things by a spirituall conception of them There be degrees of discerning things The highest degree is to see things face to face as they be in heaven The next to that is to see them in a glasse for there I see the motion and true species of a man though not so clearly as when I see him face to face therefore We soone forget the species of it in a glasse Wee have more fixednesse of the other because there is more reality We see things put into Water and that is lesse but then there is a sight of man in Pictures which is lesse than the rest because we see not the motion It is even so a carnall man scarce sees the dead resemblance of things In Moses time they saw things in water as it were blindly though true but we see things in a glasse of truth as clearly as possibly we can in this world In heaven wee shall see face to face shall see him as he is And then will be the joy of this excellent Feast and the consummation of all sweet promises which here we can but have a taste of So that is the first reason of it that God is onely the taker away of the vaile which ariseth from the unsuitablenesse between the soule and divine Truths There is nothing in the heart of man but a contrariety to divine light The very naturall knowledge that is contrary naturall Conscience that onely checketh for grosse sinnes but not for spirituall sinnes Obedience and Civill life that makes a man full of pride and armeth him against selfe-denyall and against the righteousnesse of Christ and Justification There is nothing in the soule but without grace riseth against the soule in divine things Againe there is such disproportion between the soule being full of sinne and guiltinesse and heavenly things that are so great that the heart of man will not believe unlesse God convinceth the soule that God is so good and gracious though they be great and excellent yet God will bestow them upon our soules and therefore he sendeth the Spirit that over-over-powers the soule though it bee full of feare and guilt that sinne contracts Though we be never so unworthy he will magnifie his grace to poore sinners and without that the soule will never believe there is such an infinite disproportion betweene the soule and the things between the sinfull soule and the spirit so that God must over-power the soule to make it believe The Scripture is full of this As we are naturally ignorant and full of unbeliefe so God onely can over-power the soule and take away the vaile of Ignorance All the Angels in heaven and all the Creatures in the world the most skilfull men in the world cannot bring light into the soule they cannot bring light into the heart they can speake of divine things but they understand them little but to bring light into the heart that the heart may taste of them and yield obedience to believe that they cannot doe And therefore all Gods children they bee Theodidactoi taught of God God onely hath the privilege to teach the heart to bend and bow the heart to believe So that God onely by his Spirit takes away the vaile of ignorance and unbeliefe Now the third thing is that this is peculiar to the Church and to the Children of God to have the vaile taken off In this Mountaine saith the Scripture the vail of all Faces shall be swallowed up or taken away I partly shewed in the former point that it is peculiar to Gods Children to have the vaile taken off There is a vailin all things either the things be hid from them as amongst the Gentiles or if the things bee revealed there is a vaile upon the heart their lusts raise up a cloud which untill God subdue by the holy Spirit they bee darke yea darknesse it selfe Goshen was onely light when all Egypt was in darknesse so there is light onely in the Church and all other parts in the world are in darknesse And amongst men in the Church there is a darknesse upon the soule of unregenerate men that bee not sanctified and subdued by the Spirit of God And all godly men are lightsome nay they be lights in the world As wicked men are darknesse so gracious men by the Spirit of God are made lights of the world from him that is the true light Christ himselfe It is peculiar to the Church to know the greatest good and the greatest evill It is no where but in the Church who are the people of God None but Gods Elect can know the greatest evill that is sinne which the Spirit of God revealeth And the greatest good that is Gods mercy in Christ and sanctifying grace The same Spirit doth both As light doth discover foul things as well as faire so the same Spirit of God discovers the loathsomenesse of sinne and the sweetnesse of grace Where the one is there is never the other where there is not truely a deep discerning of sinne there is never knowledge of grace there is none but in the Church those that have the Spirit of illumination they have sanctification likewise We shall make use of all together You see then what naturally we are and that Gods grace must take away the vaile and this is from all them within the Church and in the Church those whom God is pleased to sanctifie In the fourth place Where this vaile is taken off from any there is with it spirituall joy and feasting as here he joyneth them both together I will make a feast of fat things and will take away the vaile The reason of the connexion of this is that same Spirit that is a Spirit of Revelations is a Spirit of Comfort And the same Spirit that is the Spirit of Comfort is a Spirit of Revelation All sweetnesse that the soule relisheth commeth from light and all light that is spirituall conveyeth sweetnesse both together Beloved there is a marvailous sweetnesse in divine Truths in Christ is all marrow and in Religion forgivenesse of sinnes and inward peace and joy and grace fitting us to be like to Christ and for heaven they be incredibly sweet they bee all marrow I but they are onely so to them that know them now Gods Spirit that revealeth these things to us doth breed a taste in the soule The Spirit of illumination of Gods Children is a Spirit of sanctification likewise and that sanctification alters the taste and relish of the will and affections that with discovery of these things there is a taste and relish of them It is sapida Scientia a savory knowledge they have And therefore where he maketh a Feast he taketh away the vaile and where hee takes away the vaile hee makes a Feast what a wonderfull satisfaction hath the soule when the vaile is taken off to see God in Christ reconciled to see sin pardoned to see the beginnings of
consistent 88 Wee must justifie God in all 25 K. KNOVVLEDGE True knowledge is transforming 52 Desires to know more 51 Practise what wee know 49 L. LIGHT Naturall men want light 36 Naturally their light without heat 39 M. Majestie of the Scriptures 101 Christ compared to Manna 13 Religion makes not melancholy 26 Why Christians are melancholy 26 Christians have a mixture here 82 Church compared to a Mountaine 4 Mysteriousnesse of Scriptures 101 P. Plenty at the Gospell-feast 11 Preparation for this feast 16 Wee must purge the soule of sinne 16 Practise of what we know 49 Of Gods promises and their performance 107 Promises free and full 112 Promises long before performed why 113 114 Promises shall bee surely performed 121 152 Time of performance in Gods hand 152 Gods time best of performmance 154 Reason of Gods performance 152 R. Of the Rebukes of Gods people 89 Christ and his Members subject unto Reproaches 90 Christ will rowle away Reproach 93 How to carry our selves under Reproach 94 15 How wee must Relish the Word 22 Scriptures may bee proved to be the word of God by Reason 103 Christ a Rock 14 S. Sacrament of Lords Supper a feast 15 Sense of sinne 17 Soule hath her senses 21 Men naturally want sight 36 We must not judge by sight 79 Scandals against Religion 92 Holy Scriptures Word of God 99 Are supreame Iudge 100 Searching power of the Word 102 Spirit indited and interprets the Word 106 Sinne greatest cause of Sorrow 85 No Sorrow in heaven 84 Comfort in Sufferings 81 Naturall men see not things spiritually 38 Spirituall things are mysterious 35 36 Church excellent society 3 Wee must walke in the strength of Spirituall Refreshment 23 T. Of spirituall Taste 22 Wee have but a Taste here of what wee shall have hereafter 115 TEARES vide WEEP God will wipe away Tears 77 78 Signes of right Teares 86 87 88 Thankfulnesse to God for removing vaile 25 for Christs Conquest over Death 62 for accomplishment of promises 156 Gods Time of performance set best 154 Types of the Gospel 12 13 14 15 V. A Vaile over mens hearts 35 Unbeliefe is that Vaile 40 God onely can take away the Vaile 42 43 Meanes to have the Vaile removed 46 47 There is variety in Christ 10 Unbeliefe in every sinne 41 Christs victory over death 55 57 W. Of WAITING Our duty to waite upon God 115 It s hard to wait on God 118 Waiting overcomes all 119 120 Many graces exercised in waiting 116 117 Why God will have us to wait 150 151 Incouragements to waite 153 154. Good men apt to weepe 72 73 74 75 Though wee cannot weep yet wee must mourne 86 Spirit witnesses that the holy Scripture is Gods Word 101 Gods Word is to bee heard as the Word of God 104 God will make all his VVord good 16 FINIS The principal subjects handled in these Sermons 1. Of the Marriage-feast between Christ his Church Prov. 9. 2. Matth. 22. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isai 55. 1. Rev. 22. 17. Gen. 49. 20. Super omnia vultus accessére boni 2. Of the vail of ignorance and unbeliefe and the removall of it 3. Of Christs conquest over Death Heb. 2. 14 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hos 13. 14. 4. Of the Christians teares and the wiping them away 5. Of the Rebukes and Reproaches of Gods people and the taking of them away 6. Of the Promises 7. Of the holy Scriptures and the divine Authority of them 8. waiting upon God Isai 26. 8. Isai 8. 17. The connexion of the Text. 1 Observ The Church the most excellent of all societies The Church built upon the strongest foundation 2 Obs Of the visibility of the Church The Mountaine is the Church God makes a Feast for his people The Lord of Hoasts the founder of the Feast This Feast is for all people Christ the chiefe dish in the Feast Why Christ with his benefits is compared to a Feast 1. Because the favours we have by Christ are choice ones 2. There is variety of favours in Christ Christ like the Indian plant Coquus good for all things 3. There is sufficiency and fulnesse in Christ 4. As a Feast for many so Christ is a feast for the community of Saints 5. Because we have the glorious attire of Christ as men put on choice garments at Feasts 6. Because he was resembled by the Paschal Lambe which was choosen foure daies before out of the flock 2. By Manna to which Christ answers in many particulars Surely those that are spirituall taste Christ 3. By the rock in the wildernesse 4. By all the Jewish festivalls 5. By the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Use Be prepared for this Feast 1. Labour for large hearts to receive much 2. Labour for spirituall appetite First means to get appetite soure herbes sense of sin and misery Second Means Third Means Fourth Means Acquaintance with those that are good Fifth Means We know not how long wee have to live Wee should hold out against hunger to come â—… 3. Get a spirituall disposition of soul to heavenly things The soule hath her senses Two things in spirituall tast Vse 4. Wee must labour for a digestion of spirituall things Vse 5. Wee must walk in the strength of spirituall favour Consequents of this Feast is spirituall chearfulnesse 2. Thankfulnesse 3. Justifie the waies of God against carnall slanders Object Religious people are melancholy Answ It s because they are not more religious A man may be ignorant of his comforts A Christian at the worst is happier then a worldling at the best Labour to partake of this Feast All invited We are sure to perish without Christ Honour God by taking alotted comforts The Spirit of God must work us to a relish of spirituall things We must bring something to the Feast though not of our owne Wee must bring empty soules and a spirit of Faith and a spirit of Love The services of this Feast Obs There is a vail over all mens spirits by nature A two-fold vaile 1. Of the things themselves 2 Of the souls not seeing or not beleeving 3 There must be a light to make things visible All things in religion are mysterious 1. There 's a vaile of ignorance on all naturall men Naturall men know not spirituall things in their proper species A godly man sees spirituall things intritively The light of the godly is a light with influence the light of the wicked is without it Simile Simile Simile There is a vaile of unbeliefe over the unregenerate Ignorance and unbeliefe act in all sinnes 2. Obser God only can take off the vaile of ignorance and unbeliefe Reas Because of the unsuitablenes between the soule and spirituall things Foure things required in sight Foure degrees of discerning things Reas 2. Reas 3. And a disproportion also Reas 4. No creature Angels or men can bring light into the soule 3 Obs It s peculiar to the Church to have the vaile taken away It s
can it enter into the heart of man to conceive of those joyes that the Church of God shall have when the marriage shall be consummated Joy in the Holy Ghost and peace of conscience they are hid from the world and sometimes from Gods people themselves though they shall injoy them hereafter All the former Feasts in times past were but types of this The Feast of Tabernacles the Feast of the Passeover the spirituall Manna and all other holy Feasts were but to signifie and to shew forth this Feast by Christ But there is this difference between the type and the thing signified by the type the Passeover Lambe was quite eaten up but this Passeover Christ that was slaine for sinne can never be eaten up We feed upon him with our soules he cannot be consumed as the Passeover Lambe nor as Manna which was gone when the Sunne arose yea that Manna that was laid up for a remembrance before the Arke became nothing but Christ is in heaven for evermore for the soule to feed upon Though these were resemblances yet these failed as it is fit resemblances should faile that is come short of the body of the thing it selfe Thus you see the spirituall comforts of a Christian may well and fitly be compared to a Feast Thus you see God provideth a Feast and inviteth all In the Sacrament you have a Feast a Feast of varieties not only bread but wine to shew the variety and fullnesse of comfort in Christ He intendeth full comfort As for our Adversaries the Papists they have dry Feasts they give the people the bread but the wine they keep for themselves but God in Christ intendeth us full comfort whatsoever Christ did it was full his merits are compleat and his joy was full He is fulnesse it selfe and therefore whatsoever comes from him must needs be as he himselfe is both full and sweet He intendeth us full consolation Therefore we ought to be prepared to partake of this Feast in such a manner as that we may have ful joy and ful comfort for there is in Christ enough to satisfie all the hungry soules in the world he himselfe being present at this heavenly banquet All fullnesse dwells in him from which we have all received and grace for grace Therefore let us labour to have large hearts for as our faith groweth more and more so we shall carry more comfort and more strength from this holy Feast As the poore widdow if her vessels had not failed the oyle had not ceased if there had bin more vessels there had been more oyle our soules are as these vessels let us therefore labour and make it our great businesse to have large soules soules capable to drinke in this spirituall oyle of gladnesse for as much faith as we bring to Christ so much comfort we shall carry from him The favours of God in Christ being infinite the more wee fetch from him the more glory we give unto him but if they were finite we should offend his bounty he might soon be drawne dry and so send us away with an uncomfortable answer that he was not able to relieve us But Christ is infinite and the more we have from him the more we may have to him that hath shall be given the oftner we goe to Christ the more honour and glory we bring unto him this is a banquet to the full Wee are now come to the banquet and Christ is the founder of it nay he is the Feast it selfe he is the Author of it and he it is that wee feed upon Let us labour not to be straight receivers of the Sacrament but sucke in abundance from Christ with a great deale of delight That we may come together not for the worse but the better considering what a great deale of strength and grace is required as very necessary for the maintaining of spirituall Life THE Second Sermon ISAIAH 25. 