to provocations ye cannot provoke God as ye do men Marke friends Though the Scripture say 1 Cor. 10.22 Do we provoke the Lord to jealousie and the word be used in many places of provoking God yet the Lord is never provoked properly as provocation can hang upon him For provocation argues mutation but God is alwaies the same Gods spirit cannot be brought to a distemper by all the wickednesses in the world All the blasphemy posible of men and Devils cannot raise a storme in the breast of God Fury is not in him And when God is said to be provoked to be angry to be furious and the like these things are spoken of God by way of allusion to men as it is in assertions of Gods eies hands and eares and the like not that God hath either passion or affection soule or limbe or member or body In allusion I say to men For as provoked men to revenge affronts wrongs and injuries So when God findes men in sinne though he be of a calme spirit and a good God Yet he causeth sorrows to fall on the wicked and unto all eternitie shall workers of iniquitie be tormented Yet this will be true for ever that God is good to all though men be damned What is this kindnes to send people to hell We may say to God is this thy kindnesse to thy creature Quest I answer It doth not belong to the goodnes of God which I am now speaking of to send people to hell Ans but it is an act of justice proceeding from his holines and puritie But it hath no smell in God of passion or anger or revenge or ill-will to the creature All which things are farre from Gods essence who is immutable perfection and with whom is no variableness neither shadow of during James 1.17 Reas 3 Thirdly God must needs be infinitely good because he neither carketh or careth for himselfe as vain men do who thereby are hindered from doing good to others O say they we may give so long that we may lake our selves I say God is under no such feare sith he is an ocean of goodnes and perfection and omnipotent and wanteth no sufficency Gen. 17.1 I am God alsufficient Saith he to Abraham And Fourthly it cannot stand with the alsufficiency of Gods essence to have it and not to dispence it He is alsufficient Reas 4 every way as well in goodnes as in power aswell in readines to do good as in abilitie I say Gods alsufficiency sets him a work to put himselfe out for the good of the creature above all that we can aske or think He is kind unto the unthankefull and to the evill Luke 6.35 He endureth with much long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction Rom. 9.22 Surely then for the first Use no man alive hath cause to complaine of God as if he wanted a good disposition Vse T is true there is much murmuring against God in the world under the title of fortune when affliction sicknesse poverty is upon people But for remedy we should know that sinne is the cause of all evill Do away thy sinne and God will quickly do away the evill thou liest under Blessings must needs come upon us and overtake us if we shall harken unto the voice of the Lord our God Deut. 28. verses 1.2 c. And curses for the contrary ver 15. c. It is impossible God should take displeasure against any without a cause The Lord is righteous in all his waies Ps 145.17 And we should for further remedy in the second place rather admire goodnes in our worst condition sith the attribute of justice and power must take place too Lamen 3.22 It is of the Lords mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions faile not Soules conflict p. 425. In the worst time saith Dr. Sibs there is a presence of God with his children When we are at the lowest yet it is a mercy that we are not consumed we are never so ill but it might be worse with us whatsoever is lesse then hell is undeserved Thirdly We are to know that if we be Saints those evills that befall us which seem to crosse this Doctrine of the infinitenesse of Gods goodnes do very much establish it For affliction befal the Saints from the depth of goodnes in God Not only upon such an ordinary account as we reade Psalmes 119.67 Before I was afflicted I went astray but now have I kept thy word Wherin two notable uses are expressed of afflictons to wit to reduce the Saints from their straying and to make them more exact in their conversation But I say further ver 75. I know Lord that thy judgments are right and that thou in faithfullnes hast aflicted me From faithfulnes that no good thing shall be withheld that may make us eminently hapy here hereafter In great goodnes was Joseph so afflicted and Job and Daniel cast into the Lyans den that they might be prepared for great honours and employments and also great discoveries of God It is much and sweete to an afflicted soule to see a token of the Lords love upon him and a signe of his being received into Sonship Heb. 12.6 For whom the Lord loveth he chastneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth But more to see faithfulnes power in great deliverances out of great straites out of the Lions den out of the Whales belly to carry through the red Sea rather then to leave to Pharaohs pride and crueltie But yet I have a great deale more to say of the wonderfull goodnes of God to some choise ones whom he fiteth in the furnace of great sorrows for great employments and enjoyments of himselfe in the creature here even in this life Vse 2 For the next use heere is a good ground of encouragement for all sinners and distressed souls to come to God For the Lord is good And if ye cannot tell what to say I will teach you a prayer which David taught me Psalme 17.7 Show thy marvellous loving kindnes O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them Ye may have much comfort in the consideration of Gods abundant goodnes whether it be that our sinns be very great or our sorrows even as it were hellish God gives much good with much goodnes to his people He gives all with all his heart he makes every step to them in blood and yet in delight parts withall to enrich them Lockier or our condition never so obscure great sinners hath God received great sorrows hath God removed and beggars from the dunghell hath God advanced And for such as have tasted the blood of Christ in their meat and drink and weare cloathes died therein and have all their salvations and comforts swiming to them on the streames of the blood of God Let them say that the Lord is good to the lowest Saint affliction is but the pulling
