Potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour and another unto dishonour IN the next place consider we God is here compared to a Potter in respect of the Potters power over his clay that as the potter hath lawful power over his clay and may lawfully make of his clay what he will even several vessels to several uses even such power and such authority or rather greater power and greater authority hath God over mankind to make and appoint men to several ends even some to honour and some to dishonour You see then this being the ground of the comparison that man hath lawful power over the clay to make of the same lump different vessels to divers uses so Gods power is far greater to make out of mankind some to honour and some to dishonour the Observation from this implication is thus much That God hath lawful power and authority over man to ordain and Doct. 2 to appoint them unto several ends at his own good pleasure as the potter may put upon his clay what form or fashion soever he will and may make and frame of it vessels to divers purposes and uses by the same right and with greater reason it stands that God may ordain and appoint men to several ends as it pleaseth him And to this purpose in the very same comparison speaketh the Lord to the house of Israel by the Prophet Jeremiah in Jer. 18.6 O house of Israel cannot I do with you as the Potter doth with his clay as the clay is in the hand of the Potter so are you in my hand O house of Israel As the Potter may do with his clay what he will so may I with you and in Luke 12.6 The Lord Jesus forewarning of us whom we ought to fear as namely God onely he describeth that God to have power to cast into hell fire fear not him that can kill the body but fear him that can kill both body and soul and the same word is used there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth lawful power as is here thereby shewing that God hath lawful power not onely to take away the life of the body but to cast it into hell And it must needs be so that God hath greater power and authority then the Potter to appoint and ordain men to several ends then he hath to make vessels of the same lump of clay to several uses why The Reason is because the Pottter he is but a creature himself Reason and the clay is as much and the potter hath the clay made to his hands but God he made all men of nothing as Psal 100.3 The Lord hath made us and not we our selves and in this respect the Lord hath Sovereign power and authority over all men yea his right over all men is absolute yea such and so absolute is the right of God over all men as that the Lord might have made man and he might not have made man and the Lord now having made man of nothing so he may at his pleasure bring him to nothing suddenly the Creator out of the liberty of his will and absolutenesse of his power may do with his creature what he will which power the potter hath not because he is but a creature and the clay is a creature also it is made to his hand This serveth as one special ground to clear God of injustice and wrong doing that he hath appointed some men to life and glory in heaven Vse and others to everlasting shame and confusion this ground of truth cleareth God in this cause though carnal Reasoners do go about nothing else but to quarrel with God as the Arminians and Anabaptists say they herein you do go about to prove God a tyrant and that he doth deal tyrannically with men in destroying of them But they are deceived for why we know tyrants they do their own will either with men or against them onely because their pleasure is so they respect neither law nor equity nor Conscience so he may do his will and have his pleasure this is the manner of a Tyrant Now God he ordaineth men to several ends not onely according to his own good pleasure but according to the lawfulnesse of his good pleasure as he may lawfully do and as he hath lawful power and authority whereas the Tyrant careth not whether it be right or wrong he will break through all the bounds of truth and law there is no such matter with the Lord but the Lord he doth it according to his lawfull power and lawful authority to dispose of men to do with them as he will the tyrant hath not so And again there is a large and wide difference between God and a Tyrant both in respect of their wills and also in regard of their ends As first of all the will of Tyrants what is it according to their own lusts and their own pleasure and they being wicked and sinful make their wills as wicked and sinful but the Will of God God being most holy it is according to his nature and his nature being holy and pure his Will is most holy and pure Again Tyrants respect wicked ends in dealing hardly with their subjects in taking away their lives and their liberties and that is to satisfie their own cruel and bloody minds But now the purpose of God in dealing with men respecteth the praise of his glory and of his mercy which two ends are ever holy and good the ends of Tyrants are according to their Tyranny but the end of the Lord in ordaining some to shame and some to honour is the glory of his Justice and mercy and therefore it doth not follow from hence that we make God cruel and Tyrannical because we affirm that God hath out of his mere good will and pleasure appointed some to shame and some to honour because the Lord hath power so to do And this should teach us to be so far from charging God with Tyranny and indeed to drive this further we are not suffer once such a thought to arise in our hearts that God dealeth hardly with us in any thing whatsoever no not when thy estate seemeth unto flesh and blood to be most desperate nay we are to be far from this to think that God dealeth hardly with us nay when we are under the hand of God in some great and grievous distresse let us then remember thus much and think with our selves the Lord hath lawful authority to appoint men to everlasting destruction now if the Lord hath not thus dealt with us but given us a better and everlasting estate to life and glory Oh how can we think that God dealeth hardly with us in any thing he having evidenced his love unto us in Christ Jesus no though our distresses be but at the height and we in the deepest mire of misery We are to be thankful unto God in our deepest distresses and to give him the glory of
either flye in your face and blot or blemish you and say you will not swear but you will do worse I warrant you or else they will say I swear nothing but the truth and men will never believe me unlesse I swear Oh in the fear of God consider it that it is credit dearly bought that is got with the pawning of thy soul to the devill for so thou doest in rapping out thy rash oathes and though thou swear nothing but the truth yet every truth is not to be confirmed by an oath no it must be a truth of speciall weight and consequence the preservation of thy life or such like great and weighty cause and then it must be with a good conscience and therefore thy swearing in thy buying and selling as to swear by God it cost me so much thou sinnest against God fearfully and thou takest the name of God in vain and this thy ordinary swearing is a sign of a gracelesse wretch that thou hast no dram of grace in thy heart that thy tongue is set on fire of hell James 3.6 And know withal that as thy ordinary swearing hath the devil for the Father of it so without repentance hell shall be the end of it and of thee also thou shalt be plunged body and soul into hell In matters of great weight and consequence we may take an oath for the glory of God the salvation of a mans soul the reducing of men from Popery all other Oathes as to swear rashly that is a fearfull provoking of God against thy soul and remember that connexion of the Lord which he hath put to the Commandement that the Lord will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his Name in vain And therefore in the name of God let us make conscience of swearing and flie from an Oath as from a Serpent For thy tongue is set on fire of the Devil if thou swearest ordinarily in thy common conference and those that use it labour to repent of that sin for it is a fearful impiety and a declaration that thou hast no grace in thy heart but art a very Miscreant and therefore in the fear of God let thy communication in thy usual speech be yea yea or nay nay for whatsoever is more Matth. 5.34 35. cometh of evil of the Devil I say the truth in Christ I lye not my Conscience bearing me witnesse in the Holy Ghost In that the Apostle calleth Christ to witnesse and sweareth by his name it is a sufficient evidence and proof of the God-head of Christ And hence I might stand to prove the God-head of Christ that none can know the heart but God but we shall have more cause to speak of this in the last verse of the context Doctr. But from hence we may learn that such as are lawfully called to swear they must swear onely by the name of God when a necessary and a weighty truth is to be confirmed by an oath and that men and women are called to swear they knowing it to be a truth they must call God to witnesse that truth and must only swear by the holy Name of God so the Lord himself hath commanded Deut. 6.13 Thou shalt swear by the name of the Lord thy God and he repeateth the same again Deut. 10.20 Thou shalt swear by the name of the Lord thy God and in Esay 45.23 every tongue shall swear by me saith the Lord. Howsoever swearing there may be taken for the whole worship of God yet it may be applyed to this that every one that sweareth must swear by the holy Name of God And indeed an oath lawfully taken is a part of Gods worship as appeareth in the two places in Deuteronomy before alledged it is a part of Gods Worship thou shalt fear the Lord thy God thou shalt serve him and swear by his name yea swearing upon a lawful calling and lawfully in truth in righteousnesse and in Judgment it is a reverent use of the holy Name of God it is so far from dishonouring God that it is a reverent use and a glorifying of God For it is an acknowledgment of God to be the Searcher and Knower of the hearts of men and of their secret thoughts and that God is a witnesse even unto those that swear falsly and perjuriously and a revenger on those that forswear themselves and that he testifieth to the things that lye hid and dark in our secrets from men and therefore God must be called to witnesse the truth when any truth is witnessed by an oath As for the formes of speeches used in the Scripture viz. As thy soul liveth 2 King 2.4 and Verily Verily used by Christ in John 3.5 they be earnest asseverations and they do strongly and vehemently affirm truth and an oath or oathes taken and used as it ought to be in a right manner in truth in righteousnesse and in Judgment before a Magistrate or in private with reverence it is a worshipping of God Hereby we are to take notice Vse of a foul sin that many of us are guilty of and make light reckoning and account of For what is more usuall with many amongst us then to swear even in their ordinary speech by the Blood and Wounds of his blessed body namely by all the parts of the blessed body of Jesus Christ yea some by the bread the drink the light the fire the money the Crosse of the coyn and to swear by their faith and troth and they that so swear think they swear no great oathes and some swear superstitious oathes by St. Mary by S. Anne and by the abominable Idol the Masse and some that swear by mincing detracting oathes as by Masse by Making and by Laking gods so and good lack is not this common amongst us yea too too common in your mouthes Now by swearing thus what do you but sin fearfully that which ought to be highly honoured in the matter of an oath you dishonour God exceedingly yea take notice of it you abuse the things you swear by and put them into the place and room of God and give unto these things what is to be attributed unto God as infinite Justice infinite Knowledge infinite Power as if they were able and of power and knowledge to know the thing we call them to witnesse and as if so be they were able to punish if you swear falsly a fearful height of sin will the Lord suffer such a foul sin to escape his punishing hand Will the Lord suffer you to place your Faith and Troth in his room to thrust him out of his Throne and Seat of Majestie and shall not his hand of vengeance light upon you for so great a sin yes surely without repentance the hand of the Lord will light fearfully both upon body and soul Jer. 5.7 saith the Lord How shall I spare thee for this as if he had said I cannot spare thee for this for what thy children have forsaken me How they have sworn by things that
comfort both in life and in death Let us then never rest untill we be grieved for the miseries that lye on the bodies of others but especially for the evils on the souls of others and such as do appertain unto us that we be not like stocks nor stones but that we mourn for the sinnes on the soules of others Now from these words the Apostle where he saith he grieveth for the rejection of the Jewes some move this question Whether the Apostle might lawfully be grieved for the rejection of the Jews it being according to the appointment of the Lord. But the question Quest arising from hence concerning our selves is this seeing we are to be grieved for the known miseries of others the question may be Whether we may be grieved for such persons as suffer just punishments for their evil deeds brought to the place of execution when the hand of God is in punishing of them for their evil doings or no Now to this I answer Answ That we are to put on tender bowels of pity commiseration and compassion towards all that be in any distresse and under the punishing hand of God in any thing whatsoever they be though never so vile and sinful though they be monsters in regard of the outrage of sin yet as they be the creatures of God as they bear the Image of God and be reasonable creatures and are partakers of the same nature with us so we are to put on tender bowels of pity and commiseration towards them though they be never so vile or wicked Thus we find Samuel mourned for Saul Samuel as a Prophet foreseeing the evil that was like to fall upon Saul both in the losse of his Kingdom and the losse of his life in so desperate a manner he grieved for him as we may read in the 1 Sam. 16.1 The Lord biddeth him no longer to mourn for him yet he did in regard of the miseries that he saw lye upon him thus we are to mourn for all be they never so vile as they bear the image of God and are men and women like unto us but as wicked persons undergo just and deserved punishment for their offences either against God the good estate of the Church or the good estate of Religion we may in that respect be so far from grieving mourning and pitying of them that we may rejoyce and joy in it yet not pleasing our selves in the smart or pains of others be they never so vile but for the manifestation of Gods Justice because we love God and the glory of God is dear unto us therefore we may and ought to magnifie and justifie the Name of God in cuting off of such men as be Jesuites and Seminary Priests we may be so far from sorrowing for them as that we may rejoyce in it and glorifie God in cutting off of such wicked Imps as in Psal 58.10 11. The righteous shall rejoyce when he seeth the revenging hand of God upon such and men shall say Verily there is a reward for the righteous doubtlesse there is a God that judgeth on the earth God himself desireth not the death of any so he saith I delight not in the death of a sinner yet God was pleased with the punishment of the wicked according to the rule and course of his Justice so we must not delight in the punishment of any as he is a creature of God and beareth the Image of God like unto us but we are to look upon the glory of Gods Justice and to magnifie and to glorifie him in such persons being destroyed that seek the hurt of Gods glory Gods Church or Gods Religion For then we are to rejoyce but not in their punishment as they are men of the like nature with us In the next place we are to mark that the Apostle saith not nakedly and barely that he was grieved and sorrowed for the rejection of the Jewes but doth affirm and say that he had great heavinesse and continual sorrow for the rejection of the Jews his heavinesse and sorrow was not small nor vanishing but it was great and heavy such as is a womans travelling with child for so the word sorrow signifieth a vehement great and heavy sorrow for their rejection Now what was the cause the Apostle grieved for the rejection of the Jews because he loved them for this was a manifestation of his love his sorrow and love held sympathy and proportion hence the observation is thus That true love unto any person Doctr. or thing causeth heavinesse sorrow and grief in the heart upon any known just occasion of grief given from that person or thing so loved and according to the measure of love to any person or thing so is the measure of grief or sorrow upon any known just occasion of grief from that person or thing so loved our grief is answerable and proportionable to our love the more we grieve for any person or thing the more we love them this we see is clear from the example of the Apostle that was grieved for the rejection of the Jews out of his love to them and this is manifest by other places as in Gen. 37.34 we read when good Jacob that holy and just man had just occasion given unto him for sorrow and heavinesse as he thought for his son Joseph he thinking verily his son was devoured by wild beasts as they did give him intelligence though false it is said that he rent his clothes and put on sackcloth and sorrowed for him exceedingly yea the Text saith that when his children came about him to comfort him he would not be comforted in regard of the evil he thought had befallen his son Joseph he grieved a long season and would not be comforted so also in 1 Sam. 20.34 Jonathan was very sorrowful and exceeding heavy for David because his Father Saul had reviled him such was his love to David so also we find that the good man Nehemiah had a heart full of sorrow and grief and humbled himself in weeping and fasting when he heard of the evil that was upon the Church and the people of God it made him break out into weeping and humbling his soul Nehem. 1.6 yea his sorrow and heavinesse was so great that he could not dissemble it he could not keep it in his bosome it appeared in his very countenance yea and that so apparantly that the King said What is the matter Nehemiah why is thy countenance sad seeing thou art not sick Sure I perceive that this is nothing else but sorrow of heart Nehem. 2.2 In John 11.36 the Jews said when they saw Jesus weeping for Lazarus Behold how he loved him they could thereby conjecture his love to him so 2 Cor. 2.4 The Apostle saith in great anguish of spirit he wrote to them and in many tears that they might perceive his love unto them his true and hearty love and anguish of his soul went together so that the point is clear That true love unto
he going to hell they might go to heaven and the greater glory thereby come to God and Christ For without question the Apostle here in this speech of his had not onely respect to the salvation of the Jews but he had respect to the glory of God and of Christ that Gods glory might be advanced and his Kingdome amplified and inlarged now it must needs be that the Apostle speaketh with a condition if it were possible For otherwise the speech of the Apostle had been clean contrary to the purpose of God yea to that purpose which the Apostle was acquainted withal that the Lord did purpose to save him which is manifest in the two last Verses of the former Chapter where he saith nothing should separate him and yet now doth he wish separation absolutely Rom. 8.38 39. no sure it is with condition for my brethren which are my kinsmen an usuall phrase among the Hebrews to call them brethren that were of the same bloud Gen. 13.8 Abraham said unto Lot we are brethren who was his nephew according to the flesh This the Apostle addeth to signifie that they were his kinsmen according to the flesh not by the Spirit because they were not converted though they were his brethren by flesh and blood descended of the same Parents yet not by grace or by the Spirit and indeed the Apostle meaneth the Jewes which he setteth out that they were his kindred according to the flesh so then thus briefly conceive we the meaning of the Apostle as if he had said Even I my self and no other for me could wish that I were removed and even set apart from salvation purchased by Christ and all hope thereof yea I could wish my self to be damned in hell and to perish if it might possibly be provided that I being damned the Jews might be saved the Jewes who are my brethren I mean my kinsmen according to the flesh according to the bond of flesh and blood that they might come into the Faith of the Gospel I wish it that the glory of God in their salvation might be increased So much for the meaning of the Apostle First of all here cometh a question Quest to be answered viz. Whether the holy Apostle did well in thus wishing himself if it had been possible to be accursed from Jesus Christ to go to hell for the salvation of the Jewes this seemeth a thing not tolerable For there is or ought to be in every Child of God a holy self-love and a sanctified self-love whereby they are bound to love themselves above all others and to use all good means for the good estate of their own bodies and soules and that above the estate of any other howsoever as the Apostle John saith 1 John 3.16 That as Christ laid down his life for us so are we one for another yet a Christian is not bound to deprive himself of a temporal life for the safety of the temporal life of another no nor yet to deprive himself of eternal life for the eternal good estate of others did the Apostle then do well thus to wish Yes the Apostle doth well in this wishing Answ even in wishing himself to be accursed from Christ for the conversion of the Jews because in this wish and desire of the Apostle he had not onely respect to the salvation of the Jews and their conversion but also to the glory of God and of Christ and he knew that indeed the glory of God and the glory of Christ would be wonderfully inlarged by the conversion of the Jews and the glory of God and of Christ ought to be procured if it were possible even with the eternal confusion of our soules though we be the Children of God Quest But it may be some may further say Admit it were for the glory of God that the Apostle wished himself to be separated from Christ or to be accursed or anathema from Christ May a man wish himself separated from Christ and so an enemy to Christ and Christ an enemy to him as the Devils and damned in hell are I answer Answ again the Apostles wish is not so to be taken he wished if it had been possible to be separated from Christ not in love but in punishment he wished not to become an enemy to Christ nor to be deprived of Christ his love to him and to have Christ an enemy to him but to want the fruition of the fruits of Christ his love that is everlasting happinesse and to lose his part in heaven and to undergo the torments of hell if it had been possible yet still to love Christ and still to be beloved of Christ Christ himself was made a curse for us as Gal. 3.13 yet was he not then when he was under the curse an enemy to God his Father nor his Father an enemy to him but he only out of his love to Gods chosen of his own accord underwent the curse for their sins to redeem them from the curse And so doubtlesse the Apostle wished to be separated from Christ or accursed from Christ yet so as that he would still love Christ and still be beloved of Christ and so we are to understand his wish and so this question is answered Now in that the Apostle doth here manifest his love to the Jews in his earnest desire of their good expressing that in wishing himself to be separated and accursed from Christ for their conversion and salvation it points out to us plainly thus much Doctr. That we are to desire every way the good of those whom we love and are bound to love and especially the good of their soules we are to wish and desire that it may go well with others whom we love and are bound to love in respect of their bodies and outward estate but especially that it may go well with their soules that they may have saving grace in their soules and an increase of it and that their souls may be possest of saving grace here in this life and eternally saved hereafter in heaven that is the thing we are most earnestly to wish and desire in the behalf of those whom we love and are bound to love And to this purpose we find that the Apostles do usually in the beginning and fronts of their Epistles wish to those Churches and persons to whom they writ out of their love to them especially spiritual good things concerning the good of their soules even grace and peace from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ as Rom. 1.7 1 Cor. 1.3 2 Cor. 1.2 Gal. 1.3 And so in other Epistles they wish the same particular good things to the soules of them whom they writ to not onely in effect but in a manner word for word and we find that the Apostles do likewise usually give thanks to God especially for good things bestowed on the soules of those to whom they writ as for their faith their hope their love to God and to the Saints their