6. In this Mountaine shall the Lord of Hosts make unto all people a Feast of fat things a Feast of Wines on the Lees of fat things full of Marrow of Wine on the Lees well refined I Have shewed that Christ and his benefits are compared to a Feast and in what respects they are fitly resembled by a Feast and have prest that we should prepare for it first by getting large hearts Now in the second place that we may have comfort at this Feast we must labour for spirituall appetite for to what end and purpose is that man at a Feast that hath no stomack I shall therefore shew what meanes we are to use to get eager stomacks and holy appetites after this Feast 1. The Appetite is raised with soure things as anguish of Spirit and mournfulnesse of heart for sinne if we will ever relish Christ aright we must labour to have a quick apprehension of our sinnes we must do as the Jewes did at the Passeover They eat it with soure Herbs that they might thereby have the sharper stomacks So must we we must cast our eyes into our owne hearts and consider what vile wretches we are how full of sinne and vanity and this will be as soure Herbs to the Paschall Lambe We must joyne the sweet benefits and privileges that wee have in Christ with the consideration of our owne wretched and miserable condition and then this heavenly ordinance cannot but be sweet and comfortable to our soules I beseech you enter into your owne soules and consider seriously under what guilt you lie and this will whet your appetite A full stomack despiseth the honey comb but in this appetite there is sense of emptines from that sense of emptines paine and from pain an earnest desire of satisfaction thus it is in spirituall things we want Christ and all the spirituall comforts that flow from him There is an emptines in us and we see a need every day to feed upon the mercies of God in Christ There is an emptines in our souls there must be a sense of that emptines and pain from that sense which must stir up a strong endeavour to follow after that that we doe desire Then Christ indeed is sweet when wee finde our soules hungring and thirsting after him Againe if so bee wee would have that appetite of Spirit that is fit for this Feast wee must purge our souls from the corruptions of Flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the feare of God we must cleanse our soules from those lusts and passions that dayly cleave unto them all crudities must be taken away that the edge of the stomack may not be flatted for while these earthly carnall Corruptions lye upon the soule we can expect no spirituall appetite to heavenly things Let us therefore examine our selves what filth lies upon our soules and what corrupt inclinations are there that so they may be purged and our desires be carryed fully after Christ in the Sacrament Another means to get appetite is to consider
reason why carnall men cannot relish a pardon for sinne and justification and sanctification and holinesse nor goe boldly to God It may be they have good sweet notions of these but they have no spirituall taste or relish of them and all because they want spirituall life None but a Christian can have spirituall taste answerable to a spirituall life Taste is a kind of feeling one of the most necessary senses and a Christian cannot be without relish and feeling yea it is the very beeing of a Christian to have a taste of spirituall things Of all other senses there is a stronger application in taste the other senses fetch their objects afarre off but as for taste there is a neer application in it and therefore most necessary every life is maintained by tast Taste and see how good the Lord is Now taste doth two things it doth relish that that is good and disrelish the contrary there must be a spirituall taste to discerne of differences There can be no spirituall taste but it must know what is good and profitable for the soule and what is not because God will not have our tastes to be wronged yee see what course he takes First the eye seeth what things we taste on and if the eye be displeased so also is the smell Thus God layeth before us spirituall things knowledge of good and bad and giveth us many caveats and all because he would not have us to taste things hurtfull for the soule nor poison instead of meate Now when we have tasted that which is good let us take heed it be not a taste onely lest we fall into the sinne against the holy Ghost Againe beside taste there must be a disgesting of what we taste and that throughly in our understandings when we apprehend a thing to be true and good it must be disgested throughly into the affections Love to the best things must be above all other love whatsover yet this must be disgested Men oftentimes have sweet notions but alas they are but notions they doe not disgest them into their affections It is the last disgestion that nourisheth and when any spirituall truths are understood throughly then comes in spirituall strength and hereupon the soule comes and suckes in that virtue which is for the nourishment of it thus it is in the soule upon disgestion there is nourishment Againe there must be a faculty to retaine what wee have received that it maybe disgested yee have many that love to heare but they do not disgest If there be nothing in the soule nothing can be extracted and therefore we must learne to retaine necessary truths that so upon occasion they may come from the memory into the heart though indeed they are not in their proper place when they are in the memory only yet notwithstanding if they are there they may with ease be brought down into the soule Then we must labour to walke in the strength of spirituall things For what is the use of this Feast but to cherish both soule and spirit the use of spirituall things which we have through Christ is to cherish and enliven It conveyeth strength to us that we may walke in the strength of Christ as Elias did fourty daies in the strength of his food And consider though in our consciences and conditions we have variety of changes yet in Christ we have severall comforts suitable to all our severall conditions If so be our sinnes trouble us wee should watch over our selves that wee be not overmuch cast downe but feed upon spirituall things in consideration of pardon for sinne in the bloud of Christ this is the grand issue of all that Christ hath traced out in the forgivenesse of sinnes He is not he cannot be divided where he pardons sinnes he sanctifieth where he sanctifieth he writes his law in their hearts so that there is a chaine of spirituall favours where the first linke is all the rest follow where forgivenesse of sinne is there is the spirit and that spirit sanctifieth and comforts and is an earnest of everlasting life therefore feed especially upon the favours of God and get forgivenesse of sinnes and then all the rest of the chaine of grace and spirituall life will follow Sometimes wee stand in need of present grace and comfort and we are undone if comforts and grace are not at hand never considering the promises that are to come as that promise of Christ I will be with thee to the end of the world feare not No temptation shall befall us but we shall have an issue out of it and it shall worke together for the good of all those that feare God This is Aquavitaeâ—o â—o the soule of man therefore the gracious promises of Christ and his holy Spirit wee should ever remember to get into our soules for when all other comforts faile then commeth in the comforts of the Spirit who will be with us and uphold us in all extremities if we had nothing in this world to comfort our spirits yet let us rejoyce in hope of glory to come Our life is hid with Christ wee have the hidden Manna in him we rejoyce in hope of glory Rom. 5. 2. And the way to maintaine a Christian holy life is to make use of all the privileges of christianity and of those promises that convey these privileges to our soules Now that we may the better do this observe continually what it is that hinders us that we cannot feed upon spirituall things as we should doe whatsoever it is we must labour constantly to remove it Now what must follow after this Feast why spirituall chearefulnesse if we finde this in our duties of Christianity it is a signe we have fed upon spirituall things the nature of a spirituall Feast is to empty the foule of sinne and to fill it full of gracious thoughts and actions instead thereof it moderates all things it makes us use the world as if we used it not when wee can do this we may certainly know that our soules have tasted of abundance of benefit by this Feast A man that hath no spirituall joy is drowned for the most part in the contentments of the world drowned in riches and honours and these are like to strong waters immoderately taken instead of chearing the spirits exhaust and kill them He that hath the joy of heaven here by faith is mortified to all other base delights he only mindeth the things above where Christ is Col. 3. 1. And therefore the exhortation or rather command Seeke the things that are above hath this promise in fit method annex'd unto it and then all other things shall be cast in upon you Riches and honours in the world and if not them yet so much as is necessary and mortification of our sinnes and the lusts of the flesh Againe if we have fed upon spirituall things for our soules we shall be thankfull that man that hath tasted how good
bloud and in that the love and mercy of God in Christ in giving him to death for us and Christs love to give himself to satisfie Divine Justice these be the things intended which onely the soule sees and apprehendeth And so all things in the Church indeed are mysteries the incarnation of Christ the union of both natures that Christ should save the world by such a way as he did that he should bring us to glory by shame to life by death to blessing and happinesse by being a curse for us it is a mystery to bring contrary out of contrary That so glorious a person as God should be covered with our weake and sinnefull nature it was a mystery the Jewes stumbled at it light came and the darkenesse could not comprehend the light And as Christ was a mystery himselfe so the Church is a mystery that God should so much delight in a company of poore men the off-scowring of the world to make them temples of his holy Spirit and heires of heaven men that were under the scorne of the world this is a mystery so all is mysticall the head the members the body the Church and every particular point of Religion there is a mystery in repentance no man knoweth what sorrow for sin is but the true gracious person no man knowes what it is to believe but he that hath an heart to believe no man knoweth what peace of conscience and joy of the holy Ghost is but those that feele it so that is a mystery And therefore great is the mystery of godlinesse saith the Apostle not onely in the points themselves but even the practice of Religion is a mystery too Repentance and Faith and new obedience and love and the comforts of Religion are all mysteries there is a vaile upon them in all these points that a carnall man cannot see them You see then in what sense there is a vaile of the things and in what sense there is a vaile on mens hearts that is either the things themselves are hid or if the things be open they want sight and light of knowledge and they want faith to believe Beloved we live in times that the object is cleare to us the things themselves are made cleare as who knoweth not what Christ is and the notion of the incarnation and of the union with him wee know them notionally they be opened and revealed to us very clearely all the articles of faith and misteries of Religion so that there is no obscurity in the object the things are cleare specially in these places of knowledge But yet notwithstanding there is a vaile upon the soule The soule of every man that is not graciously wrought upon by the spirit of God hath a vaile of ignorance and unbeliefe First of all of Ignorance There is a vaile of ignorance in many and in all men naturally a vaile of ignorance of spirituall things for unlesse they be revealed they can never be knowne to Angels themselves The Angels themselves know not the Gospell till it be opened and therefore they be students in it continually and the best men in the world know nothing in the Gospell further then it is revealed but there is a vaile of ignorance upon them that know these things notionally because they do not know them as they should know them they doe not know them in propria specie spirituall and heavenly things as spirituall and heavenly things they doe not know spirituall things as spirituall things they have a humane knowledge of spirituall things Those that want grace they know the Grammer of the Scripture and Divinity and they know how to discourse as Schoolemen doe from one thing to another and to argue they know the Logicke and Rhetoricke of the Scripture but they sticke in the stile there is something they are ignorant of That is they have not an eye of knowledge as wee call it they doe not see the things themselves but onely they see things by another bodies spirit and they have no light of their owne And so no man knoweth naturally but the children of God what originall sinne is what corruption of nature is nor knowes sinne in its owne odious colours to be filthy and to be dangerous as it is to draw the curse and vengeance of God upon it this is not knowne but by the spirit revealing the odiousnesse of sinne that the soule may apprehend it as Christ did when he suffered for it and as God doth A gracious man seeth it as God seeth it because by the spirit of God hee seeth the filthinesse and odiousnesse of it and the danger it draweth after it And so in any points of Religion naturally a man sees not them spiritually as they are and as God sees them but he seeth them by a humane light hee seeth heavenly things by a humane light notionally and meerely to discourse of them he seeth not intritively into the things themselves he seeth them sub aliena specie under another representation then their owne onely a godly man seeth spirituall things as the spirit of God and seeth them as they are knowes sinne as it is knoweth grace to be as it is and knoweth faith what it is to believe what it is to have peace of conscience and the pardon of sinnes he knoweth these things in some sense intritively though not so as he shall doe when he shall see these things in heaven when he shall see face to face There is a great difference in it hee sees them intritively in respect of the knowledge of other men though he sees but in a glasse in regard of the knowledge hee shall have in heaven As Saint Paul saith for wee see but as in a glasse but he that sees in a glasse seeth more life then he that sees the dead picture of a man So though we see but in a glasse heavenly things yet wee see them better then those that see them in a dead notion though it be nothing to the knowledge wee shall have in heaven yet it is incomparable above the knowledge of any carnall naturall man upon the earth Againe naturally men have vailes of ignorance upon the most divine things of spirituall things such as is union and as is the communion between Christ and us and the mystery of regeneration in the new creature such as is the joy in the holy Ghost the inward peace of conscience I will not name the particulars to insist on them but give you onely an iustance though they know the notion of these things yet they are altogether ignorant of them their knowledge is a meere outward light it is a light radicated in the soule It is not as the light of the Moone which receiveth light from the Sunne but it is a light radicated and incorporated into the soule as the light of the Sunne is by the spirit it is in the soule it is not onely upon the soule but in the soule the heart sees
