experienced an artist is to be taken notice of As if mercy and love were one and the same thing And yet in many places of Scripture we find goodnes mercy taken in the same sense mercy and love somtimes distinguished for satisfaction herein and clearing of this difficultie we must know that if we restraine the word mercy to his proper signification according to the etymon of the word the definition of the vertue to wit to rid one out of a notable distress or misery from an aflicted compassionate heart towards him then mercy hath a narrower object then goodnes or love But yet because usually such workes as we call workes of mercy proceed from the affection of love and that love which we call the love of good will towards our neighbour doth in a sort wholly live in workes of mercy for the love of complacency is of another nature I say for this cause love mercy and goodnes are sometimes used to signifie one and the same readines to do good to all or help any and to be of a loving deportment Howsoever therefore there may be use of destinctions sometimes to wit when we speake particularly of them as vertues in men or graces in saints or attributes in God yet in ordinary popular discourse they come all to one and so are used by the Holy Ghost oftentimes in Scripture in passages both concerning God and also men But that nothing may be left unsaid to give full satisfaction I will give you distinct definitions of these three goodnes or benignity love of goodwill and mercy as they are attributed to God and found in men Goodnes is the will of God whereby he is inclined to do good to creatures and the effects thereof Love is the will of God approving what in his creatures is good and agreeable to his holy mind and manifestâ—d by sundry effects thereof Mercy is the will of God whereby he is inclined to succour such as are in misery and the manifestation of it in acts accordingly In men goodnes or benignitie is a disposition and indeavour to make the lives of creatures comfortable Amore nihil est aliud quaÌ„ bonum velle amata by affording all that may any way conduce thereunto And love is a certaine propension of the appetite concupiscible unto what is accounted good and fit for him that loveth and a manifestation of good will and friendship upon occasion both in word and deede to such objects And mercy said Philosophers is a sicknes of mind conceived from the misery of another stirring up to shew pity and compassion and to succour such a one But lastly in saints these come to be graces and so acceptable to God being fruits of the spirit tending to God and having respect to him So we are full of goodnes towards the bodies and soules of others communicating what we have for their good and benefitt Shewing love for Gods sake in both word and deed even to them that wrong us and abuse us And having bowels of mercy towards all that be in misery and being ready to do any thing for their succour Now of all these three vertues in men graces in Saints attributes of God What mercy is in God Miseri cordia est voluntas Dei qua ad succurrendum miseris propensus Sharpius The mercy of God some call the propertie or attribute of his nature inclining him to relieve the misery of his creature some the essenee of God shewing mercy Sclator on the 117. Psalme Ira dicitur esse in Deo non ut turbidus motus animi sed simplex voluntas ad ultionem we are to speake of mercy now as it is to him attributed One thing is very necessary to be premised in this discourse to wit that mercy in God is not as it is defin'd by Philosophers as hath beene before hinted A sicknes of mind conceived from the misery of another For sadnes and afliction of mind cannot be in God though in Scripture there are such metaphors used But mercy in God is his very essence whereby he is infinitely disposed to helpe succour and comfort such as be in any miserable condition Those expressions in Scripture In their afflictions he was afflicted And mine heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together Are borrowed Phrases As from the turning of the bowells in men at the fight of an object of pitty And yet in men this is not mercy it selfe but a companion of pitty Yet because by it our mercy is made known we call it by the name of mercy We call rowling of bowells mercy and mercy rowling of bowells which yet is but a companion of it and that in men only and not in God Mercy may be without it and in God allwaies is because God hath no bowels to be turned God is one most simple essence and hath no qualities And therefore when we say God is merciful we speak of him metaphorically as when we say God is angry Anger is a turbulency of spirit but there is no such thing in God The effects of that which is called anger in God are often put for angâ—r as when we see the punishment and scourges on the backes of wicked men we conclude that God is angry There is no real difference between his essence and attributes save only in our manner of conceiving Sclater In like manner when we see the rod taken of and cast into the fire which is an effect of mercy we say God is mercifull But mercy in God signifiâ—th two things First an inclination in his heavenly Majesty to shew mercy Secondly the effects of his supposed affection which is his helping of the miserable creature or a making out of God to such as have need of helpe and pitty The affection of mercy in men is knowne by that griefe that accompanies it Tanquam à nobis notiori vertus ipsa nomen traxit but such a companion of mercy cannot be in God O mercy is a glorious attribute of God he is a very sea of mercy he is never dry Amongst men he that is fullest of pitty is but a drop of it Their pitty falls infinitly short of what is in God And this mercy of God is either generall to all his creatures or speciall unto mankind or more speciall and peculiar that whereby he is said to be mercifull to his elect unto eternall life and freedom from the wrath to come Let us view the generall mercy of God to all his creatures Three things present themselves to be looked upon First the raising up of all creatures out of nothing Gen. 1.1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth Secondly The extension of tender mercies of providence towards all creatures wraped up in misery of which see Psalme 145.9 The Lord is good to all and his tender mercies are over all his workes His mercy is over and upon all his workes as the warmth of the hen
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
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
be sure to speed in our suites God is a giving God therefore seeke unto him for grace God is a giving God he giveth to all liberally therefore labour to be like him and let such as are groaners under their curst crooked froward natures take comfort in hope because goodnes is one of Gods communicable attributes Thirdly But it is not enough for us to see our want of goodnes to groan under it to take comfort in the possibility of having Vse 3 a better temper and becomming more usefull hereafter but we must put on to the worke of obtaining this grace We must seeke it at the hands of God by earnest prayer He only can work it Phillip 2.13 It is God that worketh in you both to will and to doe of his good pleasure It is a fruit of the spirit Gal. 5.22 Directions 1 And none can have this gift that have not the spirit for that Motives upon the first direction that which is done by a man that hath not the spirit cannot be good because the man himselfe is naught And it is neither our own power nor the power of any creature that can give us the spirit it is a new creation He only can make us good that is good himselfe even he that can of stones raise up children to Abraham Quest But you may demand whether naturall and morall vertues be not good and whether a man may not though he have not the spirit be good and useful Ans and helpefull many waies I Answer No doubt naturall affections are in many excellently working that have no grace Husbands may love their Wives men may love their children many may give their goods to feed the poore 1 Cor. 13.3 Yea all their goods marke the place well And here I might spend much time to shew what nature may do But that goodnes which makes us like God and excepted of God is onely a fruit of the spirit It hath not only the Lineanents of goodnes but the life of goodnes It comes from a principle of life in the soule whereby men do good works with facility and constancy as naturall actions of life when likewise they grow in them for where there is life there is also growth And they desire that which feed their life and then the good works and charitable actions that are done are not lead workes But there is no trusting flesh and blood no not â—n the most compleat gracelesse man in the world Their goodnes will quickly be changed into mischevousnes when temptations come that are