rest in him and satisfie our selves with him alone Surely we should 2. The Second Obligation the Saints are under to live at in God is this They have solemnly voucht and chosen and often do vouch and chuse God to be their Rest and Happiness As God has freely made over himself in his Covenant to them so they have solemnly vouch't and chosen him and often do solemnly vouch and chuse him to be their Rest and Happiness When the Saints first enter into Covenant with God then do they solemnly chuse vouch him â—o be their God and Portion their rest and happiness their language to God then is Lord thou shall be my Lord my Rest my Portion my Happiness my all for ever I will have none in Heaven or on Earth but thy self Thus David had chosen God and he puts his Soul in mind of it Psal 16.2 O my Soul sayes he thou hast said unto God thou art my Lord thou hast chosen God for thy God thy Portion thy Happiness and upon this account he calls his Soul to Rest in God and in him he Rests vers 5.6 And as at their first entring into Covenant with God so also often afterwards upon several occasions do they chuse and vouch God for their Rest Portion and Happiness for ever they make new choices of God and do lay new claimes to him as theirs in their procedure of their walking with him Sometimes upon occasion of outward troubles and afflictions difficulties and distresses they make a new choice of God and vouch him afresh for their Rest and Happiness So David Psal 31.14 I trusted in thee O Lord I said thou art my God here he makes a new choice of God and layes a new claim to him as his and when or upon what occasion was this When he was surrounded with outward troubles as appears v. 10.11 12 13. My life is spent with grief and my years with sighing I was a reproach among all mine Enemies I am forgotten as a dead man out of minds I have heard the slander of many fear was on every side they devised to take away my life and being thus distrest he flees to God and chuses him afresh and layes a fresh claim
hoped for But why is it called Hope For this among other Reasons because 't is the great Object of the Saints Hopes 't is what they hope and look and long for And as they hope to so assuredly they shall live at Rest in God and with God for ever 't is what remains to them and they shall in due time attain unto it Hence 't is said to be laid up for them in Heaven in that prequoted place Col. 1.5 which as Calvin also observes notes the certainty of it and of their injoying of it 't is what they cannot miss of Quum dieit spem nobis repositam esse in Caelo significat perinde certos debere esse fideles de promissione aeternae foelicitatis c. Calv. when the Apostle speaks of an Hope laid up in Heaven for us he signifies to us that the Saints ought therefore to Rest sure and certain of the Promise of eternal Life as if they had a treasure already bid and laid up in a most safe place Now do the Saints hope to and accordingly shall they live at Rest in God and with God for ever and should they not be at Rest in God here Surely this is a mighty Obligation upon them to be alwaies at Rest in him Thus you have seen some of those Obligations the Saints lie under to live at Rest in God which though but some of them yet are sufficient to evince the truth of our Position namely that they should alwaies be at Rest in him CHAP. IV. The Truth asserted further evidenced from the excellency of this frame of Soul the worth and excellency whereof is discovered in several particulars AS the Saints are under many great and weighty Obligations to be alwaies at Rest in God so to be alwaies at Rest in God is a choice and an excellent frame and posture of Soul for the Saints to live in 't is indeed the best and most becoming frame of Soul they can possibly be found in this World which may give further evidence to our Assertion Now I shall shew you a little of the worth and excellency of this frame and posture of Soul in a few Sripture-Propositions about it 1. To be at Rest in God is a very gracious frame and posture of Soul a frame and posture of Soul which carries much of the life and power of Grace and Godliness in it and O what an excellent frame and posture must this then be the more of the life and power of Grace and Godliness any frame or posture of Soul carries in it the more excellent it is now there is no frame or posture of Soul that I know of which carryes-more of the life and power of Grace and Godliness in it than this of being at Rest in God does Herein indeed does the main if not the whole of the life and power of Grace and Godliness consist for pray what is Grace and Godliness and wherein doth it consist but in an holy subjection to and acquiescence in the Blesed God To