patience and such like And thereby also they do give to us to understand that we are especially to wish and desire the good of the soules of those whom we love and are bound to love that they may have saving grace in their soules and an increase of it here in this life and that they may be eternally saved hereafter in heaven And there is good reason for it Reason Because indeed saving grace here in this life and salvation hereafter in heaven is the most excellent thing that can be desired or enjoyed saving grace in the soul is proper to those whom God loves in special manner and gives it to none but to such as belong to Gods election And it sweetens all other good things of this life and makes them truly comfortable without which they are but accursed vanities and vexations of spirit Eccles 2.11 as the Preacher speaks yea saving grace in the soul yeelds comfort and rejoycing of heart when all other things in this life can yeeld none at all as in the midst of trouble sorrow and perplexity and in the hour of death And therefore doubtlesse saving grace here in this life and salvation hereafter in heaven are the things that we are especially to wish and desire in the behalf of those whom we love and are bound to love But may some say It may be that those whom we love Quest and are bound to love belong not to Gods election Are we bound to wish saving grace and salvation to them I answer Answ That they belong not to Gods election is a secret and unknown to us and we are not to meddle with that we are to follow the Will of God revealed which enjoyns us to desire the good of those whom we love and are bound to love especially the good of their soules even to wish them saving grace here in this life and salvation hereafter in heaven We see then a Duty that concerns us laid before us Vse and we are to take notice of it and to put it in practise it is a duty little thought on or little regarded by many we can many of us wish well to such as we love and are bound to love to our children and friends in respect of their bodies and outward estate we can wish them health and wealth and outward prosperity that they may live in health and may thrive and come forward in the world and may prosper in their outward affaires these things we can wish them out of the strength of natural affection which indeed we are bound to wish unto them that they may so live and so do by the use of all good means But alas here is our failing and fault few there be that make it the earnest desire of their hearts and the chief wish of their soules That their children servants brethren friends and such as they love and are bound to love may have saving grace wrought in their soules that they may come to have saving knowledge of God saving faith and saving repentance and may come truly to fear the Lord. Indeed sometimes men for form and fashion break out and say God give grace to my child to my servants and such like and God blesse them with his grace and God make them his faithful servant which are good speeches but this is but a flash and a vanishing wish it ends with a breath and in speaking of it it is not seconded with a careful use of all the good means as it ought to be Now then know it whosoever thou art thou must especially wish and desire the good of the soules of those whom thou lovest and art bound to love that they may come to saving knowledge saving faith and saving repentance and may come truly to fear God and thy desire must be true sound settled and constant seconded with the careful use of all good means within the compasse of thy place and calling that serve to work saving grace in them as teaching and instructing them counselling them comforting them and praying for them and sending up thy wishes to heaven for them And to help us forward in this duty consider we these two things First If we make it the earnest desire of our hearts and the chief wish of our soules that those whom we love and are bound to love may have saving grace wrought in their soules we are therein like to God himself and we follow his example for thus doth the Lord himself wish to his people Deut. 5.29 Oh that there were such an heart in them or who will give them such an heart as to fear me and to keep all my Commandements alway as if he should have said It is the chief desire of my soul that they had such an heart Secondly If we earnestly and heartily wish saving grace to the soules of those whom we love and are bound to love it is a good evidence that we have true saving grace in our own soules and that we feel the sweetnesse and comfort of it in our own soules For certainly they that find the sweetnesse of saving grace in their own soules Act. 11.23 24. cannot but wish it to others and delight to see it in others they that truly fear God themselves cannot but wish that others did as Paul said to Agrippa Act. 26.29 would to God that not onely thou but also all that hear me to day were both almost and altogether such as I am If then we would be like to God himself and a better example we cannot follow and if we would have good evidence that we have true saving grace in our own souls we must be mindfull of this duty not onely to wish good to the bodies of those whom we love and are bound to love but especially that they may have saving grace in their soules here in this life and salvation hereafter in heaven and carefully use all good means serving to that purpose Let us now go on to further matter offered to us from this Verse For I could wish my self to be separated from Christ for my brethren that are my kinsmen according to the flesh We are further to consider that the Apostle as I have shewed in this wish of his to be separated or accursed from Christ had respect not only to the conversion and salvation of the Jews out of his love to them but he had also therein respect to the glory of God and to the glory of Christ He could have wished himself if it had been possible separated and cut off from salvation purchased by Christ and from all hope of it and to have been damned for ever in hell not onely for the good of the Jews that they might have been converted and saved but also for the greater glory of God and of Christ That God and Christ might thereby have had the greater honour and glory whence we are given to understand thus much and the point further offered to us from this wish of the Apostle is this Doctrine
reason upon this ground If so be I be appointed of God to life and salvation I shall surely be saved howsoever I live though I live most wickedly and be a a Drunkard a filthy person and a Usurer be I what I will be my sins cannot damn me Gods decree is certain and unchangeable Oh this kind of reasoning is all one in effect as if a man should speak thus why God hath given unto us his holy Word as the rule of holiness and yet hath therein opened unto us a gap for all manner of wickednesse and prophanenesse and lewdnesse which indeed is horrible blasphemy against the infinite wisdom of God we must know as God hath appointed some to life and glory in heaven so hath he appointed the means by which he will bring them to the possession of it what is that the way of Faith the way of holinesse without which no man shall see God to his comfort Heb. 12.14 what a foolish thing is it for men then thus to reason If I be appointed to life and salvation I shall be saved howsoever I live men will not so reason in the matters of the body will a man having received a grievous and sore wound in some part of his body say why if God hath appointed this wound shall be cured and healed it shall be healed though I never apply means salve or medicine to it And if God hath appointed me to live to such a time I shall live so long though I never eat nor drink nor use any thing for the preservation of this life were not this a madnesse and a folly So what madnesse and folly is it for men to reason thus in respect of their soules I am sure a child of God dare not so reason the seed of grace that is in the heart of a child of God will not suffer him and if thou so reason surely it is a fearful sign that God never appointed thee to life and salvation nay it is more then a probable sign though I will not determine of thy final estate that thou art a reprobate and in the estate of reprobation this is the devils logick and his manner of reasoning and used indeed by none but such as are irreligious and prophane Is it so that God hath from everlasting fore-appointed and fore-ordained Vse 2 some amongst men to the inheritance of heaven certainly and infallibly so as that they shall certainly come to the possession of it here is a ground of sweet and excellent comfort to as many as find themselves to be in that number they may assure themselves of it that they shall be eternally saved for God himself is sure with him there is no variablenesse nor shadow of changing Jam. 1.17 and this ought to stirre us up to labour to find our selves to be in that number in the number of Gods chosen and to give all diligence to make our election sure 2 Pet. 1.10 not sure in it self for so it is already but sure unto us in our assured knowledg of it that we know it certainly and infallibly that we appertain to God to give all diligence to this this is a matter of weight if we come near to that assurance that we are in the number of Gods chosen happy are we then though tryals and troubles and persecutions come as we may justly expect for great troubles and persecutions are ready to break in upon us they are at the door in evil and dangerous times we live and we may justly look that the fiery tryal should come upon us in regard of our sins to be bound at the stake now if we be out of the gun-shot in the state of grace and in the number of those that appertain to life and salvation what need we fear it no though our implacable enemies the blood-sucking Papists though they should prevail so far which the Lord avert and turn away from us yet if they should prevail to take away our lives by fire and faggot and most cruel torments we need not fear if we be in the number of Gods chosen then our everlasting good the good of our soules and bodies cometh to us they cannot hurt us our everlasting good of soul and body standeth upon a sure ground Gods foundation not mans foundation which is tottering and wavering and rotten so saith the Apostle the foundation of the Lord remaineth sure 2 Tim. 2.19 and all the devils and powers in hell cannot shake that foundation Quest I but some will say How shall I know and be assured of it that I am built upon this foundation hoc opus hic labor and that my estate is settled hereon and that I am in the number of Gods chosen Answ I answer there be many infallible notes of it onely take this one special note of it Gods eternal election of some to life and glory in heaven doth imprint the very image and stamp of it self in the souls of those that be elected the print and impression of it remaineth there and what is that why surely it worketh in them another Election God hath chosen them for his and it maketh them to choose God in Christ for their God and to choose the Saints of God the houshold of God above all others in the world to be their Companions and to delight in their Communion and society and fellowship Psal 16.2 above all other men in the world these be their darlings try then if thou find this effect in thy heart and soul that thou doest choose God to be thy God the Lord is thy lot and portion and the delight of thy soul Psal 16.5 and thou doest resolve to cleave fast unto God and to keep fast unto the truth and profession of it though all the world divert from it and follow Popery and Antichristianisme Josh 24.17 and to resolve even with good Joshua I and my house will serve the Lord Let all the world run after Baal after the Pope and after whom they will thou art resolved rather to shed thy dearest blood then to shrink from the sound profession of the Gospel yea God assisting thee in the very flames of fire thou wilt imbrace the profession of God and God for thy portion happy art thou then thou mayst certainly conclude thou art in the number of Gods chosen and though they rend and tear thy body in a thousand pieces they cannot pull thee from thy inheritance that is firm and stable therefore comfort thy self upon this evidence Not by works but by him that calleth THese words shew unto us that the purpose of God touching Election and Reprobation might not nor did not depend upon the works of Jacob and Esau but upon the free grace of God calling his elect in time effectually Here then we see the Apostle maketh an opposition and a contrariety and a flat Antithesis between these two things grace and works hence the observation is this That not the works of man
time after time yet still they will continue in them and be reprobate to every good work and go on in their sinful lives the Lord will not lose his glory by those persons no not by the vilest wretch and miscreant that lives upon the face of the earth though they live in open blasphemy against his holy name think upon it then thou that art a drunkard a swearer a proud person a Sabbath-breaker an Usurer one that goest on in thy vile courses and debauched sins the Lord will have glory in thee thou that so goest on yea in thy destruction Consider this you that still go on in your pride and vain glory assure thy self if thou so going on do live and die in thy sins as commonly such persons do thou shalt assuredly be damned as God will be glorified and it is as impossible for thee to escape damnation as for God to lose his glory which is impossible and well were it for thee if so be the Lord would vouchsafe so much grace and mercy unto thee as to make thee now to tremble and to make thy heart to ake within thee and to humble thy soul for thine evil courses Vse 2 Is this so That God will have glory in the utter confusion and overthrow of wicked sinners and that God will not lose his glory this therefore ought to teach us to prize Gods glory as dear unto us before the best good thing we enjoy yea even before our own best good and everlasting salvation and happinesse a very hard lesson this is to learn but this we must labour to come and to attain unto even to prefer the glory of God before our own salvation and to set the glory of God before us as the main chief and principal good to be aymed at in all our thoughts words and actions And when we are about to think speak or do Consider will this be to the good of my body and soul and also bring glory to the name of my God Oh then let me so think speak and do and then we may with comfort so think speak and do And if I find it will not tend to the glory of my God though it tend to the salvation of my soul I dare not do it and hereby we shall have good evidence that we love God and are truly beloved of God for if we honour God God will honour us in the 1 Sam. 2.30 they that honour me I will honour and they that despise me shall be despised Yea the Lord will not onely honour us here but give us salvation he will give us honour and glory in the hearts of those that hate us and force the wicked that do hate and condemn us with their mouthes when they smite us with their tongues to honour us in their hearts and we shall not onely be honoured of him here but when we cease to be Prov. 10.7 the memorial of the just is blessed but the name of the wicked shall rot when the body of the righteous is raked up in the dust then shall his name be sweet and he eternally blessed Oh then the consideration of this should stirre us up to glorifie the name of the Lord and to prefer it before our own good yea the salvation of body and soul for this is our Duty the Lord will have his glory and therefore give it him willingly in this life VERSE 18. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy And whom he will he hardeneth NOw come we to the 18. Verse Therefore saith the Apostle he hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardeneth This Verse beloved is a conclusion of the whole matter handled by the Apostle in the three verses foregoing In the 15 16 and 17. Verses our Apostle having made it clear that God hath absolute power and free liberty of shewing mercy to some by the speech of God unto Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy And having made it manifest that God hath the like absolute power and free liberty in passing by some others and rejecting them to the glory of his own name and proving that by the example of Pharaoh whom God hardened as a manifest sign of his reprobation the Apostle having thus proved both these parts upon this premises the Apostle in this verse bringeth in this Conclusion that God hath free liberty and absolute power to shew mercy on whom he will and to harden whom he will and this is the relation of this verse to the foregoing matter Now in this verse observe we a double act of God the one is Gods shewing of mercy unto some and the other Gods hardening of some others and then from whence this double act of God proceedeth namely from the mere good will and pleasure of God so that the double act of mercy and hardening proceedeth from one ground Gods good will Now a little to lay open the meaning of the words Touching the phrase and form of speech that God hath mercy we had the same phrase in the 15. verse where I shewed you what we are to understand by mercy namely not the properties of mercy which is essentially in God but the Act the exercise and work of Gods mercy God hath mercy upon some the act the exercise and the works of God is extended and reached out unto some particular persons unto them to whomsoever he will and on whomsoever he pleaseth merely out of his own free will and absolute good pleasure and whom he will he hardeneth that is whomsoever pleaseth him out of the same free and absolute will he hardeneth and the word harden here is put in opposition to Gods shewing of mercy before spoken of for these two are opposed God hath mercy and he hardeneth so then the meaning of it is whereas before is meant the shewing and extending of Gods mercy to some so here by hardening is meant that God doth harden and withhold his mercy from some and in his just Judgment doth leave them to themselves and to their natural hardnesse for hardening must be understood as a Judiciary act and act of Gods Justice whereby God doth inflict Judgment upon men as a manifestation of their reprobation and rejection called a Judiciary act So then briefly conceive we the meaning of the Apostle as if he had said Therefore God doth extend and reach out the act the exercise and the work of his mercy and of his grace unto whomsoever it pleaseth him even meerly out of his own free and absolute will and out of his own good pleasure and also out of the same meer free will and absolute good pleasure the same God doth deny his saving mercy and withhold his grace and mercy from some and leave them in his just judgement in their natural hardnesse as a manifest sign of their reprobation so thus God hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardenneth Come we now to matter of Observation and Doctrine And
