a man is using his tongue to lye to his neighbour to curse him to swear profanely and to blaspheme God methinks he should thus think with himself How easily can God stop my breath withdraw that hand from my tongue which upholds my faculty to speak Methinks he should remember the instance of Ananias and Saphira and Zechariah the father of John the Baptist but for a few words of unbelief When a man is stretching out his hand to work any iniquity methinks he should remember how easily God could do by him as by Jeroboam When he stretched out his hand to lay hold of the Prophet and his hand presently withered If any of you lent your hand to one that were blind or lame and he should spit in your face revile you c. would not you think it a strange daring of you Oh! what a daring of an holy just and powerful God it is for a man wilfully and presumptuously to use a member of his body or a power or faculty of his Soul knowingly and presumptuously to sin against God Thus this Doctrine may serve to defame sin to every ingenuous soul as it necessarily must be an impudent daring of a just and holy God 2. But it defameth it further As it speaketh it an act of the highest ingratitude imaginable Ingratitude soundeth ill very ill in the ears of humane nature so ill that an Heathen could say of it Call a man an ingrateful man and you call him all that is naught it is a very great vice Every sinner must say If God had not been so good to me I had not been so evil against him The Drunkard must say If God had not assisted me to my natural action in drinking I could not have dishonoured him by that excess The like must every sinner say the lyar the swearer the adulterer God hath nothing to do with the obliquity of their action but to the action so far forth as natural his Providence assisteth upholding the natural faculties to their natural Operations And do you thus requite the Lord O foolish people Is this your thankfulness to God for Gods assistance of you in the use of your faculties for the necessary uses of your life I gave thee cloth saith God to cover thy nakedness thou makest it to serve thy pride my creatures to silence thy natural passions of hunger and thirst and thou usest it to serve thy Luxury I gave thee a tongue to interpret thy mind to thy neighbour and to praise me and I assist thee in the natural use of it thou usest it to swear curse to blaspheme my great and sacred name I gave thee an hand and assist thee in the use of it that thou mayest get bread and do the works of thy calling in order thereunto thou usest it to smite with the fist of wickedness to persecute and oppress my people Thus the sinner turneth the gifts of God into weapons with which he fighteth against him I remember a quite contrary resolution in holy David Psal 116 I will saith he take the cup of salvation and praise the Lord. I know that Poculum salutis is capable of other interpretations which are also given according to the various fancies of Interpreters But why may not we interpret it thus I will take that very mercy which thou hast shewed me and use it and improve it for thy honour and glory Certainly thus we ought to do as Hannah 1 Sam. 1. did by her child Samuel which she had begged and received of God She takes her child and at the return of the year carrieth him up to Hierusalem and saith For this child I prayed and the Lord heard me hath given me my Petition which I asked of him Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord as long as he liveth he shall be lent unto the Lord. But of this more under the next head to which I now come to shew you how far what you have heard may be useful 2. To promove piety and that both in the internal and external acts of it in the more immediate acts of homage which we are to pay to God and in all the duties of an holy and pious conversation before men in obedience to the will of God It is not hard to understand upon this hypothesis that God doth thus concur in the assistance of all our natural faculties in order to the preserving of us how reasonable it is that we should be in the fear of the Lord all the day long That we should live in an exercise of faith trust and dependency upon him That we should love the Lord at all times And for acts of more external immediate homage prayer and praise c. How reasonable a thing is prayer morning and evening doest thou not remember it is God that must concur to give thee sleep in the night a power to breath to move to work to eat to drink c. and give me leave to tell you if you do not think the sleep of the night or a strength to labour in the day an appetite to thy meat a power to digest it a liberty and power to breath mercies worth the asking it is because thou hast not wanted them much will you not every day have need of the use of your senses your hands your tongue your feet your ears c do not you think them mercies worth the asking Go to the lame and the blind and the deaf and those that lye on sick-beds and enquire of them they will better instruct you in the value of these things Do not you know what to pray for so often this Doctrine will shew you in part pray that God would preserve your life and being uphold your powers and faculties c. And Praise is as reasonable as Prayer you are every day fearfully and wonderfully preserved By whose power is it as Peter and James said to the people when they had cured the lame man Not by our power but by the power of Jesus of Nazareth doth this man walk So give me leave to tell you it is not by your own power nor by the meer vertue of your own faculties with which you are born that you sleep walk discourse work but by the mighty power of God concurring and assisting those faculties Particularly you may hence conclude the reasonableness of that Religious custom which some have bruitishly cast off begging a blessing upon your meat at meals and giving thanks after receit of it Lastly Certainly this Meditation well digested cannot but highly promove all manner of practical holiness For what is holiness but the obedience of the members of our bodies and powers and faculties of our Souls to the Will of God the exercise of them all according to the Divine Rule and the end for which he gave them to us and what can be more perswasive to this than for us to hear that as God hath given these powers so God upholdeth them in exercise in him we live