grace which shall bee finished and accomplished in glory to discerne that peace which passeth understanding c. What a marvellous sweetnesse are in these things They cannot be revealed to the knowledge spiritually but there is a Feast in the soule wherein the soule doth solace it selfe so both these goe together And therefore we should not rest in that revealing that doth not bring a savor with it to the soule undoubtedly that knowledge hath no solace and comfort for the soule that is not by divine Revelation of heavenly truths We see the dependence of these one upon another Then let us make this Use of all Since there is a vail over all men by nature the work of ignorance and unbeliefe and since God onely taketh it away by his Holy Spirit and since that onely those that be godly and sanctified have this taken off While this is there is a spirituall feast joy and comfort and strength then let us labour to have this vaile taken off let us labour to have the eyes of our understandings enlightned to have our hearts subdued to believe let us take notice of our naturall condition We are drowned and inwarpt in darknesse the best of us all It is not having knowledge what wee are by nature it is not any knowledge that can bring us to heaven there must be a revelation a taking away of the vaile How many content themselves with common light of Education and traditionary knowledge so they were bred and catechized and under such a Ministery but for spirituall knowledge of spirituall things how little is it cared for And yet this is necessary to salvation There is great occasion to presie this that we rest not in common knowledge If Religion be not knowne to purpose its like Lightning which directs not a man in his way but dazles him and puts him quite out of his way Many have flashes of knowledge that affect them a little but this affection is soon gone and directs them not a whit in the wayes of life and therefore labour that the will and affections may be subject Beg of God a fleshy heart an heart yeelding to the truth We know eare-truths will harden as none is harder than a common formall Christian A man had better fall into the hands of Papists than into the hands of a formall hypocriticall Christian Why they pride themselves in their profession No Persecuters worse than the Scribes and Pharisees that stood in their own light They were more cruell than Pilate And therefore if wee bee informed but not truly transformed to love the truth we know and hate the evill we know it maketh us worse And then it inrageth men the more The more they know the more they be enraged Men when truths be prest which they purpose not to obey they fret against the Ordinance and cast stones as it were in the face of truth When Physick doth raise humors but is not strong enough to carry them away they indanger the body And where light is not strong enough to dispell corruption when it raiseth corruption it inrageth it When men know Truth and are not moulded into it they first rage against it and then by little and little fall from it and grow extreme enemies to it It s a dangerous thing therefore to rest in naked knowledge Beg then of God that he would take away the vaile of ignorance and unbeliefe that light and life may goe together and so wee shall be fit to feast with the Lord. Now that we may have true saving knowledge first we must attend meekly upon Gods Ordinances which be sanctified to this end to let in light to the soule Will we know sinne and our state by nature and how to come out of it then together with this Revelation must come an heavenly strength into the soule a heavenly taste and relish and therefore attend upon the Ordinances And labour for an humble soule empty of our selves And doe not think to break into heavenly things with strength of parts God must reveal God must take away the vaile only by his holy Spirit in the Ordinance The vaile is taken away from the oject in opening of Truths but the vaile must bee taken away from the object and from the heart too there must bee knowledge of the object as well as an object the object must bee sanctified and fitted to the persons else divine Truths will never be understood divinely nor spirituall Truths spiritually Labour to be emptied of your selves In what measure we are emptied of our self-conceitednesse and understanding wee bee fill'd in divine things in what measure we are emptied of our selves we are filled with the Spirit of God and knowledge and grace As a vessell in what measure it is emptied in that measure it is fit to be fill'd with more supervenient liquor so in what measure we grow in self-denyall and humility in that measure wee are filled likewise with knowledge He will teach an humble soule that stands not in its own light what it is to repent to believe to love what it is to be patient under the Crosse what it is to live holily and dye comfortably The Spirit of God will teach an humble selfe-denying soule all these things and therefore labour for an humble empty soule and not to cast our selves too much into the sinnes and fashions of the times As the Apostle Rom. 12. Be not conformed to this world but be yee transformed by the renewing of your minde c. When a man casteth himselfe into the mould of the times and will live as the rest doe he shall never understand the secrets of God and the good pleasure of God for the world must be condemned The world goeth the broad way And therefore we must not consider what others doe but what God teacheth us to do And adde to this What we know let us labour to practise Iohn 7. 17. But he that doth the will of my Father shall know of every Doctrine whether it be of God or no. We must doe and we shall know But can wee doe before we know The meaning is this that we have first breeding and education and some light of the Spirit turneth it presently to practice by obedience to that knowledge And then you shall know more hee that doth these things hee shall know all They shall know that doe practice what they know already To him that hath shall be given That is to him that hath some knowledge and putteth in practice what he hath God will increase the talent of his knowledge hee shall know more and more till God revealeth himselfe fully in the world to come And therefore be faithfull to our selves and true to the knowledge we have love it and put it into practice when divine truths are discovered let the heart affect them lest God giveth us up to believe lies We have many given up to this sinne because when
excellent society 3 Is a Mountaine 1. Hath strong foundations 4 2. Is in some measure visible ib. Of the Marriage feast between Christ and his Church 5 The Lord of Hosts is the founder of this feast 6 Some of all sorts invited to this feast 1. Iewes 2. Gentiles 7 Christ is the chief dish and greatest chear at this feast 8 Christ and his benefits fitly compared to a feast 8 1. Because all we have in Christ is of the best things 8 2. Much variety in Christ 9 3. Fulnesse and sufficiency is to be had in Christ 10 4. Because there is much company here 11 5. There is rich attire worne at this feast 12 This Gospel-feast was typed out 1. By the Paschall Lamb. 12 2. By Manna 12 3. By the Rock 14 4. By the Jewish festivall 15 A comparison between Christ and Manna 13 The sacrament of the Lords super is this feast specially 15 We ought to be prepared for this feast 1. Get large hearts 16 2. Spirituall appetite 16 Means to get spirituall appetite to this feast 17 1. Sense of sinne 17 2. Purge the soule from sinfull corruptions 18 3. Spirituall exercise and activenesse for God 19 4. Holy company 20 5. Consideration of the danger of Spiritual famine 20 We must get a spirituall taste and spirituall sences 21 1. To relish what is good 22 To disrelish and reject what is evill 22 We must get a spirituall Digestion 23 and wait in the strength of this heavenly feast 23 Consequents of the Gospel-feast are 24 1. Chearfulnesse 25 2. Thankfulnesse 25 3. Iustifying of the wayes of God and Religion 25 Religion doth not make people melancholy 26 A Christian at his worst condition is better than a worldlings best 27 We must labour to have a part and portion at this feast and to honour Gods bounty 28 29 We must bring empty soules unto this feast 32 Connexion between the sixth and seventh verst 33 Of the Vaile that is over mens hearts 35 All men naturally have such a Vaile 35 There is a Vaile over spirituall things for they are hid 35 36. Naturall men 1. Want spirituall sight 36 light 36 2. Are ignorant 3. See not spirituall things spiritually 38 4. Have light without heat 39 5. Are unbelievers 40 Ignorance and unbeliefe acts in every sinne 41 God onely can take away this vaile 42 Men nor Angels cannot remove it 42 43 44 Onely Gods people have this vaile removed 44 Where this vaile is removed there is a Feast 45 We ought to use meanes to have this vaile taken off 46 47 1. By attending upon Ordinances 48 2. By practising what we know 49 3. By praying unto God 50 When the vaile is taken off from the heart then 1. A Christian will wonder at the things of faith 51 2. Desire more and more to know them 51 3. This vaile hath been removed by the Word 51 4. A Christians knowledge is a transforming knowledge 52 Of Death and Christs victory over Death 55 Death is 1. The King of Feares 56 2. Spares none 56 3. Is let in by sinne 56 4. Is attended on by Hell 56 Christ swallowes up death in victory 1. By satisfying for sin 57 2. By his suffering death 59 60 We ought to believe that death is conquered to us 60 We ought to be one with Christ crucified 61 70 We must be thankfull unto God 1. For victory over death 62 2. For benefits by death 62 The slavish feare of Death is unbecomming a Christian 62 63 67. Death is conquered to a Beleever though he die 63 64 Death is terrible to wicked men 64 Duellists foolishly out-brave death 65 Death to Gods children not onely a conquered enemy but is made a friend 66 c. Of Christians Teares 72 Good men are apt to weep 1. For sinne of others 74 75 2. Miseries of others 74 75 We ought to weep 74 and yet to rejoyce 76 God will wipe away all teares 77 78 God is a God of tender mercy 79 Christians are not to bee judged by appearance and by their sufferings 81 Christians have a mixt condition and a mixt disposition 82 There was no sorrow in Paradise and shall be none in heaven 84 Sinne is the greatest cause of sorrow 85 Mourning accepted from them that cannot weep 86 Then a Christians teares are right when 1. They spring from the love of God 86 2. When we weep for our owne sinnes 87 3. When they are secret 87 4. When they are reforming 88 Of the Rebukes and reproaches of Gods people 89 Christ and his members subject unto reproaches 89 90 Wicked reproach the godly from the enmity of 2 seeds 91 Wee must not be scandalls to Religion nor scandalized at the reproaches of it 92 Christ will take away reproaches from his people and will vindicate them 93 Directions how to carry our selves under Reproaches 94 1. Be patient 94 2. Innocent 94 3. Couragious 95 4. Sincere 95 5. Pray much to God 95 6. Rejoyce and glory in them 96 Of the Holy Scriptures 99 God is the Author of them 99 The scriptures sole supreme judge of controversies 100 The Scriptures may be knowne to be Gods VVord by 1. The Majesty of them 101 2. Their mysteriousnesse 101 3. From Reason 103 4. From Experience 101 5. From the witnesse of the Spirit 102 6. From their efficacy 101 1. In warning the soule 101 2. Changing the soule 101 3. Casting down the soule 101 4. Searching the soule 102 5. And comforting the soule The holy Scriptures are and have been preserved from Corruption 103 VVe ought to heare the word as the word of God 104 God will make good all his promises if we believe 105 We must pray for the Spirit that indited the Scriptures that so we may relish them 106 Of Gods Promises and the performance of them 107 to 112 Gods Promises are full and free and spring from his bounty and are our greatest treasure 111 112. We ought to be ashamed of infidelity in Gods promises 105 It is somtimes long between the promise performāce 113 1. To exercise our faith 113 2. To waine us from creatures 113 3. To indeare the things promised 114 4. And to fit us for the enjoyment 114 Of Waiting upon God 115 We have but a tast here of what we shall have hereaft 115 Waiting carries with it all other graces 116 1. Patience 117 2. Long-suffering 117 3. Contentment 118 4. Silence from murmuring 118 5. Watchfulnesse 118 6. Faithfulnesse 118 Want of waiting cause of much wickednesse 119 All is overcome with waiting 120 God will perform his word to all true waiters 121 152 God keeps the time of performance in his own hands 121 God fully performes his promises in heaven 122 123 124 The things hoped for uphold the heart in waiting 125 God will have his people continue waiting 150 1. That we may live by faith and not by sight 150 2. VVhen we are fitted for what is promised wee
shall then enjoy it 151 3. God will have us have the best at last 251 As there is a time of our waiting so there will be a time of Gods performance 152 The present grace wee have is an earnest of what wee shall have 152 Incouragements to wait upon God 153 1. Gods time is best and it is set 154 2. God will effect the thing promised though by contraries 154 VVhat we should doe when God hath performed promise 1. Be thankefull to the Lord. 156 2. Be joyfull in the Lord. 158 159 Interest in God is the cause of all our joy 160 161 162 THE Marriage Feast BETWEEN CHRIST and his CHURCH ISAIAH 25. 