man are far greater then the evils on the body though it be Famine and Pestilence because the evils that be upon the souls of men they are simply evil things and such as in themselues do make men subject to the wrath of God and power of the Devil which no other outward misery can do of it self indeed a mans behaviour therein may make him lye open to the wrath of God and power of the devil but the evils on the soul of man do make him lye wide open unto it And I may safely say that the hardnesse of Pharaohs heart was a heavier and a greater Plague unto him then all the plagues of Egypt besides for these are the most fearful evils and make a man lyable to the wrath of God and power of the devil and therefore doubtlesse this we may resolve upon that the evils that be upon the hearts and souls of men are especially to be grieved for Vse This concerneth every one of us to take notice of and we are to labour to put this duty in practice and I must tell you withal it is a duty wherein many of us are defective and wanting and come far short of and the most may justly be reproved and taxed in this particular that we have not grieved for the evils that be upon the souls of men and women we can grieve for the miseries that be upon the bodies of men and outward estates and we can bemoan and bewail them and shew forth a greater measure of sorrow and grief for those and sometimes weeping especially if they be our friends and near and dear unto us as we are bound unto by speciall bonds as our Father Mother wife brother or sister or friends or such like we can shew forth a great deal of sorrow for them but the miseries that lye upon the souls of others though they be never so near or dear unto us few there be that are touched and moved with this evil to draw yet a little nearer thou canst grieve if so be thou hearest thy son thy brother or thy friend near unto thee prove a bankrupt or an unthrift and decay in worldly things or if thy child or servant or any other be suddenly overtaken by some accident and some hand of God as strucken blind lame or the like thy heart is full of sorrow for this and indeed so thou oughtest to be But let thy brother thy friend thy own child thy husband or wife that lyeth in thy bosome be one that is given to sin to live in ignorance drunkennesse swearing and the like thou art touched nothing at all with this thou art grieved for their bodies but let thy husband be an ignorant person or an hard-hearted person thou art not touched with it at all we grieve not for the miseries that lye upon their souls and this sheweth the cursednesse of thy heart that thou art an hard-hearted person and according to the cursednesse of thine own heart thou respectest not the hardnesse of the hearts of others and it is a plain evidence and demonstration of thy heart that it is not right in thee it is an argument that thou art but a carnal person and enlightened onely by the light of nature and that thou hast not in thee the life of true grace that ought to be in a Child of God therefore in the fear of God take notice of this duty and learn we to find this in our selves that we be grieved for the miseries that be upon the soul especially those that we are bound unto by special bond as for the ignorance of thy father or mother thy wife thy child or servant that they will not be reformed and for the evils that lye upon their hearts and soules we must showr down tears for them that have the means of salvation and yet will not turn unto God yea thy heart and soul must be pierced through with grief for thy neighbours even such as live in thy own Land and Kingdom with thee as the miseries that lye upon the souls of poor men and women that have not one that is able to teach them the Word of God we should cry to heaven and send up sighes and tears for them and intreat the Lord to send forth Labourers into his harvest they want it they live in darknesse and blindnesse and never touched in Conscience for the same but go on with an high hand in sin and this should grieve our soules We should mourn in secret and seek unto the Lord by prayer with sighes and groans that the Lord would be pleased to send forth such as would labour amongst them and bring them out of the darknesse they are in thus we are to mourn for the known evils that lye upon the souls of others Haply the Lord may threaten us with Judgment and Dearth and Famine which we may justly look for yea the Famine of the Word of God For men that live in their sins without touch of Conscience this should grieve us exceedingly Now then to stirre us up to the practise of this Duty first of all consider Motive 1 If so be we be grieved for the evils that lye upon the souls of others it is a plain evidence that we have our soules enlightened and our eyes opened and are not ignorant and blind persons but have a true sight and discerning of evils and of the nature of evil things we are able to see and discern what is the cause of evil namely sin Secondly it will be an evidence unto us that we are truly sorrowfull Motive 2 and that we are truly humbled for our own sins if we can mourn for the sins of others And hence it is that you shall find that such as have been the most notorious sinners if once they come to be wrought upon and to be converted they come to be the most pitiful and compassionate persons in the world to others they see the uglinesse of sin and have felt the weight and burthen of it and they have the greatest grief in their hearts for the sins of others Motive 3 And thirdly it will be an evidence that we have true grace and true faith in our hearts and souls not a counterfeit but a true faith and that we are truly zealous for the glory of God and especially grieved for the sins of others that cannot grieve themselves even for those that live in the farthermost part of the world that have not the preaching of the Word that live in ignorance and blindnesse And to shut up all in one word of Exhortation If then we would have a good evidence that we are not such that have our eyes shut up like Balaam but that we have a true sight and discerning of the nature of evils and if we would have good evidence that we are truly touched and humbled for our own sins and have true faith and grace in our soules and are truly zealous of the glory of God this will yeeld us true
up to strong delusions and to believe lies because we receive not the truth in love of the truth For if we do receive the truth out of love unto it we shall find that our love unto the truth will be a strong preservative against the seducing of Antichrist and better arm us against the subtilties of our enemies and their powerful efficacy and working though all the Devils in the world do assist them and this defend us better then all the learning in the world we see great Doctours are seduced because though they have learning yet have no love And therefore let thy heart be set upon the Church of God and the holy Religion of God that we may be sure it is true and hearty love as it ought to be that we are able to say with the Apostle we have continual sorrow for the evils upon the soules or afflictions upon the bodies of Gods Church One thing farther the Apostle putteth down his sorrow with the subject of it in his heart hereby he pointeth out thus much unto us That we are to be grieved for the miseries of others even from the heart we must not rest in an out-side sorrow in a verbal sorrow to say we are sorrowful and grieved for it as St. John saith 1 Joh. 3.18 our love must not be in tongue but in deed and in truth As also our pity must not be a verbal pity to say go thy way fill thy belly James 2.15 16. and yet supply nothing to their wants so that the miseries of others known unto us must be indeed and in truth yea in our very hearts and soules especially for the known miseries of the Church and people of God we must expresse our grief to others by sighes and groans and prayers and tears as any just occasion is offered and thereby manifest that our grief is a grief of the heart and soul when we so reach out our help unto them And know we if so be our grief and sorrow be not in our hearts and soules but verbal and outward it is counterfeit for nature can put on a mourning semblance and counterfeit grief and there may be a glad heart under a mourning gown as a poor man having a black gown at a rich mans funeral mourneth not but is glad that he hath it to cover him but we must have sorrow in our heart for the Church of God And again God hateth the sorrow that is not in the heart Psal 51.6 the Lord loveth truth and soundnesse in the affections when we have cause of joy to rejoyce heartily and when we have cause of sorrow to be grieved heartily Oh then in the fear of God look to this that thy sorrow and grief for the miseries of others especially for the Church of God that it be as it ought to be not in word onely verbal but in truth look that our hearts be dissolved into sorrow and that it shew forth the powerful working of it in sighes in groans and in tears for the poor distressed members of the Church to shed abundance of tears for them that we may say with the Apostle I have sorrow in my heart for my brethren in their Afflictions VERSE 3. For I could wish my self to be separated from Christ for my brethren that are my Kinsmen according to the flesh IN this Verse our Apostle putteth down as a fruit of his love to the Jews and as a manifestation thereof an earnest desire of their good as before he did manifest his sorrow for them so here he doth manifest his love unto them in an earnest desire of their good expressing that in wishing himself to be separated and accursed from Christ for their salvation and conversion then he subjoyneth one special cause of this his earnest desire and of this wish because they were his kinsmen and beloved brethren according to the flesh so we see the generality of these words come we now to the sense of them For I could wish Or I would wish it he saith not I could wish another but he putteth it down with an ego ipse I I my self would wish it to be separated or accursed the Text original anathema is the same we read in the 1 Corinth 16.22 where the Apostle saith If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be accursed an execration Anathema Maranatha yea I my self saith the Apostle could be Anathema Touching this word Expositors make much ado and make divers expositions of it not so pertinent to this place But this word Anathema in the general acceptation of it signifieth any thing that is set apart from the common use of man and is dedicated consecrated and devoted either unto God as in Levit. 27.28 29. They were to set apart certain men and beasts and devote them unto God or it signifieth things dedicated and devoted unto the Devil as those things that were consecrated and devoted unto Idols among the heathen that were devils indeed and called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and were hanged up in the Idols temples and so called Anathema or in the third place it signifieth any person or thing that is set apart and devoted unto destruction and hence cometh the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Matth. 26.74 Peter beginneth to curse himself and to wish himself to be destroyed if he knew Christ as many wicked persons say would they might be destroyed body and soul Now in this third sense and signification is the word here used by the Apostle not as a thing dedicated to God or the Devil but as a thing dedicated and devoted to destruction as appeareth in that the Apostle wisheth to be anathematized or separated from Christ for to be separated is to be removed and set apart from salvation purchased by Christ and from all hope of it In a word it signifieth to perish and to be utterly condemned for out of Christ there is no hope of salvation that so he might perish in hell and utterly be damned there and feel the pains of the damned in hell And for further Explanation of this phrase some think that this wish of the Apostle was absolute and actual without any condition at all but others are of another mind to whom I rather encline for it was not an absolute wish to be severed from Christ but it is to be understood with a Condition namely he would thus wish to be separated from Christ and damned in hell if it were possible that he being damned the Jews might be saved and God and Christ have the more glory this speech it is like unto that of David in the 2 Sam. 18.33 where David saith Oh Absalon my son my son would God I had dyed for thee Oh Absalon my son my son he wisheth with a condition if it might be possible would I had dyed for thee so the Apostle would wish himself to be separated from Christ for the Jews if it were possible that he being damned the Jewes might be saved that
vouchsafed unto them as the Adoption and the Glory and the Covenants the giving of the Law and the service of God c. that they were the seed of the Patriarks and which is yet more that Christ himself as touching his humane nature was descended from them doubtlesse a matter of great honour Vse Which should teach us Not to hate the Jewes as many do onely because they are Jewes merely for the very name and title of being Iewes which name is amongst many so odious that they think they cannot call a man worse then to call him a Jew but beloved this ought not to be so for we are bound to love and honour the Jews as being the ancient people of God to wish them well and to be earnest in prayer to God for their conversion we are indeed to hate their obstinacy in rejecting of Christ and his faith but ought to love them in respect of their ancient and honourable priviledges especially that they were once the people of God that Christ himself came of their race and line and if we hear of the conversion of any of them we are bound to love them so much the more if they once come to receive and heartily to imbrace the Gospel of Christ for though believing Jews and Gentiles are one body in Christ yet are the Jewes our elder brethren and the Gospel was first offered and preached unto them Go not into the way of the Gentiles and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not saith our Saviour in his first Commission granted to his Disciples Matth. 10.5 6. but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel so that the Gospel was first preached to the Jews as the Apostle speakes Act. 13.46 and from them it proceeded and descended unto us Gentiles so that all believing Jews are to be honoured and beloved of us as being our elder brethren and the people of God yea we are to wish them well that are yet uncalled and unconverted and earnestly and heartily to pray for their conversion Again In that the Apostle addeth this limitation concerning the flesh or according to the flesh Hence we are plainly taught the truth of Christs Humanity which is an article of our faith and a fundamental truth of God which we are to imbrace upon pain of damnation and from hence the observation is this Doctrine That Jesus Christ the eternal Son of God was truly incarnate and truly became man consisting of a body and a reasonable soul in all things like unto us onely without sin The holy Son of God did assume and take upon him the nature of man became true man consisting of a true body and reasonable soul and not imaginary onely yea that he had the properties of a true body as longitude latitude altitude visibility and circumscription as also the properties of a reasonable soul as understanding will and affections Yea further Jesus Christ took upon him the common infirmities of the body and soul of man such infirmities as appertain to the whole nature of man as hunger thirst yea he was subject to be sorrowful angry c. Joh. 1.14 the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us that is the eternal Word of the Father the second person in the Trinity even he was made flesh which plainly sheweth the truth of his humane nature So again Rom. 1.3 where the Apostle speaking of Christ the Son of God saith that he was made of the seed of David concerning the flesh or according to the flesh And in Gal. 4.4 saith the Apostle When the fulnesse of time was come God sent forth his son and that son that is made of a woman even that eternal son of God made of a woman a plain demonstration of Christs humanity so in Phil. 2.7 The Apostle saith that Christ was made like unto man and found in shape as man Now indeed some in ancient time perverted this Scripture and abused it to say that Christ had a heavenly body and imaginary body like unto man he had a body of an imaginary substance but this is contrary to the meaning of the Text as you may gather by the context for the meaning is that Christ Jesus had the same properties of a body and soul as other men as seeing smelling tasting feeling hearing and the like and subject to the like properties and infirmities as we are as to hunger thirst anger yea to death it self as we may see in Philip. 2.8 he became obedient to the death even to the death of the Crosse he did eat and drink and sleep and was subject unto sorrow and heavinesse yea even unto the death so that that place rightly understood is a strong argument to prove the truth of Christs humanity that he was like unto us sin excepted It was needful that Christ Jesus the Son of God should take flesh upon Reason 1 him consisting of a true body and soul like unto us First of all to accomplish the promise of God which he had made in Gen. 3.15 the seed of the woman shall break the Serpents head here is a Promise made and for the accomplishment of this promise it was needful that the Son of God should take flesh upon him Secondly it is needful that he might suffer for sinne in his body and Reason 2 soul that which the whole Church of God had deserved by their sinnes so saith the Holy Ghost Heb. 2.9 that he might suffer death which he could not have done had he been onely God and so that he might appease the wrath of God in that same Nature wherein God was offended man had sinned and man must suffer for sinne either by himself or in Christ and therefore needful it was that the eternal Son of God the Mediatour of the Covenant that he should be not onely God but Man also consisting of a true body and soul like unto us excepting sin onely First this being a truth it serveth to discover unto us an errour Vse it serveth for the confutation of some erroneous opinions that are contrary to the truth of Christs humanity for it is an Article of our Faith and must be defended namely that of the Manichees and likewise of the Anabaptists for they affirm that Christ Jesus took his body from heaven and passed through the womb of the Virgin as through a Conduit or Pipe and took not her Nature upon him Beloved this must teach us to renounce this opinion and not onely this which hath been confuted by our Ancient Divines long agone but also the opinion of our adversaries the Papists For howsoever they grant unto Christ a true Natural body they dare not deny that but that he was born of the Virgin Mary yet in truth they overthrow the truth of his body how in that they give unto the body of Christ such properties as cannot agree to a true body what are those why they give to the body of Christ to be invisible to be uncircumscribed to be
in many places at one and the same time properties which cannot agree with a true body for so they hold and teach it is a common Tenent of theirs that the body of Christ is really locally in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper under the form of Bread there is the outward form but under that bread there is the substance of Christ yea that the whole body of Christ is in every part and parcel of their consecrated hoast and yet not seen nor felt onely the accident of bread but the substance of Christ is there what is this but to overthrow the truth of Christ his body and to make the body of Christ to be no true body but rather a spirit and to make it infinite to be in many places at one time for why Christ Jesus took flesh upon him he took our Nature upon him the body of man even a true body and therefore his body cannot possibly have such properties as they fashion Oh but by your leave say they God can make it God is omnipotent and he can make it so what God can do we do not question but what God will do let them shew it in the Will of God revealed that God will do it or and if I should affirm it that God cannot make the body of Christ it still remaining a true and perfect body in many places at one and the same time if I should affirm it they cannot nor never were able to disprove it for this were to make the body of Christ to be no body to be circumscribed and not circumscribed which are contradictories and contradictories can never agree to the Nature of God to make a body to be a body and no body at the same time God cannot do it is contrary to the Nature of God to make contradictories agree together and therefore if I should affirm it they cannot disprove it Again seeing Christ Jesus took our humane Nature upon him the properties of a body and faculties of a soul herein appeareth the infinite love of God unto man whose nature he assumed and took in unity with his Godhead herein appeareth the advancement of mans Nature above all creatures in heaven and in earth yea above the Angels being received into unity of person with the Son of God the second Person in the Trinitie he did assume our Nature and the common infirmities of our nature From hence Gods children such as are true believers members of Christ may gather much comfort for why the Lord Jesus their Head and Saviour will be pitiful and compassionate unto them when they lye under any distresse of body or mind Christ hath as it were his bowels yearning towards them he knoweth the infirmities common to the nature of man and that by experience he hath felt the anguish and the pain that appertain to his members in his blessed body and soul and therefore he is touched with a fellow-feeling of them even a compassionate feeling of them we know a man that hath been under any pain or grief of body or mind will be exceeding pitiful to any that be under the like grief and marvellous compassionate unto them saying Oh I have felt it I know what belongeth unto it I pity him Thus the Lord Jesus having the experience of the common nature of man much more will be compassionate to his poor members in time of their Afflictions and to this purpose is that in Heb. 2.17 18. that in all things he became to be made like unto his brethren that he might be merciful and pitiful and might have a fellow-feeling of their miseries and in the 18. verse For in that he suffered and was tempted he is able to succour and will succour all that are tempted so also the Holy Ghost saith Heb. 4.15 For we have not an high Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but in all things tempted and tryed like unto us yet without sin Doest thou then that art a believing member of Jesus Christ lye under any affliction or trouble of mind remember this to thy comfort that the Lord Jesus thy Head and Saviour having had experience of the common grief he is compassionate and will put under his hand and support thee in the time of trouble and affliction and give thee ease in his due time it may be thou being under some great Crosse men will pity thee do men pity thee assuredly the Lord Jesus doth much more pity thee that art a true believing member of his body therefore comfort thy self and do not think which may be some scruple in thy mind that Christs advancement into heaven maketh him forget his poor members here on earth no he is touched with a fellow feeling of their misery his advancement cannot make him forget thee no the holy Ghost preventeth this scruple in Hebrewes 4.14 15. We have such an high Priest that is gone into heaven alas may some say he is gone into heaven far away out of my sight and as they say out of sight out of mind he hath no pity nor compassion on me mark what the Holy Ghost saith he preventeth this though this High Priest be gone into heaven yet we have not such an high Priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but what in all things tryed onely without sin though our high Priest be exalted to the highest glory in heaven yet this maketh him not forget his poor members his pity and compassion is nothing at all diminished though he be so great an high Priest and liveth in blisse and in glory yet comfort thy self he is still as compassionate as ever he was although the Lord doth suffer the wicked to ride over their back and to triumph yet he is the King of his Church and will rise in Judgment to execute Justice howsoever he may whip and scourge his children yet he will burn the rod and deliver his So that this may be a matter of excellent comfort to Gods children that Christ is true Man Who is God over all blessed for ever Amen THe Apostle now goeth further on in a description of Christ and having affirmed That Christ came of the Jewes concerning the flesh he presently addeth that he is God over all blessed for ever that is as I formerly shewed you Who is true God very God God by nature God by being God over all persons and over all things yea God eternal to be blessed praised and Magnified and worshipped and glorified of all things and in all ages for ever Amen Here then we have a plain and pregnant proof of the God-head of Christ Jesus which is also a fundamental truth and such a truth as we must believe upon pain of damnation and from hence it is evident that Christ is not onely true man coming and having original from the Jewes concerning the flesh but God also the Doctrine is this That the Son of God Christ Jesus is true God very God Doctrine he is