above the principle they act upon Ye Directions 2 must for a second direction enquire concerning this propensity to do good whether ye have any of it or as yet none at all That so ye may be the more set on according to labour for some of it or for more of it Can ye do good to some labour to do good to all Can ye love your friends strive to love your enemies Examine your selves The tree is knowne by his fruit what good do ye Who is the better for you take your evill dispositions that make ye so unlike God and sacrifice them before the Lord and trample under foote your vilenes Condemne your selves judge your selves bretheren that ye be not judged of the Lord. Take your sinne of selfe-love which maketh ye such unprofitable if not pernitious men and women and stay it and so ye will the better put on to the worke of obtaining this gift and grace Directions 3 Thirdly Set your selves upon practice of those things that will denominate ye good folkes according to Scripture First pursue peace follow it Re. 12.14 The word in the original signifieth to follow after peace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the persecutor doth him whom he persecuteth Sirs it is a God like property though we are wronged by others yet to be forward to seek peace Ah you froward sower doged pieces that whet your tongues like a sword and bend your bows to shoot your arrowes even bitter words Are ye like unto God Psal 64.3 I am perswaded your owne consciences tell you otherwise Secondly avoid needy pernicious much more mischievous companions lest they infect you and teach you to be like unto them Lest ye learne their froward wicked waies take heede ye come not neere them Thirdly let sweete meeke good mercifull bountifull people be your delight among whom ye may learn to be like unto God Fourthly study places of Scripture and dwel upon such passages in bookes and Sermons as are of this subject of useful goodnes Fifthly and lastly upon this last direction consider these two things as speciall properties of good folkes indeed First be good to peoples soules prefer them before their bodies Our Saviour Christ preferres the soule before the body Math. 10.28 And feare not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soule c. The account for our owne soules and the soules of others is the greatest account and therefore the care of soules should be the greatest care Dr. Sibbs soul Conflict page 70. Secondly preferre the houshould of faith in thy doing good Gal 6.10 Good must be done Especially to the houshold of faith Above all men do good to the godly And above all bodyes have a care of peoples soules To close up all that ye may be the children of your father which is in heaven and shew your selves like unto him Motives Secondly That ye your off-spring many be the blessed of the Lord. Thirdly those curses which hang over the heads of oppressors and their children may never light on you or yours but that both ye and they may alwaies escape them labour to do good to be usefull and helpfull to all according to the rule and take heed of being evill men and evill doers And so much for the second particular That goodnes is a communicable attribute The third and last point is Doct. That God in respect of this attribute is infinite and incomprehensible Psalme 36. ver 5. c. to the 11 verse glorious things are said of the goodnes of God called by divers other names as mercy faithfulnes righteousnes judgments preservation loving kindnesse the shadow of his wings the fatnesse of Gods house Rivers of pleasures the fountain of life light And of these things which are Gods goodnes and benignitie it is said that it is in the heavens it reacheth unto the clouds it is like the great mountaines a great deep his preservations extend to man and beast it is excellent abundantly satisfying a fountain of life what can be imagined meet to set out the transcendency of Gods goodnes that â—s not made use of one where or another in Scripture And it must needs be so that Gods goodnes is infinite and incomprehensible Reas 1 First because God is absolute perfect he is the Summum bonum the totall good and therefore of necessitie his goodnes must be infinite Reas 2 Secondly God is not subject
inoffenssively managed For much of trouble comes by my differing in judgment from some whose lives I cannot tax and although they do mine yet if hear-say and jealousies did not too much prevaile and men would take up no more for truth then what is proved I would stand higher in the hearts of some I am confident then now I do But for the greater part of mine enemies which are to me yet far less grievouâ— they are the prophane and ungodly which are enemies to all such as truly fear God If it should be the will of my gracious Father to call me out of this mortal life as things now stand with me and concerning me I should not dye esteemed nor much regarded by such as have been my great friends formerly and shall by me still be numbred among the best of men It is not my lot alone to be lesse beloved of such as were best loved of me God will stain the pride of flesh Nos quoque florâ—imus I make of that Distich written to famous Bishop Jewel Olim discipulus mihi parve Juelle fuisti Nunc ero discipulus te renuente tenus T is pretty for all that to see how gravely some young men born since the Lord put me in the Ministry first do carry themselves Surely the British British Priests mentioned by Bede would be ready to think and say of them as the old Eremite had taught them concerning Austin the Monk sent over by the Pope to reduce the Clergy of England to the Romish yoke But I hope the Lord will keep me from a discontented spirit and envious eye Though I am low and under many afflictions yet blessed be God that it goeth so well with his people for the generality as it doth and with the publicke The consideration of that I trust will quiet my grumbling soule and swallow up my private afflictions which are many have been of so long continuance and are like to continue so long as any limb or part of Antichrist though but his little toe remaineth But come what will my mercies are will be more then my afflictions yet I wish mine advanced once I durst call them brethren would not be too rigid beyond rule Arbitrary power hath not stood long in any let laws be observed towards us as we are Commoners and Christs rules as we are Christians and Brethren and then some others as well as I that have shared in the common afflictions of Gods people and the common wealth and have been in the number of instruments made use of by God in the day of Iacobs trouble shal finde fairer dealing then we doe It is not meant that the earth should cover our blood or you wink at our sinnes but that you would not make your selves wiser then known wholsome Laws nor more righteous in matters of religious concernment then the perfect rule of Christians the Scriptures of God doe require and warrant you in I confesse it was very grievous to me that had been so tost from post to pillar in the time of the Prelacy put into Star-chamber and High-Commission at one time A Petition delivered to the Kings own hand against me with twenty four terrible Articles annexed importing Faction Heresie Witchcraft Rebellion and treason Articles in the consistory at Exeter at the same time under a suit of pretended slander for reproving an atheistical wretch by that name of Atheist at the same time Purssevants or messengers one upon the back of another no lesse then five at several times Now when the Lord had given his people rest and advanced some to places of power to be dealt withall more illegally and irregularly then in those sad times before hinted But I confesse it was by such as either then were in their Coats or under the Schoolmasters Ferula or dawbing with untempered morter and serving the times if they were then come into the world in employments How doest thou my Brother and Haile Master cannot choose but run in my minde when I consider how one Cringed to me and after thanked me for my pains I took upon an occasion c. and yet secretly had an information of above twelve years age to make me Odious O my God lay it not to his charge And although I have not so great a portion in wealth or honour as many once far below me have attained unto yet I acknowledge God is afore-hand with â—e aboundantly I have swimmed through a sea of mercies and shall not that Ocean swallow a few discourteous dealings This God whom I here hold forth under such glorious attributes as the Scripture gives him is my God and was my iminently godly Fathers God even while he lived and I have great cause to say he is already my childrens God and I trust will be the God of not onely them but their children also even so Amen This Treatise comes under many disadvantages unto the view of the reader Notes taken of what was publickly preached onely over-looked