to judge as God judgeth and particularly as to this point of growth in grace we must judge of it according to the means and helps of grace which the person hath had considering the natural temper of the person as also his temptations and afflictions which he hath had to put him back we must so judge of his growth and thrift Possibly his circumstances have been such as have necessitated him in order to getting bread to live in a Town in a Family where he hath scarce ever heard a good Sermon nor hath had any means of Instruction no good examples to go before him and quicken him in the ways of God Possibly he hath walked in the dark and seen no light his life hath been a life of many afflictions great temptations thou hast lived where thou hast had a great plenty of spiritual food all imaginable means to promote the work of God in thy soul In such cases as these thy brother is the object of thy pity and prayers and all the charitable assistance thou canst give him but by no means of thy censure 5. Lastly This Discourse doth highly solicite your charity for those who differ in their apprehensions of some Principles of Religion from you And here if any where I had need plead with you for charity for although it be evident that it is not in the power of a man to believe what he would but the assent of the mind to a Proposition must necessarily be according to the evidence of the truth of the thing which his understanding hath yet it is matter of amazement to consider what Feuds what Alienations in Affection are the products of Differences in Opinion As if Heaven were entailed to Understandings of one Complexion There alwayes were in the Church of God and there alwayes will be different apprehensions in some matters of Truth and generally they have brought forth disorders great disorders in mens practice each one hugging his particular opinion as if he judged himself and none but himself infallible And even Protestants declaiming against an Infallible Head upon the Earth will yet arrogate an Infallibility of Judgment unto themselves When as nothing is more demonstrable than that my brother hath as much reason to quarrel with me for differing from him as I have to quarrel with him for his differing from me unless he will say I cannot be deceived but you may which would give a just foundation for the renewing of that old question of the false prophet Which way went the spirit of God from me to thee Doth any one say I have Scripture for my Opinion So saith the other Doth he say I think I am verily perswaded of it by the spirit of God So saith the other Doth he say But I have divers learned and good men of my mind Truly there are not very many differences of any moment but his brother may say the same Will he say But the Church wherein I live is of my mind Be it so this indeed should much regulate sober Christians as to the publishing and divulging of their opinions to the disturbance of others but it ought neither to rule Faith nor to guide private Practice If it doth the particular Church which all confess fallible is made the Rule of Faith or the Supreme Judge of it neither of which it can be What mean therefore these heats The Question is still about a Judge in the case Whether a mans particular conscience must not be the proximate rule of his actions If it must not what must We have lost the very Basis of the Protestant Religion and shall whether we will or no be sorced to Rome to find an Infallible Judge and when we have done that we have but cheated our own souls for he is not to be found there though one may indeed be found that arrogates that Title and to whom credulous Proselytes give it How much better is it to stay at home and act according to that excellent Canon of Saint Paul Phil. 3.15 Let us therefore as many as be perfect be thus minded and if in any thing you be otherwise minded God shall reveal this unto you The confessed Golden Rule Whatsoever you would that others should do unto you the same do you unto them again if it were well studied by Christians would put an end to all their little bickerings upon this score to all their prejudices one against another all their uncharitable Judgings and Cenfurings of one another all their eagerness against and persecutions one of another One thinks the Government of the Church should be by Prelates another by Presbyters a third by Common Suffrage Suppose all these agreed in this that without faith and holiness no man shall see God Let every one walk in this way they will at last meet in the Kingdom of God One thinks Children should be baptized another thinks that none ought to be baptized till he be capable of instruction and making an open profession of faith and holiness Yet may both these truly receive embrace and rest upon Jesus Christ as their alone Saviour their failing is but in a single point of obedience there indeed one of them must fail if they practice according to their principle but who liveth and sinneth not against God Who judgeth every sin in event damnable especially where the error too is in matter of judgment which a man hath no power to over rule his own Faith and Perswasion in and to practice contrary to what he is perswaded to be his Duty were but to play the Hypocrite to sin against the light of his Conscience and interpretatively against the Mind of God and that wilfully Mistake not the Kingdom of Heaven is not intailed to Parties but as in every Nation so amongst all Parties who so believeth in Christ feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted of God Take heed of embracing Propositions which are inconsistent with that Faith and Holiness without which none can be saved There is also another uncomfortable sort of Propositions viz. Such as who so holdeth and practiseth up to them will be obliged to break Communion with all or most Churches And here I must lament the unhappiness of them that are fallen into the mistake of the Seventh-day-Sabbath I have known some of them whom I could not but think persons truly fearing God but certainly next to Errors in Fundamentals which will divide a soul from the Head Christ Jesus such as divide from the Body are of most dangerous consequence For the Christian Sabbath I make a doubt whether there be any thing which is not plain in Scripture which comes to us by an universal tradition of the Church but that alone no considerable number of people in any Age of the World ever disputed it whence as also from the Scriptural proof though raised by consequence for it there is not this day a very considerable number of Christians in the World but do observe it as the Lords Sabbath
things motions or actions that have any goodness in them himself hath willed to do 'em and to concur as a principal efficient cause The A postle telleth us that every good and perfect gift cometh down from above which is not only true of spiritual gifts habits and influences but of natural actions and motions such as are purely so and abstractly considered from any malice and filthiness or irregularity cleaving to them for the Apostle telleth us In him we live and move Now whereas all motions and actions are either good or evil as to the first it is readily granted the first mover must be the efficient of motions God is the fountain and original of all good And in this sense that of our Saviour is true There is none good but God There is a goodness in natural habits and actions a goodness of being considering the motions and actions purely as natural without the tincture of a vitiated will or affections and passions debauched There is a further goodness in spiritual habits and actions All is from God and concerning every good action or motion in either sense there hath passed an eternal purpose or counsel The only doubt can be is concerning evil actions vitiated from the corrupt and debauched will and affections and passions of men As to which it is on all hands most readily granted That God is not the author of them as such nor willed to effect them he hath neither commanded them nor approved them but he hath willed that these should be done he hath willed the permission of them And this is so evident both from Scripture and from Reason raising conclusions from scriptural principles that it can with no modesty be denied I will prove it but from one instance of Scripture but that so high as nothing can be higher and so plainly asserted as nothing can be plainer You shall find it Acts 4.27 Acts 4.27 28. 28. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus whom thou hast anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the children of Israel were gathered together for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done There certainly never was nor is it possible there ever should be an higher act of wickedness committed in the world than the adjudging to death and crucifying the Lord Jesus Christ who was the eternal Son of God and the most just and righteous person that ever was in the world There was a great Combination as to this murther Herod Pontius Pilate Judas the Jews the Gentiles Judas betrayed him Herod mock't him Pontius Pilate condemned him the Jews accused him the Jews and Gentiles crucified him They all did their highly sinful parts Now one would think and may reasonably conclude that if there ever had been or could have been an action done in the world which had slipped the eternal will and counsel of God and come to pass whiles the watchman of Israel had been asleep or which God never thought on it should have been this action But saith the Apostle they all in this act this horrid act did no more than what Gods hand and counsel had before determined to be done The words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gods Counsel determined not to do it but that it should be done The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is often used in holy writ and usually it is translated predestinated as ver 5. of this Chapter and in my Text and so also Rom. 8.29 Whom he predestinated in 1 Cor. 2.7 it is translated ordained It apparently signifieth a Predetermination of persons or things and is used with reference to both and that both as to good and evil things I shall only further give you the note of a very great Divine upon it that it signifieth such a Predetermination of things as not only comprehendeth the end but the means leading to that end But in a further evidence of this let us use our reason a little though still exercising it upon scriptural Principles My first argument shall be First From Gods certain fore-knowledg of all things I will open it in three things 1. God from all eternity did certainly and infallibly foreknow whatsoever should come to pass in the world The holy Scripture is very plentiful in asserting the perfection of the Divine knowledg Prov. 5.21 The ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord and he pondereth all their goings Prov. 15.3 His eyes are everywhere beholding the evil and the good Psal 139.3 Thou art acquainted with all my ways Jer. 16.17 Mine eyes are upon all thy ways Heb. 4.13 Neither is there any creature but is manifest in his sight but all things are naked and open to that God with whom we have to do 1 John 3.20 God is greater than our hearts and knoweth all things Now all things considered from eternity were either such things which it was possible might be but never were nor are nor shall be God knew these things He calleth the things that are not as if they were Rom. 4.17 he saw them in suo potenti as he was able to have produced them This Divines call scientiam simplicis intelligentiae Or secondly They are such things as have been now are or shall be These things also God knew from eternity Divines say God knoweth these In suo volenti per scientiam visionis He from eternity saw them in a certain futurity as things which should certainly be for God doth not know things as we do by succession one thing to day another thing to morrow for then there must have been a time when God was ignorant of some things which were blasphemy to assert but such is the perfect nature of God that he must by the same Act and at the same time have a perfect knowledg of all things that ever were to come to pass in the created world 2. Supposing now that God from all eternity had such a perfect knowledg of things it followeth of necessity That they were certainly to be and have a certain existence for God could not know and see those things in a future existence of whose future existence there was no certainty which by the way is a concludent argument against the new device of Molina Fonseca Suarez Lessius and some other Jesuites since embraced by Vorstius Arminius Grevinchovius and their followers who have devised a middle kind of conditional knowledg in God Thus they say that God knew that if Peter or James were in such circumstances they would believe But this is to say nothing for if there were no certainty of Peter's believing from eternity God could not certainly know what was not certainly to be 3. Now I would gladly be instructed by any who stumbleth at this Counsel and purpose of God what but the will of God determining the event could give a certainty of being or existence to any event If the things that are might not have been then as I said before God from
in gold in silver and in brass And in cutting of stones to set them and in carving of wood to make any manner of cunning work Exod. 35.31 32 33 34. and it is said that God filled him and Aholiab with wisdom of heart to work all manner of work of the engraver and of the cunning workman and of the embroiderer in blue purple and in scarlet and in fine linnen and of the weaver even of them that do any work and devise any cunning work v. 35. 2. The Providence of God in this thing is eminently discerned in disposing men to these several employments So that as in the natural body there are several members and every member is inclined and naturally disposed to its particular office by which the several uses and necessities of the body-natural are supplied So in bodies politick as there is a great variety of members so the several members of it are by the wise Providence of God disposed and inclined to the learning and practice of several Arts and Sciences Trades and Occupations by which the uses of the whole are supplied as well as the several individuals in the Society enabled to get themselves a subsistence yet in the service of the publick This is a great piece of Divine Providence One man is disposed to husbandry unless some were so disposed however slavish and dirty the employment be the Nation could not be fed others to the making of Cloaths and Stuffs and Linnens if none were so disposed though the whole might be fed they could not be cloathed One works in iron and brass for more necessary uses another in gold and silver for Ornaments and more fine and delicate uses One man is disposed to study Physick Law Divinity and cannot endure hard labour another is of a more slavish and servile disposition no ways disposed to learning and studies All this is from the Lord and by this working of his Providence the uses of all are supplied and so Political Societies are by this means preserved We have now considered man 1. In his single and individual capacity And. 2. In his Social and Political capacity and shewn you several acts of Divine Providence by which God in either preserveth him But we have yet a third capacity to consider him in that is his spiritual capacity as a creature possessed of the grace of God the Grace of Justification and the Grace of Sanctification As to this he is in a peculiar sense Gods creature often by Saint John said to be born of God and as to this likewise he is preserved by God 1 Pet. 1.5 You are kept by the power of God through faith to salvation Indeed a