6. In this Mountaine shall the Lord of Hosts make unto all people a Feast of fat things a Feast of Wines on the Lees of fat things full of Marrow of Wine on the Lees well refined IN the former Chapter the holy Prophet having spoken of the miseries and desolation of the Church in many heavy sad and dolefull expressions as the Vine languisheth the earth is defiled under the Inhabitants thereof because they have transgressed the Lawes changed the Ordinance and broken the everlasting Covenant therefore the earth shall be accursed and they that dwell therein shall not drink Wine with a Song c. Here you see all sweetnesse and rejoycing of heart is departed from them yet even in the middest of all these miseries God the God of comforts makes sweet and gracious promises to his Church to raise it out of its mournfull estate and condition And therefore the Prophet in the former part of this Chapter speakes of blessing God for the destruction of his Enemies and for his great love to his Church And when he had spoken of the ruine of the enemie hee presently breaks out with Thanksgiving breathing forth abundant praises to his God as it is the custome of holy men guided by the motion of the blessed Spirit of God upon all occasions but especially for benefits to his Church to praise his Name not out of ill affection at the destruction of the Adversaries but at the execution of Divine Justice for the fulfilling of the truth of his promise as in the first Verse of this Chapter O Lord thou art my God I will exalt thee I will praise thy name for thou hast done wonderfull things thy Counsels of old are faithfulnesse and truth When the things that were promised of old were brought to passe the Church was ever ready to give God the glory of his Truth Therefore rejoyce not when thine enemies fall but when the enemies of the Lord are brought to desolation then we may nay we ought to sing Hallelujah to him that liveth for ever and ever I will now fall upon the very words of my Text. In this mountaine shall the Lord of Hosts make unto all people a Feast of fat things c. These words they are Propheticall and cannot have a perfect performance all at once but they shall be performed gradually The promise of a new heaven and a new earth shall be performed The conversion of the Jewes and the bringing in of the fulnesse of the Gentiles shall gradually be brought to passe All the Promises that ever God hath made before the second comming of Christ to Judgement shall be accomplished God hath made his peace with us in the Gospell of peace and when all these Promises shall be fulfilled then all imperfection shall be done away and wee shall never be removed from our Rock but our joy shall then be full nay even in this life we have some degrees of perfection we have grace and the meanes of grace the Ordinances of Christ and a testimony of everlasting glory In this Mountaine will the Lord of Hosts make a Feast In these words yee have set downe a glorious and royall Feast and the place where this Feast is to be kept is Mount Syon the Feast-maker is the Lord of Hosts the parties invited are all people the issues of it and the provision for the Feast are fat things and wine of the best a Feast of the best of the best a Feast of the fat and of the Marrow a Feast of wine on the Lees well refined Here you may see that God doth veile heavenly things under earthly things and condiscends so low as to enter into the inward man by the outward man for our apprehensions are so weak and narrow that we cannot bee acquainted with spirituall things but by the inward working of the Spirit of the Almighty This mountaine is the place where this Feast is made even Mount Syon which is a type and figure of the Church called in Scripture the holy Mountaine for as Mountains are raised high above the earth so the Church of God is raised in excellency and dignity above all the sorts of man-kinde As much as men above Beasts so much is the Church raised above all men This Mountain is above all Mountaines the Mountaine of the Lord is above all other Mountaines whatsoever Thou O Mountaine shalt stand immoveable when all other Mountaines shall smoak if they are but touched this is the mountaine of Mountaines The Church of God is most excellent in glory and dignity as ye may see in the latter end of the former Chapter how the glory of the Church puts down all other glories whatsoever The Moon saith the Prophet shall be confounded and the Sunne ashamed when the Lord of Hosts shall reigne in Mount Sion and in Jerusalem and before his Ancients gloriously So that the brightnesse of the Church shall put downe the glory of the Sunne and of the Moon Thus you see the Church of God is a Mountaine Reas First Because God hath established it upon a stronger Foundation than all the world besides It is founded upon the goodnesse and power and truth of God Mountaines of Brasse and Iron are not so firme as this Mountaine For what sustains the Church but the Word of God And being built upon his Word and Truth it may very well be called a Mountaine for it shall bee as Mount Syon which shall never be removed it may be moved but never removed Thus in regard of the firmnesse and stability thereof it may rightly bee termed a Mountain Again we may here speak in some sort of the visibility of the Church but here will arise a quarrell for the Papists who when they hear of this Mount they presently allude it to their Church Their Church say they is a Mount so saith the Scripture I answer 1. Wee confesse in some sort their Church to be a Mount though not this Mount for Babylon is built on seven Hills but if this prove her a Church it is the Antichristian Church Secondly That the Catholick Protestantiall Church had alwayes a being though sometimes invisible The Apostle writing to the Romans exhorts them not to bee high-minded but feare for saith hee if God hath broken off the naturall branches perhaps
he will break off you also And indeed for their pride and haughtinesse of minde they are at this day broken off Christ that walks between the seven golden Candlesticks did never say that the Church of Smyrna or Ephesus should alwaies remaine a visible Church to the eyes of the world neither were they for to this very day they lie under bondage and slavery to the Turke The Mount hath bin alwaies visible though not alwaies alike gloriously visible for there will be a time when the Church shall fly into the wildernesse where then shall be the glorious visibility of the Church there is a time when all shall follow the beast the Papists themselves confesse that in Antichrists time the Church shall scarce be visible The essence of a thing and the quality of a thing may differ The Church is a Church and visible but not alwaies equally and alike gloriously visible yet those that had spirituall eyes and did looke upon things with the spectacles of the Scripture they could alwaies declare the Church was visible for from the beginning of the world the Church had alwaies lustre enough sufficient to delight and draw the elect and so shall have to the end of the world though sometimes the Church may have a mist before it as Austin speakes It is no wonder that thou canst not see a mountaine for thou hast no eyes But the Papists have seen this mountaine as they have alwaies bin bloody persecutors of the Church they have seen enough to confound them For we have nothing in our Church but they have the same onely ours is refined and freed from Idolatry Wee have two Sacraments they have seven Wee have Scripture they have traditions which they equall with it Wee have Scriptures pure they corrupt So that our Church was in the midst of theirs as a sound and more uncorrupt part in a corrupt body This mountaine is the Church Rev. 14. 1. The Lambe standeth upon Mount Sion and with him a hundred fourty and foure thousand having his Fathers name written in their foreheads Christ standeth in the Church and standing in Mount Sion he is accompanied with those that his Father hath given to him before the world was therefore those that belong to this holy Mountaine they are Christs And in this Mountaine shall the Lord of hosts make a feast for all people And this feast is a royall feast a marriage feast wherin the joy and comfort of Gods people are set down by that which is most comfortable among men The founder of the feast is the Lord of hoasts It is onely he that is able to prepare a table in the wildernesse that is mighty and of ability to feast his Church with a spirituall and holy banquet We all live at his table for the feeding of our bodies but much more in regard of our soules He can make a feast for the whole man for he is Lord of the conscience and he is to spread a table for the whole world nay more if there were so many he can furnish a table for ten thousand worlds he is the God of all spirituall comforts and the God of all consolation He is infinite and can never be drawne dry for he is the fountaine of eternall life All graces and comforts in the Scripture are called the comforts and graces of the holy Spirit because God is the giver of them by his Spirit Who can take away the wound of a guilty conscience but he that hath set the conscience in the hearts of men Hee if hee pleaseth can take away the burden of a grieved conscience and supply it instead thereof with new and solid comforts He knoweth all the windings and turnings of the soule where all the paine and griefe lieth and he cannot but know it because he onely is above the soule He is therefore the fittest to make the soule a feast he only can do it and he will do it In this Mountaine shall the Lord of Hoasts make a feast Why is he called the Lord of Hoasts It is an usuall terme to set forth the glory of God to make his power and the greatnesse of his Majesty known amongst the children of men He shall make a feast for all people Those that are invited to this glorious feast are all people none excepted none excluded that will come in to Christ some of all sorts of all nations of all languages this hath relation to the time of the Gospel The Church at first had its being in particular families but afterwards more inlarged The Church at the first was of the daughters of men and the sonnes of God the children of the Church mingled with a generation of corrupt persons that would keepe in no bounds but after Abrahams time there was another generation of the Church that so it was a little more inlarged Then there was a third generation a divided generation consisting of Jewes and Gentiles So that when Christ came into the world the bounds of the Church began to inlarge themselves more and more so that now it is in this happy condition Come ye all unto me all that are heavy laden both Jewes and Gentiles all are invited whosoever they are nothing is now uncleane Act. 10. 15. Christ is come and hath made to all people a feast of fat things it must be a feast and of fat things for all the world shall be the better for it The Jewes shall be converted and the fullnesse of the Gentiles shall come in And yet it is no prejudice to any particular man because the things ye are to tast of are spirituall Go to all the good things in the world the more one hath of them the lesse another must have because they are earthly and so are finite but in spirituall things all may have the whole and every man in particular Every man enjoyeth the light of the Sunne in particular and all enjoy it too So the whole Church and onely the Church injoyes the benefit and comfort of this feast but under the name of this Church come all the elect both Jewes and Gentiles and therefore it must be the Lord of Hoasts that can make such a feast as this is a feast for all people No other is able to doe it This feast is a feast of fat things full of marrow and of wine on the lees well refined the best that can be imagined the best of the best A feast is promised a spirituall feast The speciall graces and favours of God are compared to a feast made up of the best things full of all varieties and excellencies and the chiefe dish that is all in all is Christ and all the gracious benefits wee by promise can in any wise expect from him All other favours and blessings whatsoever they are are but Christ dished out as I may so speake in severall offices and attributes he is the originall of comfort the principle of grace and holinesse all is
the Holy Spirit sent by Christ procured by the death of Christ the Angells at this Feast attend us therefore it must needs be joyfull no joy comparable to the joy of a Feast this is not every Feast this is a marriage Feast at which we are contracted to Christ Now of all Feasts marriage Feasts are most sumptuous this is a marriage Feast for the Kings Son for Christ himselfe and therefore of necessity it must be full of all choice varieties and of the sweetest of things of the most excellentest of things and of the quintescence of things Here is all joy that belongeth to a feast Here it is to be had with Christ what acquaintance can be more glorious then that which is to be had between Jesus Christ and a christian soule when we have hope of better things to come then we finde the sweetnesse of this communion No harmony in the world can be so sweet as the harmony maintained between Christ and the soule When we have this and are made one with God in Christ our joy must needs then be unspeakable When the contract is once made between the soule and Christ there cannot but be aboundant joy when the soule is joyned with Christ by faith it cannot but solace it selfe in a perpetuall jubile and a perpetuall feast in some degrees Againe for a Feast ye have the choicest garments as at the marriage of the Lambe White and fine linnen which is the righteousnesse of the Saints When God seeth these robes upon us and the spirit of Christ in us then there is a robe of righteousnesse imputed and a garment of sanctity whereby our soules are cloathed so this is a Feast that must have wonderfull glorious attire and when this marriage shall be consummated we are sure to have a garment of glory put upon us This was signified in old time by the Jewes in the Feast of the Passeover not to name all resemblances but onely one or two The Lambe for the Passeover you know was chosen out of the flocke from amongst the rest foure daies before the time appointed for that Feast So Christ is the true Paschall Lambe chosen of God before the foundation of the world was laid to be slaine for us Againe Manna was a type of Christ it came from Heaven to feed the hungry bodies of the Israelites in the wildernesse even so came Christ sent from God the Father to be the eternall food and upholder of the soules and bodies of every one of us Manna was white and sweet so is Christ white in righteousnesse and holinesse and also sweet to delight the soule Manna fell upon the tents in the night And Christ came when darknesse was spread over all the world God gave Manna freely from Heaven so Christ was a free gift and he freely gave himselfe to death even to the cursed death of the crosse for us All both poore and rich they gathered Manna Christ is a common food for King and subject all take part of Christ neither Jew nor Gentile are exempted but all may come and buy freely without money Of this Manna he that had least had enough so here he that hath least of Christ though he take him with a trembling hand yet he shall have enough for Christ is his whosoever hath the least grace if it be true and sound hath grace enough to bring him to eternall life The Jewes wondred at the Manna saying what thing is this So it is one of Christs names to be called wonderfull Isaiah 9. 6. Grace and favour from Christ is true spirituall Manna to the soule Manna fell in the wildernesse even so musst we remaine in the wildernesse of this wretched world untill we come to Heaven Christ is Manna to us and very sweet in the conveyance of his Word and Sacraments When the Israelites came into the Land of Canaan the Manna ceased not before so when we come to Heaven the Elects purchased possession we shall have another kind of Manna for our soules we shall not there feed on Christ as in the Sacrament no but we shall see him face to face and know as we are knowne In the wildernesse of this world it is fit God should convey this Heavenly Manna to the soule whatsoever way he pleaseth Manna could not fall untill the Israelites had spent all the provision they brought with them out of Egypt and we cannot tast of that heavenly Manna of our Father untill our soules are drawne away from all worldly dependencies and carnall delights then indeed Manna will be sweet and precious What is this heavenly Manna what is Christ and his Father what is the word and Sacraments to a depraved vitious heart stuffed full with earthly vanities alas it loatheth all these As none tasted of Manna but those that came out of Egypt so none shall taste of Christ but those that are not of the world that are come out of Egypt out of sinne and darknesse Manna fell onely about the tents of Israell and in no other part of the world but only there that none might have the priviledge to eate of it but Gods peculiar chosen ones Christ falls upon the tents of the righteous and none shall taste of this blessed spirituall food but such as are the Israell of God such as are of the Church such as feele the burthen of sinne and groane under it oh the very taste of this heavenly Manna is sweet to their soules and to none but them Thus yee see the Feast that Christ maketh for us in Mount Syon and that this Manna doth typifie Christ with all his benefits Againe the hard rocke in the wildernesse when it was strucken with the rod of Moses presently water gushed out in abundance which preserved life to the Israelites so Christ the rocke of our salvation the strength of his Church the rocke and fortresse of all his Saints when his precious side was gored with the bloudy lance upon the crosse that the blood gushed out and in such a manner and such abundance that by the shedding thereof our soules are preserved alive He is both Manna and the rocke of water Manna had all in it so had the rocke and all necessities are plentifully supplied by Christ The Church of God hath alwaies had bread to satisfie spirituall hunger it never wanted necessary comfots It is said Rev. 12. When the Church fled into the wildernesse God fed her there alluding to the children of Israell fed by Manna The Jewes did not want in the wildernesse nor the Church of God never wanted comfort though in the midst of the persecution and oppression of all her enemies When Elias was in the wildernesse he was fed The Church of God shall not onely be fed in her body but in her soule for Christ hath hidden Manna for his Elect this doth typifie the exceeding joy of the Church the hidden Manna that neither eye hath seen nor eare heard of neither