which he hath brought us Thirdly The good which thereupon we do expect Fourthly The meanes whereby this is effected We were enemies unworthy of the lest mercy and liable to everlasting sorrowes But are advanced to union unto and communion with Christ Not to a moderate or mean estate of hapines of humanes or angelical happines natural But to be the sons of God the sons of the eternal King the heires of God and Coheires of Christ consorts of divine glory partakers of all divine good things with him we are made one with Christ not in conceit or imagination only for this conjunction is in truth a reall conjunction The prayer of Christ is John 17.22 That all beleevers may be one with him as he is one with the Father viz. by one and the same spirit dwelling in Christ and in all members of Christ 1 Iohn 3.24 And hereby we know that he abideth in us by the spirit which he hath given us Perkins on the third to the Galatians Page 265. saith All the Saints in heaven and all beleevers upon earth having one and the same spirit of Christ dwelling in them are all one in Christ Not as if Christ and Saints were not destinct persons or as if the properties of the Godhead or qualities of his manhood were transformed into us or as if we were only by a bare consent as freinds are one or as if Christ and all the Saints were one substance I say none of these waies are we one with Christ But as all the Members of the body naturall have one soule So have all the Saints with Christ their head owne spirit And this comes to passe on Gods part by mercifull donation and on our part by faithfull reception Thus we see how we are one with Christ and so by consequence do possesse Christ and injoy him and his benefits partly in this life and fully in the life to come So that from our adoption we looke for such good so great joy so much glory as eie hath not seene nor eare heard neither hath entred into the heart of man O what a gulfe of distance is there betweene that estate from which we are taken 1 Cor. 2.9 and that whereunto we are brought And the meanes whereby all this commeth to passe ye have heard already is the sonne of man For first one man is taken to be Gods naturall son the fullnes of the God-head being substantially united to him By this man Christ Jesus God adopteth and maketh his sonnes Eodem spiritu vivunt nimirum membra Christi quo Deus ipse quo Christus filius Dei naturalis vivit et si hic spiritus diverso modo istis communicetur personis enim divinis communicator per identitatem idque vel immediata necessitate ut patri vel per aeternam generationem aut spirationem ut filio spiritui sancto huminitati verò Christi perhypostalicam vnionem nobis per quandam extensionem qua mediante dono gratiae justificantis incipit esse noster spiritus nostra vita nos inhabitans ornans movens ergens omnes vitales functiones Deo platentes in nobis excitans edens Less all those which are engrafted in to this trunke or stoke by the spirit of faith for as many as are led by the spirit of God they are the sonnes of God Rom. 81.4 This previledge is given to them that receive Christ to them that believe in his name to become the Sonnes of God John 1.12 And according to this priviledge of Adoption are we and all our weake endeavors looked upon esteemed O behold what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the Sonnes of God 1 John 3.1 Seventhly We have the benefit of all Christs merits All that Christ ever did or suffered is made over to us and we presented in him without blame in the sight of God From mercy it is so ordred and brought about that Christ did the work but we receive the wages Christ bore the Crosse but we weare the Crown Beloved we have the benefit of all Christs merits So that what Christ merited we are said to merit by meanes of our union that we have with him We are alwaies hereby in a capacity of pardon as often as we sinne and by true repentance turne unto God What Prince was ever so mercifull as to be in readinesse to pardon such as capitally offend or commit high treason every day But our God of his mercy is ready every minuit to pardon the sinnes of his people For if any man sin we have an advocate with the Father c. 1 John 2.1 Here is a most rich treasury here are merits that can never be Drawne out It is impossible so many sinnes should ever be committed as might be beyond the riches and worth of them Yet we must know that the worth of them is not drunke up by us Quicquid recipitur recipitur ad modum recipientis for we are not able so to receive them to our use as they are in Christ For not in the like measure is the spirit received by all that are justified Although each Saint hath the whole spirit yet not in an equall manner and measure And so although each Saint hath whole Christ made over to him withall his merits