discourse upon this properly belongs to the specialties of Providence of which I may possibly hereafter speak distinctly but not knowing whether I shall reach to that something though more shortly and generally I shall speak to it here Grace in the Soul of a man or woman is a noble creature and one of those things that are upheld by the mighty power of God Now that which I have to do is to consider How the Providence of God worketh in upholding this noble creature in those individual souls into which he hath breathed this breath of spiritual life Let me shew you this in a few particulars 1. God preserveth man in his spiritual life and capacity by a daily repeating to him his gracious acts in the pardon of sin and reckoning of Christs righteousness to him It hath been a Question betwixt Arminians Papists and Calvinists Whether there can be an intercision of the state of Justification Whether a soul once justified can again be not justified We say No. The gifts and callings of God are without repentance whom he loveth he loveth to the end Well but how can this be for who liveth and sinneth not The righteous falleth seven times in a day If Justification be not repeated how can a soul be justified We say Though the state abide yet Gods gracious acts are repeated Sin is not pardoned before it is committed but when commited it is pardoned by a repetition of an act of Grace Justification speaks a state this is not repeated but remission of sin is an act of Grace frequently repeated and the imputing of Christs righteousness is an act often repeated We are not daily created or born as to our natural life but we are daily preserved so God puts the believer once into a state of Justification that abides and faileth not but we should fall from it every day did not God continue us in it by the repetition of these gracious acts We need a continual pardoning a continual imputation of the righteousness of Christ to preserve our spiritual life as we need continual acts of Providence to preserve and to uphold our souls in their natural life Thus every day it is God that justifieth 2. God preserveth his Church and particular souls as to their spiritual life by a daily infusion of those habits of grace which are necessary in those souls that are ordained unto life as the principles of those operations by which they must attain this life and by increasing these habits in them In a word by perfecting 1. The number of his Saints 2. By perfecting their graces The first respecteth the collective body of his Church and is called in Scripture an adding to the Church such as shall be saved a working of faith in all them that are ordained unto eternal salvation without this the Church of God must perish and fail from the earth in a short time Gods people are mortal even as others Now God so ordereth it in his Providence that there is a succession One generation of believers passeth another cometh and thus God hath a seed kept alive in the Earth 2. God also doth it as to individuals by a daily infusion of gracious habits further strengthening and quickening them to their spiritual operations Phil. 4.13 I can do all things saith the Apostle through Christ that strengtheneth me believers Eph. 3.16 are strengthened with might by his Spirit God upholdeth his own seed in the soul and bloweth up the sparks which himself hath kindled 3. Gods Providence in the preservation of men in their spiritual capacity is seen in the upholding and maintaining his word and ordinances upon which the souls of his people live As the body liveth by bread as to its natural capacity so the soul liveth by the word of God as to its spiritual capacity By these things men live saith Hezekiah I know some interpret that passage concerning afflictions but others concerning the promises Now the Providence of God hath been and is eminently seen in maintaining of his word the written word the word preached in taking care that his people have had a succession of Ministers Before the Books of Moses were written God provided for the souls of his people by a word not written since by a written word and that most eminently since the whole
wheel we see nothing in it that resembleth God the great workman we see in it nothing of the Divine Wisdom possibly nothing of the divine goodness and loving-kindness but could we have patience till the Lords work came off the wheel we should easily see it in quite another representation we often see in Gods works of Providence nothing but confusion and blood and trouble and multiplied troubles and disturbances to those who most fear him and desire to walk most closely with him But in the evening of that day saith the Prophet Zech. 14.6 it shall be light The day neither light nor dark but in the Evening it shall be light Gods peoples days sometimes are plainly darkness thick darkness but would we have patience to the evening of them we should see light The Evening is the close and making up of the day When God cometh to close up his days work did we but observe Divine Providence we should easily understand that it would be light Sorrow may be for a night but joy shall be in the morning So as I say again This is one great reason why at all times we cannot understand the loving-kindness of the Lord to his Church and his people because we do not observe the motions of Divine Providence but take only a slight and superficial view of them I shall conclude this Discourse with an Exhortation to the duty of the Text The observation of the motions of Divine Providence Vse 2 In my last discourse I discovered to you some unsearchable things in Divine Providence and cautioned you against too curious an Enquiry into them My business now is to call upon you non caecutire in revelatis not to be blind as to those things which God hath revealed This also is your duty as well as the other by the former you acquit your selves from an unwarrantable curiosity by this from a wretched unthankfulness The Providence of God is daily working in order to the fulfilling of Gods great end the glorifying of his great and holy Name the establishing of his people c. 1. Do not rest in a meer view of what is done in the World but fix your eyes upon it Lay up the things in your heart let your thoughts dwell upon them the remarkable passages of them especially You see and hear of Wars and rumours of Wars inundations fires changes and over-turning in Nations of powers and Dominions you at present understand not the tendencies and indications of them you cannot make up a judgment of them and prophecy what will and shall be from them but yet observe them lay up these things in your minds yea and let them not pass out of your minds as we are to hear for the time to come so we are to behold and observe the motions of Providence with a respect unto a time to come too Do not think you can expound every Providence presently the vision oft-times is for an appointed time and is to be expounded by time in the mean time only to be diligently marked and observed taken notice of as a great work of God the meaning of which we shall understand hereafter Divines say That the meaning of many Providences and our clear understanding of them is one of those things wherein our knowledg shall be bettered and perfected in the day of Judgment and till that time when the hidden things of God as well as of men shall be made manifest we must be content