bow and submit to God as our Lord and to chuse and acquiesce in God as our Happiness this is Grace this is Godliness both which I take to be comprehended in Psal 6.2 where David puts his Soul in mind that he had both given up himself to God and also chosen him for his Happiness saying O my Soul thou hast said unto the Lord thou art my Lord my Ruler my Happiness This my Beloved is Grace or Godliness and the more of this there is found in us the more gracious we are and what is this but to be at Rest in God as we have opened it A restless and unquiet Spirit argues much of the power of fin and shews that Grace has gotten but little if any dominion in the Soul and therefore 't is made both the Character and the Judgement of wicked men that they cannot Rest The wicked saith the prophet are like the troubled Sea when it cannot Rest whose Waters cast up mire and dirt there is no peace to the wicked Isa 57.20 21. 'T is meant of their own inward unquietness anrestlessness of Spirit Calvin hereby understands perpetuas animae exagitationes atque perturbationes perpetual tossings and perturbations of mind and he speaks I remember thus This Similitude of a Sea Elegans est ista maris similitudo aptissima ad explicandam inquietudinem impiorum nam in seipso turbaturmare tametsi a vento non impellitur c. eodem modo impii turbantur intestino malo quod in ipsorum animis defixum est is an elegant Similitude and most apt to set forth the inquietude of wicked men for saies he the Sea is troubled in it self though it be not driven by Winds nor tossed with Storms and Tempests but it s own Waves fight own with another and break one another in like manner wicked men are troubled with intestine evil which is fixt and rooted in their own minds Thus a restless unquiet Spirit argues much of the power of sin in the Soul and shews that Grace has gotten but little if any Dominion there So on the other hand a Spirit at Rest in God must carry much of the life and power of Grace and Godliness in it This indeed is a great part of the Kingdom of God for the Kingdom of God the Apostle tells us consists not in Meats and Drinks but in Righteousness in Peace and in the Joys of the holy Ghost Rom. 14.17 In Peace that is as a learned Man expounds it in an holy Rest and quiet of Soul in God 2. To be at Rest in God is a ready frame and posture of Soul a frame and posture of Soul which renders a man ready and prepared for every Call of God to him and must not that be an excellent frame God my Beloved may call us to what he pleases to what services he pleases and to what conditions he pleases he may call us to what services he pleases besides the general duties of Christianity which are incumbent upon all he may call us to what special work and services he pleases he may call us to do and he may call us to suffer and 't is a blessed thing to be fitted and prepared for the Call of God and who more so than he that lives at Rest in him Alas to such an one no Work no Duty no Service is unseasonable such an one is fit to Pray and fit to Praise fit to Hear and fit to Meditate fit to search his own Heart and fit to enquire into the Counsels of God he is fit to do and fit to suffer the Will of God My heart is fixed O God my heart is fixed or as you have it the margin of some of your Bibles my heart is prepared O God my heart is prepared Psal 57.7 If you look back upon the first verse you will find his Soul sweetly at Rest in God For saies he O God my Soul trusteth in thee in the shadow of thy wings
19.11 12. The good Prophet had been off his Rest in God he had been in a passion and under great discomposure of Spirit as you may see vers 4 and now God gives him this vision of the Wind the Earth-quake and the Fire to let him see that that was not the way to Communion with him Admonetur Eiias ut sibi ab ira caveat ad quam natura suapte ferebatur Groti in loc and so to caution him against passion and all discom posure of Spirit which he was naturally very prone unto O God loves to dwell in and meet with a sedate serene composed Spirit a Spirit composed and at Rest in himself and those that are so are the Souls who usually have the clearest sights the sweetest tasts and the fullest communications of love from him of all others those are they who have the most close and constant communion with him who are most in his Bosom and the imbraces of his everlasting arms who have most of his Spirit his Presence his Consolations given to them Acquaint thy self with God and be at peace so shall good come unto thee Sedatiore animo esto Beza in locum Job 22.21 be at peace Animum quietum habe nec per impatientiam eum turbes Scult to wit in thine own Spirit be of a sedate mind do not rave do not rage do not