and honour to his name his name must be honourable and pretious unto us and when we either think upon or have any occasion to make mention of the holy name of Jesus Christ we are to do it with honour and reverence and to give unto it due praise and due glory yea we are to mention it with fear and trembling And to illustrate this point hence it is that we find many excellent epithets given unto Christ importing the glory of his name 1 Cor. 2.8 the Apostle saith he is the Lord of life and glory and in 1 Tim. 6.15 The Apostle speaking of Christ saith thus he is blessed the Prince of princes King of kings Lord of lords blessed for ever and in Heb. 1.2 3. the Authour of the Epistle saith he is the heir of all things the Lord and Governour of heaven and earth the brightnesse of his glory the ingraven image of the Person of God yea he hath a more glorious name then the Angels These titles do point unto us the excellency of his name and do manifest unto us that indeed the name of Christ must be honourable unto us and we must look that we think and speak of it with reverence and honour And there is good Reason for it Reason 1 Because he is God and Man in one Person and as he is God his name is great and glorious honourable and fearful Psal 111.9 he hath commanded his Covenant for ever holy and fearful is his name as he is God and in respect of his Manhood surely he is more excellent then the very Angels and doth exceed all of them in wisdom holinesse goodnesse power Majestie and glory and as the humane Nature the Manhood of Christ is received with his Godhead it is to be adored and worshipped with Divine and religious worship not apart by it self but as it is considered as united to the second person it is to be adored with the same worship wherewith we adore God Heb. 1.6 even then let all the Angels worship him even when his Manhood is received into unity with his Godhead and therefore the name of the Lord Jesus ought to be honourable and pretious and we are to give him praise and glory due to his name Justly then are they to be taxed and reproved that do abuse and abase Vse 1 the name of the Lord Jesus you will say Is there any so vile and so debauched as to abase the name of the Lord Jesus Yes many do First of all the Papists when they repeat the name Jesus after the manner of exorcisme to drive away the devil and to put away some evil from them or to bring some good and thus do witches and wizzards when they use the name Jesus in their charms and inchantments and think there is vertue in it and are able to work a feat or wonder by the name Jesus they prophane the holy name of Jesus Yea is it not a common thing with many ignorant persons amongst our selves to abuse the name of the Lord Jesus what more common then with many to swear by the name of Jesus and of Christ and what more usual then for some upon every trifling occasion out of a foolish admiration or in merriment or laughter to say oh Jesus oh Christ Jesus God they abuse his name what is it but an abusing of the holy name of God a thing little thought upon yea some will say what shall we not have the name of God in our mouthes must we name the devil but let these know that they take the name of the Lord their God in vain and prophane it and assure thy self the Lord Jesus will not hold thee guiltlesse that so takest his name in vain and there is no other name to come to life and salvation but onely this Act. 4.10 and doest thou look for salvation by it thou deceivest thy self the Lord Jesus will not suffer that sin to escape his punishing hand we are not to name it upon every trifling occasion of laughing and merriment for know that the hand of the Lord will one day overtake them and therefore break off this sin before the revenging hand of the Lord light upon you for assuredly that hand will crush thee both body and soul to hell without timely and hearty repentance And in the second place learn we every one of us to acknowledge the Vse 2 greatnesse and the glory of the blessed Name of the Lord Jesus the best of us all howsoever ignorant persons are taxed herein come far short in acknowledging the honour due to this Name Learn we therefore to magnifie it and give him the glory and the praise and say blessed for ever assenting unto it Amen And to this purpose consider if so be the name of the Lord Jesus which is pretious and honourable in it self if it be not honourable and pretious to every one of us when we either think upon it or have occasion to make mention of it that we have not our mouthes opened in lauding and praising of it it is a sign that our hearts are not right within us our hearts are rotten and corrupt we are not affected with the greatnesse of the holy Name of God as we ought we have not a lively sense and feeling of the comfort to be found in Christ the name of Christ to us is not a pretious oyntment poured out Cant. 1.2 For without question every honest and good heart is ready upon the consideration of the comfort to be found in Christ to break out in magnifying and praising that holy Name so if our eyes be opened and we see the sweetnesse found in Christ Jesus to be the Fountain of all happinesse how can we but blesse him and praise him and give him the honour and glory due to his blessed Name all generations do call the Virgin Mary blessed because she found favour with God so far as to bear in her womb the Lord Jesus and those whose hearts are truly affected unto Christ cannot but praise and magnifie the Instruments of publishing the name of Christ the very feet of such are beautiful unto them Esay 52.7 How beautiful are the feet of them that bring the glad tydings of peace and of reconciliation between God and man Now then if we would be sure of it that our hearts are right within us and that indeed we are heavenly minded and that we are such that have Jesus Christ in a due admiration and have a lively sense and feeling of the comforts in Christ then let us whensoever we name Christ do it honourably and reverently and when we do speak of it either in publick or private take heed of abusing his name but speak of it honourably for if we do not love the name of the Lord Jesus let him be had in execration let him be accursed 1 Cor. 16.22 Therefore let us be stirred up to the practise of this duty to praise the name of the Lord Jesus saying Blessed praised magnified and
sanctified unto their use and they may lawfully use them after a holy manner much more then are their children sanctified by a holinesse that cometh by vertue of the covenant so speaketh the Holy Ghost they are to be accounted holy and such as belong unto Gods election howsoever many of them belong not unto Gods election yet they are so to be esteemed in the judgment of charity This being a truth that to come of good and godly parents is not sufficient Vse 1 to intitle them to salvation Let all then that are well discended that are the children of good godly and religious parents take heed of pride and of a swelling conceit that cometh to them from their parents Because their parents are such as truly fear God It is a thing usual and incident unto us to be proud of nothing more then of Nobility and gentry that we are come of such parentage and hereupon to be lifted up with a swelling conceit and especially if we come from religious parents Indeed I confesse it is a matter of honour and dignity to be the children of religious parents yet do not thou think that because thou art a child of one that feareth God that therefore thou hast promise to life and salvation no thou must find better evidence to thy heart and soul if thou be able to look into thy self with a right eye and be able to see and discern of thy own estate thou shalt find thy self to be in the common condition of all men that thou art lying and wallowing in thy filthinesse and blood though thou be of the most religious parentage upon the face of the earth thou shalt see thou art defiled and polluted and imagine not that thou art of a better nature then others because thou art come of better parents this is a conceit that runneth in the minds of many they are come of good stock and of good parents and therefore they are of a better nature no thy stock is rotten of it self and conveyeth nothing but pollution and corruption to the sprigs It may be thou art not so vile and wicked as others be not such a debauched wretch as others are but yet know this that it is not the goodnesse of thy nature that thou art so but from restraining grace thou being brought up in a religious family the reason why thou breakest not out into sin it is from restraining grace not from the goodnesse of thy nature for the root of it is rotten nature is as corrupted in thee as in the vilest Monsters upon the earth and that thou art not so bad or so vile as Judas Cain Saul the Sodomites or Pharaoh it cometh from restraining grace not from any goodnesse of thy nature do not therefore build upon the goodnesse of thy nature labour to change thy self from what thou art and rest not in a civil formality and think that is sufficient never rest untill thou find thy heart is renued by grace that thou art framed anew in some measure according to the Image of Jesus Christ labour for renovation and then thou hast ground of true comfort and right and title unto life and salvation otherwise if thou rest in thy good education and in thy good nature it will deceive thee but labour for the powerful working of the Spirit in thee Vse 2 Is this so That the very coming and discending from the loynes of good and godly parents is not sufficient to intitle children unto life and salvation It concerneth then such as are good and godly parents that they do labour to work better things in their soules then those that their children receive from them by generation and birth For why by generation and birth what do they receive nothing but a common disease and corruption Joh. 3.6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh And it may be with thy common corruption thou hast derived a particular infection not alwayes so but it may be thou hast therefore it concerneth all good and godly parents to convey better things then those they have received by generation and birth to labour to expel the folly in their hearts by nature Prov. 22. labour to expel the folly in their hearts by nature the bundel of folly and vanity by teaching by instructing comforting reproving commending and exhorting moderately to work the fear of God in their soules labour to intitle them to the promise of life and salvation and be an Instrument of the promise of life and salvation and be an instrument of their eternal good Neither are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham but in Isaac shall thy seed be called THe particular instance of the true seed of Abraham cometh now to be stood upon in that he saith in Isaac shall thy seed be called which words are the words of God to Ahraham in Gen. 21.12 and that place of Genesis considered with this of the Apostle giveth us to understand the meaning of the words to be this Ishmael was Abrahams child as well as Isaac Ishmael came of Abraham by course of nature and that as well as Isaac yet God saith thy son Ishmael should not be thy son and heir but told him plainly and directly that his son Isaac was the child in whom he would accomplish and make good his Promise concerning mercy grace righteousnesse and salvation in him shall thy seed come to participate in the promise in thy son Isaac Now then the Lord in these words maketh known that Isaac was the chosen seed of Abraham that did belong unto Gods election that he had rejected Ishmael from all eternity though he was the son of Abraham and appointed Isaac to life and salvation And so this example of Isaac and of Ishmael doth very well fit the purpose of the Apostle namely this to shew that though the Jews come of Abraham according to the course of Nature and are his seed by carnal generation yet are not all such as belong unto Gods eternal election and though they be rejected there is no breach of the promise of the Lord of which the Apostle treateth in this Chapter Now we are to observe in the first place touching these words they being considered as you heard the words of God to Abraham thus much That God in these words maketh known unto Abraham a great difference that was between his two sons Ishmael and Isaac such a difference as Abraham did not think upon nor could not take notice of untill God did make it known Abraham without question did judge both of his sons to be in the same estate Ishmael and Isaac to be in the same condition and that both had right and title to that Covenant in Gen. 17.7 I will be thy God and the God of thy seed Thus Abraham thought and therefore Abraham circumcised both his children yea Ishmael in the first place and instructed both and brought them up both alike yet you see God putteth a wide and a large difference between
upon his promise and mercy in Christ for salvation unlesse we rest upon the main promise of Christ we cannot rest upon him for outward good things with any comfort for the promises of God whether of this life or the life to come they are yea and amen 2 Cor. 1.20 in Christ they are ratified and confirmed Come we now to the Promise it-self In the same time will I come and Sarah shall have a son or at this time twelve moneths shall thy wife Sarah have a child Here we see that God doth promise to Abraham a temporal thing and limiteth and setteth down a certain time when he would accomplish his promise and the time set down he broke not the day with him as appeareth in Gen. 21.2 where the text saith that Sarah conceived and bare a son in her old age according to the very time of God that he had appointed did Sarah conceive and bear Abraham a son hence the Doctrine is this Doctrine That the Promises of God that are made to his concerning good things of this life or the life to come are fulfilled and made good in Gods own time in the time that God hath appointed hath God fulfilled and will fulfill his promise I shewed you a point formerly like unto this That Gods Promises are firm and stable But now the point is That God doth perform his promise in his appointed time he keepeth his time strictly in the very nick and point of time will he accomplish it Gen. 15.13 14. God told Abraham that his seed should be a stranger in a land not theirs and should be in bondage and thraldome for a long time but when that time shall come to an end I will judge that nation and they shall come out with great riches how was this fulfilled read Exodus 12.41 when that the very time was expired in the same day in the very self-same day all the power of Pharaoh and Egypt could not hold them but they were delivered and Pharaoh and his host destroyed So the Lord threatened that Israel should be in Babylon 70 yeares as we read Jer. 25.11 12. they should be in thaldome there so long But when the time was come and the very day Daniel understanding it by books he goeth unto God by prayer Dan. 9.23 and in the very beginning of his humiliation and supplication unto God did the decree come forth in the peoples deliverance in the very day that the time was expired and in Habbac 2.3 saith the Prophet The Vision is for an appointed time the time shall come and not lye though it tarry long and not to heap up many places indeed all the Promises of God are of an appointed time and when that time is come God doth fulfil and make them good to his children what is the ground of this Reason Because the Lord is most wise and he knoweth the fittest time for the fulfilling and accomplishing of his Promises and what in his decree he hath set down not all the power in earth or hell can hinder him from performing it in the very season Vse This serveth as a ground of Instruction to all that are Gods children for the Promises are made unto them and it serveth to teach us that we are to believe the promises of God not only in the general in the matter and substance of them but we are to believe them with the particular circumstance of the time that there is a set and an appointed time of God for the accomplishing of all his Promises and we are to wait untill that time come when we are under any distresse of body or mind we must not onely believe that God hath promised ease and comfort and refreshing and deliverance but that he hath promised an appointed time for their deliverance Not onely to say I am a child of God and God hath promised me deliverance why doth he not deliver me but let me lye under the affliction surely God hath forgotten his promise No no the Lord hath set his time yea consider also that not onely dayes and minutes of comfort are not onely known to the Lord but are most strictly and precisely known and kept of the Lord and as we cannot come in particular to any comfort for our bodies or soules till the time come so when the time is come we may assure our selves God will not passe one minute of an hour he will not break with thee but will give it thee in his time therefore wait untill that time come Hester 4.16 when Hester denyed to go unto the King saith Mordecai breathing and deliverance shall come but thou and thy fathers house shall perish Mordecai was sure deliverance should come in his appointed time Oh learn we then in time of trouble and distresse to carry the Lords leisure till the good hour be come Gods good hour is not yet come when he will send deliverance to his people certainly deliverance will come and take heed that thou dost not limit the Lord nor tye him to thy time and find fault that God hath forgotten thee and respecteth thee not take heed of this seek unto the Lord earnestly by prayer and if the Lord seem to deny thy prayer and will not hear thy prayer though thy throat be hoarse and dry yet do thou believe that God will fulfil his promise Esay 28.16 he that believeth maketh not haste he that believeth not onely the Promise in general but the particular time that when the Lord seeth it fit he will perform it Oh this is an excellent comfort to consider that the Lord will make his Promise good in his time when we are under Afflictions to consider oh Gods time is not yet when his time is come he will send ease refreshing and deliverance and will not passe a minute of his time VERSE 10 11 12 13. And not onely this but when Rebekah also had conceived by one even by our father Isaac For the Children being not yet born neither having done any good or evil that the purpose of God according to Election might stand not of works but of him that calleth It was said unto her The elder shall serve the younger As it is written Jacob have I loved But Esau have I hated FRom the ninth verse in that God saith to Abraham Sarah shall have a son Sarah who was now 90 years old past child-bearing A woman of fourscore and and ten is past bearing of children I might here stand to shew That nothing is hard and impossible to God he is the God of Nature he is not tyed to nature or the order of nature he can give children and power to one to bring forth children that have no natural power at all God can bring things to passe when there is no probability in nature But to passe by this as not intended by the Apostle here in this place Come we now then to the tenth Verse and so to the verses following to the 14 verse for they all make