to know but in part 2. Do not secondly observe meer single acts of Divine Providence but let your Eye follow it in its motions God sometimes hath his works a long time upon the wheel especially those relating to his Church I will give you two famous instances 1. The establishing of his ancient Church of the Jews in Canaan The promise was out for it Gen. 12 to Abraham it was more than five hundred years before this work was off the wheel of Providence four hundred years before they went out of Egypt where they were in bondage forty years they travelled in the wilderness then during all the time of the Judges yea and in Sauls time too they were but in a very unquiet condition In David and Solomon's time they came to a setled estate in the promised Land There was a Promise given out unto Christ for having the ends of the earth for his possession David mentioneth it Isaiah prophesieth much of it After this Christ comes was crucified c. And it was three hundred years after this before these Promises had any considerable accomplishment Indeed as to particular persons their beings are of shorter duration and the Providence of God brings about the promises to them in much shorter periods or they could see nothing of Gods loving-kindnesses in the issues or contextures of them but take heed there of resting your Eye upon the observations of some single acts of providence relating to them those who should thus have observed the motions of Providence with reference to Abraham Jacob Joseph David Daniel Job would have seen little of that loving-kindness of the Lord to them which yet is evident enough to all that keep their Eye upon their story to the winding up of their bottoms Now to this observation of Providence you have two great Arguments in the Text 1. It is an Indication of spiritual Wisdom A wise man looketh not only at present things but at things past and yet to come Now Wisdom is a lovely thing It is justified of her children saith our Saviour Every man desireth the reputation of a wise man and studiously avoideth the reproach of a fool Two things speak a fool 1. To observe and mind nothing Or 2dly Meerly to take notice of things present and gather conclusions from them 2. Thus you shall understand the loving-kindness of God Then you will see that all the paths of God towards his Church are mercy and truth Truth not a word failing of the promise and mercy working for the good of them that love God yea thus you that fear the Lord shall understand the loving-kindness and truth of God to your particular souls A thing the evidence of which is and ought to be of more value to you than the whole World I will conclude my Discourse by giving you three Cautions to direct your observation 1. Observe the Providence of God when it seemeth to move contrary to his Word but never determine the Indication of it without the Word Indeed the Providence of God never moveth contrary to the Word it is always a servant to some Declaration of the will of God in some promise or threatning but it often seemeth to us to move contrary which made the Psalmist cry out Doth the promise fail for evermore The reason of this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that deceiveth us is our imperfect knowledg or understanding of the Word of God and non-acquaintance with the Counsels of God and contrivances of his Wisdom and the variety of those
of sin the hearts of sinners are set in them to do evil because judgement is not executed speedily I indeavoured to discourage and check this presumption in my former observation where I confirmed to you that by how much the more slowly vindicative justice proceedeth to the punishment of sin by so much severer the punishment is when it cometh This Observation addeth further to that check for as that which men call slackness is but the long suffering and patience of God not willing that any should perish but that all should be saved by a seasonable repentance So as you have now heard at large discoursed to you neither is God thus long-suffering and patient with all and although God generally be more quick with those sorts of sinners which I have specified to you yet I desire you to observe what I first enlarged upon that there is hardly any kind or sort of sinners but God at some time or other hath picked out some or other of them to make them examples of his severity Thou maist be struck dead while the lye is in thy mouth It was the case you know of Ananias and Saphira Thou maist be cut off in the very Act of Adultery It was the case you know of Zimri and Cosbi Tremble therefore and do not sin God may grant thee many years of patience he may give thee leave to treasure up wrath to thy self against the day of wrath but thou canst not promise thy self an hours patience But above all fear those sins which God usually is so quick in punishing Fear blaspheming God or the King we live in a blaspheming age wherein have been more bold darings of God than in former times God hath revenged his glory upon some of them they have been cut off in their youth before they have lived out half their dayes If another generation riseth up and approveth their sayings wait but a while and you will see vengeance overtaking them also Fear doing any thing against the life of others who by the law of God ought not to dye Blood-thirsty men shall not live out half their days you fee Gods vengeance against this sin is very quick 2. This Observation affords a great encouragement to the service of God especially to eminent actings and sufferings for God There is a reward for righteous men if they go without it to their dying day yet they shall be recompensed in the generation of the just Heaven will pay for all but God doth not always take so long a day to recompence them Many have a reward in this life and that which is to come The Scripture is full of promises even of the good things of this life to godliness in the general and to the several parts and acts of godliness These promises indeed are not made good to every child of God in specie but only in equivalent yea transcendent mercies But even these promises are made good to many and they may be thy portion however thou shalt not miss of the greater things Particularly this layeth an engagement upon all that fear God as God calleth them to it and giveth them advantage for it to signalize themselves by eminent actings or by some eminent sufferings such you have heard God ordinarily payeth presently and besides that eternal recompence which they have in glory they are in more outward and sensible things or in more inward influences of grace recompensed in this life Those that eminently honour God he will honour and many of them have a double mess sent them from the Lord. SERMON XXXI Psalm CVII 43. Whoso is wise and will observe these things even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. I Am proceeding yet in my Observations upon the motions of Divine Providence that which we call Actual Providence in its administration of distributive Justice both in the punishment of sinners and the rewarding of the righteous Divers Observations I have already made I am come to the Observat 18. Which you may please to take thus That the Providence of God doth very ordinarily with the punishments of this life chastise the past and pardoned sins of people In the handling of which I shall 1. Justifie the Observation 2. I