distemper and discompose thy self as thou hast done Acquiesce in castigationibus Dei satis repugnasti satis proterveque reluctat us es ergo mitesce c. but be quiet and sedate in thine own Soul Well but what shall I gain by it Why Thereby good shall come unto thee And what Good Not only outward temporal Good but also Spiritual Good the Good of Grace the Good of divine Consolations the Good of Communion with God and the special manifestations of his Love O the more a Man's Soul is at Rest in God the more full will his Comforts and the more intimate will his Communion with God be As for a restless disturbed Spirit 't is so like the Devil as by and by you will hear that God cannot tell how to be much with it nor yet to do much in a way of special Grace and Spiritual Comfort for it Christians complain many times that they have but little Communion with God but little experience of his Love and presence with them and one reason among others why they have cause so to complain is because they are no more at Rest in God were they more at Rest in him he would Rest more in his Love his Grace his Presence with and upon them 5. To live at Rest in God is a God-like Frame and Posture of Soul which greatly resembles God and is suitable to Him and which brings us up into the very Life and Blessedness of God himself and what a choice frame must it then needs be the more likeness and resemblance any thing carries in it to God and the more any thing brings us into the Life and Blessedness of God the more excellent it is now there is nothing does more resemble God or is more suitable to him nothing that brings us more up into the life and likeness of God than to be thus at Rest in him in our own Souls This indeed is the very Life and Perfection of God the posture if I may so speak which God himself lives in for he is ever at Rest in himself he is infinitely well-pleased with what he himself does and Rests infinitely satisfied with his own Fulness and Excellencies God is his own Rest his own Centre God is infinitely delighted with his own Will and infinitely satisfied with his own Fulness and so is at Rest in himself which indeed is his blessedness Accordingly the more our Souls are at Rest in him the more do we resemble him and are brought into his Life and his Blessedness A restless unquiet Spirit does above all things resemble the Devil and is suitable to the Devil 't is indeed the very life image and spirit of the Devil for the Devil is a restless unquiet Spirit always acting in opposition to God and always fretting at the Dispensations of God He seeks Rest but finds none Mat. 12.43 As wicked ones cannot Rest so neither can the wicked one Rest but is perpetually disturbed Now as a restless unquiet Spirit resembles the Devil and is the very Life and Image of the Devil so to be at Rest in God is what resembles God and is the very Life of God in the Soul 't is what brings us up in t the Divine Life the Divine Blessedness and O what an excellent frame must this be 6. To live at Rest in God is a God-honouring frame and posture of Soul a frame of Soul that does much honour God and give Glory to Him and therefore must have much worth and excellency in it Of all Frames as well as Actions that is the best that does honour and glorifie God most and what frame of Soul does more honour and glorifie God than this of being at Rest in him This gives to God the glory of his Sovereignty and the glory of his Sufficiency two of the brightest Jewels in the Crown of Heaven it owns and acknowledges God to be both best and greatest the highest Lord and the chiefest Good and so it glorisies God as God it sets him up as God in the Soul and gives him the honour due unto his Name as such Restless disturbed unquiet Spirits do darken and obscure the Glory of God they are Censores Divinitatis as one of the Ancients speakes of them they censure the Blessed God and do in effect deny and disown the Sovereignty of God the Wisdom of God the Goodness the Faithfulness of God the Fulness Sufficiency and Perfection of the Holy One they do in effect say that God's Will is not a Good a Wise and an Holy Will that there is not enough in God to satisfie Souls and make them happy and O what an affront dishonour is this to the Majesty of Heaven But now the Soul that is indeed at Rest in God he gives him the Glory of all he sets the Crown where it ought to be and Oh how much does this speak out the worth and excellency of this frame of Soul 7. To live at Rest in God is an honoured and highly esteemed Frame and Posture of Soul and that by God himself a frame and posture of Soul which God has a great honour for and puts a great value upon which also speaks the excellency of it there is scarce any frame of Soul that God more values honours and delights in than this of an Holy Rest in Himself this is in the sight of God of great price Put on the Ornament of a meek and quiet Spirit which in the sight of God is of great price 1 Pet. 3.4 In the sight of men at least unholy and unspiritual Men 't is of little price of no price they