more then a probable sign thou art not in the favour of God nor a child of God for together with the outward good things of this life God giveth to his children contentednesse of mind he giveth unto them wealth without woe and store without sore yea in Psal 127.3 God giveth his beloved rest and contentednesse learn we then every one of us to be contented and consider thy dwelling here or there in a fair house or in a foul it is the will of God thou shouldest have it and for thy calling be it rich or poor to be contented do not leave thy station or place of calling out of a discontentednesse and run to Virginia or New-England and I know not whither assuredly the hand of God will follow that man he doth withdraw himself from the Lords protection and the curse of God will follow him and whatsoever he putteth his hand to though he may remove to better his estate yet not out of discontentednesse for this is a bitter fruit of our cursed corruption for the meanest thing we have is more then we deserve at Gods hand therefore learn to rely upon Gods providence and appointment in thy lawful place and calling It was said unto her The elder shall serve the younger As it is written I have loved Iacob and hated Esau COme we now to the second thing to be handled in these words And in the second place it being thus spoken unto Rebekah by God himself and that according to Gods eternal and unchangeable decree the elder shall serve the younger it further pointeth out the efficacy and force of Gods eternal election and we may hence further take up this conclusion Doctr. That Gods decree touching his election of some unto life and glory in heaven it is a most powerful and a most effectual Decree exceeding great is the efficacy and force of Gods eternal election And this may easily be conceived so to be that the election of God is so effectual and powerful and so full of efficacy if so be we duly consider the fruits and effects of it it is so effectual that it altereth both the Law of Nature and the corruption of nature as first of all Gods election it altereth the law of nature that appeareth in this example of Jacob and of Esau for whereas by the law of Nature the younger should serve the elder and the elder should have dominion over the younger now you see by the eternal purpose and decree of God touching election the elder is made subject unto the younger and the younger is advanced above the elder Again Gods eternal election it altereth also the corruption of Nature as we may easily instance in this example of Jacob and Esau for Jacob being one belonging to Gods election God wrought upon him by his Spirit God set him out of the state of Nature into the state of grace they being both in one estate by Nature conceived and born in sin alike yet Gods eternal election maketh a separation between them it leaveth the one in the estate of Nature and calleth the other in the state of grace yea in time it changeth the corrupt nature of man and it correcteth the stubbornnesse of Nature and in time it bringeth forth an alteration and a change in the soules of men it changeth them in time from what even from the state of ignorance and unbelief and hardnesse of heart and disobedience to the will of God it changeth them into saving faith saving knowledge softnesse of heart pliablenesse to the Will of God and holy obedience to the will of God in all things so powerful and so effectual is Gods eternal election And to prove this a little further First of all this is that which God himself speaketh of in Ezek. 36.26 where the Lord saith he would take away the stony hearts out of his people out of what people such as belonged to his election and give unto them a heart of flesh to this purpose also is that in Act. 13.48 where the text saith that as many of the Gentiles as were ordained to eternal life they believed when they heard Paul and Barnabas preach unto them such was the force of their preordination and fore-appointing to eternal life and salvation as that it wrought in them this alteration upon the preaching of the Gospel it changed them from unbelief to saving faith and in Ephes 1.4 the Apostle saith God hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love plainly teaching us this very point that true knowledge true faith true holinesse they are fruits necessarily following upon Gods eternal election God having chosen us to this end he is not frustrate of his end but it cometh to passe And hence it is the Apostle calleth saving faith the faith of Gods elect as a thing properly belonging to Gods elect and a proper fruit of Gods eternal election Titus 1.1 and in 1 Pet. 1.2 the Apostle telleth those to whom he writeth his Epistle that they were elect of God according to the foreknowledge of God unto sanctification of the Spirit Thus we see it evident and plain unto us that indeed so powerful and so effectual is Gods eternal election as that it altereth the Law of Nature and the corruption of nature and in time it bringeth forth in alteration and change in the soul of man changing from the state of ignorance and rebellion to saving knowledge and saving faith softnesse of heart and holy obedience And it must needs be so Reason Because as God hath chosen and ordained some to life and glory in heaven so hath he in his eternal counsel and decree ordained that those men so chosen shall be fitted for life and glory in heaven before they come to the possession of it and that by working in them saving knowledge saving faith and true holinesse without which no man shall ever see God to his comfort Heb. 12.14 or ever enter into the Kingdom of God Col. 1.12 he maketh them first meet for it so that this is certainly a truth that Gods election doth change both Law of Nature and corruption of Nature First of all this truth being duly considered may serve in the first place Vse 1 to keep us from rash Judgments to teach us to take heed that we never take upon us to determine of the final estate of any man to give a definitive sentence of any mans estate be he never so wicked never so vile or cursed in the course of his life to brand him with the black note of a Reprobate and to say peremptorily such an one is a Reprobate for who can tell whether such a one posting on in sinne whether he belong to Gods election or no or whether he will so continue to the end of his life for he may be one that belongeth to Gods election and if he do then certainly the election of God will be effectual for the
working of a change in him it will alter the corruption of his heart and turn him and make him a new man it will turn him from his stiffnesse and rebellion and make him pliable to the will of God and change him and bring him from the state of ignorance and unbelief rebellion and hardnesse of heart unto the state of saving faith saving knowledge and holy obedience to the will of God yea the Lord hath a time of calling and working upon the souls of men some at one hour some at another converting some at the third hour some at the sixth hour some at the ninth hour yea some at the eleventh hour Matth. 20.3 4 5. so that this must teach us not too rashly to condemn any man unconverted or uncalled Vse 2 Again Is this so that Gods eternal election is so powerful and so effectual as that it altereth the corruption of nature in time surely then upon this ground it followeth necessarily that a man may come to know and to be assured of it that he is one belonging to Gods election and that he is in particular in the number of Gods chosen would any man know it no doubt every man desireth it would any man know he belongeth to Gods election surely a man need not in this case to climb up into heaven and pry into the secret closet of the Lord and search the Court-Rolls of heaven whether he be there written or no no he may take a shorter course let him look into himself and dive into his own heart and soul try and examine how the case and state stands with him in respect of his own soul and if in his own soul he find that upon due tryal and examination this effect is wrought in him that he is now changed from what he was wont to be in his will in his affection in his mind and in the course of his life now not a drunkard or a proud person as he was wont to be now he is set out of the state of Ignorance and unbelief and disobedience to the will of God into the state of saving knowledge saving faith softnesse and pliablenesse to the will of God more particularly if so be now he find that he hath a new light set up in his mind his mind is inlightened with A glorious light by which he is able to understand the will of God and the wayes of God and the things of God which the natural man perceiveth not and he findeth his will disposed otherwise then it was heretofore he was stout and stubborn and disobedient to the will of God revealed in his Word but now he findeth in his heart plyableness yeelding to the Word of God no sooner can the Lord command a duty to be done but his heart answereth Lord this is my duty I ought to do it and I will certainly do it so when God forbiddeth a sin be it what it will be pride covetousnesse Sabbath-breaking he answereth I confesse it is my sin and I will forsake and leave it when the Lord forbiddeth his pride his garishnesse of apparel and long shaggy hair he will leave it off and also he findeth whereas it was odious and hateful for him to recapitulate and repeat the Word of God after publique exercises now he findeth it delightful to him and is made able in some measure he being truly set at liberty to follow the holy will of God or whatsoever the Lord revealeth in his Word he will imbrace the duty and omit and hate the sin be it whatsoever it will be here is a good evidence and upon this ground a man may certainly conclude that he belongeth to Gods election he yeeldeth obedience to all the Commandements of God no Commandement is hard unto him but he intirely yeeldeth to the whole though imperfectly Object Indeed the Papists deny this that a man in the time of this life can come to be assured that hr is in the state of grace and salvation by any ordinary course by Extraordinary course and Revelation they say he may but not by any ordinary course Answ Herein they are deceived for a man may by an ordinary course by secret examination of his own heart and will searching his Illumination Faith and Obedience he may know it infallibly Let us therefore hereby try and examine our selves and not presume that we belong unto God when indeed there is no such matter and never find this alteration and change wrought in our hearts and soules but men are the same to day as they were before still the same Ruffians yesterday the same to day Drunkards yesterday the same to day Sabbath-breakers the last Sabbath and Sabbath-breakers still And onely live as they are led by the light of Reason and the state of Nature to live a civil honest orderly life And for men or women upon this ground to perswade themselves that they thus belong unto Gods election they deceive themselves For there must be a further change wrought it is not thy civil honesty that will serve turn thou must have thy old rotten and corrupt heart taken out of thee Oh what striving will there be before that this be done but this thou must find even an alteration and a change that thou art now changed from the state of ignorance and unbelief into the state of saving knowledg and faith and obedience to the wole Will of God and then thou mayst conclude certainly I am in the number of Gods chosen if thou rest upon thy Civil honesty it is a rotten ground and foundation it will plunge thy soul into the bottom of hell when thou hast most need of comfort labour therefore to find this change wrought in thee Come we now to the thirteenth verse VERSE 13. As it is written Jacob have I loved But Esau have I hated OUr Apostle in this Verse maketh known whence it was that there should be such a great difference between these two brethren Jacob and Esau he giveth this reason of it namely that it was from the love of God to the one and Gods hatred of the other the Apostle citing a Text of Scripture to this purpose Mal. 1.2 3. so that in this verse our Apostle doth explain and expound the place of Genesis the elder shall serve the younger by this place of Malachy shewing the reason of the difference that it pleased God to put between these two brethren proceeding from Gods love and hatred In a word in this thirteenth verse there be two things in general to be considered First the Apostles citing of Scripture As it is written Secondly the testimony of Scripture which he alledgeth in the words following I have loved Iacob and hated Esau First in that he alledgeth Scripture As it is written yet the Apostle doth not cite either Book Chapter or Verse but putteth it down in the general whence I might stand to shew that we ought be so well acquainted with Scripture that when the text of Scripture
issued and sprung from that ever springing fountain of the free love of God Exod. 19.4 he carried his people upon Eagles wings he did favour and do them good from time to time and so in Deut. 30.10 he chose Jacob and the seed of Jacob and brought his seed out of Egypt by a mighty power and Deut. 4.37 he turned the curse of Balaam to a blessing Numb 23.5 when Balaam thought to curse the people of God God turned it to a blessing so I might instance in many particulars how the Lord manifested his love unto his people one for all Joh. 3.16 where Christ saith God so loved the world or his chosen in the world that whosoever believed in him should not perish but have everlasting life the free love of God was it that moved God to send his Son to be a Saviour unto them Indeed I grant that Gods chosen now believing in Christ they have the pardon of their sins and they have all good things vouchsafed unto them for Christ his sake even for Christ his sake God is pleased to vouchsafe unto them pardon of sin and all other dependents thereon for we must know that though God out of his free love decreed to make Christ a means and a Saviour by whom and through whom men should have pardon of their sins conveyed unto them that he should be the conduit and person that they should receive it by yet the fountain and chief ground is Gods eternal love so that the first cause the first ground of all good things that come unto Gods chosen here and hereafter in heaven it is Gods free love and his free good will and pleasure though Christ be the means of conveyance Because God being most free as he is liberrimum agens he will not have Reason 1 any good thing come from any thing out of himself Because no good can be given above the good will and pleasure of God Reason 2 Christ himself saith so that we have nothing but the free and eternal pleasure of God so that this plainly sheweth Gods free love is the ground of all good things First of all this Doctrine doth put down a main difference plain and Vse 1 manifest between Gods love unto us and our love unto others we love others in respect of some good some worth we see some good quality some excellent and worthy thing in them which doth attract and draw our love unto them we see some beauty some wit some learning some strength or the like that draweth our love unto them and knitteth our hearts unto them and indeed we are bound so to do to love others in respect of their beauty wit learning and the Image of God in them in any manner Now with God there is no such matter our love is bounded and grounded and set upon some excellency or worth in the creature even our very enemies but with God there is no such matter his love is not stirred up nor caused by any good worth or excellency in us or any goodnesse in us no not by any thing out of himself Indeed I grant God loveth his own Image being renued in us and the more we are renued of God the more holy the more religious the more pleasing to God and the more dear and pretious to him God loveth his own Image in us actually but the cause of that is his eternal free love so that though the Lord love us we being renued and holy and righteous yet the cause is his eternal free love which proceedeth not from any thing out of himself but onely his free good will and pleasure Is this so that all good things in this life and the life to come do proceed Vse 2 from the good will and pleasure of God Upon this ground we must learn then to indeavour in every good thing we enjoy yea in the good things of this life that we have and possesse to see Gods love unto us in them to see in the bread we eat the apparel we clothe our selves withal and the good things we enjoy to see Gods love unto us It is not sufficient for us to know that the outward good things of this life are good things in themselves blessings of God a man may go so far by the very light of nature to know that meat and drink and maintenance is a blessing of God and there is no comfort in this knowledge no we must be able to know that these good things come out of Gods free and eternal love and to be blessings unto us in particular and that they flow out from Gods free and eternal favour wherewith he had loved us before the world was and that they coming thus we may use the Apostles form of thanksgiving Ephes 1.3 blessed be God our heavenly Father who hath blessed us with all heavenly and with all temporal good things with this health with this wealth this apparel but some may say how is that to be done I answer Labour thou in the first place to get thy part in the blood of Jesus Christ labour thou to apprehend and apply the merits of Christ his death and obedience to thine own soul by a true saving faith and never rest untill thou hast a true and a saving faith to apply and to apprehend the merits of Christ to thy soul for in Christ alone is the spiritual right and title of all good things applyed to Gods chosen Secondly having gotten this labour thou to find that the outward good things of this life they do stirre thee up and provoke thee forward to love God to fear God to walk humbly before the Lord and to be thankful unto his holy Majesty the outward good things of this life thou hast a true right and title unto them and are means to help thee forward in the wayes of God and to walk humbly before the Lord thy meat thy drink thy apparel are means to help thee forward to thy salvation and to further thee in the way of salvation And it is not with thee after the manner of the men of the world to abuse the good things of this life to vanity and pride to set out their hearts in pride of apparel garishnesse of attire riot and excesse as some do that a man may say and easily discern there is a proud person however you will say under a russet coat may be a proud heart yet a man may say where there is smoke there is fire It breaketh out in their foreheads and foretops and in their long shag'd ruffian-like hair and in their exteriour parts a man may say they are clothed with cruelty and pride hangeth as a chain about their necks Psal 73.6 and their houses and lands are priviledged places for all manner of abomination impiety and ungodlinesse and no man may speak against them especially being men of place and authority great men their greatnesse doth priviledge their places and houses for all manner of impious and abominable courses
affirmeth that some there are that stumble at the Word of God which is indeed a common stumbling block Gods children walk evenly with an even foot in the waies of God according to the will of God but some there be that stumble being disobedient unto which before the world was they were appointed and ordained so in Jude 4. verse The Apostle speaketh of some that were of old before the world was ordained to condemnation denying the Lord Jesus the Lord of life and glory Indeed the Scripture is not so plentiful in this matter of reprobation as it is in the matter of election and why so surely because the purpose of the Holy Ghost in the Scripture is principally to make known unto Gods chosen Gods eternal good will and his eternal love to manifest and to signifie Gods good will and good pleasure to his chosen and the main and chief drift of the Holy Ghost in the written Word of God is to bring Gods chosen to certain hope of life and salvation 1 Pet. 1.3 that they may be begotten to a lively hope yet though this be sparingly set down in the matter of rejection and reprobation yet it is set down plainly and sufficiently that God hath certainly refused some and cast them off for ever And beloved this being a high mystery that we may not misconceive or misunderstand it we must know that there is a difference to be put and a distinction to be made between Gods decree of rejecting of some and the execution of his decree God hath decreed absolutely from everlasting and before the world was without respect to any thing in them or any thing he did foresee would be in them their rejection Now the execution of his Decree is with the respect of sin the decree is absolute but the execution is with respect had to sinne and for sin doth God execute his wrath in time upon those that were rejected before time for their infidelity and their sin foregoing which is the proper cause of damnation and no man is damned but for sin Object I but some will say if God hath thus decreed the rejection and casting off of some for ever surely such persons cannot possibly be saved they can never come to heaven and so consequently they must needs sin that they may be damned and therefore they sin of necessity Answ To this I answer Such as are rejected of God they do indeed sin necessarily but how by necessity of consequent not of antecedent by necessity of certainty and infallibility not by necessity of constraint or compulsion they being rejected of God God leaveth them to themselves and to the cursed corruption of their hearts and so they sin willingly and freely by the necessity of infallibility yet Gods decree doth not compell them to sin but it cometh from their own cursed corruption as the proper cause of it And so we are still to clear God that we do not make him the author of sin as the Anabaptists say we do now this being cleared come we to the use of it Vse 1 This being so that God hath from everlasting decreed the rejection of some and casting off for ever In the first place learn we to know this as a holy divine and eternal truth of God and we must be stirred up upon this ground to a holy reverence and holy admiration of the wonderful and unspeakable power of God over his creatures and take heed we cavil and reason not against it and labour not to bring this high mystery and point of divinity within our shallow brains and consider that we are but creatures and we may not presume to prescribe a law of Justice to the Creator we are creatures silly worms we must not take upon us to say Oh it is unjust cruel and hard for God so to do for he is Justice it self and whatsoever we imagine or think to the contrary yet Gods will maketh the thing willed to be good just and holy because it is willed of him who cannot will amisse though it be hard and harsh to our corrupt reason God hath willed the rejection of some and this thing willed by God is good for God cannot will amisse This being a truth Oh then it concerneth us to look unto it and to Vse 2 take heed that we see to our selves whether we stand in the mercy of God or no and have hope of Gods mercy vouchsafed to us Oh labour we to find our selves not in the number of those whom God hath rejected and cast off for ever for some such there are but labour to find that we be in the number of those whom God hath received to mercy And consider howsoever Gods mercy is infinite and endlesse yet Gods mercy admitteth of a limitation and a restraint in respect of man for it shall not be reached out and extended to all men in the world without exception no nor to many that make full account of it in their own imagination and flatter themselves that Gods mercy belongeth unto them And therefore in the fear of God take heed we do not in this case deceive our selves labour we to find our selves to outstrip and go beyond a reprobate and to find in our selves that that cannot possibly be found in a reprobate this is that we should chiefly aym at and intend to reach to and never rest untill you come to find such things in your selves that cannot possibly be in one whom God hath cast off But you will say Quest. What are those things that cannot possibly be found in a Reprobate a needful question Beloved they are many Answ yet I will onely commend unto you two special things that cannot possibly be found in a Reprobate What are those The first is a thorow and true change both of the heart and life Two things which are never found in any Reprobate from evil to good as you heard not long since Gods eternal election bringeth forth an alteration so the first thing must be this a sound thorough and true change wrought in the whole man not in the memory the understanding or the tongue onely but in the rest and throughout not as many that have onely left some sins as the beastly adulterer for want of ability to follow it but they are changed throughout and have the power of grace wrought in them by the means of grace the Word Prayer and the Sacraments they have true grace wrought in every part of their body and power of the soul by the use of the means for howsoever God is not tyed to means he can work without means yet God doth ordinarily work where he vouchsafeth means And they that live under the meanes and have not grace they are in a fearful case The second thing that cannot be found in a Reprobate Psal 38.3 Rom. 7.24 is a groaning under sin and that because it is sin not for fear or shame or by-respects and especially under such sins as no eye of man