of the world there I shall be starved if I sit still I shall also perish what shall I now doe I will venture upon Jesus Christ he hath food that endures to eternall life and if I perish there I perish If I have not Christ I must die the wrath of God hangeth over my head and I cannot escape Alas poore soule now thou seest thy wretchednesse cast thy selfe upon him and come in If thou venturest thou canst but die adventure therefore put thy selfe upon Gods mercy for he is gracious and full of compassion Those that have given up themselves to Christ let them study to honour God and Christ by taking those comforts that are allotted to them When any man inviteth us to a Feast he knoweth if we respect him wee will fall too God hath bestowed his Sonne upon us and will he not with him give us all things let us not therefore dishonour the bounty of our good God but come in and labour to have our hearts more and more inlarged with the consideration of the excellency of these eternall comforts The fulnesse of Christ is able to satisfie the soule though it were a thousand times larger then it is If it were possible that wee could get the capacity of Angels it could not be sufficient to shew forth the fulnesse of pleasures that are provided for a Christian let us therefore labour with all labour to open our hearts to entertaine these joyes for we cannot honour God more then of his bounty to receive thankfully what he freely offers To taste plentifully in the covenant of grace of these riches and joy and hope of things to come glorious above all that we are able to thinke of I say this is the way to honour God under the Gospel of hope of things that are infinite the more we take the more we may take and the more we honour him that giveth Let us therefore enter deeply into our speciall sinnes there is no feare of despaire thinke of all thy wants and of all thy sins let them be never so many yet there is more to be had in Christ then there can be wanting in thee The soule that thinkes it selfe full of wants is the richest soule and that that apprehendeth no want at all no need of grace or Christ is alwaies sent empty away grieve therefore for thy sinnes and then joy that thou hast grieved and goe to God for the supply of all thy wants The seeds of joy and of comfort are sowne in teares and griefe in this world but yet we know we shall reape in joy in the world to come Remember this we have we know not what to goe through withall in this valley of teares That speech of Barzillai was good and excellent who being by David himselfe invited to the Court answered I am now growne old I am not fit for the Court for my senses are decayed and gone even so the time will come when our sense of relishing earthly pleasures will utterly be lost we are sure to goe to our graves and we know not what particular trouble we may meet with in this world and goe through if we live to a full age Alas what are all comforts here to the comforts of eternity when our daies are spent on earth then comes in the eternity of pleasure or everlasting sorrow Oh then if when we shall leave all behind us we have the joy of the holy Ghost in our hearts it will advance us above all the suggestions of sinne or Satan and bring us chearefully above to the tribunall seat of Christ Labour therefore to have a spirituall relish of soule to grow in grace and comforts of the holy Ghost for the time will come when we shall wish that we had had more then we have every one will repent of loosenes and slacknes in the waies of holinesse Therefore let us labour earnestly to be good husbands for our soules for the time to come THE Third Sermon ISAIAH 25. 6 7. And in this Mountaine shall the Lord of Hosts make unto all people a Feast c. And he will destroy in this Mountaine the face of the covering cast over all people and the vaile that is spread over all Nations I Have heretofore spoken of the Feast that God makes to his Church specially in the later times which was specially performed at the first comming of Christ when the Gentiles came in But the consummation and perfection of all will be at the day of judgement then God will spread a Table for his to all eternity We have spoken heretofore at large of the resemblance of spirituall good things by this comparison of a Feast God sets out spirituall things by outward because wee cannot otherwise conceive of them the best things in grace by the best and sweetest things in Nature And thus God enters into our soules by our senses as we see in the Sacrament But wee have spoken at large of this Our care must be to have a speciall taste a spirituall appetite to relish this Feast that God provides naturally wee are distastfull we relish not spirituall and heavenly things we savor not the things of God And the spirit of God must alter our savor and taste as he doth wheresoever there is spirituall life there is spirituall relish of heavenly truths Now let me adde this further that though it be made by God yet we must bring something to this Feast Christ feasteth with us as yee have Rev. 3. he sups with us not that wee have grace from our selves or can bring any thing he bringeth his own provision with him when hee suppeth with us But yet by the Covenant of grace whereby he enters into termes of friendship with us we must sup with him wee must have grace to entertaine him though it is at his owne cost yet we must have something he doth not require us to pay our debts but he giveth us wherewith secretly he bids us come but giveth a secret Messenger to draw us he sends his spirit certainly certainly hee will have us bring somthing when wee come to feast but it is of his owne giving And that we are to bring is humble and empty soules wherein we are to delight our selves in sense of our unworthinesse and the spirit of faith to believe his promises that pleaseth him when we can honour him with a Spirit of Faith and then a Spirit of Love and new Obedience springing from a Spirit of Faith and Love these bee the things Christ requires wee should have Our soules must be thus furnished that Christ may delight to dwell with us And therefore it is a good importuning of God Lord I desire thou shouldest dwell in mee and prepare my soule as a fit Temple vouchsafe me the graces thou delightest in and delightest to dwell in So wee may begge of God his Holy Spirit to furnish our soules so as he may dwell and delight in us But we have spoken largely
this is said for the time to come he wil swallow up death but Paul saith it is also past and swallowed up already faith saith it is done and so it is in our head Were it not comfortable now to all true hearted Christians to heare that the Church fareth better and that the enemies were swallowed up for they be but the instruments of this inferiour death let us get the spirit of faith and see them all conquered for certainly they shall have the worst at last He that hath swallowed up death in victory will swallow up all that be the cause of death And therefore the Scripture speaks of these things as past Babilon is fallen as a milstone cast into the bottome of the Sea Get a spirit of faith and wee shall never be much troubled with Babilon for all the enemies of Christ and adherents to that man of sinne must downe and partake of the judgement threatned in the Revelations Heaven hath concluded it and all the policy of Rome and hell cannot disanull it they be already swallowed up to faith and Christ will rule till hee hath put them all under his feet which shall be done not only to destroy them but to raise himselfe higher in giving them up to their confusion Againe if death be swallowed up in victory labour to be one with Christ crucified for union with him begin with union with Christ crucified The first union is with Christ abased and then with Christ glorified And therefore labour to see sinne that brought in death subdued by the power of Christs death in some measure and then wee shall have comfort in his death glorified For in my holy mount death is swallowed up that is the true Church of Christ labour to be members of Christ otherwise death will come as a tyrant indeed armed with a terrible sting in his full force to assaile you It is the most terrible thing to see death come armed with the wrath and anger of God and attended with hell and damnation Labour therefore to be one with Christ crucified to get our sinnes crucified and our selves partakers of his death and then no damnation no feare of death to them that are in Christ they may die but they are freed from eternall death and they shall rise againe even as Christs body rose to glory Get therefore into Christ and desire the power of his death subduing sinne In what measure we grow in that wee grow in boldnesse and joy and whatsoever priviledges follow Christ Againe when wee be in Christ true members of him then let us be thankfull to God for this victory thankfull to Jesus Christ that hath given us victory when wee thinke of death of sinne of judgement of hell of damnation let us be framed as a Christian should Now let him that hath the most terrible and fearfull things in the world as conquered enemies say oh blessed be God for Christ and blessed be Christ for dying for us and by death disarming death of his sting that now wee can thinke of it in our judgements quietly now we can thinke of all these as conquered enemies this is the fruit of Christs death they are not onely enemies but friends in Christ Sinne the remainder of it the guilt of it that bindeth over to damnation is taken away the remainders of it serve to humble us make us feele the power of pardon and to desire another world where we shall be all spirituall so that death is a part of our joynture All things are yours life and death death doth us many excellent services it is a doore and passage to life death is the death of it selfe destroyeth it selfe Wee never truly live till wee die and when wee die we are past feare of death So that sinne dieth misery dieth death dieth though it takes us from comforts and employments and friends here yet it is a change to a better place and better company and better employments and better condition to be in a glorious condition to eternity and therefore wee have cause to blesse God in Christ that tooke our nature and in our nature disarmed our greatest enemy sinne and so disarmed death and freed us from the wrath of of God and hell and damnation Oh we can never be thankfull enough for this Againe if death be swallowed up in victory let us be ashamed of the feare of death because Christ saith he will swallow him up as he hath already in his own person Shall wee be afraid of an enemy that is swallowed up in our head and shall be swallowed up in every one of us If we cherish feare we shew we looke not for an interest in this promise for it is a promise that in this holy mountaine death shall be swallowed up in victory and why should we feare a conquered enemy none will feare an enemy that is conquered Object But how came Christ to feare death and we not to fear Answ Christ had to deale with death armed with a terrible sting with sinne and the wrath of God for sin And therefore when he was to die Father let this cup passe from me But death is disarmed to us He had to encounter with sinne and the wrath of God and death in all its strength But we are not so we are to deale with death like the brazen Serpent that hath the shape of death but no sting at all It s become a drone ever since it lost its sting in Christ Life tooke death that death might take life as he said The meaning is Christs life it selfe tooke death that wee that were so subject to death that we were death it selfe might take life Oh blessed consideration nothing comparable to the consideration of the death of Christ it is the death of deaths And then againe wee are sure of victory it is conquered in our head and shall be in us But you say wee are to conflict with the pangs of death and many troubles meet in death It is true but it is conquered to faith and in Christ our head we must fight Christ traineth us to overcome death our selves by faith and then wee are sure of victory Joyne these two together it is conquered in Christ our head and shall be conquered of us death keeps our dust and must give them all againe Obj. But in the mean time we die Ans 'T is so but we are sure of victory he will protect us in our combate that hath conquered for us we fight against death and the terror of it in the strength and faith of his victory joyne these three together Hee that hath been our Saviour in life will be so to death and not exclusively then to leave us but to death and in death for ever yea most ready to helpe us in our last conflict Indeed to wicked men death is terrible for he sendeth the devill to fetch them out of the world but for these that be his he
sendeth his Angels to fetch them and he helps them in their combat we must not therefore feare overmuch There is a naturall feare of death death wrought upon Christ himselfe God-man not only death but such a death he was to be left of his Father and lie under the sense of the wrath of God the seperation of that soule from the body he tooke upon him was terrible and therefore he saith If it be possible let this cup passe from me that was nature and without it he had not bin true man But that I say is that grace may be above nature death is a time of darknesse it strips us of earthly comforts friends callings imployments but then comes the eye of faith to lay hold on the victory of Christ in time to come when death shall be only swallowed up in victory and then the glorious state to come to which death bringeth us so that here faith must be above sense and grace above nature and therefore I beseech you let us labour for it There be two sorts of men to whom I would speake a little First those that in a kind of bravery seeme to slight death men of base spirits as we call them fooles vain-glorious spirits empty spirits Is there any creature unlesse in Christ able groundedly to slight so great an enemy as death armed with a sting of sinne and attended with hell and damnation The Romish and divellish spirits are terrible but if thy sinnes be not pardoned it is the most terrible thing in the world to die for there is a gulfe afterwards what shall we say then of single Combatants that for vain-glory are prodigall of their lives that for a foule word a little disgrace will venture on this enemy that is armed with sinne and if they dye they dye in sinne And which is the miserable condition of him that dyes in sinne his death opens the gate to another death which is eternall They say they have repented but there is no repentance of a sinne to be committed Canst thou repent of a sinne before it bee committed that is but a mockery of God And what saith the Scripture Is it not the most terrible judgement under heaven to dye in our sinnes A man that dyes in sinne dyes in hell he goeth from death to hell and that eternall I wonder therefore that the wisedome of flesh and bloud should take away mens wit and faith and grace and all so much as to slight death and repentance as if it were so easie Now beloved death is a terrible thing it hath a sting and thou shalt know it if thou hast not grace to feele the sting of it whilst thou livest when thou dyest the sting will revive then thy Conscience shall awake in hell Drunkennesse and jollity takes away sense of sinne but sinne will revive and conscience will revive God hath not put it into us for nought death is terrible if not disarmed before hand And if thou goe about to dye without disarming it before it will not be out-faced It is not an enemy to be scorned and slighted and therefore be Christians in good earnest else leave profession and perish eternally for wee