despise and contemn it but God has other thoughts and other values of it he highly esteems and honours it he looks on it as one of the choicest Ornaments as one of the highest excellencies of any Soul Now certainly that is best which God values and honours most As that which honours God most so that which God most honours must have most of true worth and excellency in it A restless unquiet Spirit on the one hand or a Spirit at Rest in the Creature on the other hand is what God abhors and despises but a Spirit at Rest in himself he highly values 8. To live at Rest in God is a heavenly Frame and Posture of Soul a frame and posture of Soul which carries much of Heaven in it 't is indeed in a great measure the Life of Heaven here on Earth and what then more excellent than this Pray my Beloved what is Heaven and the Life of Heaven the Life which the Saints and Angels live in Heaven Heaven is a state of Rest Heb. 4.9 and what is that Rest True there is an external Rest there is a Rest from Labour and Trouble from Conflict and Temptation but the main of it is the inward Rest of the Soul that Rest and Complacency which the Soul injoys in God and shall injoy in him and with him for ever there the Soul is filled with God he is perfectly swallowed up in the Divine Will being thorowly conformed thereunto and he has the perfect Vision and Frnition of the Divine Glory and Fulness seeing him as he is 1 Joh. 3.2 And in both these he is filled with even an infinite content and satisfaction of Heart this is the True Rest of Heaven and what is the Life which the Saints and Angels live there 'T is a Life of Perfect Rest and Solace in God such Rest and Solace in God as that they never think of going out to any thing else whatever God is all in all to them 1 Cor. 15.28 Thus to be at Rest in God is an heavenly frame and posture of Soul and O what an excellent frame must this be Well then lay all these eight Things together and you shall find an incomparable Worth and Excellency in it which is a further evidence of the Saints Duty and Interest to live therein CHAP. V. The Truth particularly improved The Saints called upon to live thus at Rest in God Arguments urged to induce them so to do WHat it is for the Soul to be at Rest in God what Obligations the Saints are under to live at Rest in him the excellency of this frame and posture of Spirit you have seen laid open before you Now what shall we say to these things O that all who profess themselves to be Saints or would be accounted so would give all diligence always to live thus at Rest in God Possibly some of us are quite off our Centre our Souls are full of stormes and tempests tossings and tumblings they are not only cast down but also disquieted within us as holy David's sometimes was Psal 42.11 Others of us perhaps are at Rest but 't is a sinful Rest at Rest in the Creature and not in God at Rest in carnal sensible things we are of those who are at ease in Zion yea perhaps we are even singing that mad Requiem to our Souls that that fool sometimes did Luk. 12.19 Soul take thine ease eat drink and be merry thou hast Goods laid up for thee for many years But now this truth and the things declared about it do call upon the one and the other of us to return to God as our Rest and to centre purely and entirely in him alone This Truth calls off the one from all those unquiet Motions and Agitations that are within us from all our tossings and tumblings to an holy Calm and Quiet of heart in God and it calls off the other from all our false Rests and Reposes to an holy Rest and Repose in God and Oh that both the one and the other would hear and obey this Call taking up our Rest in God alone O my Beloved are you under such obligations to live at Rest in God as you are and yet will you not live at Rest in him On the other hand Is the frame and posture of Soul so excellent and will you neglect it and not study to be found alwayes therein Let me recapitulate a little particularly Has God freely made over himself in all his Fulness and Riches in his Covenant to you as your Rest and Portion for ever and yet will you not live at Rest in him Have you chosen God and voucht him for your God and Portion and yet will you not live at Rest in him Is God so much as you have heard at Rest in you and yet will you not live at Rest in him Shall you and do you hope to live at Rest in God and with