doth limit and restrain the mercy of God to them to whom the Lord vouchsafeth mercy and therefore mercy is not a natural property in God Answ To this I answer First of all this Cavil is grounded upon a mistaking and misconstruction of the words of the Apostle For the Apostle doth not here intend and mean the natural property and essential attribute of mercy in God but he meaneth the act exercise and work of that property which is extended and reached out unto man and that is ever guided by the holy will of God Again it is false and utterly untrue that this heretick affirmeth that all the natural properties of God are ever in use to us for justice mercy goodnesse and power and the like be essential and natural in God and yet God doth extend and reach them out to whom he pleaseth according to his own purpose when he will and where he will and how it pleaseth him so that it is false and blasphemous to say that mercy is not natural and essential in God for the testimony of Scripture contradicteth it in Exod. 34.6 the Lord there proclaimeth himself in this manner The Lord the Lord strong merciful gratious and abundant in goodnesse and in truth yea this might be illustrated by many testimonies of Scripture but I forbear it in so pregnant and plain a truth And come we then to that which may be truly concluded from these words I will have mercy upon whom I will And compassion upon whom I will These words being understood as heretofore I have explained them That the act the exercise and the work of Gods mercy and pity and compassion it is ever by God extended to them to whom he pleaseth Hence then we are given to understand thus much Doct. That Gods mercy reached out unto his chosen it is most free and voluntary it dependeth upon nothing out of God but cometh onely and merely out of his own good will and pleasure That the Lord is merciful unto any or that he sheweth any fruit of his love or mercy to any one it is merely from his own good will and pleasure and not depending upon any thing out of his holy and blessed Majestie the Lord being the author of mercy pity and compassion he extendeth his mercy pity and compassion to those to whom he will Or more briefly thus The reason why the Lord doth extend and reach out mercy unto any is his mere will and nothing else And to clear this a little further mark what the Apostle saith in 2 Cor. 1.3 the Apostle there calleth God Pater misericordiarum the Father of mercies shewing that God is the Father and begetter of mercy and that mercy and love are as it were his children coming from him and in Joh. 1.15 saith the Evangelist of him we receive grace for grace one grace to another And Christ Jesus saith Luke 10.12 Father I confesse Lord of heaven and earth thou hast hid these things even the things of thy Gospel from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto babes even so because it pleased thee It was so of thy good will and pleasure nothing moving thee thereunto so that the reason why the Lord doth vouchsafe mercy unto any it is the free will and favour of God nothing else moving him But haply then some may say to me It seemeth not to be true Object that God vouchsafeth mercy unto his chosen and pardon for their sins for the sake of Christ if he shew mercy of his own free will then not for the sufferings of Christ which were a grosse errour to conclude To this I answer that these two things are subordinate Answ as we speak in schooles they do and may well agree and stand together God vouchsafeth mercy to his chosen for the sake of Christ and merely out of his own will how can these two stand together yes very well for why God vouchsafeth mercy to his chosen for the sake of Christ the will of God is that his chosen should have the pardon of their sins through Jesus Christ and that pardon of sin should not come without Christ as Christ affirmeth John 6.40 for this is the will of him that sent me that every one that seeth the son and believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Now if any do object that of the Prophet Esay 43.25 Object I am he that hath put away all thine iniquities for mine own sake therefore it seemeth it is not for Christs sake but for his own sake as the Lord professeth I answer Answ God doth therefore pardon the sins of his chosen for his own sake because he doth it for Christs sake for all the works of every person is the work of the whole Trinity that which the Son worketh the Father and Holy Ghost worketh in Unity of Godhead so that mercy cometh only from God the Father And the reason why God vouchsafeth mercy to any is nothing else but Gods free will This first meeteth with a false conclusion of Arminius and of the Arminians Vse 1 that say God may decree to shew mercy unto such as believe and repent and such as persevere in grace and sanctification Now this is to restrain Gods shewing of mercy to mens qualification And to make something in man to be the cause and reason of Gods shewing mercy Where as these two stand together never they can possibly agree being contraria contraria sine medio That Gods will is the cause of his mercy to man and that God sheweth mercy because of their faith vertue and qualification in good things they are two opposites but to leave them Farther this being so That Gods mere Will is the cause of his mercy Vse 2 unto us and nothing else hereby then we must learn to magnifie the mercy of God vouchsafed unto us in any kind whatsoever hath God vouchsafed mercy unto us in regard of our bodies but especially in respect of our soules hath he converted our sinful soules from wickednesse to himself hath he reached out his mercy so far as that he hath extended his saving grace unto our soules Oh then learn we to acknowledge that it is most free and that it hath been vouchsafed merely from God himself nothing in us as a reason or cause to move him why he should shew us the least mercy And thus meditate and think with thy self whosoever thou art that hast found Gods mercy and his saving grace reached out unto thy sinful soul Oh consider surely I was in the common estate and condition of all men I was guilty of damnation by reason of the sin committed by Adam I was begotten and brought forth in sin and lived therein in a miserable estate and condition and I had no feeling of my misery no desire to be saved and when God sought me I desired him not I closed mine eyes against him and would not see the light I stopped mine eares and would not hear his voyce But the
consummation of all Rom. 6.24 it is the special gift of God bestowed upon some and not upon all according to the will of Christ Joh. 17.24 Father saith the Lord Jesus I will that those whom thou hast given me be where I am and behold my glory and be everlasting partakers of my glory so then we see that the saving mercies of God from the beginning to the consummation they are reached out according to the good will and pleasure of God Hence it followeth in the first place that they erre grosly who do hold Vse 1 and affirm that God hath elected all men to life and salvation if they will and that God would have all men to be saved and to come to life and salvation if they will and that men are not saved that cometh to passe because men themselves will not This was the opinion of the Pelagins and now of the Papists in part Anabaptists and Arminians and others Now this opinion is not onely erroneous and false in the ground making the absolute and unchangeable will of God to depend upon the will of man that if man will be saved God hath chosen him but also this opinion of theirs cannot stand with the truth now delivered that God giveth his saving mercy to whom he will Object I but say they now they take hold of the Scripture the Apostle in Rom. 11.32 saith that God hath shut up all in unbelief that he might have mercy upon all so in 1 Tim. 2.4 God willeth that all shall be saved and come to the knowledge of his truth therefore your doctrine is not true Answ To this I answer it is true indeed God hath shut up all men in unbelief that he might have mercy upon all what all without exception of any upon every man without exception no but upon all that believe upon all the faithful ones among the Jewes and Gentiles of whom the Apostle speaketh in this 11. Chapter of whom he speaketh of the estate of the Jewes and Gentiles I but say they this is a false interpretation mark then and to this purpose read a paralel place unto this in Gal. 3.22 where the Apostle saith The Scripture hath concluded and shut up all under sin that the promise of God what promise the promise of mercy and faith in Christ Jesus might be extended and reached out what to all without exception no saith the Apostle unto them that believe so the Apostle doth there limit the universal particle all to all believers and so the place is to be taken Again for the place in Timothy that God will have all men to be saved First to answer to it the word all in that place is not taken Collective but Distributive as they speak not collective and gathering all men in the world but distributive by way of Distribution some of all sorts of all states conditions and degrees and calling in the world and that this is a truth mark what the Apostle saith in the first verse of this Chapter I do exhort that prayers and supplications be made for all men what shall we understand all mankind no he subjoyneth by way of distribution for all men in all callings and conditions for Kings and Magistrates he ranketh them into their several degrees so when God saith I will have mercy upon all his meaning is not all men shall be saved but some of all sorts and again as One saith God will have all men salvos fieri to be saved but God will not salvos facere make all men to be saved but he reacheth out his mercy to some of all sorts Vse 2 Is this so that Gods mercy is to be reached out not to all but onely to some amongst men surely then it behoveth us to look unto it and to take heed that we deceive not our selves touching Gods saving mercy as many there be that live in their known sins and go on in the practice of them wittingly and willingly and presume upon this ground Oh say they God is merciful but they deceive themselves and build upon a rotten ground God is merciful and pitiful It is true indeed God is infinite and endlesse in his mercy but remember what hath been delivered that the Lord will not extend and reach out his saving mercy unto all but onely to some amongst men he will not save the soules of all men generally because he is a merciful God but to some of all sorts And therefore we must labour to find our selves in that Number of whom God will vouchsafe saving mercy and save their soules Quest Alas some will say how shall we come to know that God will reach out his saving mercy unto us Who knoweth the mind of God how can we be acquainted with the will of God that God will reach out his saving mercy unto me Answ Yes we may know the mind and the will and the purpose of God to us in particular how by the Spirit of God even by that Spirit of God which searcheth the deep and hidden things of God and maketh known the gracious purpose of the Lord 1 Cor. 2.12 we have not received the Spirit of the world but we have received the Spirit which is of God whereby we know the things that are given unto us of God even the love and the mercy and the favour of God unto us in Christ And if we have that Spirit of God when we find and feel that Spirit in our hearts and soules working there convincing us and doth check us in our hearts and soules and we are able to expresse and shew forth the fruits of the Spirit in our life and conversation Gal. 5.22 23. Whose effects be joy peace love meekness long suffering patience and we are able to expresse it in our lives and conversation And hereby we may come to know that Gods good will is towards us in Jesus Christ even by the work of Gods Spirit which testifieth what God hath Purchased indeed if men live in their known sinnes and fancie unto themselves the Gospel and the saving mercies of God in Christ they deceive themselves and it is a true saying as one saith as they that have the fruits of the Spirit against them is no Law so they that have not the fruits of the Spirit there is no Gospel for them therefore in the fear of God labour we for this for the Spirit of God making known unto us the good will of God what he hath sealed unto us from everlasting convincing us of our known sins and showing forth the fruits in our lives and conversations then we may assure our selves that God will bestow upon us life and salvation and hath conferred his graces unto us Therefore he hath mercy upon whom he will and whom he will he hardneth THe next thing observable and to be stood upon in this point of Gods reprobation that God hardneth whom he wil the Lord out of his own good pleasure denieth mercy and saving grace and withholdeth it
work grace in the soules of men to mollifie and soften the hearts of men are vouchsafed and yet all are not softened but some continue in their hardnesse living under the means of softening because the powerful meanes of grace are uneffectual unlesse it please God to put life unto them and to give efficacy by the work of his grace Now the Lord is pleased sometimes to withhold his saving and softening grace from men and to inflict hardnesse upon them as a Judgment and then no marvel it is that they continue in their hardnesse and sins and stiffe-neckednesse And beloved upon this ground the Preachers and Ministers of the Word may stay themselves when they see that after their labour and pains taking with the soules of men they see little or no fruit of their labour he seeth that the profit of the same Word delivered by him to one and the same people is so divers and different that some are bettered by it and yeeld obedience to it and do according to it and some do clean contrary unto it it is a savour of life unto some and a savour of death unto others thus it was in Exod. 9.20 21. with the preaching of Moses those whom God gave grace unto yeelded others yeelded not The Lord is pleased sometimes to withhold his softening grace from men and to leave them to themselves And beloved the Lord commonly dealeth thus with hypocrites and such as come unto the means of grace onely out of form and of fashion and of custome and are asleep when they come unto it they come without any longing desire to profit by the means they have no more desire to profit by it then the seats they sit upon then when they so come without a desire to profit and onely for form and fashion then the Lord suffereth them to go on in blindnesse of mind and hardnesse of heart that though they hear a hundred Sermons yet they are dull and dead and have no more good by them then the seats in the Church And hereby the Minister may cheer up himself that the Lord hath hardened their hearts and will not suffer them to profit by the means but permits them to post on the way to hell Is this so that Gods will is to harden some amongst the sons of men and Vse 2 inflict hardening upon their hearts how are they then to magnifie the goodnesse of God to them to whom the Lord hath given soft and melting hearts and such as are flexible pliable and yeelding to the will of God in the admonitions and threatenings of it yea such a heart as good Josiah had in 2 Chr. 24.27 that when he heard the Book of the Law read his heart melted and dissolved with tears so dost thou when thou hearest the threatenings and denunciations of the Word against thee tremble and is thy heart humbled when thou hearest the sweet comforts of the Word of God even as the matter is so is thy heart affected if matter of comfort thou rejoycest if matter of threatening thou art humbled yea though it be against a sin thou art not guilty of when thou hearest the threatenings of God against sins thou art not guilty of thou tremblest considering he is a just God thy heart is flexible pliable the text is clear in Ezek. 36.25 26. Here we find that those whom the Lord doth please to justifie and sanctifie and to pour the clean waters upon their soules and to cleanse them from the filthinesse of their sins to them he giveth a heart of flesh this is a work of God vouchsafed to such that God doth cleanse mollifie even a flexible plyable and yeelding heart to the Word of God and the means of grace and of salvation Oh hast thou such a heart blesse God for it this is a special mercy of God for of all the plagues that befall men in this world hardnesse of heart is the worst none worse then that that is the most dreadful so softnesse of heart assuredly is a special blessing of God and given to none but those whom God loveth Oh then labour to have this bowing bending yeelding heart to the good hand of God labour to cheer it up and to have a plyable heart yeelding not stubborn and to that end use these meanes that may mollifie thee more and more namely be frequent and often in hearing and reading of the holy Word of God and when thou hast heard and read it second it by meditation Oh what enemies are they that hear the Word and do not respect to call to mind what they have heard but let it slip away and secondly be often and frequent in thinking upon the sweet and comfortable mercies of God in Jesus Christ that will soften thy heart and keep it soft the heart of the prodigal when it began to relent to yeeld and to be moved and to come to himself and to consider the tendernesse and love of his gracious Father Oh saith he I am a poor wretch here and an outcast but I have a good father I have sinned against heaven and against thee Luke 15.17 18. he will entertain and receive me again so the consideration of the tender mercies of Christ Jesus to consider what the Lord hath done for thee hath he not vouchsafed his mercy in Christ Jesus And last of all be thou earnest above all be earnest with God in prayer that he would be pleased to vouchsafe unto thee the Spirit of grace and of softening and continue in thy breast a soft heart Oh Lord never suffer me to be given over to hardnesse of heart Lord keep this heart of mine soft plyable and yeelding to the Word of God Thus we are to hear it and to read it and to meditate upon it and to pray unto God to keep the heart in us for it is the greatest blessing of God that can befall a man in this world as hardnesse of heart is a great curse so softnesse is a great blessing therefore labour for to get and increase it VERSE 19. Thou wilt say then unto me Why doth he yet complain Who hath resisted his Will OUr Apostle having cleared God from the imputation of inconstancy and of unfaithfulnesse in his promises notwithstanding the rejection of the Jewes for the body of them from the sixth verse of this Chapter to the 14. verse and having proved from the 14 verse to the 19. verse that God is not unjust in that he hath out of his own absolute good will and pleasure chosen some to life and salvation and hath passed by and rejected others and that without respect had to any thing in them or foreseen in them having I say cleared God from this slander He now in this 19. verse falleth upon a new and a further Cavil and reasoning of the flesh namely such a Cavil as doth charge God with no lesse then cruelty and with Tyrannical dealing with some men and from this the Apostle cleareth God also Now