yet there is not one that hath sins enough to take him up holy by appropriation or to make a full proprotion between their misery and his merits but still there will be overflowings of the blood of Christ Eightly Mercy causeth the powering out of the spirit of grace By vertue of our union we do of his fullnes receive Joh. 1.16 and grace for grace So that as a litle child is answerable in every part to the tallest and stoutest man so the little measure of graces in the weakest Saints have a conformitie to the graces that are in Christ though the difference in regard of degrees be exceeding great There is wisdome patience meekenes c. Which God gives out and adornes his chosen ones withall Never did a Queene present her selfe so beautiful in the eyes of the greatest Monarck as the Church the Spouse of Christ is rendred lovely in the eyes of God Salomon Song cap. 7.1 c. How beautifull are thy feet with shoes O Princes Daughter Ye may at leasure read when ye please the rest But such as are proud scornfull passionate intemperate covetous c. It is impossible God should take pleasure or delight in them O how beautifull is the spirits work upon the soule a soft heart an obedient will and the gifts of saving and sanctifying grace A man in the state of nature saith one is like a pond full of toads a man in the state of grace is a paradise of God Beautifull in Gods eies is a gratious soule from top to toe O ye that wallow in the mire and dirt and filth of sinne do ye thinke God
none that understandeth there is none that seeketh after God Rom. 3.10.11 Holines you see by nature Every man saith one is borne with his face to sin and his backe to holines And yet this holines is of absolute necessitie Riches life health freinds are good things But yet they are not of no such necessity but holines is Without it no man shall see the Lord Heb 12 14. A man may see the Lord without peace with out wealth but not without holines be sure of that No holines no heaven Rev. 21.27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth Those that are without holines must abide without heaven Heaven Gates are shut against all unholy persons They that do looke for salvation must be holy must be washed as saith the Prophet Jer 4. cap. 14. O Jerusalem wash thine heart from wickednes that thou maist be saved This is the second motive to move us with earnestnes to seeke after holines considering the absolute necessitie of it The third motive is an encouraging one to wit that holines is to be had if you will but take pain for it I do not presse you upon impossibilities It is true holines is an attribute of God and some of his attributes be incommunicable but this is communicable to man And so I come unto the next to wit the second proposition to be spoken of in this attribute according to my methode observed in dispatching all the other that have formerly beene handled and it is That holines is communicable to mankind Doct. that it is a communicable atribute But that I be not mistaken or misunderstood you must know that I mean not holines or any other attribute is communicated as it is an attribute of God For God cannot part with any thing that is essentially his or rather himselfe as all Gods attributes are But this is it that I mean that here is something like holines in God which God communicateth That like dispositions are to be found in men and Angels that are in God That as God is said to be holy so there is a holines in men But whereas in men holines is finite imperfect mutable neither that nor any other attribute is such in God who is one most simple essence and not made up of several ingredients There is nothing in God which is not God His wisdome power goodnesse holines is one and the same most simple infinite and immutable essence But to returne whence I digressed Holines is a communicable attribute it doth not so abide in God as for man to have no such propertie Reasons It is communicated as may be seen first in the creation of both Angels and men When God made Adam he was a holy man And therefore we may well argue that holines is to be had Ab esse ad posse valet argumentum because it hath been had Secondly God hath likewise communicated it in regeneration Ephes 4.24 And that ye put on the new man which after God is created in righteousnes and true holines So then if God made man holy at first and make many holy again daily by renewing them in the spirit of their minds Ephes 4.23 Then it stands for an unquestionable truth in both these respects that holines is to be had Vse that it is a communicable thing And therefore we may hence conclude the true cause that so many men do want holines to be in themselves and not in God What is the reason that so many are altogether destitute of this grace that they have not so much as one graine of it in their hearts or the least signe of it in their lives Surely it is because people do not give themselves to use the meanes to obtaine it they will not walke in those waies in which it is to be had The fault is not in God but in themselves Soules God call's you to be holy and sends his messengers to invite you to come to him that ye may be holy he calls upon you to turn from your evill waies he sometimes allures he would you should be holy but ye will not God hath done his part He may say of you as once he did of Israel Isaiah 5.4 What could be done more to my Vineyard that I have not done in it There hath been nothing wanting in God and yet insteed of the sweete and pleasant grapes of holines he hath had nothing else but wilde grapes from us insteed of holines profanesse and wickednes