God for ever in Heaven and yet will you not live at Rest in him here O me thinks these things should constrain you On the other hand should not the excellency of the frame alure you would you live forth much of the life and power of Grace then live at Rest in God Would you be ready for every call of God to you whether to do or to suffer to live or to die then live at Rest in God Would you be fenced and fortified against Temptation then live at Rest in God Would you injoy much Spiritual Comfort and Communion with God then live at Rest in God Would you be like God Would you resemble God and grow up into his Life and Blessedness then live at Rest in God Would you honour God you have greatly dishonoured him Would you now honour him then live at Rest in him Would you live in Heaven and begin the Life of Heaven here on Earth then live at Rest in God O why should we think of any other Rest but God or why should we live in any other posture of Soul but this of a Rest in him is there any so sweet so amiable so becoming as this Oh let us labour as near as possible alwayes to be found in this posture Blessed be God that we may Rest in him Two things we should bless God for one is that there is a Rest remaining for us in the other World whether we find Rest here or no yet there is a Rest to come a blessed Rest Heb. 4.9 The other is that there is a Rest in God for us and that we may enter into and live in that Rest even here when there is no Rest to be had in this Worlds Injoyments no Rest in or from the Creature yet then there is a Rest to be had in God and from God We that have believed do enter into Rest Heb. 4.3 there is a Rest in God in the Will the Presence the Love the Fulness of God which we do or may enter into even here in this World and blessed be God for this Rest
of these things will be who can tell In Jer. 16.5 we read that God had taken away his Peace from that People I have taken away my Peace from this People saith the Lord and truly now he seemes to have taken away his Peace from the World I 'le leave only two Scriptures with you one out of the Old and the other out of the New-Testament both which I am apt to think may have a great aspect to the present dayes and may in a great measure receive their accomplishment in them One is Zeph. 3.8 Wait ye upon me saith the Lord untill the day that I arise up to the prey for my determination is to gather the Nations that I may assemble the Kingdoms to pour out upon them mine indignation even all my fierce anger for all the Earth shall be devoured with the fire of jealousy The other is that Luk. 21.25 26. There shall be signs in the Sun and in the Moon and in the Stars and these we have had and upon the Earth distress of Nations with perplexity the Sea and the Waves roaring mens hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are coming on the Earth for the powers of Heaven shall be shaken I say nothing only I fear I fear as we have seen some of these things accomplisht so there will be a more full accomplishment of them and that ere the present generation passes away Doubtless great stormes are a coming and happy they that have an Ark to hide themselves in God has now great Works to do he has the Kingdom of Antichrist utterly to destroy the Kingdom of his Son Christ to set up in its Lustre and Glory the final Redemption of his People to work out his ancient Ones to call in and his suffering Name Attributes and Glory fully to right and vindicate and these things are not like to be brought about without great Stormes Convulsions and Concussions in the World Well and what is the language of all this to us Verily this Souls retire into God take up your Rest in him make him your All both here and in eternity and Oh that we would do so Then should we Rest in the day of trouble When Noah fore-saw the Deluge a coming he prepared him an ark to the saving of both himself and Family Heb. 11.7 Surely he s blind indeed that does not see a Deluge coming upon the World a Deluge of outward Troubles and Calamities O why do we not enark in God by making him our Rest this God invites his People unto Isa 26.20 Come my People enter thou into thy Chambers and shut thy Doors about thee hide thy self as it were for a little moment until theindignation be overpast for behold the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the Inhabitants of the Earth for their iniquity What is it for God's People to enter into their Chambers hide themselves but to retire more into him live at Rest and in Communion with him to put themselves under his protection and the like 't is for them to retire from the World and worldly Concernes and to make him all living and resting wholly in him and upon him O let this