must all dye and it is a greater matter than we take it but if we be true Christians it is the sweetest thing in the world an end of all misery a beginning of true happinesse an inlet to whatsoever is comfortable blessed are they that are in the Lord by faith and them that dye in the Lord their death is better than the day of life Our Birth-day brings us into misery and therefore let me speak to true Christians and bid them be ashamed of fearing death too much which of an enemy is become a reconciled friend This may in the next place yeeld great consolation to those that are in Christ Jesus that death by Christ is swallowed up in victory and the rather because the holy Ghost meaneth more than a bare victory over death Death is not onely subdued but is made a friend to us As Psalme 110. it is said his enemies shall bee his footstoole Now a footstoole is not onely trampled upon but an helpe to rise And so death is not onely subdued but it advanceth Gods Children and raiseth them higher It is not onely an enemy but a reconciled friend for he doth that which no friend in the world can doe It ends all our misery and is the inlet into all happinesse for eternity And whatsoever it strips us of here it giveth us advantage of better in another world It cuts off our pleasures and profits and Company and Callings here but what is that to our blessed change afterward to our praysing of God for ever to the Company of blessed soules and the profits and pleasures at the right hand of God for evermore And therefore it is not onely conquered but to shew the excellency of his power hee hath made it a friend of an enemy and the best friend in the world It indeed seperates soule from body but it joyneth the soule to Christ so that the conjunction wee have by it is better than the separation if the Conjunction makes us partake of our desire I desire to be dissolved saith St. Paul but that is not well translated I desire to depart and to be with Christ which is best of all so that it is not onely not an enemy but a friend and therefore the Apostle makes it our joyncture part of our portion all things are yours Why you are Christs and Christ is Gods what are ours things present things to come life death And well may death be ours because sinne is our enemy that remainder that is kept in our nature to exercise us and humble us and fit us for grace as Austin saith I dare be bold to say it is profitable for some to fall to make them more carefull and watchfull and to prize mercy more so that not only Death but sinne and the devill himselfe is ours for his plots are for our good God over-shooteth him in his owne Bow Hee will give them over to Satan saith the Apostle that they may learne not to blaspheme yet though they have a spirit of blasphemy by the humbling of their bodies they be taught not to blaspheme so that not onely death but sinne and hee that brought sinne into the World the Devill are become our friends This being so it may be for speciall comfort that wee not feare the King of Feares The Devill hath great advantage by this affection of feare when it is set upon this object Death Overcome death and all troubles are overcome who will fear any thing that hath given up himself to God Skin for skin and all that a man hath will he give for his life The Devill knoweth that well enough Therefore feare not saith Christ them that can kill the body feare causeth snares saith Solomon snares of Conscience But if a man
hath overcome the the fear of death once what more is to be done What if they take away life they cannot take away that that is better than life the favor of God If we dye in the Lord we dye in the favor of God which is better than life and we shall be found in the Lord at the day of judgement and shall bee for ever with the Lord in heaven and therfore this is a ground of resolution in good causes notwithstanding all threats whatsoever because death it selfe is swallowed up in victory The worst the world can doe is to take away this Nature of ours when they have done that they have done all they can and when they have done that they have done a pleasure That is not to be feared saith Tertullian that frees us from all that is to be feared What is to be feared in the world every sicknesse every disgrace why death frees us from all We doe see every day takes away a peece of ones life and when death commeth it overthroweth it selfe for the soule goeth presently to the place of happinesse the body sleepeth awhile and death hath no more power He that beleeveth in mee saith Christ hee shall not see death but is past from death to life He shall not see spirituall death but as he lives in Christ shall dye in Christ and rise againe in Christ He that hath the life of grace begun shall have it consummate without interruption It s a point of wonderfull Comfort that death is so overcome that we bee in heaven already And it is no hard speech but stands with the truth of other points for are not Christ and we all one his body is there and is not he the head of his mysticall body hee that carried his naturall body will not hee carry his mysticall body thither too will hee bee in piece-meale in heaven Therefore we are in heaven already the best part of us We are represented in heaven for Christ represents us there as the Husband doth the Wife He hath taken up Heaven for us Christ cannot be divided as Austine saith we sit in heavenly places already with Christ And what a comfort is this that while wee live we are in heaven and that death cannot hinder us from our Resurrection which is the restoring of all things And therefore as the Apostle saith Comfort one another with these things These things indeed have much comfort in them Let us labour then to bee comfortable this use the Apostle makes of it and fruitfull in our places upon consideration of the victory we have by Christ 1 Cor. 15. It is an excellent Chapter that largely proveth Christs victory as the cause of our victory because hee is the first fruit that sanctifieth all the rest Finally my bretheren bee constant immoveable alwayes abound in the works of the Lord knowing that your labour is not in vaine in the Lord. He raiseth that exhortation of fruitfulnesse and constancy from this very ground of the victory Christ hath gotten by death O Death where is thy Sting O Grave where is thy Victory thanks bee to God through Jesus Christ And therefore be constant immovable alwayes abounding in the worke of the Lord knowing that your labour shall not be in vaine in the Lord Make that use the Apostle doth of fruitfulnesse to God for Christ that we can thinke of death and sinne the devill and all his malice and not be afraid yea thinke of them all with comfort that we be not onely freed from their tyranny but they bee our friends Christ hath the Key of Hell and Death a saying taken from the custome of Governours that carryed the Key he hath the Government and Command of Hell and Death Now if Christ hath command of Death he will not suffer Death to hurt his Members or triumph alwayes over them he will keep them in the grave Our bodies are safe in the grave the dust is fitted for a heavenly for another manner of body than we have now and Christ that hath the Key will let them out againe Therefore trust awhile till times of restoring come and then we shall have a glorious soule and glorious body as the Apostle saith I beseech you think of these things and get comfort against the evill day And to that end be sure to get into Christ that wee may bee in Christ living and dying and bee found in Christ For what saith the Scripture Blessed are they that dye in the Lord. It is an argument of blessednesse to dye for the Lord but if it be not in the Lord it is to no purpose If there is granted this happinesse of dying for the Lord it is well but blessed are they that dye in the Lord. Why they rest from their labour Death takes them off from their labours All their good Workes goe to heaven with them So saith the Spirit whatsoever the Flesh saith and there is no resting till that time their life is full of troubles and combers and therefore labour to get assurance that wee are in Christ that wee bee in Christ and dye in Christ and then there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ How besotted are wee to put away preparation of Death till it comes he that forgets Christ and getting into Christ all his life time it is Gods just judgment that he should forget himself in death We see how a villaine that hath no care of his owne life may have power of another mans life And therefore labour to bee ingraffed into Christ by faith and that we may know it by the Spirit of Christ prevailing in us over our naturall Corruptions more and more As the Apostle saith There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ for the spirit of life the Law of the Spirit of life which is in Christ hath freed me from the Law of sinne and death the condemning law of sinne If the Law of the spirit of life which is in Christ the head be in us in any measure it frees us from the condemning law of sinne that it carrieth us not whither it would then wee may say with comfort There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ for the law of the spirit of life in Christ hath freed us from the condemning tyrannizing law of sinne and death Sinne hath no Law It is in us as a subdued Rebell but it sets not up a Throne Some hope to bee saved by Christ and yet they set up sinne a Throne in the soule Sinne biddeth them defile themselves and they must obey it This is a wofull estate how can they expect to dye in the Lord but such as are freed by the Law of the Spirit of life New Lords new Lawes When Kings Conquer they bring fundamentall Lawes and when wee are taken from Satans Kingdome into the Kingdome of Christ the fundamentall Lawes are then altered Christ by his Spirit sets up a Law of believing
and praying and doing good and abstaining from evill the Law of the Spirit of life frees us from the Law of sinne and death I beseech you inlarge these things in your thoughts They bee things wee must all have use of beforehand against the evill day It should bee comfortable and usefull to us all to heare that our enemy our greatest enemy Death is swallowed up in victory And yet there 's more comfort in the Text. THE Fifth Sermon ISAIAH 25. 8. And all teares shall be wiped away from all faces NOt only death shall be swallowed up in victory but God will wipe away all tears from all eyes Religion shall be religion good things shall be good things nothing shall go under false notions all tears shall be wiped away we have now many causes of teares In the world there is continuall raising of clouds that distill into drops of teares had we nothing without us to raise a vapour to be distil'd in teares we are able to raise up mists from our owne mists from our owne doubts and conflicts within As we should weepe for our owne sinnes so for the sinnes of others as wee may see in Jeremy where the Prophet saith Oh that my head were a fountaine of teares that I might weepe continually for the sinnes of my people And indeed good men are easie to weepe as the heathen man observeth they are easie to lament not onely for their own sinnes but the sinnes and misery of another Our blessed Saviour himselfe we never read that he laughed wee have heard that he wept and for his very enemies Oh Jerusalem Jerusalem He shed teares for them that shed his bloud Teares were maine evidences of Christs sweetnesse of disposition as that hee would become man and a curse and die for us and that he would make so much of little children and call all to him that were weary and heavy laden that hee never refused any that came to him Hee that wept specially for the miseries and afflictions this shewed his gracious and sweet disposition And that in heaven he is so full of sympathies in glory that when Paul persecuted the Church Why dost thou persecute me So though he is free from passion in heaven he is not free from compassion from sympathie with his Church And so every child of God is ready not onely to grieve for his own sinnes and the miserie that followeth them but the sins and miseries of others Mine eyes gush out with rivers of teares saith the Prophet David when hee saw that men brake the law of God whom he loved A true naturall child takes to heart the disgrace of his father if we be not grieved to see our father disgraced wee are bastards not sonnes They that make a sport of sinne what are they Alas they have not one sparke of the spirit of adoption they are not children who rejoyce at that at which they should grieve So Saint Paul I have told you often and now tell you weeping there be many enemies of the crosse of Christ When he saw some men preach against and others enemies of the crosse of Christ whose end is damnation hee telleth them of it weeping Wee have cause therefore to mourne for the sinnes of others and for the miseries of others whether we respect God or the Church or our selves First the love of God moveth us to weepe when wee see him dishonored If we love the Church we should mourne for any sinnes that may prejudice their salvation Doth it not pitty any man to see an Oxe go to slaughter to see a man of parts otherwise by sinning against conscience going to slaughter to see an ordinary swearer an uncleane person a prophane wretch covering himselfe with pride as a garment scorning God and the world and all Can a Christian looke upon this see flesh and blood like himself under the Gospell under a cursed condition unavoidable without serious repentance and not be affected with it Can a man see a poore Asse fall under a burthen and not helpe to take it up and yet see man falling to hell and not be affected with it Thus we see wee have cause enough of teares And as there is cause so we should be sensible we ought to take to heart the afflictions of Joseph hee is a dead man that hath not sense in this kinde If wee go to the body and state or any thing about a man there is cause of griefe hath not every member many diseases and is not our lives a kind of hospitall some sicke of one thing some of another But as there is cause wee should bee sensible of it wee are flesh and not stones therefore it is a sottish opinion to be stockish and brutish as if to out-face sorrow and griefe were a glory When our Saviour was sent into the world Christi dolor dolor maximus there were no patience without sensiblenesse away then with that iron that flinty Phylosophy that thinks it a vertue to be stupid And as the Apostle saith Romans 1. 31. without naturall affections He counteth it the greatest judgement of God upon the soule yet they would have it a vertue Why should I smite them any more saith God they have no sense no feeling The proud Phylosopher thought it was not phylosophicall to weepe a proud stoicall humor but Christians desire it And therefore we ought to labour to be more sensible that we might make our peace and reverence the justice of God and be more sensible of him afterwards It is most true that Sapiens miser plus miser the more wise any man is the more sensible of misery And therefore of all men the best men have most griefe because they have most quicke senses they be not stupified with insensibility and resolutenesse to beare it bravely as the world but they apprehend with griefe the cause of griefe And as they have a more sanctified judgement than other men so they have a more wise affection of love and a quicker life of grace where life is there is sense and where there is a cleare sight or cause of griefe there is most griefe Therefore the best men have most griefe because they be most judicious most loving Then they have most grace to beare it out of all others therefore considering there is cause in our selves and in others of griefe continually wee ought to labour to be sensible of it else it were no favour to have teares wiped away So that there is cause of teares and teares is a duty of Christians sensible of the cause both of sinne and misery upon one and another And as it is an unavoidable griefe so it is good wee should grieve we must stoope to Gods course we must bring our hearts to it and pray that since our necessities and sins doe call for this dispensation that we must under correction he will make us sensible of his rod that