shall shew you the reasonableness of this motion of Providence and reconcile it both to the justice and goodness of God 3. Lastly I shall make some practical application of it That it is so I shall prove by two famous instances the first of David the second Job David you know had fallen into two grievous sins Adultery with Bathsheba and the murther of her Husband Vriah God sendeth the Prophet Nathan 2 Sam. 12. to David to convince him of his sin who doth it by a Parable Davids heart melteth v. 13. and he saith unto Nathan I have sinned against the Lord. Nathan tells him the Lord hath also put away thy sin The sin you see was both past and pardoned but mark what follows v. 14. Howbeit because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme the Child also that is born unto thee shall surely dye He had told him before v. 10. That the sword should not depart from his house and v. 11. That he would take his wives before his face and give them to his neighbour and he should ly with them in the sight of the Sun All this was afterward justified by the Actual Providence of God The Child died 2 Sam. 12.18 Amnon defloureth his Sister Thamar and is slain by her Brother Absolon 2 Sam. 13.14 29. Absalom Davids own Son lieth with his Fathers Concubines in the sight of all Israel 2 Sam. 16.22 Absolom is slain in a rebellion against his Father c. Nay not only thus but God punisheth David with horrors and terrors in his mind with diseases in his body as you may gather from Psal 6. Psal 51. and the rest of those Psalms in which he expresseth his repentance David prayeth Psal 25.7 Remember not the sins of my youth nor my transgressions Job complaineth unto God Job 7.2 3. As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow and as an hireling looketh for the reward of his work so am I made to possess months of vanity I know the words are capable of another sense as vanity may be understood for affliction and misery or the frustration of his expectations but I should rather interpret it by the words of the same Job 13.26 27 28. For thou writest bitter things against me and makest me to possess the sins of my youth c. Moses and Aaron sinned against the Lord at the waters of Meribah I do not think that any of you doubt but that God pardoned their sin yet it is certain that God punished them and that for that sin God himself tells them so Deut. 32.50 51. That the Providence of God doth this is evident The second thing may seem to have more difficulty in it viz. How this is reconcileable either to
meek of the earth it may be you shall be hid in the day of the Lords anger Ten righteous persons would have saved Sodom Besides evil times being usually times of suffering as to the people of God it is unquestionably their great concern to take heed that they suffer not as evil doers 1 Pet. 3.14 If you be reproached for the name of Christ saith the Apostle happy are you for the Spirit of God and of glory resteth upon you On their parts he is evil spoken of but on your parts he is glorified but let none of you suffer as a murtherer or as an evil doer c. We ordinarily call suffering-times evil times now it is the great wisdom of a Christian to make the best of the worst of times that they may suffer with comfort and not lose their Crown in suffering there is no such way to secure this as to suffer in and for doing of our duty Again there is no such way as this to convince or condemn Adversaries who are the Instruments of evil towards you It is our duty as much as may be so to live as to reconcile the world to the ways of God at least so to live as if we cannot win and gain them yet we may shame and condemn them This you shall find the Apostle did who lived in the first and most furious times 1 Pet. 2.13 Having your conversation honest amongst the Gentiles that whereas they speak evil of you as evil doers they may behold your good works and glorifie God in the day of their visitation As there is an error of Opinion and an error of Practice so there is a double way of conviction The first is by Argument as Paul convinced the Jews Acts 18.28 The second is by a contrary Practice The first reacheth the Judgment the second the Conscience Joh. 8.9 They who heard Christ were convicted by their Consciences If by doing good thou doest not convince sinners and reform them thou wilt most certainly condemn them Heb. 11.7 Noah condemned the old world Further yet by this means thou shalt have peace within In the world saith Christ to his Disciples Joh. 16. you shall have trouble but in me you shall have peace we are sure enough in and from the world to meet with trouble it is our great concern to secure our peace within now there is no other way to secure this but to keep a Conscience void of offence both towards God and towards men If a man hath a troublesome Neighbour if yet he hath a quiet Wife he will do well enough he hath peace at home If he lives in wicked and disturbed times yet if he hath a quiet indisturbed Conscience this is something and he will the better graple with his other troubles I say this is the way for a man to keep a quiet Conscience to depart from evil and to do that which is good Finally thus a Christian shall evidence his Faith in God's rewarding him for that man who in an evil day doth evil or neglecteth to do good cannot be said regularly to trust in God because he useth not the means in the use of which he may expect Gods fulfilling his Promise Take heed saith the Apostle that there be not in any of you an evil heart of unbelief to depart from the living God All departing from the living God in an evil day is a certain sign of unbelief or distrust in God as to the issues of his Providence Let me therefore beseech you that fear God and are brought under such a dispensation of this to take care as to this Let not the evil of others be a temptation to you to omit doing good I will yet further open it in a few particulars 1. Be sure you keep close with God in the duties of his Worship It is a sad thing for a state of affliction to drive a man from God God chasteneth his people to make them better In their affliction they will seek me early Hos 5.13 'T is very sad when affliction hath a quite contrary effect upon us when as the Scripture speaks of Ahaz when he was afflicted he did more wickedly So God hath reason to say of any person This is that person who when he was in affliction left prayer reading hearing left his closet-walking with God c. It is a mark of an ill Servant not dutiful Son when he is beaten for his faults not to ask his Fathers blessing but to run out of his doors 2. Be not ashamed nor afraid to appear for the interest of God in evil times St. Paul in the worst of times was not ashamed of the Gospel Our Lord speaketh dreadfully in this case when he telleth us that he who is ashamed of him before men of him he will be ashamed when he cometh with his Angels This is a particular Service every good Christian oweth unto God not to be ashamed of the cause and interest of God in an evil time own thy self a Servant of God when his Name is most blasphemed his truths and ways most disparaged his people most exposed 3. Perform all that duty which thou owest to the worst of men It is a woful error for any Christian to think that he can do no wrong to wicked and ungodly men as if they had no civil rights doubtless the Apostle spake chiefly with relation to