And that which is sad to consider the more God calls men to holines the further do they run from him into all sin and wickednes Of what punishment suppose ye shall such be thought worthy that tread under-foot the Son of God and count the blood of the covenant an unholy thing and do despite unto the spirit of grace Heb. 10 29. How will men be able to answer this before our God who is a consuming fire How do ye thinke to stand in the judgment O yee sinners and in the congregation of the righteous in that day How can ye ever expect to rest in Gods holy hill and continue in unholines What desperate madnes is this Surely Christ will come and he will separate between the sheep and the goates he will devide the holy from the unholy you shall answer for your prophanes and base carriage towards the Lord and his people This is the first use the fault is not in God that people are not holy but the fault is in themselves If now ye be damned ye may thank your selves your destruction will be of your selves For God would have you holy he stands at the doore and knocks The Lord grant that this may be thought on that hath been said So much for the first use Secondly it teacheth us for our everlasting comfort that such as do desire holines may have it from the hands of God Vse If ye will be holy ye may If ye will say each one of ye Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me holy as it is written of the Leaper Mat. 8.2 Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean That Jesus put forth his hand and touched him saying I will be thou clean v. 3. So will he put forth his hand and say I will be thou holy Ye cannot be more willing nor so much neither to have holines as God is to give it We reade of Paul 2 Cor. 12 89. How be sought the Lord when the thorne in the flesh was sent him and what answer he had viz. to wit that God's grace was sufficient for him Now have you bad natures bad hearts remember God is both able and willing to give you new natures and to creat in you cleane hearts If you will cry unto him and complaine of your stony hearts he can take away these hearts of stone and give you hearts of flesh If you groane under sinne with a desire to be rid of it know this for your eternal
comfort that the worke of grace is begun in you already The work I say is begun and he that hath begun that good work will perfect it unto the day of Jesus Christ Never was there a soule that groaned after holines sincerity that ever perished for the want of it These groanes could not be but by the spirit of Christ and where the Spirit of Christ is there is Christs dwelling and where Christ dwelleth there is true faith You that desire holines that hunger and thirst after righteousnes are pronounced blessed You are in Christs schoole though but in the lowest forme Vse 3 Motives Thirdly this may provoke you to holy desires and endeavours seeing holines is to be had and God both commands it Motive 1 and directs you what to do to obtaine it Lev. 20.7.8 Sanctifie Motive 2 your selves therefore and be ye holy for I am the Lord your God And ye shall keep my Statutes and do them I am the Lord which sanctifie Motive 3 you And moreover the Lord hath promised that they that ask shall have that they that seeke shall finde and that to them that knock it shall be opened Math. 7.7 And yet again consider the Motive 4 great danger if we dy without holines Without it we cannot see God Heb. 12.14 no holines no heaven And therefore upon these and such like considerations we should be stirred up to put to it to the purpose and labour to be holy as God is holy I am loath to leave this point therefore for an other motive Motive 5 consider that man that desires to do a thing and hath probable means as a good rule a good coppie hath great ground of hope that he shall obtaine what he would have and attaine unto that which he laboureth for Now Beloved what a copy have we to walke by Even the Lord Jesus Christ who is sent from heaven to us that we might writ after him God its true is a coppy Be ye holy for I am holy But that indeed was a very hard one for us to writ by But now he hath given us a living law in the Lord Jesus who is made unto us of him wisdome and righteousnes and sanctification c. 1 Cor. 1.30 Now he hath given us his owne son to draw out every letter before our eies that so we might the better write after him Good men be blessings whose examples are to be followed but there is no man so good but hath his faylings and defects But now Christ hath neither spot nor wrinckle nor any such thing in him for he is full of knowledge and likewise of the feare of the Lord. All sorts may learne of him how to behave themselves Children may learn of him how to behave themselves towards their parents subjects and people to Princes and Magistrates in him we have a coppy for prayer how also to be doing of good upon all occasions to love our enemies not to revile again when we are reviled In things both concerning this life and the life to come we have patterns in Christ to immitate In Christ I say not as God but as man indued with the graces of the Holy Ghost And this is that living ooppie which the holy God hath provided for us that we might be holy too Sixtly And yet this is not all The Scriptures are left to be Motive 6 a standing rule and blessed meanes of sanctification John 15.3 Now ye are cleane through the words which I have spoken unto you The word of the gospel is that which cleanseth people By it they are sanctified as it is expressed in that heavenly prayer of Christ John 17.17 Sanctifie them through thy trueth thy word