viz. the restlesness of the World you live in draw your Souls into an holy rest in God 5. Consider what enemies you are to your own Souls by not living at Rest in God He that sinneth 't is said wrongeth his own Soul he that lives not at Rest in God greatly sinneth and thereby greatly wrongeth his own Soul On the one hand you hereby deprive your Souls of much Good and on the other hand you expose your Souls to much Evil. 1. Hereby you deprive your Souls of much Good yea of much of the best Good Solomon found this in experience and tells us that pursuing Rest and Happiness in the Creature and not in God he did thereby bereave his Soul of Good Eccles 4.8 and what Good Verily the best Good the Good of Grace of Holiness of Communion with God of the Comforts of his Spirit and the like and Oh how much of this Good do you bereave your Souls of dayly This is that which hath bereaved you of much Grace much Love much Spiritual Comfort many Imbraces in the Armes and Bosome of Christ's Love This namely our pursueing Rest from the Creature and not living at Rest in God is that which hath made us so lean so dead so dry so barren in our Spirits as we are O my Beloved while we have been off our Rest in God and have taken up in other things what have we been doing but feeding upon Husks and Swill when we might have eaten Bread and drunk Wine in the Fathers Kingdom what have we been doing but following after lying vanities to the forsaking of our own mercies Oh did you know how sweet a Life it is to be at Rest in God you would then know what Good you have bereaved your Souls of by not living at Rest in him 2. Hereby you expose your Souls to much evil I remember a saying of Austin * In hoc peccabam quod non in Deo sed in creaturis ejus me atque caeteras voluptates quaerebam atque ita irruebam in dolores confusiones errores animae Aug. In this I sinned says he that I sought my Happiness not in God but in his Creatures and so I rusht upon all manner of Dolours Confusions and Errors of Soul and have not we done So O the wounds the Confusions the Errors of Soul which we have exposed our selves unto while we have been off our Rest in God! Sin and Satan have made great waste and desolation upon our Spirits and 't is what exposes us to nothing but sorrows snares and Death and as we would not wrong our Souls let us retire to and live at Rest in God 6. Consider that your living at Rest in God here will be a clear and unquestionable evidence to you that you shall live at Rest in God and with God for ever O how sweet is it to have any one clear evidence of living at Rest in God and with God in Heaven and what would some of our Souls at some times give for such a blessing yea how sweet is a small glimpse of Hope a secret whisper an inward hint or intimation of such a thing from the Spirit of God in our Souls O live at Rest in God here and this will be a broad evidence of it to you and truly unless you do live at Rest in him here I know not however you will make it out to your Souls that you shall live at Rest in him and with him in the other World In short my Beloved if we do indeed desire to live at Rest with God for ever in Heaven why should we not desire to live at Rest in God here Sure I am the thing is the same and we should desire the one as well as the other and the one as the
have been pursuing Rest and promising our selves Rest in and from the Creature yea and others of the Saints have experienced and asserted the same thing Dura sunt omnia tu solus requies All things saies Aug. are full of trouble and difficulty thou alone O God art the true Rest And 't is a great Speech of his worthy to be written upon the Table of all our Hearts speaking to Souls who are gone off from God Return ye prevaricators saies he to your selves Redite prevaricatores ad cor Haerete illi qui fecit vos state cum illo stabitis requiescite in eo quieti eritis quo itis in aspera quo it is non est requies ubi quaeritis eam quaerite quod quaeritis sed ibi non est ubi quaeritis beatam vitam quaeritis in regione mortis non est illic quomode enim beata vita ubi nec vita Aug. and cleave unto him that made you stand with him and ye shall stand Rest in him and ye shall Rest And again saies he Rest and Happiness is not to be found where you seek it seek what you seek but know that 't is not to be found where you seek it You seek a Blessed Life in the Region of Death and 't is not there for how should a blessed Life be found there where there is not so much as Life it self The sum of all seems to be this that those that desert God do go from the true Rest and Happiness of Souls and to seek Rest and Happiness any where but in God and Christ is to seek the Living among the Dead Once more will you