Heathens when he commanded the Romans that were Christians to give unto all their dues honour to whom honour c. 4. Do good to them that hate and persecute thee bless them that curse thee It is our Saviours lesson Mat. 5.44 I remember God gave his people a charge Jer. 29.7 To seek the peace of that City whither they were carried captive and to pray unto the Lord for it It was an evil time when they were in Captivity and the Babylonians were very evil persons yet God commandeth his people to pray for them and to seek their peace Let them curse but bless you let them persecute but do you pray Thus David did for his Enemies when they were sick he humbled himself with fasting and with mourning as for his Brother he tells you he lost nothing by it his prayer returned into his own bosom 5. Take heed finally of using any unlawful means to be rid of the evil that is upon you This is a temptation will much molest us in an evil time and to which all our hearts are too too prone this is a pecular evil which a child of God in such a time should study and make it his business to depart from but I shall have occasion to speak more to this under the next head of Duty upon which I shall enlarge as it is contrary to the duty of Patience and the fruit of a Soul making too much haste But I know this is an hard saying we have many temptations to the contrary for a man to do good to others when they are doing evil to and against him this
est Organon according to the subject it worketh in and by our own Spiritual actions we are prepared for the receptions of these Spiritual habits which are not the influxes of the first grace but of further grace and distributed to Souls which have their senses exercised to discern good and evil should God grant out equal measures of this grace unto all there could be no such thing as groweth in grace no such persons as Babes in grace the Kingdom of grace would be like that of glory in which there is no Infant of days nor old men of years and indeed this were enough to have spoken to this case if God did equally dispense out Spiritual strength to those who are of equal standing in the ways of God for though God will give Heaven at last which answereth the Penny in the Parable to him who comes into the Lords Vineyard at the Eleventh hour yet he doth not give equal degrees of peace and strength to those that come in to his Vineyard and work there but one hour with those who have wrought all the heat of the day Grace strengthens by exercise as habits are strengthened and confirmed by frequent acts But yet this is not enough to say in this case for all those that be of equal years and standing in the ways of God are not of an equal faith nor have an equal zeal fervency and intension of affections Nay often Christians of a much younger standing find more Spiritual strength to mortifie their corruptions and perform Spiritual duties than those who have been of many years standing in the ways of God 3. Thirdly Therefore God doubtless doth it many times to punish sin and guilt in his own People either in the neglect of ordinances and duty or some other moral miscarriages Sin doubly infeebleth a Christians Soul 1. As it Naturally deadneth the heart towards God and discourageth its exercises upon him 2. As it provoketh God to withdraw himself Sin is the aversion of the Soul from God and its Conversion and turning to the imbraces of the Creature hence it is impossible that the Soul that delighteth in sin should equally breath after and delight in God as that Soul that hateth sin and is more perfectly turned from it Sin quencheth the Holy fire in the Soul it also discourageth the Soul from its confidence in God and in its addresses to God it makes the conscience fly in a mans face and repeat to him the words of the Psalmist Psal 50. What hast thou to do to declare my Statutes or that thou shouldest take my Covenant in thy mouth seeing thou hatest instruction and castest my law behind thee Or in the Words of the Apostle What fellowship hath light with darkness God with Belial Righteousness with unrighteousness Sin enfeebleth the Soul in all its addresses to God and discourageth it in all it exercises And 2. It provoketh God your iniquities have separated betwixt God and you saith the Prophet and your sins have made him to hide his face from you It was said by a great Commander of Souldiers That he was never afraid to dye but when his conscience smote him for some guilt of sin when the conscience of a Christian reflecteth guilt upon him he is discouraged from exercising any faith and confidence in God and ashamed in the duty of prayer to go unto God There is no Christian but findeth this in his own experience that the conscience of sin doth wonderfully prejudice his Holy boldness in his approaches to the Throne of Grace How weak is thine heart saith the Lord God seeing thou doest all these things the work of an imperious whorish Woman Ezek. 16.30 It is indeed a weakness to sin and weakness to any Spiritual acting is the first fruit of sin in the Soul for what are the Souls exercises upon God but Holy Meditation Faith Hope Spiritual desires delight a fervency zeal or heat of the whole Soul in Gods service Now sin rendring the Soul guilty and defiled how is it possible it should delight in or desire communion with an Holy God exercise any strong Faith and Hope in that God who hath declared his wrath against sinners or care to draw near to God when it apprehendeth God looking upon it afar off with an angry countenance This is another thing which maketh this motion of Divine Providence reasonable that God by it may punish the failings errors and miscarriages of People 4. Fourthly It appeareth reasonable upon the Consideration of the great differences of Christians in their practise of Godliness The promises of strength are made to those that wait upon the Lord for it Psal 27.14 wait on the Lord be of good courage and he shall strengthen thine heart wait I say on the Lord. Isa 40.31 They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings like the Eagles they shall run and not be weary and they shall walk and not faint Now it is true every Child of God waiteth upon the Lord but every one waiteth not alike nor walketh with God to the same degree Experience will tell every Christian that the more strictly and closely and constantly he walketh with God the stronger he groweth in all Duty Infused habits are advantaged by exercise as the fire that kindled the wood for sacrifices upon the Altar first came down from Heaven but then was to be kept alive by the care and labour of the Priests so habits of Spiritual Grace are indeed infused from God yea and must also be mantained by daily influences from God yet with a concurrence also of our own labour in waiting upon God and exercising our selves unto Godliness and the more a Christian doth so exercise himself the more strong he shall grow Job 17.9 The righteous shall hold on in his way and he that hath clean hands shall add strength or as our translation reads it grow stronger and stronger The more a man excelleth in acts of Righteousness the more he groweth in Spiritual strength ordinarily therefore men and women which have most communion with God and walk more closely with him have most strength to Spiritual Duties 5. Christians differences in Knowledge and Experiences of God is one great reason of their differences as to Spiritual strength 1. Their difference in Knowledge our external acts of Piety such as Prayer as to the true and excellent performance of them do depend upon our internal motions towards God as is our Faith our Love our Hope so will our fervency in Spirit in Prayer and the exercises of our Faith or hope or any other grace be for those inward habits are the principles from which our actions flow the powers which in action we exert and put forth Now these inward workings of our Souls do very much depend upon our knowledge It is true they are not the Natural and necessary fruits or consequents of knowledge Knowledge must be sanctified before it will produce any such effects many a