is trueth And so also Ephes 5.26.27 That he might sanctifie it speaking of the Church with the washing of water by the word that he might present it to himselfe a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle of any such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish 7ly We have many outward favours whereby God doth allure us into holines Every outward blessing mercy should Motive 7 invite us to holines As Luke 1.74.75 That he would grant unto us that we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies might serve him without feare in holines and righteousnes all the dayes of our life God would by his blessings as it were get into our bookes his love tokens are sent to woe us to holines And therefore when we are tempted to sinne let us say as Joseph did Gen. 39.9 How can I do this great wickednes and sin against God O let the minds of God engage us unto holines let his loving kindnesse constraine us to labour after it Q. But how should we seeke unto God for this grace A. I answer first by faithfull prayer as you find David did Psalme 51.7 purge me with Hyssope and I shall be cleane wash me and I shall be whiter then snow And againe ver 10. Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me And to Paul praies for the Thessalonians That the God of peace would sanctifie them wholly and that their whol spirit and soule and body might be preserved blamless c. 1 Thes 5.23 This is the first means to be used for the obtaining of holines 2. Let us study the Doctrine of holines or the new creature or the new man that we may know what it is and when we have it It is an alluring Doctrine It is called the image of God Ephes 4.24 And that ye put on the new man which after God is created in righteousnes and true holines Such as would have money must learn how to tell it Then are divers sorts of moneys and coines abroad in the world and therefore labour to know the King of heavens coyne And learne to try it too from counterfeit there is much false money going I will a litle speake of this holines which I am now perswading you to labour for and to seeke after It standeth 1. in the renovation of the whol man both in the spirits of our minde and in the affections of our hearts When our spirits and affections are renewed then we become holy Secondly it stands in giving up our selves wholy by a dedication to the use of the Almighty So that we do not longer live unto our selves but to him that died for us and rose again We shall the better see what this holines is by its contrary to wit the old man and the former conversation thereof Vertues appeare the better and shine the more gloriously by those vices that are contrary to them A faire beauty is the more lovely in a comely woman when a blackmore stands by A soile sets forth a Diamond What the old man is And therefore that we may the better see the lovelinesse of the new man we will looke a little upon the old man That therefore which is called the old man is want of knowledg in
the wonderfull goodnes which God hath communicated to Angels in general as Angels is beyond our apprehension They are glorious intellectual creatures they come not by their knowledge of truthes as we do admirable shares have they in the generall goodnes of God to that speciall kind of creature And for the soules of men first as men I mean The possession of that master piece is a most rich possession no Jewell so pretious It is a divine sparke capable of the devine nature and fitter to be a sanctuary and temple for God to dwell in then to be so basely used as it is by most men They are eternal beings â parte post O let me breake out I can go no further yet untill I have a litle wept over the soules of men that best jewell of which men make so little account both of their owne and others What indignity is this to abuse this good and glorious gift of Gods goodnes that must live for ever either in blisse or torment Alas upon what poor termes do men hazard that the nature and worth whereof is beyond mans reach to comprehend O how cruell are men to the soules of one another Do ye so vilifie that which God breathed into man and set his owne image upon and gave so great a price for and valves above all the world besides But no wonder men are so careles of or rather cruell unto the soules of others that are so cruell to their owne soules giving them a way in a manner for nothing of this humour are not onely the scum of people but many of the more eminent sort quarelling and brawling against the good means of grace appointed for the salvation of their poore soules And imploying all their wit and strength and parts and time and friends to maintain and defend their fleshly lusts which warre against the soule O how do the most forget their soules to satisfie their lusts Is it not the busines of the world to satisfie their lusts and to remove by proud violence or close fraud whatsoever standeth in their way And yet to put colours and pretences upon their soule murthering practices to delude the world and themselves Besides other goodnesses are there communicated to the humane nature to men as men from a good God Which should not be slighted much lesse abused seeing God out of his goodnes hath given them unto us O how many things have we given to us to make our life comfortable And therefore by the way we should be thankfull and demeane and carry our selves so at this large table which God hath given us that it might not be a snare unto us as it is usually to ungodly men who make the goodnes of God an occasion to sin and being Waxt fat with Jesurun kicke and forsake God which