by me the looked and over-seen Author in nothing more in a manner then in suffering such notes to be made publick in such a queasy stomached age delivered by me unworthy creature as God gave in Badly written out for the Presse which hath caused mistakes of one word for another very often besides mispointings and mistakes of letters which I much weigh not because such faults are as easily amended as espied I my selfe at my home many scores of miles whiles it was printing so that I could not view the sheets as they came out of the Presse what shall I say Infaelix habitum temporis hujus habet it comes forth in an habit sutable to the Authors present condition I am contented to be a sufferer in Printing as well as in Preaching And yet I am of an opinion some will get some good and may make use of this rough-hewed untrimed piece There was great calling upon me for it by many that heard it before I could be perswaded to give it a let-passe And now that it is abroad God grant that no spirit of prejudice against the Authors person may hinder the profiting any reader hereof It is a subject I confesse some have written of already which yet I saw not all at least untill mine was finished And I perceive I have rambled in a method of mine own being very apt to step aside to speake with any God sends my spirit unto in my preaching as the reader will quickly perceive But 't is as ' t is Quod factum est infectum fieri nequis Charge not on me the mistaken words or sentences the mispointings and faults in Orthography which abound but correct with thy Pen or cover with thy candid ingenuity what thou findest amisse As for such as are ready to deprave the labours of others though they cannot or will not produce better of their own I wish them better spirits without paying so dear for their follys as I have for mine And so I commend this Treatise
sorts of performances there are some which every man stands bound to perform as he is a creature and some which men stand bound to perform by positive commands Three sorts of positive duties whether the duties be moral or positive and of those that be positive whether they be ceremonial or Judicial or evangelical to whom the command comes from them is obedience due to the great and Soveraign Law-giver and not to perform it is to depart from God that is to disown God to run away from his service to say in effect we wil not be under his command They that do not cal upon God depart from God that is Not to come Christ is to depart from Christ they depart from his commands such as professing themselves to be christians and living under invitations to come to Christ do not come to him to have life by him they do depart from him in scripture phrase and all this cometh from a heart of unbeliefe O this trampling under-foot the blood of Christ is a very great sin Beloved ye do here professe your selves to be Christians what do ye make here else to day Now if ye believe not God and his word to walk answerable what do yee else but depart from the living God ye depart from this invitation to take his Son from his Commandement to beleeve to kisse the Son from his holy injunctions for which if ye repent not God wil most certainly damn you for ye are both Creatures and in name Christians and therefore take heed lest there be in any of you a heart of unbeliefe to depart from the Living God I have dispatched the manner and matter of the Exhortation I now am to speak of the description of God by the Attribute of Life God in my Text ye see called the living God In each Attribute that I shal speak of I purpose to do these three things first to shew you that such an Attribute as here Life which is the first to be spoken of is an Attribute of God secondly that it is communicable to Man-kind Reasons of the attribute of Life thirdly that God in each of them and in this of Life is infinite and incomprehensible Know then that God which all must take heed they do not depart from is a Living God for the proof of it read Dan 6 29. 1 Thes ◠9 Heb 9.14 in al which places he is called the living God God is called the living God for divers reasons First because he liveth of himself and that everlastingly Ps 102.64 Thy years are through all generations and ver 27. but thou art the same and thy years shall have no end God alwayes hath been and wil be for ever Never was there nor never wil there be the least point of time in which it might or shal be said God is not the living God Secondly every creature hath his life from God he is the creator of Life unto us all and all living things Act 17.28 In him we live moove and have our being He is the fountain and original of all Life Get ye up as high as ye can and suppose the world were ten thousand times older then it is yet at last there must be a stop Luke in his third Chapter carrieth along the Generation of Jesus Christ as far as ever he could possibly even unto Adam one was the son of another but at last it is said which was the Son of God there we must stop we can go no further 3. God is called the Living God because he giveth life to his promises but this is not so proper to this matter 4ly He giveth Grace to his Elect this is called the life of God Ephes 4.18 But to keep to the Attribute I am upon and to the two former Reasons of this Attribute and yet more espetially to the first It is necessary that I should first shew you what that thing is which we cal life then we shal the better understand what is meant by Life as it is attributed to God for in saying God is love or God is a consuming fire or any other analogical expression it is needful that ye know what those things are properly in the first place Life therefore is self-motion naturally that which moveth of it self from an inward cause be it what it be that is said to live or thus Life is a vital spirit by which al quick things move therefore Beasts Birds fish and creeping things are called living souls or living Creatures Gen 2.19.20 Other things that move from outward causes as clocks watches carts or coaches are not said to live because they do not move from an inward principle And elements though they move naturally yet it is only to their proper place heavy elements move downward and light elements upward And this natural motion they keep unless they be restrained as water in a Vessel There are three sorts of quick or living creatures First plants do hold the lowest degree of life they do indeed live of themselves yet neither know the end of their motion neither do they prepare for it they send forth their moares and roots to get moisture and nourishment but they know not that they do so Secondly there is a degree of life somewhat higher then this which is the life of sensitive creatures these first move of themselves therefore are said to live secondly they of themselves acquire some form by sence which is the ground or beginning of their motion but of themselves they know not the end of their motion formally neither do they propound it unto themselves distinctly but somerime break their neck when according to their instinct they move to good they move to get better feeding being led by sence but because they want reason to guide them they meet with misery often and therefore it is that men that are foolish are said to be unreasonable men and bruit Beasts because they are better like beasts then like men endued with reason yea all men in the fallen condition of Adam are said to be like the Beasts that perish Psal 49. v last Man that is in honor and understandeth not is like the Beasts that perish Sentire appetere se movere est in anima natura brutorum But yet of these bruit animals some live and move themselves more perfectly then others as they are indued with a more perfect faculty of sence to obtain to themselves sensible forms yet is their life even of the most quick of them but a life of beasts the knitting of that sensitive soul and their body together As Philosophers in general of all life define it to be the Bond or colligation of soul and body together which are parted when bloud or breath are left out of the body for when we cease breathing we cease living 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and life goes out when breath goes out here the words both in Hebrew and Greek which are used for life