glory that rested upon him and expressed himselfe to be the servant of God He that takes away from our good report if we be good he addeth to our reward Our Saviour Christ saith as much Blessed are you when you be ill spoken of for great is your reward THE Seventh Sermon ISAIAH 25. 8. And the rebukes of his people shall he take away from all the earth For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it THis is a great promise and I pray you be comforted with it For of all grief that Gods people suffer in the world there is none greater than reproach disgrace and contumely Movemur contumeliis plus quam injuriis We are more moved with reproaches than injuries Injuries come from severall causes but disgrace from abundance of slighting No man but thinks himselfe worthy of respect from some or other Now slanders come from abundance of malice or else abundance of contempt and therefore nothing stickes so much as reproaches specially by reason of opinion and fancy that raiseth them over high Our Saviour Christ endured the Crosse and despised the shame That shame that vaine people cast upon Religion and the best things they despise that and make that a matter of patience They knew the Crosse would not be shaken off Persecution and Troubles must be endured and therefore they endured the Crosse and despised the shame Now to bear Crosses take the counsell of the Holy Apostles look up to him consider Christ and whatsoever disgrace in words or carriage wee shall endure we are sure though wee shall never know it till wee feele it by experience The spirit of glory shall rest upon us and rebuke shall be taken away Ere long there will be no glory in heaven and earth but the glory of Christ and of his Spouse for all the rest shall be in their owne place as it was said of Judas that he went to his place Their proper place is not to domineere but to be in hell and ere long they shall bee there Heaven is the proper element of the Saints that is the place of Christ the head And where should the body be but with the head where the Spouse but with the Husband I say this shall come to passe that all the wicked shall be in their place and all the godly in theirs with Christ and then shall the rebukes of Gods people be taken away A great matter and therefore it is sealed with a great confirmation The Lord Jehovah hath spoken it therfore it must and will be so The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it This is not in vaine added for the Lord knoweth well enough we need it to believe so great things that there is such a Feast provided And that there is such a victory over death our last enemy and that there will be such glory that all the glory shall bee Christs and his Spouses that the wicked that are now so insolent shall be cast into their proper place with the Devill by whose Spirit they are led They bee great matters and there is great disproportion between the present condition and that condition in heaven and infidelity being in the soule its hard to fasten such things on the soule that so great things should be done but they are no greater than God hath said and hee is able to make good his Word The Lord hath said it and when God hath said it heaven and earth cannot unsay it when heaven hath concluded it earth and hell cannot disanull it The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it That is truth it selfe hath spoken it that cannot lye A man may lye and be a man and an honest man too he may sometimes speak an untruth it taketh not away his nature But God who is pure truth unchangable truth truth it selfe cannot lye When we heare of great matters as matters of Christianity be great matters they be as large as the capacity of the soule and larger too And yet the soule is large in the understanding and affection too When wee heare of such large matters wee need a great faith to believe them Great faith needeth great grounds and therefore its good to have all the helps we can When we heare of great things promised great deliverances great glory to strengthen our faith remember God hath spoken them He knoweth our weaknesse our infirmity and therefore helps us with this prop The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Let us therefore remember those great things are promised in the word of God in the word of Jehovah that can make them all good that gives a being to all his promises He is being it selfe and gives being to whatsoever he saith he is able to doe it Set God and his power against all opposition whatsoever from the creature and all doubts that may arise from our owne unbeleeving hearts The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it But yee will say the Prophet Esay saith it whose words they were I answer Isaiah was the Pen-man God the mouth the head dictateth the hand writeth Christ the head dictates and his servant writeth So that holy men write as they were inspired by the holy Ghost a better spirit than their owne Why doe yee look on me saith Isaiah thinke not it is I that say it I am but a man like your selves but the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it VVee should not regard men nor the Ministerie of men but consider who speaks by men who sendeth them with what commission doe they come Ambassadors are not regarded for themselves but for them that send them And therefore Cornelius said well We are here in the presence of God to heare what thou wilt speake in the name of God Acts 10. 33. And so people should come with that reverend expression VVee are come in the presence of God the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost in the presence of the blessed Angells to heare what thou shalt say in the Name of God by the Spirit of God VVe are not to deal with men but with God And therefore he saith The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Hence may this question be easily answered VVhence hath the Scripture authority VVhy from it selfe it is the Word it carryeth its owne Letters testimoniall with it Shall God borrow Authority from men No the Authority the Word hath is from it selfe It hath a supreame authority from its selfe And wee may answer that question about the Judge of all controversies What is the supreame Judge the Word the Spirit of God in the Scriptures And who is above God It is a shamelesse ridiculous impudency of men that will take upon them to be Judges of Scripture as if man would get upon the Throne and as a Judge there Judge The Scriptures must judge all ere long yea that great Antichrist Now an ignorant man a simple man that perhaps never read Scriptures must judge of
God read it as the word of God A company of prophane wretches you shal have the scums and basest of the people that will discourse and to grace their Discourse they must have Scripture phrases but whose word is it it is the word of the great God Eglon was a Heathen King and yet when a Message came from God hee arose up and made obeysance Wee should never read the Word but with reverence considering whose book it is and that we must be judged by it another day If it be the word I beseech you consider what we say and know that God will make every part of it good there shall not a jot of it faile nothing of it shall miscarry God speaketh all these words And therefore if you be blasphemers you shall not carry it away guiltlesse God hath said it if you continue not to obey you are under Gods curse unlesse you repent you shall perish every threat God will make good you must repent and get into Christ else perish eternally God hath said it and we may confirme it in the unfolding and reading of it the time is comming for the execution of it and then God is peremptory Now God waiteth our leisure and intreateth us but if wee will not repent wee shall have that Arrow in our sides that will never be gotten out till we dye in hell whose sinnes are condemned in Scripture they are condemned by God and whom we shut heaven to by opening the Scriptures God will shut heaven to The opening of the Scriptures is the opening of heaven If the Scripture saith a man that liveth in such a sinne shall not be saved heaven shall be shut to him he is in a state of death he is strucken and remaineth in danger till he repenteth How many live in sins against Conscience that are under the guilt and danger of their sinnes they be wounded they be struck by the word there is a threat against their sinnes although it be not executed and they be as much in danger of eternall death as a condemned Traytor onely God suffers them to live that they may make their peace they have blessed times of visitation O make use of it it is the word of God and know that God will make every part of his word good in threats as well as in promises Take occasion from hence likewise to shame our selves for our infidelity in the promises when wee are in any disconsolate estate we are in Jobs case being in trouble the consolation of the Almighty seemed light to him These be the comforts of God When we come to comfort some though the sweet promises of the Gospell be opened yet they doe not consider them as being the word the consolations of the Almighty and therefore they seem light to them But it should not be so Consider they be the comforts of the word and therefore we should heare them with faith labour to affect them and shame our selves Is this Gods word that giveth this direction that giveth this comfort and shall I not regard it Is it the consolation of the Almighty and shall not I embrace it Therefore we should be ashamed not to be more affected with the heavenly sweet things promised of God than we are A man that refuseth heavenly Comforts to imbrace comforts below how should hee reflect upon himselfe with shame Hath God promised such things God that cannot lye and shall I lose my hope of all these glorious things for the enjoying of the pleasures of sin for a season I professe my selfe to be a Christian where is my faith where is my hope A man must acknowledge either I have no faith for if I had faith believing God speaking these excellent things I would not venture my losse of them to get the enjoyment of poor temporary things here for the good things promised in another world Labour therefore to bring mens hearts to believe the word and desire God to seale it to our soules that it is so I will give one direction Labour for the Spirit of God that writ the word that indited the word Beg of God to â—eale to our soules that it is the word and that he would sanctifie our hearts to be suitable to the word and never rest till wee can finde God by his Spirit seasoning our hearts so that the relish of our soules may suit to the relish of divine truths that when wee heare them we may relish the truth in them and may so feele the worke of Gods Spirit that we may bee able to say hee is our God And when we heare of any threatning we may tremble at it and any sinne discovered wee may hate it For unlesse wee by the Spirit of God have something wrought in us suitable to the word we shall never believe the word to bee the word And therefore pray the Lord by his Spirit to frame our hearts to be suitable to divine Truths and so frame them in our affections that we may find the word in our joy in our love in our patience that all may be seasoned with the word of God When there is a relish in the word and in the soule suitable to it then a man is a Christian indeed to purpose till then men will Apostatize turne Papist turne Atheist or any thing because there is a distance betweene the soule and the word the word is not ingraffed into the soule they doe not know the word to bee the word by arguments fetched from the word and therefore they fall from the power of the word But if we will not fall from divine truths get truth written in the heart and our hearts so seasoned by it and made so harmonious and suitable to it that we may imbrace it to death that we may live and dye in it To goe on In that day shall it be said loe this is our God we have waited for him Here is a gracious promise that shutteth up all spoken before He spake of great things before And now here is a promise of a day wherein hee will make all things promised good to the soule of every believing Christian In that day it shall be said this is our God wee have waited for him he will save us It is an excellent portion of Scripture to shew the gracious disposition that the Spirit of God will worke in all those that imbrace the gracious promises of God The time shall come when they shall say Loe this is our God wee have waited for him and now wee enjoy him The points considerable are these First of all by supposition that there bee glorious excellent things promised to the people of God Rich and precious promises of Feasting of taking away the vaile of conquest over death by victory of wiping away teares and removing rebukes great things if vve goe no farther than my Text. Secondly these have haâ— day vvhen they shall bee performed vvhich is not presently for
homeward yet hee will have it a state of good that we may not sinke in the way And not onely promises for in the way to heaven God keeps not all for heaven he lets in drops of comfort oftentimes in the midst of misery hee doth reveale himselfe more glorious and sweet then at other times there is nothing reserved for us in another world but wee have a beginning a taste an earnest of it here to support us till wee come to the full possession of what remaineth Wee shall have full communion of Saints there wee have it here in the taste of it Wee know what it is to be acquainted with them that be gracious spirits Wee have praising of God for ever there we know the sweetnesse of it here in the house of God which made David desire this one thing that hee might dwell in the house of God to visit the beauty of God c. There wee shall have perfect peace here we have inward peace unspeakable and glorious a peace that passeth understanding in the beginning of it There we shall have joy without all mixture of contrariety here we have joy and joy unspeakable and full of glory There is nothing in heaven that is perfect that is sweet and good and comfortable but we have a taste and earnest of it here The spirit will be all in all there there is somthing of it in us now more light in our understandings more obedience in our wills more and more love in our affections and it is growing more and more And therefore all is not kept for time to come we have somthing beginning here besides promises there is some little degrees of performance so that the state between us and heaven is a state mixt of good and imperfection Now God hath fitted graces suitable to that condition and that is expectation or waiting a fit grace and a fit disposition of soule from imperfect condition that is afterwards to be perfected for fruition is the condition of perfect happinesse not of waiting for waiting implieth imperfection This waiting carrieth with it almost all graces waiting for better times in glory to come it hath to support it It is a carriage of soule that is supported with many graces For first we wait for that we believe we have a spirit of faith to leade to it And then we hope before we waite and hope is the anchor of the soule that stayeth the soule in all the waves and miseries of the world it is the helmet that keeps off all the blowes This hope issues from faith for what we believe we hope for the accomplishment of it So that all graces make way for waiting or accompany it The graces that accompany the waiting for good things in time to come are patience to endure all griefes between us and the full possession of heaven Then long suffering which is nothing else but patience lengthned because troubles are lengthned and the time is lengthned So there is patience and patience lengthned which we call long suffering and then together with patience and long suffering there is contentment without murmuring at the dispensation of God something in the soule that he would have it to be so Hee that hath a heart