made them and lightly esteem the work of their salvation O t is sad that the good of strength should be an occasion of many sins somtimes of murthers And the good of wealth the occasion of pride oppression and many outrages And the good of knowledge puffe them up that have it and often be abused to fight with it against the trueth of God and his wayes and worship Thus do many turne the goodnes and blessings of God as they are in themselves into evill and make them so many curses And therefore wittily saith one wicked men may have much wealth but they have no goods But what 's all these in comparison of that goodnes which is vouchsafed to the elect Angels and to elect men of both which sorts of creatures Christ is the head and Saviour to keepe the one in the goodnes of their created estate which some of them kept not The Angels which kept not their first estate Jude ver 6. And to bring the other backe unto that goodnes which they had lost And with this goodnes Angels are a part of the mysticall body of Christ and Christ is the head of Angells elect as well as of elect men My Beloved in the Lord Jesus Here are goodnesses indeed For as no evill that can be fall the sonnes of men is like unto that to be without Christ So no goodnes comparable to this of being in the number of them that are redeemed by Christ Jesus What will pride profit or what will the pomp of riches avail when ye must lose your soul And suppose besides your riches ye have art and learning so had Aristotle Suppose ye had great wisdome so had Achitophel Suppose kingdoms whose kingdoms were like those of the Assyrians Grecians Persians and Romanes Suppose great knowledge in Divinitie so have the very devils The Devill is a great divine Suppose morall honesty So had the Pharisies Yet there must be another righteousnes to bring us to God Math. 5.20 For I say unto you that except your righteousnes shall exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisies ye shall in no case enter into the kingdome of heaven Vse 1 Now we are next to make use of this attribute of God And First from this glorious display of goodnes in God to creatures in general to men and Angels to more noble creatures yet as creatures simply considered more specially And to elect Angels and men singularly as they are members of the mysticall body of Christ We may learne this and let it ever remaine with you that hurtfull dispositions and micheivous natures must needs be displeasing to God For such a disposition and frame of spirit is contrary unto Gods disposition and contraries never accord well as we see in this present world God ye have heard is good to all creatures his goodnes descendeth even to the feeding of yong ravens he takes care for oxen and doth good to his very enemies He causeth his sunne to rise on the evill and on the good and sendeth raine on the just and on the unjust And surely if God be such a good God as ye see he is Then it must needs be that evill natures and mischievous spirits and cruell dispositions must be odious to him As fire and water can never agree but one must overcome the other so will there be alwaies a quarelling between God and hurting men untill one be overcome which I trow ye all suppose cannot be God Let all oppressiors and troublesome men know that there is an everlasting enmity between God and them O these fell natures make men like unto the Devill who like a roaring lion goeth about seeking whom he may devoure 1 Pet. 5.8 He is called Abaddon and Apollyon Rev. 9.12 That is a destroyer The Hebrew word Tobb in my text I told you was reade in the vulgar Latine Svavis that is sweete Sowre froward spirits are contrary to Gods sweetenes We read of such Prov. 2.12.13.14 15. To deliver thee from the way of the evill man from the man that speaketh froward things Who leave the pathes of righteousnes to walke in the waies of darknes who rejoice to do evill and delight in
can take pleasure in such as ye be But Gods people are made comely by the holy Ghost Ninthly From the mercy of God in Christ the people of God come to have the sweetenes of ordinances while others mumble on a brown dry crust or on a chew'd gobbet that hath no sweetnes at all left in it Formall and Carnall Christians have an egge-shell but no yolke an nutshell but no kernell they heare good wordes of God but never tasted that the Lord was gratious and mercifull The Saints upon whom the mercy of God is descended find sweetenes in all religious exercises and holy ordinances They have the sweetenes of prayer preaching reading conference and when they come to break bread with the Church Mendicato hic pane vivamus annum hoc pulchrem sacritur in eo quod pascimer pane cū angelis c. Luth. in Ps Burroughs Moses choice Psal 36.7 8. they are made to be in the sweete sence of their neer relation to Jesus Christ they are in the spirit on the Lords day Ordinances are like that sealed booke we read of in the Revelation c. 5.1 Iohn wept because no man was found to open it and read it But for them that are in Christ mercy hath better provided The seales are taken away the booke is opened the nutts are brokened the kernels are to be eaten which are very sweete O t is a blessing and full of sweetenes to be joyned in union and communion with the people of God Though we beg our bread sayes Luther is it not made up with this that we are fed with the bread of angels with eternal life Christ and the Sacraments c. It is certaine the servants of God find such comfort in these prescribed practises that they would not for any good be bereft of them Neither can they possibly free themselves