is the way to depart from the living God In plaine English they that depart from Ordinances do depart from God And they that live under them only as outward performances do serve but a dead God But Davids soul longeth for the living God Psal 42.2 My soul thirsteth for God for the living God and Psalm 84.2 My soul longeth yea even fainteth for the Courts of the Lord my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God Quest But what is the summe of drawing near unto and remaining with the living God I Answer Ans it is to live under the power an efficacy of those truths concerning the life of God held forth in the scriptures some of which I have made known unto you in the Explication of this Attribute of Life For whosoever savingly knoweth that all things even those that live not are yet life in God wil rationally conclude that the fountaine is worth al dishfuls and that one God is worth ten thousand worlds Go yee then may a Saint say to your wealth and wit and great friends to the Nobles of the earth and Princes But the Lord liveth saith holy David Psal 18.46 and blessed be my Rock and let the God of my salvation be exalted c. The spirit of a man is lively outward things are dead things they cannot touch the soul they are not fitted to the spiritual nature thereof When all our hopes be dead touching the comforting creature they are alive in the living God Even stones are life in God though they live not their existences are in Gods Life and by influence from it What shal I say I am as one overwhelmed with the glory of this Attribute of the life of God Such as know this to be a truth that I have said wil shew themselves stark madd if they forsake this fountain this living God Vse 2. And secondly the consideration of this truth that life is an at tribute of God doth teach us that it must needs be of pretious account with him assuredly Wo therefore to those who abuse it What a fearful sin do they commit in the presence of God they do vilifie this pretious Jewel which is honored with this dignity to be an Attribute of God But who be they that are guilty of this fault of abusing life Quest I Answer First Answ such as neglect to save life in regard of themselves and others and that either in regard of body or soul And Secondly such as are ready to destroy life both in respect of themselves and others and that either in regard of their outward or inward estate First they which neglect to save Life that make no account of that which is so pretious in which so much of God appears A living Dogg saith Solomon is better then a dead Lyon And there is more I say to be seen of God in one blade of living grasse then in the most pretious Jewel in the world And the reason is because it comes nearest to God it hath life I will shew you who they be that are negligent of the preservation of life viz. First of their own lives Secondly of the lives of others 1. Of their own such as are not careful to shun danger tending to the hurt of life as to be careless of the preservation of bodily health 1 Carelesse to avoid dangers 2 To live like lazy drones idly in time of health and prosperity and not to provide for times of sicknes and adversity 2 Idleness and leziness And therefore in the just Judgment of God such do often feel the smart of it Prov 6. ver 9.10 There is a description of them How long wilt thou sleep O sluggard when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep yet a little sleep a little slumber a little folding of the hands to sleep And then yee have this punishment ver 11. So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth and thy want as an armed man and so want is his portion Prov 13.4 The soul of the sluggard defireth and hath nothing And besides the bitterness of poverty there is often bitterness upon the spirit even checks and gripes and groanings of Conscience and a late and unseasonable repenting of their carelesness and idleness which is a kind of a Hel unto them Such also as bereave themselves of the comforts of this life out of a wil to be rich 3 Covetousnes they wil even starve themselves and go a cold and honour not life which God hath communicated to them such often pierce themselves through with many sorrows and deny themselves necessaries such wretches prepare a Hel for themselves besides Tophet which is prepared of old They are alwayes either carking how to get or fearing lest they should loose or grieving and mourning when they have lost Secondly such abuse Life as are negligent of the lives of others the poor may want bread pine away with hunger men regard it not But for neglect of the life of the soul who can be ignorant of the abuse of this precious Jewel Life in regard both of themselves and others Who can expresse the carelesness of Men and Women for their poor souls O the neglect of the means of grace yea the contemning and despising and opposing the gospel which is a ready way to bring a famine upon the place Such a famine as Amos. 8.11 speakes of not of bread but of the Word of God Which is the greatest and sorest of all famines Cap. 8.11 tending to the destruction of the soule the life of which is in comparably to be preferred before the life of the body Yet wicked people by their neglect at least of the good meanes of grace if not open opposing them do deprive themselves and others of the food of their souls By provoking the Lord to take away their Spirituall meat from them When Eliah was taken up into Heaven Elisha cried my Father my Father the charet of Israel and horsemen thereof 2 Kings 2.12 But men are of another mind now they think it no losse to be rid of the meanes of grace and the Ministers of Christ And no marvell men care not for the lives of the souls of others they have no care of their own O consider this ye Magistrates Ministers Husbands and Wives Parents Children life is an attribute of God the life of the soul is incomparably more pretious then of the body Therfore be not negligent either for your selves or others of the meanes appointed of God for the saving of poore soules that are in danger to be destroyed in hell So much for the first head in in this reproofe Such as neglect to save life in respect of themselves or others either the life of the body or of the soule Secondly And they fall more under this reproof and under the sad effects the wo pronounced as are ready to destroy life both their own and others both in regard of soule and body outward and inward estate as
and gnawings of an evill conscience for the evill they have done This death shall be their portion after death and follow some wicked men all the dayes of their life A dreadfull sound is in his ears Job 15.21 And sometimes with Cain they think every one that meeteth them will kill them Gen. 4.14 And so God sets Cain's mark upon them fear of heart and trembling of body A fearfull heart and a shaking body is often the portion of men that live in sin Timor cordis et tremor corporis Pareus If ye compare the 2. of Habacuck 10 11 12. with Job 15. ye shall see this for substance that when men live in sin they provoke God either to take away their lives or to make their lives miserable Sometimes God taketh away that which they have ill gotten and driveth them to dwell in desolate cities and houses which no man inhabiteth which are ready to become heaps cursing the stones of the wall and the timber of their houses And if they do leave any thing when they wretchedly dy they leave it with the appurtenances as one wittily said to wit the curse of God to have and to hold to their heirs and children after them And as wicked men abuse this Jewel of great worth life in themselves in their readinesse to destroy it or make it miserable in regard of their bodies and temporall enjoyments so also in regard of their poor souls They live so wickedly so prophanely so disobediently to God and his Word that they provoke God to take away the means of grace from them or to give them up to a mind past feeling and to bring upon them a famine of the Word the greatest of all judgment except a reprobate spirit and mind void of judgment under the Word And Lastly they fall under this reproof and wo that abuse the life of others by oppression when they throw down the right of others and thrust them out of doores to set their own nest on high their Tabernacles are Tabernacles of bribery Job 15.34 and their houses are full of blood which the earth shall not cover Et vae vae vae illis qui causa sunt quod ecclesiae sine ministris et verbo relinquuntur Luther but it shall ly as a record upon the file to be brought forth against them at the last day And some abuse life grossely by murther of which crying sin I think it not needful to speak now To conclude this use Wo to such as endeavour to drive a way from poore people the word of God and Ministers therof they are guilty of abusing life in regard of others in a very high measure the blood of poore souls that dy and perish for want thereof will be required at their hands and also at the hands of such wretched formalists clawbacks of the Ministry as do not do their utmost in sincerity for the salvation of poor soules We now come to an other Use Is it so that life is an attribute of God and such a jewell as hath been shewed Vse 3 then it must needs follow that it is a worthy thing to be instruments of preserving life and of saving people from death and destruction Theâ—â—herefore are worthy of honour that have been the preserved of our temporal lives