have recourse to your selves and be your own Rest Indeed we read that a good man shall be satisfied from himself Prov. 14.14 but how from himself from himself in Union and Communion with his God from himself as in Communion with him that is the chief Good that has all Good in him and not otherwise and therefore observe the good man here stands in opposition to the back-slider one that is gone off from God our selves considered abstractly in themselves are most insufficient to give rest to the soul being most vain changeable In omnibus quae videntur requiem quaesivi veram requiem in eis invenire non potui deinde rediens ad me consistere in meipso non possum quoniam mens mea valde leris est Ber. and deceitful Every man in his best state is altogether vanity Psal 39.5 'T is a great saying I have read in Bern. I have sought Rest saies he in all things that are seen but I could not find Rest in them then returning to my self I found I could not possibly subsist in my self because my mind is most light and vain In nothing without in nothing within could he find any Rest but in God alone I 'le close this Argument with a weighty speech which I have read in a worthy Divine of our own Blessed Mr. Burroughes Who speaking of God's being the Rest and Portion of his People speaks thus Suppose saies he that God should cause all the Kings and Emperors in the World to come and cast down their Crowns at the foot of an holy Soul and say all these are thine he would answer this is not enough for this is not God himself Suppose God should bring all the splendours of all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth and they should be cast at the foot of an holy Soul as his he would say This is not enough this is not God himself Suppose God should cause all the Glory of Heaven not only of Sun Moon and Stars but also of the highest Heaven abstract from God to be laid before an holy Soul as his he would say This is not enough this is not God himself Once more Should all the Angels come and say to an holy Soul We are sent to put all our Glory upon thee he would say This is not enough for this is not God himself O nothing but God in Christ can give Rest to Souls 3. Consider what a blessed Rest God is for Souls or that Souls may find in God As there is an utter impossibility of finding Rest any where but in God so in him there is a blessed Rest to be found for Souls a full a perfect an eternal Rest O my Beloved what can your Souls desire or what are they capable of that is not to be found in God Would you have Good it must be Good that can give Rest to the Soul God is Good he is the chief Good the best the highest Good he is Goodness it self he is Good in himself and he is the Spring and Fountain of all that good that is in the Creature he is so Good as that he is the Good of all Good and nothing has any thing of Goodness in it but as it resembles him and participates of him Bonus est qui secit me ipse est bonum meum illi exulto omnibus bonis meis There is none Good but one that is God Mat. 19.17 he is Good that made me saies Aug. and he is my Good and in him do I exult and rejoyce before all my other good things whatever and in all my other good things Would you have a full Good such a Good is God there is a fulness of all Good in him He that overcometh shall inherit all things How so I will be his God I 'le be his and in having me he will have all in me Rev. 21.7 Whatever good beauty or excellency there is in the Creature yea in all the Creatures put together 't is all but a small drop or ray to that Good Beauty and Excellency that is in God 'T is but a small spark to the Ocean of the Divine Goodness Lord saies Austin all those things which thou hast made are beautiful Pulchra sunt omnia faciente te Domine ecce tu inenarrabiliter pulchrior qui fecisti omnia Aug. but thou thy self art infinitely more beautiful God has all kinds and all degrees of Good in him he is Light and Life and Love and Peace and Joy and Holiness and Salvation and what not that good is or that conduces to the happiness of eternal Souls Thou Lord Tu bonum'nullo indigens bono semper quietus es quoniam tua quies tuipse es Aug. art that Good where no good is wanting saies Aug. and thou art alwayes at Rest because thou art thine own Rest That little good that is found in the Creature is narrow scanty and but here and there a drop but God has all Good in a blessed Union and conjunction in him O how glorious a Rest may the Soul find in him Would you have a suitable and convenient Good such a Good is God he is a suitable and convenient Good a Good suitable to the Nature Life and Wants of the Soul Among all your Creature-Injoyments and Contentments there is nothing suitable either to