1 a standing at the staves end with God as it is said of the Jewes Abusing the patience of God and not making a holy use of the meanes of grace is resisting of God Act. 7.51 that they being a people of hard hearts and not bettered by the Apostles preaching what are they he describeth them that they confront the Lord and resisted the Holy Ghost Oh you of uncircumcised hearts you have alwayes resisted the Holy Ghost and though the Lord be a God of long patience yet he will not suffer them long to resist he will have the better in the end he will shew himself to be a revenging God to those that abuse his patience Again continuance in sin without repentance and going on wilfully in sins Reason 2 is the onely thing that bringeth the just wrath of God upon the soules and bodies of men it is not one sin no nor many sins Not sinning but continuance in sin that brings the wrath of God upon the bodies and soules of men that bringeth the wrath of God though God may justly condemn for one sin yet it is not that but it is long continuing in sin without repentance that is the thing and the onely thing that bringeth the wrath of God when men abuse the patience of God and long-suffering of God and go on continuing in sin even then the wrath of the Lord falleth upon them so that though the Lord spare for a long time yet at the last he will punish them Therefore hence take we notice of the fearful estate of those that God suffereth to thrive in sin such persons as live in foul scandalous sins Vse The miserable estate of such as continue in sin and the Lord is patient toward them and doth not strike with a visible plague or outward punishment but they go on and are hardened in them surely they do treasure up the just wrath and vengeance of God upon them against the day of wrath they go on without rub or without disturbance they follow their sins with a full swing they heap up the vengeance of God against the day of wrath And know it for a certain truth that they are in the worst case of all others that do abound in the plenty of outward good things and withal God suffereth them to thrive by usury and by unlawful means unlesse they repent they are in the heaviest case of all men for they being not led by the long-suffering and patience of God to repentance surely they provoke God to inflict most heavy and fearful vengeance upon them Oh then consider it thou that art a most vile and grosse sinner an usurer or whatsoever thou art if thou art so far from being bettered by the outward blessings of God as that thou goest on in thy sin with an high hand thou art in a miserable estate and condition thou dost provoke God to most just anger and wrath And the longer the Lord doth forbear and suffer thee to go on in the practice of any sin the deeper will be thy condemnation and Judgment yea beloved to abuse the patience of God and turn it to a licence to sin what is it it is a mark of a Reprobate and it is more then a probable sign thou art in the state of Reprobation for it is the abuse of Gods long sufferance that bringeth us to destruction Vse 2 Again this teacheth us to take heed of abusing the long patience and long suffering of God Let us take heed how we abuse not Gods patience by wilfulnesse and obstinacy in sin he is a patient God he calleth and cryeth unto us Come out of your pride your drunkennesse and filthinesse come to the house of God receive the Word of God Oh take heed then of abusing the patience of God The Lord offereth unto us the means of grace for our reformation we must be bettered by every Sermon we hear and take heed of obstinacy and rebellion in sin it is the heaviest hand of God upon our soules that can befall us Take we heed of custome in sin And to this end take we heed of yeelding unto sin time after time many persons that are not hardened in sin if they yeeld unto them time after time grow hardened yea we shall find if we observe it that men harden their own hearts before God hardens them they live and continue in sin and care not for profiting by the meanes of grace and then the Lord giveth them over in his just Judgment to hardnesse of heart therefore take heed of wittingly and willingly continuing in any known sin whatsoever resisting the grace of God and make your selves lyable to the vengeance of God The phrase and form of speech observable Again mark we further the Apostle doth expresse Gods vengeance on Reprobates by this term to shew his wrath hence note we thus much That Gods punishing hand wheresoever he lets it fall it falleth heavy Gods punishment and Judgment lighting upon ungodly persons they are Doct. 4 most heavy and fearful God in shewing of wrath doth after the manner of men that are furious Anger and wrath are not properly in God but they are given unto him by way of Metaphor for our capacity the Lord will shew himself a God of rage and fury unto those that abuse his long-suffering and hence it is that the wrath and fury of God is compared to the breaking out of fire as we say fire and water have no mercy Psal 2.12 Kisse the Son lest he be angry and so his wrath be kindled and break out and burn suddenly so in Deut. 29.20 if you follow after the stubbornnesse of your heart and adde drunkennesse to thirst the wrath of the Lord shall burn against that man Vse This for the use of it discovereth unto us the folly of such persons that make light account and reckoning of just punishments of God threatened against them yea some make a mock at it when they are threatened with that fearful sentence at the last day Go ye cursed they say if they can scape so long let them alone In Prov. 19.12 it is said the anger of a King is like the roaring of a Lyon if it be so then the wrath of the Lord is more to be feared then hell it self Gods wrath more to be feared then hell it self yea it is Hell for the apprehension of Gods wrath is hell and we see it by experience that the Anger and wrath of God apprehended by a wounded Conscience it is a burthen unsupportable it maketh men to hang and drown themselves and to cut their own throats it maketh them mad to be eased of it a wounded conscience who can bear therefore learn to consider the wrath of Gods punishing hand in Nahum 1.5 6. verses saith the Prophet before his face when he is angry the Mountains flie away the rocks cleave in sunder and turn into dust and powder what hearts have we then Job
33.21 that can consider the wrath of God against sin and not tremble at it Therefore in the fear of God consider it and do not mock and scoffe at it lest the wrath and vengeance of God break out upon thee to thy utter Destruction What and if God would to shew his wrath and to make his power known suffer with long patience the vessels of wrath prepared to destruction COme we now to the second end of Gods long suffering and patience to wicked men and that is not onely to shew his wrath The second end to make his Power known but to make his Power known The Lord is patient and long suffering to reprobates to this end that they abusing his patience being obstinate and not being bettered he may at the length make it appear that he is a God of Power He makes it appear that he is a God of Power able to pull down the stoutest sinner in the world how soever he may seem to wink at it able to beat down the most stubborn hearted wretch that is living upon the face of the earth and able to bring upon them utter ruine and destruction to the praise and glorie of his own Power Now then from hence we may easily gather this conclusion That God will one day shew forth his Power in punishing of wicked and ungodly persons such as goe on wilfully in their known sinnes Doctrine and continue obstinate in their evil courses and will not be bettered by his patience and kindnesse toward them Though the Lord doe suffer obstinate and rebellious sinners to goe on a long time yet at the last he will rise up and then manifest his Power and make it appear to all the world that he is a God of Power in their just vengeance thus the Lord speaketh in Deuteronomie 32.22 That when once he taketh hold of his sword of vengeance he will pay them home As if he had said though I may suffer vile and obstinate sinners to escape my Power a long time yet at the length I will whet my glittering sword and take hold on judgement then will I shew forth my Power in executing vengeance upon the wicked and obstinate sinners In the 50. Psalme the Psalmist in the 16. verse bringeth the Lord reckoning up the sinnes of the people of Israel and in the 21. verse He shutteth up all in a word These things hast thou done and I did forbear thee and because I did forbear thee therefore thou diddest think that thy course of life was pleasing unto me but saith the Lord The time will come that I will call thee to account and set thy sinnes in order And then mark that which my speech aimeth at in the 22. verse there is added a very pithie and powerful speech by way of Exhortation Consider this you that forget God the great God of Heaven and Earth least he will teare you in pieces and there shall be none to deliver you which is verie emphatical wherein we see the Lord compareth himself to an hungerie Lion that having gotten his prey rendeth and teareth it in pieces and none can rescue or take it off from the paw of the Lion so will the Lord one day rise up in judgement against those that are wicked obstinate and rebellious sinners and then he will shew himselfe even as an angrie Lion that crusheth the bones of a poore sheep between his teeth so he will manifest his Power in punishing wicked sinners and none can be able to free them from his punishing hand And in Revelation 11.17 We finde that the Saints gave God thanks and praise in this manner VVe thanke thee O Lord God Almightie that art from everlasting and shalt continue for ever c. Then in the latter end of the verse they render a reason of this their thanksgiving unto God in these words and terms For thou hast received thy great might and thou hast obtaind thy Kingdom Why is God stronger then then he is now No but the meaning is That though God be a great God in respect of Power and alwaies retaineth fulnesse of Power and Might and shall not at the day of judgement receive any greater power or might then now he hath yet at the day of judgement shall exercise and shew forth his Power in the utter overthrow of his enemies and deliverance of his Church and therefore he is said to receive his mightie Power and then shall the 24. Elders sing their song Now is thy Might and Power come So that we see though God doe for a long time suffer the wicked to goe on in their sinnes yet he will shew forth his Power in punishing of them and it must needs be so for these Reasons Reason 1 Because the Lord having in divers places of the Book of God threatned and denounced plagues and fearful punishments and judgements against wicked and rebellious sinners and he being able to make good what he hath threatned he will not suffer his threats and denunciations alwaies to be in vain and to lie dead and never be brought to execution but in his due time appointed he will make them good upon the bodies and souls of those that live and die in their sinnes Reason 2 The Lord will be known as he is a God of Power here he sheweth himself to be a God of Patience but he will be known to be a God of Power in executing judgement and vengeance upon the wicked Psalme 9.16 For this is one proof that there is a God That he will execute his Power in bringing destruction upon the wicked rebellious sinners though the Lord suffer them to goe on in their sinnes for a long time yet he will one day make it apparent that he is a God of Power in their just punishment howsoever he seemeth to see as if he saw it not yet he will one day make his all-seeing Power known Object But now if any doe object against this that of the Apostle in 2 Thessalonians 1.9 where the Apostle saith That Christ Jesus at his comming unto judgement shall come in flaming fire and rendring vengeance to punish the wicked in everlasting perdition from the presence of his Power So that we see the Apostle saith he will separate the wicked from his Power they shall have nothing to doe with it how is this answered Answ To this I answer the Lord will execute vengeance upon the wicked and put them from his Power what Power not his destroying Power but his saving Power God hath a saving Power and a destroying Power his glorious Power James 4.12 There is one Law-giver even God who can save and destroy so that they shall be severed from the saving power of God but not from the destroying power that shall fall upon them heavily and fearfully Vse 1 Upon this ground of Truth take we notice of the miserable and woful estate and condition of all wilful and rebellious sinners that goe on in their sinnes with
the meanes of our Lord Jesus Christ So then thus conceive we the meaning of the Apostle as if he had said And in like sort that God might make it known to all the world both to men and Angels his exceeding great and abundant grace and mercy toward and upon his Elect who are vessels as capable of mercy as any vessel to receive water the Lord having from everlasting ordained and appointed them to the Kingdom of glory Now the words being thus understood I will onely point at one thing briefly We see here the Apostle maketh it apparent and known that God sheweth his Justice and maketh his power known upon the Reprobates thereby to amplifie and to set forth the greatnesse of his mercy toward his chosen and make known the riches of his mercy upon the vessels of mercy This is the ground of the Observation And the Doctrine hence arising is this viz. Doctrine That Gods mercy vouchsafed to his Children in any kind whatsoever whether concerning soul or body it appeareth the greater and is felt the sweeter by considering Gods wrath and punishment in the same kind inflicted upon the wicked The riches and the greatnesse of Gods mercy toward any of his children is more evident more apparent and more conspicuous and the better discerned by comparing it with his just punishing hand that he layeth upon others And to this purpose we have many evidences of Scripture the mercy of God in saving Noah and his Family in the Ark when the flood was upon the earth being considered with the Lords wrath and vengeance upon the whole world besides it made the mercy of God to be more conspicuous and better discerned of Noah So the freedome that the people of Israel had in the Land of Goshen in Egypt from the plagues of Egypt when the heavy hand of God was upon the Egyptians being considered with those heavy plagues did exceedingly set forth the riches of Gods mercy to his Children that they should be saved and the other punished in the same land and in Exod. 14.30 31. the Text saith of the Israelites they saw the Egyptians dead upon the bank and saw their final overthrow and no doubt that Gods Justice in their overthrow made the mercy of the Lord in their deliverance appear the better and thereupon they were stirred up to praise God after an extraordinary manner for an extraordinary blessing in the 15. Chapter And to these places I might adde many more all expressing that the mercy of God vouchsafed to his Children feeleth sweeter and the more comfortable Considered together with Gods wrath in punishing the wicked and reprobate yea it doth ravish the soul of a Child of God and maketh it more comfortable The Reason Reason and ground of it is from that Logical rule Contra juxta se posita c. Contraries set in opposition maketh them the better to appear black and white set together it maketh white more resplendant and appear the clearer so Gods mercy opposed to Gods Justice maketh his mercy appear more conspicuous And for the Application Vse let this teach us to consider the mercy of God to us that are his Children in comparison of his Judgment to others as for example thou being a Child of God consider God hath given thee sanctification in thy heart and soul a feeling of thy sins and groaning under it then consider this thy Illumination and sanctification together with the Ignorance and obdurancy of others and it will make thee to praise and set forth the greatnesse of Gods mercy so again in outward mercies the Lord hath given thee abundance thou hast strength and ability of body thou hast liberty and freedom from imprisonment and thou seest others that are blind sick lame and under the heavy hand of God in some Affliction they are weak and poor And in this hard time that now is upon us thou seest others wanting firing wanting lodging wanting means to defend them from the injury of the weather surely the Lord setteth these before thee not onely that thou shouldest be pitifull unto them and help and relieve them but herein also to see the greatnesse and goodnesse of Gods mercy towards thee Lay not out so much upon thy pride in excesse of Apparel but extend some to the poor and praise the Lord for his greatnesse and goodnesse that hath made thee rich and healthfull and others lye up and down ready to be famished Oh consider this what the Lord hath done for thy body and soul he hath inlarged his hand to thee inlarge thou thy hand in giving to others and inlarge thy heart in praising of God and let it stirre thee up to great thankfulnesse unto God for this his mercy to thee And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had before prepared unto glory ANd in the next place observe that the Apostle here saith not barely God will extend and reach out his abundant mercy toward his Children or that he might shew his mercy upon them abundantly but mark the manner of his speech he putteth down his mind and meaning in these tearms that God might declare the riches of his glorie upon his I hil dren every word is very emphatical and full of weight and the meaning is that God might make known to all the world to men and Angels his exceeding great and abundant grace and mercy upon his Elect and toward his Children Hence then we may easily gather this conclusion Doctrine That God will one day manifest his exceeding great and abundant mercy toward his chosen and he will one day make it appear to all the World to Men and Angels that he is a most wonderful and gracious God unto his Chosen indeed God is exceeding gracious and abundantly merciful unto his Chosen at all times especially after their effectual Calling and Conversion and turning from sinne unto him from the estate of Nature unto the estate of Grace then giving unto them the pardon of all their sinnes sealing his love unto them in Christ as it is in Romans 10.5 Then giving unto his Children libertie to approach and come near unto his holy presence with comfort and thankesgiving then beautifying their soules with many excellent gifts of his Spirit with Faith with Zeale and with Humilitie so that God is exceeding great and abundantly merciful unto his Chosen yet let me tell you that his abundant grace and mercie to his Elect is not so apparent to the eyes of men It lieth hid and obscured either under that excellent grace of Humilitie or under their afflictions so as that the world seeth it not yet the time shall come that howsoever it is now darkned it shall appear to men and Angels yea men and Angels shall admire at the wonderful mercie of God to his Chosen and to this purpose is that of the Apostle in the 2 Thessalonians 1.10 where the Apostle saith that Christ Jesus at the day of
judgement he will come to be glorified in his Saints and to be made marvelous and wonderful in all that believe He will invest his Saints then with heavenly glory and manifest his rich grace and abundant mercy upon them and that to the admiration and astonishment of all the world that shall looke upon him and be eye-witnesse of it in 1 John 3.2 Dearly beloved saith the Apostle We are now the Sonnes of God yet it doth not appear what we shall be is not now apparant nor evident to the eye of the world but the time shall come when it shall be apparant and manifest and that shall be when Christ shall come in glory unto judgement then the Saints of God then the true believers and the Chosen of God shall be made like unto him in fulnesse of grace and in fulnesse of glory not equal unto him but like unto him a plain Text evidencing and confirming this Truth That God will one day manifest his exceeding greatnesse and mercy to his chosen and make it appear to all the world to men and Angels that he is a merciful God to the confusion of the wicked and the admiration of the Angels Now beloved if so be we desire to be further enformed touching this what shall make men and Angels to admire the wonderful mercy of God to his Chosen Beloved it shall be not onely in respect of the abundant greatnesse of Gods mercy to his Chosen but also in respect of the freeness of Gods grace and of Gods glory that God bestoweth abundance of grace and of mercy and that freely for when as the wicked and reprobates shall at that day have justly according as they have deserved inflicted upon them even everlasting wrath and vengeance so on the other side God hath revealed the greatnesse of his mercy upon his chosen not for any merits or deserts of theirs and herein appeareth the wonderful admiration of Gods mercie in that he giveth it not in respect of any merit or desert of theirs for they have deserved the same wrath with the Reprobates but onely of his free mercy this shall make men and Angels to wonder at it that God vouchsafeth such a weight of glorie which they have not deserved freely out of his own mercie and it must needs be so for these Reasons Because the glorie of his mercie is as dear unto him as the glorie of his Reason 1 Justice and he will no more loose the glorie of his mercie then the glorie of his Justice Because God having promised grace unto his Chosen yea fulness of Reason 2 grace and fulness of mercy according to their measure The Lord will be justified in his Word and in his sayings and in his promise he will make it good yea the most wicked in the world shall one day justifie the goodness and the mercie of God to his Chosen and he will make them one day will they nill they to confess his goodness and this is not done in this world but in the world to come then he will wring a confession from them howsoever now they will not confess it yet then they shall manifest the riches of Gods grace to his Chosen The due consideration of this yieldeth matter of sweet and excellent comfort to Gods Children two waies First in respect of the cause and estate of Gods Children as it standeth with them when they are under some great and grievous affliction or under some strong temptation and violent assaults by Sathan in that he feels such a weight of sinne and such a burthen of corruptions lying and pressing down his heart and soul as for the present he hath no apprehension of the special love of God unto him nay he concludeth the Contrarie even against himself as that God hath forgotten him and left him though there be no such matter but God is pleased to exercise his Faith and to trie the soundness of his grace and he will have him to know that his faith and grace is even as pure gold tried in the furnace 1 Peter 1.7 That the trrial of your Faith is much more precious then gold Now in this case a Child of God may call to minde in this miserable estate he thinketh himselfe may call to minde what comfort and what mercie the Lord hath vouchsafed upon me and what pledges of his saving goodness the Lord hath vouchsafed and then he may consider that though the saving mercy of God be now hid from him for a time and that he can finde no comfort yet he having had experience of his saving grace formerly he may resolve that he will again return and manifest his mercie unto him for consider to reason thus Will God one day make it apparant to all the world that he is a merciful and gracious God to his Children and will not the same God make it manifest and apparant to thy soul here in this life at one time or other it cannot possibly be thou having had love tokens of his favour though they seem to be lost yet the Lord will come with abundance of grace and goodness Romans 15.13 Yea the Lord one day so exprest his grace as that the Child of God shall himselfe wonder and magnifie the grace of God unto his own soul yea he shall be ravished with the wonderful mercie of God unto his Chosen in general and to himselfe in particular For though when the Devil opposeth the godly by temptations they feele not the mercie of God to them yet the time shall come when it shall be manifest to all the world much more then to themselvess and to their own souls Again will God one day manifest his abundant mercie unto his Chosen Vse 2 making it to appear to the view of men and Angels it yieldeth a matter of comfort to Gods Children in respect of the censure and judgement that they pass upon Gods Children The men of the world seeing Gods Children walk humbly before the Lord and looking upon their humble and low carriage and behaviour which they account baseness they presently shoote out their fools bolt that they are the Reprobates they look upon the outside and see not what is within they are not able to see what mercy the Lord vouchsafeth unto his Children even in this world in that he giveth them assurance of his love unto them in Jesus Christ and a feeling of the sweetness of his grace and of mercie and the pardon of their sinnes this they are not able to see through the darkness of affliction and the cloud of their miserie Now this is to be remembred and to be thought upon for our comfort that are Gods Children in respect of this censure that howsoever the grace and the mercie of God be obscured and they cannot see it yet comfort thy self the time shall come that God-wil make it appear to men and Angels that he is a gracious God and that he is rich in mercy unto them and that the love of God is