from the guilt of prophanesse that do not highly prize and heartily rejoyce in these things Such as do believe themselves to be members of Christs body must needes desire those ordinances that he hath appointed for the building of it up and do find thriving in grace and comfort in spirit farre beyond any creature comforts Here they meete with rivers of pleasures And thou saith David shall make them drinke of the river of thy pleasure to wit in ordinances Tenthly all particular vouchsafements come to the servants of God as a fruit and effect of mercy Somtimes they have more of this worlds goods then ever they expected and grace with all to use what they have to the glory of God and this makes their enjoyments mercys Many are crying and wishing every where for wealth and riches and outward accomodations but they are not so earnest to have grace to use them to Gods glory which plainly shews they have not what they have in mercy Vouchsafments injoyments longer then they are improved to Gods glory are not blessings mercies Now these common mercies cannot be denied so far as we have a state calling for them grace to use them to the glory of the giver We for our parts have no cause to complain we eat drinke mercies and weare them upon our backe We have mercies above and mercies beneath us mercies round about If we want one kind we have it made up in another Thou shalt have rubish to serve thy turne which God throwes away for he hath given thee gold There is no fear of having too few crusts but of having good teeth to gnaw nourishment out of them In the Eleventh place this is a choise effect of Gods mercy to have communion with God The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Love of God and the fellowship of the holy spirit Carolus plus cum Deo quam cum hominibus loquitur Are uprising and down-lying with a gratious soule This is a mercy indeed It is said of Charles the greate that he spake more with God then with men Ah Sirs why should it not be true of us Brethren it concernes us much to look after this fruit of mercy By this mercy we stand in times of temptation and triall A soule high in communion with God may be tempted but will not easily be conquered such a soule will fight it out to the death O this is a choise mercy It is Iacobs ladder where you have Christ sweetly comming downe into the soule and the soule sweetely ascending up to Christ It was a mercy vouchsafed to holy and patient Iob upon the dungil that he knew that his redeemer lived and behold how he conquers the Devill both in blacke and white Communion is a reciprocall exchange betweene Christ and a gratious soule And of this mercy there is a continuall ground in a gratious soule for either I shall be praying for what I want or praising him for what I have by both which I have oppertunity to keepe my acquaintance and hold communion with the Lord my God Communion with God brings all Gods attributes to us for our use upon occasions Great is this mercy vouchsafed to the Saints and servants of God Lastly From this mercifull disposition to lost believing mankind life everlasting comes He hath granted to them a life as long as his owne Now heere I am at a losse Thousands of millions of yeeres as holy writ teacheth us and the spirit maketh us to believe is not time enough in Gods esteem to vouchsafe fullnesse of joy these pleasures must be for evermore O this perpetuity O this eternitie O this life everlasting I conclude then that God is merciful that mercy is an attribute of God Men in desperate conditions may meete with mercy for with the Lord there is mercy What more desperate condition then to be fallen in Adam's I could tell you many things of other miseries and dangers creatures have been in and neere unto and have met with a mercifull God Moses like to be drowned The male Jewish children to be ruined and so by consequence in time the whole nation Cruel bondage upon them all The heads of Gods people on the block by Hamans plot mentioned in Hester The three Saints commonly called the three Children in the fiery furnace Daniel in the Lions Den. The Thief upon the Crosse even as it were droping into hell Yet Gods mercy was seen in saving all these In extremities is the Lord seen Though the blow were as it were in the giving to the whole Church by Haman yet when the people of God made worke upon earth by prayer and humiliation that made worke in heaven and the issue of it quickly came downe And when Christ will be exalted for his mercy he will convert one upon the Gallowes and save a thiefe at the last cast And therefore we may conclude upon this attribute of mercy that it is in God That God is a God of mercy a God full of mercy a God that delights in mercy a God that is ready to shew mercy a God that is never weary