but especially such are worthy of 〈◊〉 honour whom God makes instruments of working and preserving spiriual life As in 1. Tim. 3.1 This is a true saying 1 Tim. 5.17.18 if any man desire the office of a Bishop he desireth a good work or a worthy work And a promise of great reward is made to such as turn many to righteousnesse to wit to shine as the starres for ever and ever Dan 23 1 Pet. 5.4 and when the chief shepheard shall appear such shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away which may be matter of comfort to them in their calling O to preserve men from hell it is a worthy an honourable work to be instruments of converting and bringing souls to the Lord to live with him for ever the life of glory is a work that calls for great respect to the workmen and how they have it let God judge 4. Vse Fourthly We are now come to a Use of exhortation that we be all carefull of life of our own life and of the life one of another of bodily life and of the life of the soule for such a life and death too there is as may be gathered out of Mat. 10.28 And fear not them which kill the body and are not able to kill the soule but rather fear him which is able to destroy both body and soule in hell ye see mention there of killing and destroying the soule as well as the body Now in the prosecution of this use of exhortation I shall lay before you some motives and considerations As first Gods example who hath Provided many good things for the preservation of life as Food Raiment Physick and shall we be carelesse of that which God hath been so careful about This cannot but be construed high contempt of this jewell of Life But now let us be like God who hath so provided for the preservation of life so let us for the lives of our selves and others And for the life of the soul what a deal of pains and trouble hath God and his Son Jesus been at to redeem it from Hell and Death God about this sent his only Son into the World to dy a most shamefull and painfull death He hath suffered many of his choice and eminent servants to endure exquisite torments that souls might be saved from death And therefore let this prevaile let us be herein like unto God do all that we can to preserve life and to save souls Let us be rich in good works of this nature that is in saving life and give comfort to those that have none For otherwise we shall not shew our selves to be like to God And the cry of the dying will enter into his eares Secondly consider the necessity of this work of saving life The body without life stinketh now God may have glory by its living The dead go downe to the pit of silence The grave cannot praise thee saith Hezekiah death cannot celebrate thee They that go downe into the pit cannot hope for thy truth The living the living he shall praise thee Isa 38.18.19 If we do not what we can to preserve life we do as it were bereave God of that honour which he might have in our life and in the lives of others We have a proverb make much of your selves good folks be scarce This hath some place here if it could be thought and spoken with holy gravity and seriousnes and in the fear of the Lord. Ye that fear God make much of your selves and one another do what ye can to preserve life and to make your own and each others life comfortable that God may have the more glory by
they are exactly conformable to the rectitude of the eternall law Quia tam perfecte vult rectitudinem quam perfecte illam concipit He works as perfectly as he conceives perfectly As is Gods judgment so is his will And hence it is that the love of the Father is so passing great to Christ for the father loveth the son c. Joh. 5.20 Why should God love the son more then any other creature but because he saw more of himself wrought in the sonne then in any other creature Love is an inclination of the will to that thing which is good and thereupon the soul of God runs out to Christ who was altogether lovely this is formal holinesse in God this is the formality of this attribute in God he loveth himself in his love to the creatures All the actions of God proceede from an holy spirit from a spirit of holines As hath beene said already holiness is to love God to seek Gods glory to love ones selfe in God and in this sence God is certainly holy for he loves none as himselfe and seekes and aimes at his owne glory in every thing he doth And here by the way let me speake a word of the formality of the holines of Saints Is it not their love to God and Christ And the Saints that makes them to delight in beholding him whom their soule loveth Doubtles it is My beloved saith the spouse is whit and ruddy the chiefest among ten thousand Canticles 5.10 As it was said by the Queen of Sheba of Solomon 1 Kings 10.8 Happy are thy men Happy are those thy servants which stand continually before thee and which hear thy wisdom So much more may we say as the spirit of holines maketh us to say Blessed are they that know Christ and have of the graces of his Spirit And here I must needs say once againe if God be holy because he loveth good men which are his choice workmanship then so are the Saints therein holy also for they love wonderfully that choise master piece Christ and all the Saints which are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works Eph. 2.10 And so by the rule of contraryes as it is said Psalme 45.7 by way of prophesy and mystically of Christ Thou lovest righteousnes and hatest wickednes c. God must needs hate sin with an infinite hatred for he loveth the rectitude of the eternall law and therefore hateth what is contrary to it for the sinfullnes of sinne is its contrariety to Gods eternall law And then Secondly God necessarily loveth his own goodnes and perfection and therefore necessarily hateth sinne which is contrary and repugnant to that goodnes Repugnant I say not as one forme to another but as an inordinate thing to its rule and measure Keep sinne up and God must go downe keepe God up and sinne must go down You may as well expect to see the Ocean sea burn to ashes or stones to fly upward as look to see an union betweene God and sinne or that God should not looke upon it with highest indignation What sinne is you should finde in every catechisme almost it is the transgression of the holy law of God even the least sinne doth turne aside Gods love and because he is holy it maketh his very soule to hate the persons in whom it is Sinne is like Coloquintida in the Pot and this I must tell you that when God smels it he cannot but throw away pot and all it is so contrary to his holines Where ever God sees sinne he runs at it presently If his owne son do but stand in the sinners steede though he had no sinne of his owne yet you see how the wrath of God ran out against him And the reason is Gods love of his law which is his holines of which sin is the transgression and upon this account God must needs hate it And this David a man of much acquaintance with God tells us Psalm 5.4 5. For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickednes neither shall evill dwell with thee The foolish shall not stand in thy sight thou hatest all workers of iniquitie and so Isaiah 1.24 Ah saith the Lord I will ease me of mine adversaries and avenge me of mine enemies By which words the prophet meaneth that God will not be appeased he will ease himselfe here is an allusion to the disposition of men Calv. in loc for even as wrath is nothing else but a desire of revenge so revenge it selfe also is a kind of contentment for when any is revenged he is glad and satisfied Thus the Lord saith that he will satisfie himselfe in chastising his enemies as if it were a kind of recompence And because this holines of God doth so glorious shine-out in his hating of sin which is contrary both to his eternal law workings in both Church and world and also to the actings of Saints acted by the Spirit of holines I will a little fasten here and give you some evidence of the bitter hatred which is in God against sinne First Therefore when we shall see an all-mercifull God to deprive men and Angels of such an infinite good as himselfe Evidences of Gods hating sin certainly you must suppose there is some great cause reason for it why the fruition of God is the greatest good and Angells and men were his most excellent creatures yet such is Gods holines causing his hatred of sinne that he tumbles man out of Paradise and Angels out of heaven here is one evidence of Gods hatred of sinne and severitie against sinners But Secondly God doth not only deprive these prime creatures of such a goodnes to wit himself infinitly and eternally but also cast them into extreame sorrows pains and torments And the Angels which kept not their first estate or principalitie but lost their owne habitation he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkenes unto the judgement of the great day Jud. ver 6. And for men who can be ignorant of these misteries sinne hath brought upon all sexes and ages even in this life besides those everlasting burnings to the which all wicked ones are reserved Thirdly God will blot out all the good that ever men did if that fall a sinning once If the righteous turneth away from his righteousnes and committeth iniquitie c. All his righteousnes that he hath done shall not be mentioned in his trespasse Ezek. 18.24 that he hath trespassed and in his sinne that he hath sinned in them he shall die If a man should live many a yeare in serving God and do great things for the people of God Yet if he give out and sin and persist and die in his sinne all his former good should be blotted out Q. A. But here comes a great question can a righteous man fall from his righteousnes To which I answer It is impossible Ratione Decreti promissionis in regard of Gods decree and promise Yet we