spread abroad in thy heart yea the time shal come that men and Angels shal se thee Crowned with a Crown of glorie and a Crown of mercie that they shal be driven to an admiration of it and then they shal befool themselves and say we fools thought these mens lives to to be madness yea we accounted them contemptible and base fellows but now behold the riches of Gods mercie that he is wonderfully gracious and merciful unto his Children they shal befool themselves to see the greatness of Gods mercie unto his Chosen which shal be so great that they shal admire at it yea the verie Angels shal wonder at it Angels that are able to understand more then all the men in the world they shal be amazed and wonder at the riches of Gods mercie unto his chosen Therefore let the calumnie and the slander of the wicked pass by unregarded for the Lord wil one day manifest his mercie to the admiration of Men and Angels And that he might declare the riches of his glorie unto the vessels of mercy prepared unto glorie AGain observe we here the Apostle putteth glorie for mercie and maketh them both tending to one end from hence the Doctrin is this viz. Doctrine That God in shewing of mercie unto his Chosen intendeth the glory of his grace and the glorie of his mercie The Lord in shewing of mercie unto his Chosen doth it to this end that he might have his praise and glorie by it he aimeth at this end that it might be known and admired and spoken of and magnified and that he might have glorie by it as good Kings and Princes next after the things that concern Religion they doe esteem this above all the honour of their name that they might be respected of their Subjects for their Clemencie and bountie unto their Subjects so it is with the Lord the great King of Heaven and Earth all the graces and favour and mercy that he vouchsafeth unto his Chosen from the first mercie to the last from their Election to their glorification in Heaven it tendeth to this end that his grace and mercy unto his Chosen may be manifested and appear and that he may have the praise and the glorie of his grace and of his mercie In Ephesians 1.5 God saith the Apostle He hath Predestinated us to be Adopted through Jesus Christ in himself nothing moving him thereunto out of his own blessed Majestie according to the good pleasure of his Will to what end To the praise of the glory of his grace of his rich and abundant grace and mercie And as glorifying of the riches of his grace and mercy is that which the Lord delighteth in so he aimeth at it as the supream and highest end in shewing of mercy And the Lord may safely seek his own glory and praise without any danger of pride in it as it is in man for they looking at their own praise and estimation among men they are tainted with pride but it is not so with the Lord because indeed he is the highest and there is none above him And hence it was in Exod. 34.6 7. when the Lord shewed himself unto Moses he magnified his mercy above all other attributes and he proclaimeth his mercy by many several titles and passages The Lord the Lord strong merciful and gracious slow to anger abundant in goodnesse and in truth reserving mercy unto thousands forgiving iniquities transgressions and sins there is mention of Gods power in a word very sparingly but there is nothing sufficient to extol the glory of his mercy explicating that in variety of expressions and setting it out to the full Now this being a truth first of all this serveth to stir us up to give God Vse 1 the praise and glory of his mercy vouchsafed unto us in any kind whatsoever this is the main thing the Lord aymeth at in shewing of mercy unto his chosen that it might be known and glorified Oh then surely we ought never to let the grace and the mercy of God to be out of our mouthes this is that he delighteth in and therefore we must have his mercy in our mouthes especially we professing our selves to be his children and servants for consider I beseech you how will those servants that belong and appertain to bountiful Lords and Masters how will they be ever setting forth and extolling the bounty and beneficence of their Masters in what company soever they are commending their frank House-keeping and good hospitality in being beneficial to the poor and good to their followers And so indeed they are not the children of God that do not thus magnifie the riches of Gods mercy unto them and have them in their hearts and mouthes continually crying out Oh the mercy of God to us is large else they are bastards and not the children of God for such as belong unto Gods grace God giveth them grace unto this end that his grace and mercy might be known and magnified that they may say Oh what hath God done for my soul this is the practise of a holy servant of God therefore we are to be stirred up for any mercy the Lord hath vouchsafed in any kind not onely for health restored or for any such things that are temporal but also for things that are spiritual or for any mercy that he hath bestowed upon us we are to be thankful and especially we are to give praise and thanks unto God for his great and wonderful mercy bestowed upon us in Christ Jesus in that he gave Christ Jesus to be a Saviour for our soules this we ought to be thankful unto God for above all other mercies Again is this so that Gods shewing of mercy unto his chosen it tendeth Vse 2 to the glory of his mercy surely then it cannot be that life and glory is given unto Gods chosen from the hand of Justice as a thing due unto them by their meritorious deserts this cannot possibly be for mercy is given for the magnifying of his mercy for if it were so as the Papists teach given for their merit by the hand of Justice surely then God should aym at his Justice as the main and highest end of all in their glorification which is not so for he aymeth at the glory of his mercy for indeed as God intendeth and aymeth at the glory of his Justice and power as the highest end in the destruction of the Reprobate and wicked and so he aymeth at the glorification of his mercy as the highest end in the salvation of the Elect and godly And whereas the Papists say that life and glory is given as an act of mercy and of Justice and so they would make a hotch-potch and a compound of that which cannot be compounded for it is as possible that God should send a man to hell and condemn a man out of his revenging Justice and saving mercy at the same time as that God should give a man mercy and salvation out of his hand
him He appointeth the drops of rain to fall in this place and not in that so he doth cause the dew of his Word to fall upon the clay the Gentiles in Matth. 10.6 into the Cities of the Samaritans enter not and in Acts 16.6 7 we find that Paul and Timothy they were forbidden of the holy Ghost to preach the Word in Asia Yea when they had a mind to goe to Bythinia the Spirit of God would not suffer them but sent them to Macedonia Acts 16.9 Come over into Macedonia and help us so that the outward preaching of the Word it is vouchsafed to some and not to others as when Christ lived upon the face of the earth the bodily eyes of all men were not opened but onely some and others remaine blind some blind persons were left in their blindness And the dead bodies of all were not raised though some were at the death of Christ so dealeth the Lord with the minds and souls of men he onely out of his gracious pleasure doth open the minds of some men and make them to see know and understand and believe by the preaching of the Word according to his gracious pleasure therefore we may resolve upon it as a certain truth that God doth call men out of the estate of nature into the estate of grace effectually out of his free grace and mercy Vse 1 If this be so it is not then upon foreseen merit that God doth call men effectually and doth work upon them powerfully by his Spirit that is the error of the Papists they hold indeed that the election of God and consequently the revelation of the truth of God it is upon their merit foreseen because God doth foresee some worthiness in them we are to renounce this as a gross Popish errour yea the truth now made known unto us being duely considered and thought upon it beareth strongly against that position that is held by some that redemption wrought by Christ is universal that Christ died for all men universally without any exception of any Now not to stand upon this erroneous position which is a dangerous errour in the ground of it it making the sin of men the sins of the world death and hell to be stronger then Christ that Christ should die for all men and yet some of those men goe to hell a fowl and a gross errour besides this it cannot stand with the truth now delivered that Christ died effectually for all men without exception of any for if so be Christ did die for all men generally and universally then doubtless all are acquainted with it savingly as a benefit belonging to themselves such as are redeemed assuredly God doth bring them to the saving knowledge of their redemption Now this is not so the preaching of the Word and plain experience doth tell the contrarie for God out of his mere good will and pleasure doth call none effectually but such as are redeemed by Christ and so all men are not for then they should savingly be brought to the knowledge of their redemption but all are not so for as in the time of Christ all men that were blinde had not their eyes opened so all have not their minds enlightned and therefore universal redemption wrought by Christ is a meer fancie of the brain of man forged in hell and there is no truth in it to say that Christ died for all and if we rest upon this we shall finde a deceiving ground of comfort Howsoever some will say how shall we comfort a poor soul a prisoner that is to be executed but by telling him Christ died for all upon what ground No Christ died not for all Again is it so that God worketh freely upon the minds and souls of men out of his free grace and mercy Oh then such as find themselves to be in Vse 2 the number of the called of God and throughly wrought upon by the power of the preaching of the Word that are brought to the saving knowledge of God in Christ they are bound to acknowledge the riches of his free grace and mercy and be thankful unto God for the same Consider it thou that hast good evidence of thy effectual calling that art transformed and changed and brought into a new mold and fashion consider with thy self that many are left in their natural ignorance and unbelief yea many are given over to Popish superstitions many living in the same place frequenting the same means hearing the same sermons sitting in the same seat with thee they remain ignorant in their blindnesse of minde and hardnesse of heart but God hath given thee not onely his Word and Gospel preached but a heart enlightned to receive it therefore thou hast cause to magnifie the mercy of God for this blessing of all blessings And learn thou to break out and say Lord what am I that thou shouldest vouchsafe unto me such a mercie I see thousands in their natural estate and ignorance I was born and brought forth in sinne like other men and have increased and multiplied my sinnes exceedingly my unthankefulnesse is great and my unworthinesse greater and yet thou hast vouchsafed mercy unto me above many thousands Lord thou art gracious and merciful unto me Thus we ought to be stirred up our selves to magnifie the mercie of God in that many thousands are given to Popish superstition and God hath given thee a flexible heart to his Word Oh thou canst not be sufficiently thankful for so great a favour As he saith also in Hosea I will call them my people which were not my people and her beloved which was not beloved COme we now to the very words of the text to enter into the bowels of it In these words as I have shewed you we have a double description of the Gentiles First of their estate before their calling when they were not the people of God by nature Secondly of their condition after their Calling that they were now become the people of God and beloved of the Lord hence then first of all appeareth the estate of man by nature as yet unconverted and not wrought upon by the Spirit of God through the preaching of the Word and Gospel hence the Doctrine is this Doctrine That men who are in their natural estate as yet not effectually called and as yet not wrought upon by the Spirit of grace by the preaching of the Word and Gospel are in a miserable estate and condition they are not the people of God nor beloved of God so saith the Text and we find that that the Scripture setteth out the miserable estate and condition of men in their natural estate by many notable speeches in Rom. 5.6.8 it is said that they were sinners in a high degree ungodly yea enemies unto God and unto Christ such as are in their natural estate they are enemies unto God and there is open defiance between God and them and they may look that the Lord shall deal with them as a professed
be plain and bold in preaching the Word for Application How far short then are those Ministers and Preachers of the Word Vse 1 that do flatter and sooth up men in their sinnes and lull them asleep in their carnal security and will never come near them to tell them of their sinnes unlesse it be in a general manner all along and never come to instance in particular sinnes No they are afraid of offending and of angering their hearers Yea there are many who are justly to be taxed that doe not onely Lull men in their sinnes but doe encourage men in a course of evil and strengthen the hands of the wicked Jer. 23.19 so as that they cannot return As for example Doe not not some Ministers and Preachers of the Word tell men they need not be so strict in observing and keeping the Sabbath as from Morning to Evening and after that repetition what need all this adoe to be so strict and so nice in their ordinary Communication as not to swear by faith and troth what these are nice things they themselves will doe this and say they there is no such danger as these foolish fantastical and puritanical Preachers will make you believe they will tell you you are in danger of hell fire for breaking the Sabbath and swearing by Faith and Troth but there is no such matter These are they whom the Lord complaineth of in Jer. 6.15 They lead the daughters of my people with sweet words and say peace peace all is well when there is no such matter when they are ready to be swallowed up of the devil And as the same Prophet saith in Jer. 14.13 When the true Prophets did come and threaten sword and famine upon the people the false Prophets come and tell them they shall have no such thing such Ministers and Preachers are odious and hatefull in the sight of God Jer. 23.14 These daubing and soothing Preachers the Lord saith he will feed them with Wormwood and they shall drink of the water of gall yea if the Lord doe not give them repentance they shall one day drink of the deep Cup of his vengeance in the pit of Destruction in hell But to passe by that if we that are Ministers of the Word must thus tell our people of their sinnes Then our Hearers must be content to bee plainly dealt withal and to be told of their danger they must have their lives ript up and their sinnes displayed and their Consciences ransacked and rifled and their danger laid open and men must not rage nor flye in the faces of their Minister Drunkards Whoremongers uncivil shag-hair'd and Civil honest persons they must be told of their estate and that so long as they remain therein they are in danger of hell and destruction and unlesse they repent the Lord will one day come against them in vengeance and they shall be as thornes bound up in a bundle and as Drunkards in their drunkennesse and as stubble ready dryed for the fire Nahum 1.10 For while they be folden together as thornes and while they are drunken as drunkards they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry And thou must not be offended if a man should come and tell thee that fire hath took hold of thy house and unlesse thou make speed to quench it it will burn thy house to the ground wilt thou be angry with him And shall the Ministers and Preachers of Gods Word stand and cry Fire fire fire yea the fire of Gods wrath and vengeance which is kindled with the breath of the Lord as a river of brimstone shall he I say thus cry out The fire of hell is ready to burn thy soul and body and wilt thou be angry with him Oh consider with whom art thou offended surely with God for God speaketh it and art thou offended and angry with God whence cometh it it cometh from thy own vile Corruptions helped forward by the Devil Oh then to conclude learn then whatsoever thou art with patience to hear the Word of just reproof and to hear thy faults reprehended for it is the best good that a Preacher can do to thy soul to bring thee out of the snare of the devil unto amendment of life that thy soul may be saved eternally in the day of the Lord Jesus Esayas also cryeth concerning Israel Though the number of the Children of Israel be as the sand on the Sea a remnant shall be saved For he will finish the work and cut it short in righteousnesse because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth c. THe next thing here to be considered is the persons against whom the Prophet cryeth and the thing he cryeth The persons are the Children of Israel and the thing that though their Number were as great as the sand on the Sea yet but a remnant shall be saved Now what were the Children of Israel they were the seed of Abraham descended of the holy Patriarks a very honourable people yea they were Gods people his peculiar people they had the Law the Temple the Sacrifices the service of God amongst them yet the Prophet telleth these people that though their Number were as the sand on the Sea-shore yet a Remnant shall be saved and this the Prophet doth to shake the hypocrites amongst them who going on in exceeding great impenitency boasted themselves that they were of the seed of Abraham and that God had fulfilled his promise in them in making them a great multitude and therefore the Lord loved them Now the Prophet he sheweth that this was a vain brag and notwithstanding their great number this will not help them nor avail them in the case of salvation this was the general thing intended by the Apostle Now from hence ariseth two Propositions to be observed the first is this That a great Number of people may bear the name of Gods people Doctrine and yet but a few of them have true repentance or put it down positively that Multitudes of people may bear the name of Gods people and have the true Worship of God amongst them ordinarily and commonly and yet but a few of those be true repentant sinners and in the estate of grace and of salvation this Proposition hath ground and footing in other places of Scripture Gen. 6.1 2. When men began to multiply upon the face of the earth then the Text saith they ran on in sinne together with the multiplication of men and women upon the earth there was a multiplication of evil and sinne a great number of sinnes yea the Sonnes of God the godly and righteous seed such as were the Worshippers of the true God they began to degenerate and to run on in sinne And the Apostle Peter saith in his first Epistle second Chapter and fifth verse that there was onely Noah and seven other with him who was the Preacher of righteousnesse were saved and the world of ungodly had the deluge brought upon them and in the first verse of