the seventh part of our time which the Fourth Commandement hath consecrated so as those under a different perswasion in this thing are under a necessity of breaking Communion in solemn acts of Worship with all Churches and this is very sad and uncomfortable Study to be rooted and grounded in every Truth though every Proposition of Truth be not of that value as to break Unity and Peace for yet there is not any but is worth searching and inquiring after but if after all you cannot be reconciled to your Brethrens Opinions nor yet reconcile them to yours learn according to the Apostles Precept 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to speak to contend for to hold the Truth in love and to be charitable to those whom you may discern of different perswasions and apprehensions from you God as I have shewed you doth in great wisdom permit these different apprehensions in his people God may have received those that so differ do you receive them because God hath received them Thus I have shewed you how my fore-going Discourse may be useful to you for the improvement of your charity It may also be useful to you for the improvement of your piety and that divers wayes 1. Vse 2 To teach you to adore the divine wisdom in these different dispensations of his providence You cannot understand why God suffereth some of his people to be weak weak in faith weak as to their spiritual habits and exercises you think God might have more glory if they were stronger and their habits were more confirmed which is certainly true as to the actings of those particular persons the more strong any one is in faith the more confirmed he is in the habits of holiness the more undoubtedly that single person would glorifie God but the Government as of particular souls so of the whole Church is upon Christs Shoulders And in the government of his providence he so administreth the affairs of particular souls as he may have the most glory from the whole Besides God ordinarily governs his people not by miraculous operations but by ordinary reasonable means Which two things being supposed Gods infinite wisdom appears in the different sizes and statures of his people in their different states and complexions Every one hath that measure of grace and knowledge which best suiteth the good of the whole Body of his Church which as the body natural hath different members and those of different uses and must be so disposed as shall render them most serviceable one to another and the whole most serviceable to the great design of Gods glory Let us not therefore trouble our selves in disputing the equity and reasonableness of Divine Providence in its motions for though we cannot by searching find out the Almighty unto Perfection yet you see there is no such variety in Gods Dispensations of this nature but a reasonable account may be given of it And as to these Dispensations it will appear at the last that those who have least shares of this hidden manna will have no lack of enough to bring them to Heaven and those who have the greatest portions of it will find they have nothing over 2. But in the second place This Discourse affords a great argument to promote holiness in all our souls The subject of my Discourse hath been not the dispensations of the first grace but Gods further manifestations unto the souls of his people And you have heard it given as one reason of Gods variety in the Dispensations of them That some souls walk more closely with God are more afraid to offend him and more careful to please him than others are For though the soul as to the Reception of the first grace be meerly passive yet as to the receiving of these manifestations in the several degrees of them it is many ways Active All therefore that I have to do is to call upon you to perfect Holiness and to shew you what force there is in this Argument to ingage you to it Holiness is a great General comprehending whatsoever is the Duty of Man pursuant to the Will of God All Duties both to God and Man fall under the Motion of it as well Acts of Righteousness towards Men as Acts of Devotion towards God yea and not Acts onely but even secret Thoughts and those powers and habits of the Soul which are the Principles of such Acts. When I therefore upon this account call upon you to perfect Holiness my meaning is that you should study that perfection of Spirituality and Heavenly Duty which God requires of you but for the sake of those that are weaker and because there are some pieces of Holiness which do more properly and immediately trend towards the reception of these gradual manifestations and the omission of which may in a more peculiar and special manner hinder the reception of them and provoke God to deny them let me open this general in some few particulars 1. First Take heed of all wilful sinning for if we consider the with-drawings of these Divine Influences as punishments of sin as undoubtedly sometimes they are it is hard to say what wilful sinning God may not thus punish Davids sins of Murther and Adultery were acts of unright ousness towards men yet God punished them in this manner as we may gather from his penitential Psalms there is no sort of sin that I know but may for a time separate betwixt God and the Soul and make him to hide his Face from it That Christian therefore that would have these manifestations of God unto him these abidings of the Holy Spirit with him must be Holy in all manner of Conversation having a respect to all Gods Commandements as well those of the second Table as those of the first Conscience may check and reflect sourly upon the soul for any of them and where that doth so reflect and check there will be little Peace and Comfort little Life and Vigour unto duty little Growth and Progress in the Ways of God Herein therefore exercise your selves to keep a Conscience void of offence both towards God and towards men to keep your selves from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit 2. Secondly In a more particular manner take heed of all earthy mindedness 1 Joh. 2.15 Love not the World nor the things of the World if any man love the World the love of the Father is not in him v. 16. For all that is in the World the lust of the Eyes the lust of the Flesh and the pride of Life is not of the Father but is of the World Pleasure Profit Honour is all that the World can afford any man A man given up to the pursuit of pleasure or of worldly profits and advantages or worldly honours and preferments scarce can have any true love for God and the promise of manifestation is made to him that loves God and keeps his Commandments The Apostle telleth us That to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is