must know that as God only hath immortality essentially and immutably so likwise all kindes of goodness are only in God firme and sure Saints might fall Angels might fall the Saints in heaven might fall and dy also againe were it not that God holds them to their estates he hath brought them unto and will even as the Psalmist saith Psalme 91.4 He shall cover thee with his feathers and under his wings shalt thou trust his truth shall be thy shield and buckler But for more cleare and full answer to the place in Ezekiel You must know that the Holy Ghost meanes not truly gratious neither is it the scope to prove falling from grace but to cleare the Lords justice and my scope is to shew the deadly hatred God beares to sinne And either by righteous in that place we are to understand a moral legal righteous man or else it is a caution to prevent a righteous mans falling if we will understand it of Gospel righteousnes Or lastly as I intimated in the beginning of my Answer to his Question it may be true of a righteous man considered in himselfe not in relation to God or Christ that he may turne from his righteousnes as Angels and Adam did We have a rule conditional suppositions are of things impossible aswell as of possibles therefore make what ye will of the text yee can never necessarily conclude either with Bellarmine that a man may Exuare cor novum put away a new heart that faith may be lost Lib. 3. de Inst c. 14. Quid clareus quomodo quaeso avertitur justus à justicia si fide sola justificatur fides semel concepta extergui non potest or with Arminians that it is so evident that every one may see it that a just man may totally and finally fall away Hominem justum posse totaliter de ficere Ames in antisynod de presen Sanct. c. 2. Christ tells his disciples that he would send the comforter that he might abide with them forever that he might dwell with them and be in them John 14.16.17 But I must end this businesse which is but by the by God must needs hate sin seeing one sin in the evening of a mans age persisted in unto death will make God forget all former services done to him this is the third evidence Fourthly Gods willing the abased incarnation and dolorous death and passion of his sonne that sinne might be abolished is the highest discovery of his hatred towards it If nothing but the blood of his owne son be able to remove sin it shall be laid down rather then God will endure it so hateful is sin and so loathsome in the eyes of God And therefore Soules do but consider this ye that make light of sin see and consider a little what sinne is in the account of God in whose ballance all things must be wayed Yea look upon the readines of Christ to make his soule an offering for sin to lay down his pretious life that this ugly thing sin so hateful to Gods holines might be slain as well as satisfied for and that Gods soul might be eased and comforted justice being satisfied which the holy severitie of God did call for I have beene very long upon the formalitie of Gods holines which as you may remember is the fourth way or manner God is said to be holy in A Fifth and indeed the last way or manner is that God is said to be holy Eminently and causally as the fountain and begining of all sanctitie in creatures As he is the root of all holines the object the example viz. of and unto his own holines and formally holy also as hath largly been demonstrated So likewise to the creator of all creatures holines He is the Efficient Formall Exemplary and final cause He hath first infused all holines into Angels and men which they have he converteth men to himselfe he doth away the spots of their sinnes he plants in them the light of grace and good inclinations All holines comes from him and what have we that we have not received from him who only it is that makes men to differ So that God is causally holy the efficient cause of all holines in the sons of men He it is that rooteth out sin and cleanseth them from filthines and planteth in them holines by his holy spirit And thus our God is holy as he doth effect holines Secondly he gives the very species of holines Holines as I have told you is placed in loving God and his waies Christ and his people Now it is God that forms Christ in us and gives a spirit of conformitie to him in holines He is the formal cause of holines in creatures not informing but in a higher way without imperfection we are transformed by the renewing of our mind Rom. 12.2 The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the new creature the change of the soule as the worke is variously termed is wholy from God And so their people come to be willing in the day of Gods power in the beauties of holines Ps 110.3 Then when they have a holy frame of spirit they being to value ordinances and run too and fro for the increase of their knowledge Daniel 12.4 they cleave unto God and one to another praying in the Holy Ghost Jude ver 20. and submiting themselves one to another in the feare of God Ephes 5.21 Even as the father loveth the sonne and the sonne loveth the father and God loveth himselfe because of the holines in their divine essence so it is with the Saints that are made to be holy and are renewed Thirdly God is exemplarily the cause of holines in creatures he hath laid a coppy before us according to which we should square our lives He is principum exemplare Not only the mind and will of God revealed in the scripture but also the histories of Gods dealings in point of holines who would have us walk as he hath and be holy as he is holy And yet this is not all we have a plaine familiar coppy a demonstration before our eys I mean the behaviour and conversation of Christ in the daies of his flesh he hath left us an example that ye should follow his steps 1 Pet. 2.21 Such as walk according to these coppies and this rule peace be on them and mercy and upon the Holy Israel of God Gal. 6.16 Fourthly All the holines of the creature is directed unto God and his glory as unto its end Therefore the creature is sanctified and made holy that it may be for God the utmost end and honour him and praise and glorifie him And take this for a truth no action is any further holy then Gods glory is the end of it The Pharises almes fastnings and prayers were materially good but because their owne praise and not Gods glory was that which they aimed at this was that spoild all And therefore Christians well is that we have a Christ for seeing
God will no further look upon us then we perfectly aime at his glory in every thing what would become of us had we not a Christ Seeing selfe ends will so mingle themselves with one best performances have we not cause to blesse God for Jesus Christ 't is our duty and let it be our practice to blesse God for Jesus Christ To Summe up all Holy men have holy minds their holy minds are fixed upon God The will word and workes of God and Christ are coppyes before their eies and lastly holy men ayme at Gods glory and not themselves for they are swallowed up in God and know whom they have believed therefore I commend in all these respects God to be eminently and causally holy Now le ts come to make some use and application of this truth Vses of the Attribute of holinesse in God that the Lord our God is holy that holines is an attribute of Gods And first by way of information it teacheth us that holines is not to be contemned nor such as labor after it is not to be set light by nor holy persons despised Wo therefore to those that despise holy persons this must needs be an heynous offence why Sirs what do ye mean Holines is an attribute of God and can that be base or despicable which God takes and makes to be one of his owne attributes one of his names which must not be taken in vaine much lesse not trampled upon Are such to be blamed that desire to be like God to be holy as their father which is in heaven is holy what horrible wickednesse is this to mock at holy people as to twit them with holinesse is to mock