true God and there is no other besides him Isaiah 45.22 I am God and there is none else This shewes the falsenes of all other Gods and of all other religions Zeph. 2.11 The Lord threatens Idolaters to famish all their gods Jehovah the true God will make hungry false gods For his truth endureth for ever neither can his true being cease nor his meate whereupon he liveth be taken from him But ye will say what meanest this What meat God eateth What meat is that which God which is a Spirit eateth To which I answer God is Holy and liveth in seeking his own honour which none can take from him though thousands go about it He is a jealous God and his honour he will not give to another And therefore although such as deny the true God his due honor and worship do what they can to famish him yet it is impossible he will live and be glorified in despight of men and Devils It is true of all other dunghill gods God will famish them for when the word comes to be preached among nations it turnes them from false gods to worship the living God and so God is said to famish false gods As take all the religions that ever have beene in the world besides that which we professe take all the gods that have beene set up by others before or since Christ they are all famished and even their own worshippers and writers have said enough to make them vaine and rediculous But our God the God of Christians is the true God When things come to loose their esteeme their leanesse riseth up and they goe downe As it is with man his leannesse may be said to rise when his credit fals But what an horrible sinne is this to go about to starve God as all they do that do deny unto him due honour and worship But who do so Sirs I will speake no more of the gods of the Gentiles those dead vanities are long agone exploded nor of the absurd religion of Mahomet with his barbarous Alcoron so full of non-sence Nay I can scarse afford a looke to Rome in those things wherein we have left them for our difference is only about what men have added But O ye Protestants that are taught to know and worship the true God and live under the profession of the true religion to you I have somthing to say of great concerment Are not some of you profane and superstitious and very ignorant of this true God which we preach unto you Nay are not most of your ministers at least round about us such What meaneth else such hunting after benefices such chopping of places such doings about preferment and the world And then no marvell people generally are so cold formall perfunctory and superstitious in worship and so vain loose worldly and profane in their conversation Now I beseech you all consider whether it be answerable to the true worship of the true God which ye professe to be willing to know and practise to be carelesse of worship prescribed by Christ superstitiously zealous about additions and inventions of men and loose and worldly in conversation and carriage Well I will not say much We should cleave to this God whose truth endureth to all generations even in this first sence that he is true and not fals And therefore all that prophane worldly and superstitious people make their god and love honour esteeme and trust unto shall be dealt withall as the gods of Aegypt Exod. 12.12 And against all the gods of Aegypt I will execute judgement I am the Lord. Let a good principle therefore be laid and then though religion and peace and prosperity should not walke in one path as yet by the goodnes of God they do yet ye will cleave to the true God But though ye have all outward happinesse much of the word and of the earth which is so much desired and esteemed yet if ye have not much earth spoken off Marke 4.5 If ye want roote ye will at last come to nothing Yea This true God will famish all your gods that ye have trusted too and make their leannesse to arise and take away the honour and credit which was given and to your forms and formall blind guides And this is done already according to the prophesy Malachy 2.9 Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people Mr. Greenhill on Ezekiel 1. part p. 47. according as ye have not kept my waies but have been partiall in the law I confesse it is the portion of the Prophets and Ministers of God to be derided and scorned Yea not only in Babilon but in Israel as godly preacher yet living observes speaking of those words out of Isaiah 8.18 I and my children are for signes and wonders in Israel yea not only so but to be made the filth of the world and off-scouring of all things to this day 1 Cor. 4.13 Men get up all every where on every side so the word carries it The men of the world saith mine Author were like unto a man that raked every where to get a basket of filth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dirt and dung to throw in some ones face so they scrape in the doctrines lives and passages of the servants of God do catch all advantages do seek every where to pick up something that they may have wherewithall to upbraid reproach and revile them We have experience of the truth hereof daily We have plenty of these Chanel-scrapers and dirt-throwers yea some of them Ministers at least so called and accounted have learned of Zedekiah to smite Michajah 1 King 22.24 c. But yet alas Have not we our selves beene perfidious to God and men and gone about to rob him of those souls which he sent us to get into him I am loath to say what I know and observe only pray you to read Isaiah 9.16 For the leaders of this people cause them to erre and they that are ledde of them are destroyed We may not therefore wonder that our leanesse doth so arise If we go about to famish God God will famish us And to make an end of this point let all know that if they give that love trust respect and honour which is due to God unto creatures which he hath made and love the world and the things that are in the world it is a signe they have not received this anointing which teacheth us to know the true God c. Which to do is life eternall And while the men of the world brag that they have friends wealth riches and honour Let the people of God give God his meat and honour him and say we have a God Even as the story goes of the French Herauld when the many titles of the King of Spaine were reckoned up which indeed were many He causes these words King of France to be said over and over as often intimating thereby that one France was better then all those