to rise because hee hath not what hee would have hee doth not wait with that grace of waiting that issueth from a right spring God reserveth joy for the time to come for our home wee should be content to have communion with God and the soules of perfect men and not murmure though God exerciseth us with many crosses here And therefore the Scripture calleth it a silence In silence and in hope shall be your strength The soule keepeth silence to God in this waiting condition and this silence quells all risings in the soule presently As David my soule kept silence unto the Lord. It will still all risings of the heart issuing from a resignation of the soule to God to doe as he will have us to doe So it implieth patience and long suffering contentment holy silence without murmuring and repining And then it implies watchfulnesse over our selves till wee come to the full accomplishment of the promises that we carry not our selves unworthily in the meane time That wee should not spend the time of our waiting in wickednesse to fetch sorrow from the devill and the world to comfortus or to be beholding to Satan This is no waiting but murmuring and rebellion when in crosses and discomforts we cannot be content but must be beholding to the Devill so there must bee watchfulnesse and not onely so but fruitfulnesse in waiting For he waits that waiteth in doing good that waiteth in observance hee waiteth for his Masters comming that is doing his duty all the time in a fruitfull course of observance and obedience else it is no waiting waiting is not meerly a distance of time but a filling up of that time with all gracious carriage with obedience and with silence with long suffering and contentment and watchfulnesse wee take not any ill course and observance and with fruitfulnesse that wee may fill up times of waiting till performance with all the graces that we may have communion with God It is another manner of grace then the world thinks What is the reason of all the wickednesse of the world and barrennesse and voluptuousnesse but because they have not learned to wait They heare of good things and precious things promised but they would have present payment they will have somthing in hand As Dives sonne sonne thou hast had thy good things here they will have their good things here And what is the reason of wickednesse but because they will have present pleasures of sinnes Wee must preferre the afflictions of Christ before the pleasures of sin Now that shortnesse of spirit to have reward here is the cause of all sinne They have no hope nor obedience nor expectation to endure the continuance of diuturnity where then is patience and hope and contentment The character of a Christian is that he is in a waiting condition and hath the grace of waiting others will have the pleasures of sin their profits and contentments else they will cracke their consciences and sell Christ God heaven and all A Christian as he hath excellent things above the world so he hath the grace of expectation and all the graces that store up and maintain that expectation till the performance come And therefore it is an hard thing to be a good Christian another thing then the world taketh it to be For marke I beseech you what is between us and heaven that wee must goe through if ever wee will come there Between us and heaven the thing promised there be many Crosses to be met withall and they must be borne and borne as a Christian should doe Through many afflictions we must enter into the kingdome of Heaven Besides crosses there be scandalous offences
great day and of all the miseries that shall then be removed So there is a day when the Jewes shall be converted and the fulnesse of the Gentiles brought in and the man of sinne discovered and consumed by the breath of Christ And when the Church of God seeth them they may say Loe we have waited for the Lord and loe hee is come that we looked for is now fulfilled So that God reserveth not the fulfilling of all the promises to the great day of all dayes but even in this life hee will have a that day And it were very good for Christians in the passages of their lives to see how God answereth their prayers and delivereth them Let them doe as the Saints in the Old Testament that gave names to places where they saw God As Penuell hee shall see God and Abraham God will be seen in the Mount So Sampson and others they gave names to places where they had deliverance that they might be moved to bee thankfull A Christian taketh in all the comforts of this life to believe the things of the last great day Loe we have waited for him That shall be a time of sight and fruition of full power and full joy which is reserved for heaven then we shall say Loe behold this is the Lord. The more we see God here the more wee shall see him hereafter There be many wayes of seeing so as to say Loe this is the Lord. We may say from the poorest creature Loe this is the Lord here are beams of his Majesty in the works of his Justice and Mercy Loe here is the Lord. The Lord hath brought mighty things to passe the Lord is marvailous loving to this Children Behold and see the salvation of the Lord. We may say Loe here and see something of God in every creature no creature but hath something of God The things that have but meere being have something of God but the things that have life have more of God And so in some there is more in some lesse of God But in the Church of God specially wee may see his going in the Sanctuary Loe this God hath done for his Church And in the Sacraments we may say I have seen the Lord and felt the Lord in his Ordinance by his holy Spirit Wee doe all this before we come to see him in heaven but that is not meant specially We shall say Loe this is the Lord when we shall see him in heaven all sight here leadeth to that sight Faith hath a sight here but it is in the Word and Sacrament and so imperfect but the sight in heaven is immediate and perfect and therefore opposed to faith VVee live by faith and not by sight in heaven we shall live by sight not that we live not by sight here in some degree for the lesser sight leadeth to the greater sight But in comparison of sight in heaven there is no sight The Scripture speaketh of sight of God comparatively Moses saw God that is more than any other And Jacob saw God that is comparatively more than before but not fully and wholly VVee can apprehend him but not comprehend him as they say wee may see something of it but not wholly but in heaven we shall have another sight of God and then wee shall say Loe this is the God we have waited for wee shall see Christ face to face Beloved that is the sight indeed And if yee will aske me whether wee shall see God then or no Consider what I said before this is the God wee have waited for in obedience and fruitfully If we shall be ravished with the sight of God surely if we see him here we may see him there VVe see him with the eye of faith we see him in the Ordinance wee have some sight of God that the world hath not God discovereth himselfe to his children more than to the world And therefore they say thou revealest thy self to us not unto the world A Christian wonders that God should reveale his love and mercy and goodnesse to him more than to others And therefore if wee belong to God and shall see him hereafter wee must see him now as we may see him we must have some knowledge of him And if wee see God any way all things in the world will be thought of no request in comparison of the Communion of God in Christ As Isaiah 14. We have seen the Lord and what have wee to doe with Idols The soule that hath seene Christ growes in detestation of sinne and loatheth all things in comparison And then againe if we shall ever see God in glory in this glorious and triumphing manner This is the Lord This sight is a changing sight There is no sight of God but it changeth and alters to the likenesse of God When he calls to look up to him and he looks on us in favour and mercy The best fruit of his favour is grace of peace and joy for these be beames that issue from him grace as beames from the sunne But where-ever God lookes with any favour there is a conformity to Christ a gracious humble pittifull mercifull obedient disposition which is an earnest of the Spirit of Christ And there is a study of purity of a refined disposition from the pollutions of the world The pure in heart shall see God they that hope to see God for ever in heaven will study that purity that may dispose and fit them for heaven And there is such a gracious influence in it that they that hope for heaven the very hope must needs helpe to purifie them As there is grace suitable to waiting so there is an influence from the things hoped for to give vigor to all grace As all the graces of a Christian fit and inable him for heaven so hope of heaven yields life to all grace There is a mutuall influence into these things God vouchsafeth discovery of these glorious things to helpe us to wait to be patient and fruitfull and abundant in the work of the Lord. And the more wee wait fruitfully and patiently and silently the more wee see of heaven So that as in nature the seed bringeth the tree and the tree the seed so in the things of God one thing breeds another and that breeds that againe so that waiting and grace fit us for heaven and the thought of heaven puts life and vigor into all the graces that fit us for heaven What is our faith to those glorious things we shall see hereafter what is patience but for consideration of that what is hope but for the excellency of the object of hope And what were induring of troubles if something were not in heaven to make amends for all They help us to come to glory and the lively hopefull thoughts of those things animate and enliven all the graces that fit for heaven If ever we shall hereafter possesse heaven and say Loe this is he we have waited
and for time to come and all little enough It was Davids course thou art my God from my mothers wombe and upon thee have I hanged over since I was borne faile me not when I am old Goe along with Gods favours and use them as arguments of future blessings As former victories are helps to get the second victory Every former favour helpeth to strengthen our faith In the next God is an inexhausted fountaine and when we have to deale with an infinite God the more we take of him the more we offer him It is no good plea to say you have done courtesies therefore do them still But we cannot honour God more then from former experience to looke for great things from the great God We have have waited for him he will save us we have waited for him and we will rejoyce in his salvation That which a child of God gives thanks for rejoyces in and labors for is more more experience of his salvation We wil rejoyce in his salvation There is not a stronger word in all the Scripture nor in nature he doth not say rejoycing in this or that benefit but in his salvation that is in deliverance from all evill we will reioyce in his perservation when he hath delivered us we will reioyce in his advancement of us and we will reioyce in his salvation And therfore when the wisedome of heaven would include all in one word hee useth the word Jesus all happinesse in that word that pregnant full word a Saviour So that Gods carriage towards his children is Salvation He is the God of Salvation or a saving God And God sent his name from heaven and the Angels brought it the name of JESUS Therefore looke to the full sense of it We have a Saviour that will answer his name as he is Jesus so he will save his people from their sinnes And therefore we will reioyce in his salvation God dealt with us like a God when he delivered us from all misery from all sinnes and advanced us to all happinesse that nature is capable of As he said before he will wipe away all teares from all faces and take away the rebukes of all people He will punish the wicked with eternall destruction And if he advanceth a people he will be salvation then which he can say no more And this sheweth that the children of God rejoyce more then in any thing else in salvation because it is the salvation of God and because God is salvation it selfe Heaven were not heaven if Jesus and God in our nature were not there And therefore the Apostle saith I desire to depart not to be dissolved and to be with Christ for that is better The sight of God specially in our nature God the second person taking our nature that we might be happy will make us happy for ever In loving God and joying in God and enjoying God makes full happinesse but that is not the cause of joy in heaven but the cause of all is Gods influence into us Here in the world happinesse is mediate in Gods revealing of himselfe to us by his holy spirit in the use of meanes in his dealings and deliverances letting us see him by his grace to see him and joy and delight in him for ever It is no good love that resteth in any blessings of God for themselves It is an harlottry affection to love the gift more then the giver So the Saints of God they doe all desire to see him as they may and to joy in God and enjoy God himselfe and to see God in our nature and to be with him for ever Before he spake of a feast and if the Feast-maker be not there what is all In a Funerall feast there is much cheere but the Feast-maker is gone In heaven there is joy but where is God where is Christ he that hath done so much suffered so much for us that hath taken possession of heaven and keepeth a place for us there What is heaven without him salvation severed from him is nothing We shall say when we are there Loe here is David Abraham Saint John here the Martyrs I but here is Christ here is God here is our Saviour the cause of all and the seeing of him in them that he will be glorious in his Saints that maketh us rejoyce We shall see all our friends in heaven there we shall see the excellency of the happinesse of Christ his love his grace his mercy The words are expressed with a kind of glorying Loe this is our God So that the joy of a Christian endeth in glory and in the highest degree of glory As you have it Rom. 5. We glory also in tribulation we glory in hope of glory nay we glory in God as ours reconciled And if we glory in him now as a God reconciled what shall we doe in heaven Can a worlding glory in his riches his greatnesse his favour from such a man as Haman did And shall not a Christian glory in his God and make his boast in his God And therefore in this world wee should learne to glory before we come to that glory in heaven specially when we be set upon by any thing that is apt to discourage us glory then in our head perhaps a Christian hath no wealth no great rents to glory in I but he hath a God to glory in let him glory in him The world may take all else from him but not his God As the Church in Cant. 5. The virgins put the Church to describe her beloved what is thy beloved more then another beloved My beloved is white and ruddy the chiefest of 10000. Then she goeth on in particulars my beloved is thus and thus and if you would know what my beloved is this is my beloved So a Christian that hath a spirit of faith should glory in God here for heaven is begun here and he should glory in Christ is Saviour and should set Christ against all discouragements and oppositions if you will know what is my beloved this is my beloved the chiefe among ten thousands Psal 115. Our God is in heaven and doth whatsoever he pleaseth in heaven and earth and the deepes yea we make our boast of God saith the Psalmist when there is occasion this is the Lord this is our God we have waited for him specially in times of afflictions and what is the reason This will hold out to eternity This is our God As in the Revelations It is a plea and a glory for ever for God is our happinesse As the School-men say he is our objective happinesse and our formall happinesse he is our happinesse as he is ours And he is ours in life and death and for ever so there is alwayes ground of glory onely God doth discover himselfe to be ours by little and little as we are able to beare him he is ours in our worst times My God my God why hast thou forsaken