at God those that do so are like unto such wretched servants in a house as will dog and misuse a childe in the family because it is like his father whom they yet take wages off and live by and can not live with out little do men think to what a pitch of sinfulnesse their carriage this way doth amount unto though many think it nothing to mock at holy people yet is it a very great sinne And yet what is more in disgrace then holynesse who more despised then pure and holy soules Oh these are your pure folkes these are the holy sect and the like scoffing speeches If a man do but looke towards the wayes of holynes he is streightway had in derision by prophane people How do parents abuse their owne children even among us in this place if they do but looke towards Sion and even weep for mad Alas poore soules Oh that I had but bowells to pitty you as there is cause Do ye know what ye do Let me tell you yee mock at that which must be in your selves or ye shall not see God Heb. 12.14 and holynesse without which no man shall see the Lord yea ye mock at that without which ye cannot serve the Lord. Josh 24 19. Ye cannot serve the Lord for he is an holy God c. Such as despise holynesse cannot serve God so this is the first use If you should have thoughts of indignation against people because they be holy ye would plainly declare that ye are none of Gods servants none of his worshippers and as first I said that ye shall not see his face in mercy so much for that they that labour to be holy are not to be condemned nor holynesse which is an attribute of God contemned Secondly If holinesse be an attribute of God then it further Vse 2 teacheth us that God must needs like of holinesse and delight in holy persons For all Gods attributes are pleasing to him and this being one of them he must needs take pleasure in this This clearly follows where God doth finde but a sparkle of himself he must delight necessarily in it because of his holiness as hath been abundantly manifested in the foregoing part of this discourse he runs with joy to his the workmanship of his own spirit And this is not onely a Use of information but of comfort also exceeding great comfort to those that are taken out of this widâ— world and set into Christ the root of Jesse the root of holinesse The spirit of glory and of God resteth on you saith the Apostle Peter 1 Epist c. 4.14 which may rejoyce under their reproaches for the name of Christ when a soul loves God and is seeking to set up his glory this is matter of great joy because they are partakers of his holinesse O well shall it be with such and happy shall they be Psal 128.2 The Apostles Acts 5.46 Departed from the presence of the Council rejoycing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name And so may all holy ones be their outward condition what it will Vse 3 Thirdly Such as would become acceptable to God must labour to become holy persons for this is that which the Lord calleth for Lev. 11.44 45. and cap. 19.2 Ye shall be holy for I am holy this is that the Lord calleth for from all persons nothing will give him content but this you know the saying likenesse makes love And here it takes place if you will have God to love you you must labour to be like him Nothing will please him but holinesse if you would give the fruit of your body for the sin of your soul yet that will not give him content But ye must be holy the reason is given because the Lord your God is holy Be exhorted therefore to labour for holinesse To move you consider first the excellency of this grace Motives to labour for holines it is of the divine nature it is most excellent The excellency of a thing will make a man to labour for it excellent things are the objects of wise mens desires and labours Now there is nothing so excellent as holinesse for that is to be like God And therefore why do ye spend your money for that which is not bread and for that which will not profit you but is vain and like a shadow Riches get wings and flie away labour therefore for that which when once you have will never forsake you in life or death or judgment And therefore the excellency herof thus considred should never let us be quiet til we have gotten some evidence that we have in some measure attained unto this holines even holines which is one of Gods attributes Secondly consider this too holines is a thing which every man is without There is not so much as one sparkle of holines in any man by nature for we are wholy defiled with sin Ever imagination of the thoughts of mans heart is only evil continually Gen. 6 5. How can man be cleane that is borne of a Woman Job 25.4 the interrogation there is a vehement negation How can that is it cannot be But we are all as an uncleane thing and all our righteousnes are as filthy rags Isaiah 64.6 There is none righteous no not one there is
the mind and a delight in ignorance Want of subjection and conformity in the will and rebellion withall Want of holines in the affections and pronesse to evill An aiming at a mans self in all actions or rather the disease of the soule is satisfied A fullfilling the desires of the flesh Ephes 2. verse 3. Let us fasten here a litle A blind mind an ignorant soule is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be Rom. 8.7 And therefore though God forbid men of this frame to love the world yet they will love it still they have no heart no stomack to God and his wayes This is the frame of the spirit of an unholy man And therefore they that are such make not God the end of their thoughts word or actions No nor indeed themselves as creatures such is the blindnes of their mind and perversnes of their spirits Sicke soules must be humour'd or else they are quite undone they think although in truth it fares with such as with men and women that have sick bodies that use to long for that which will prove their bane Their lust make them fooles They have no understanding the eies of their mind are put out They fashion themselves according to their lust in their ignorance They are as blind as beetles They are like a man that is sick of a feaver that must have could drink and other things which his disease cals for though it kill him These will rather dy then yield to God and hug that snake in their bosome which will sting them to death at last And thus ye see what unholines is T is true gracious men may slip they may be overtaken in a fault but it doth cost them deare If Peter deny Christ he will weep bitterly If David step aside as he did in the matter of Vriah he will water his couch with his tears and make his bed to swim But as for these poor unholy souls their case is sad and dismal Never tell me say some of holines and exactnes I will not no I will not I will dy rather What holines is Such we read of in Jeremy As for the words that thou speakest we will not do And again Let us not give heed to any of his words Well Sirs sith there are among you such as will not heare us speak of God to you Yet we will not cease to speake to God for you And now let us see what holines is Three things in the soule It is indeed the restoring of all these defects which I have spoken of to you But before I go any further in that matter let me shew you three things in the soule First the substance thereof Secondly the faculties or powers of the soule Thirdly the qualities of these faculties Ye have a fit resemblance of these in an instrument of musick there is the instrument the strings the harmony Now ye must know when Adam fell the substance of his soul was the same afterward that it was before The devils have the same substance in hell that they had when they were in heaven Neither are the faculties of the soule lost by the fall but only the good qualities are defaced that which we call the image of God As first for the understanding knowledge Collos 3 10. And have put on the new man Saith the Apostle there Which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him where we may easily gather that holy souls are knowing souls understanding what was lost is found again And then secondly for the will and affections Ephes 4.24 And that ye put on the new man which after God is created in righteousnes and true holinesse knowledge is opposed to ignorance an ignorant person is an ungodly person And holinesse and righteous to concupiscences and the lusts of the old man To which if yee add one thing to wit sincerity and truth and an aiming at Gods glory then ye have the body of holinesse So now ye see that an holy frame of the soul standeth in the absence of the contrary evill and a positive quality and habit of goodnes Some set it forth thus Holinesse respecteth God immediately and is contained in the duties of the first Table Righteousnes respecteth man and the creatures and compriseth the duties enjoyned in the second Table Truth respects the manner how both the former are to be practised These make a perfect harmony in all the faculties of the soule and are that created holinesse which is communicated from God as first to Adam in his creation so since to all regenerated ones A seventh motive to move us to labour for holines Be exhorted I say again to get holiness and let me adde one consideration more to stir you up to labour for holinesse viz. That the most holy men are the least fearing men Paul was of great courage he had much holinesse 1 Thess 2.10 Ye are witnesses and God also how holily and justly and unblamably we behave our selves among you that believe Therefore when the Viper leapt upon his hand he feared not Polluted souls are full of fear Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him and was departed from Saul 1 Sam. 13.12 And Herod feared John knowing that he was a just man and an holy Mark 6.20 Magnas vires habet pietas Godlinesse hath great strength The righteous also shall hold on his way and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger Job 17.9 so Prov. 28.1 The righteous is bold as a Lyon Nehemiah was an holy man and would not fly Should such a man as I flee saith he Nehemiah 6.11 If God be sanctified by us he will be a sanctuary to us If Fortitude were of such high account among Heathens when it was but a virtue what esteem should it have as a grace Do but get holinesse and ye need not fear of ten thousands of people that have set themselves against you round about as David did not Psalm 3. v. 6. Though 40. men binde themselves with an oath against a holy man yet they can do him no harm If Nebuchadnezzar theaten the fiery furnace to the 3 Saints in Daniel yet they will behold An Deus est in mundo pro nihilo Card. borrom Silentiarius Si Deus mei curam non habet quid vivo Daniel 3. from the 13. verse to the 19th A holy man need not fear any thing Holinesse will carry a man through the world He that knows himself to be one of Gods holy ones May bid defiance to all fears and dangers whatsoever Holinesse arms a man with armour of proof against all fears What said a Cardinal being told of great danger is God in the world for nothing And another if God have not care of me why do I live And now Christians arm your selves against fears by holinesse fears of the world fears of death which God knows how soon may seize upon us God will
goodnes too It is as it were goodnesse Object A sweete and gentle frame of spirit and usefullnesse and also a good conversation It may be objected that the rich man Luke 16.25 Is upbraided for receiving 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his good things a word of the same theme and nature with that which is made here to be a fruit of the spirit To which I say there are divers sorts and acceptations of goodnesses in God himselfe by attribution Ans which is only for our sakes for his nature is most simple and we may not wonder if words be diversly taken about the creatures which are of several particular dispositions and qualities Doubtles that forementioned rich man would never have beene hit in the teeth for having this goodnesse which is a fruit of the spirit But it was for some other goodnesse There is three sorts of good or goodnes Spiritual Civill Corporall He was farre enough from having that which was spiritually good And but litle had he of that which was civilly or morally good But his time and strength was laid out for these things that were good for the body and as some use them scarce good for that Yet the things of this life are called by that name good or goods or goodnesse In reference to the common opinion of the world In regard that they have an entitative goodnesse they are the good creatures of God these he made and he made all things good as hath beene said upon the second Attribute And yet againe they have not only a goodnes of entitie but a goodnes of use in them the Lord had made them very suteable to the needs relations affairs and businesses of this life This is that goodnes wicked and worldly people have much of and this is that which is meant in that place of Luke We may likewise in the third place reason from a command that such a goodnesse there is to be had and therefore it is communicable And that it is commanded it is evident Gal. 6.10 And as we have therefore opportunitie let us do good unto all men c. Yea we are expresly commanded to do good to them that are our enemies to do good to them that hate us Math. 5.44 These precepts would not have beene if goodnes had not beene to be had among men As for those common places objected First out of Math. 19.16.17 Where Christ blameth the young man for calling of him good upon this ground that there is none good but one that is God And then that in Ecclesiastes 7.20 Where the preacher saith That there is not a just man upon the earth that doth good and sinneth not I answer that understand the places of what kind of goodnes ye will it must alway have this helpe for the making out of the sence of them that there is none absolutly good none perfectly good none compleately good but God Yet be there some that have attained unto some good degree of goodnes in regard whereof they may have the title of good men And if people would use the meanes and lay aside those impediments that hinder them from doing good they might do a great deale more and be more usefull and beneficial whereas now the most are rather like Divels then men one unto another And alas even in a manner the best but unprofitable servants that shall be cast into outer darkenes I speak of unregenerate men and so would be understood Now the first use that we are to make of this truth is to Vse 1 teach us that there is no fault in God That men be so bad and mischievous at best so unprofitable generally It is their owne naughty and corrupt heart and that cursed selfe-love and secret atheisme and distrust of God and want of the image of Christ that makes many such unprofitable pernicious persons that do so much hurt in their generation And therfore let the fault be laid where it is and the sadle be put upon the right horse as we say and let us not charge a good and gracious God with our froward and crooked natures as too many are apt to do Men might chuse whether they would be such as it were pricking and galling thornes one to another God is good and would make men good too if men were willing Why do ye not strive against the evill of your heart and labour to roote it out And here we may note a sad effect of Gods bounty upon many that take liberty as it were by grant to be mischeivous to others because they have more of these outward good things then others As if God had delight to provide bellows to blow up unruly lusts Hosea 13.6 According to their pasture so were they filled they were filled and their heart was exalted therfore have they forgotten me O when the heart of men is once lifted up with the creature they are very neere the Divells fall and frame of spirit Then men thinke they are out of the reach of contradiction and controlement and no wickednes so grosse no mischeif so great which they will make any bones of committing They cannot looke a jot beyond the service of their devilish spirits and hellish lusts The righteous shall be sold for silver and the poore for a paire of shoes Amos 2.6 O that this evill disposition were not to be found so generally among us as it is If it were the blessed will of God When God puts in good things into mens hands The Devill is at hand to put wickednes into their hearts Well neighbours this is one warning more it will not be lost altogether Looke how many teachers ye have had so many condemners will ye have if ye will not consider and amend Vse 2 Secondly we learne hence that such as desire to be good are in great possibilitie to have their hearts desire and to attaine to this disposition this sweete temper and frame of grace which bringeth forth such sweete fruits of usefullnes and helpfulnes If ye be desirous to be good I can assure you God is Why saith God agreed a match you and I are of one mind I stand with my communicable goodnes to bestow it A cleane heart a right spirit a loving temper will ye have this O sirs if ye be willing what a comfort is this If ye be sensible of your barrenes uselesnes and unprofitablenes of your selfe-love and destrust of God and feare that ye shall want the usuall causes of the former malady of the sowrenesse of your nature up presently to anger and revenge God he giveth more grace he giveth all grace and this of benignity is a lovely one If we then humble our selves under the want of this disposition and under our unprofitablenes and yet more under our gunpowder-like dispositions set on fire upon the least provocation I say if we be humble before the Lord and seeke unto him to be like him in goodnes and sweetenes and readines to help all We shall
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