says a sinner must dye but what saith Paul He loved me and give himself for me out of love he made his Soul an offering for sin and now who shall condemn by which it appears that the power of his love to work out Salvation is beyond the power of sin to Destroy 2. The love of Christ towards the vessels of Mercy did abound beyond self-love The Law is to love our Neighbour as our selves Christ did more When Peter said Master pity thy self he was so great an offence to him that he calls him Satan He pitied Souls to be saved more than his Body and loved their lives even to his own Death And if the Jews had ground to say when he wept over Lazarus behold how he loved him much greater cause is there to say when Christ dyed for sinners behold how he loved them If the sheding of tears was so great a demonstration of his love what was this that he yielded his Blood should be shed 3. It abounds beyond all the wants and weaknesses of Saints It is not exhausted by what he hath done for them or bestowed on them as he hath the Residue of the Spirit so the Residue of Love and Grace even the fullness of it so as he accounted no suffering too great to undergo for them so no good thing too great to give them Heaven a Kingdom the fullness of Joy Holyness Light and Grace is not too much for his love to bestow we cannot have less to make us happy and 't is not more then his love can make us partakers of 2. The love of Christ is an abiding love he loves with an everlasting love here 's a love not to be quench'd with many waters which no floods of either Human or Diabolical or Divine wrath could Drown Having loved his own he loved them to the end John 13.1 that is the finishing of that work he had to do for them in the World and will to the end of his Mediatory work till he hath brought up all the Saints to the measure of the stature of his own fullness and when his love shall have brought him to this glorious end of his work in perfecting all the Saints and presenting them to the Father who shall be all in all and he shall have thus loved them to the end then he shall love them without end The Saints have then ground to comfort themselves with the abiding love of Christ If the World pass away if Riches come to nought c. yet the love of Christ doth not pass away and when there is so constant a hatred from the World and such abiding malice against the followers of Christ in evil men and evil Angels there is an abiding love of Christ to comfort them 3. The love of Christ was once a love fulfilling the Law and now is a love fufilling the Gospel it was once a love fulfilling Precepts and now is a love fulfilling Promises Rom. 13.10 Love is the fulfilling of the Law such was the love of Christ love brought him that was Lord of the Law under the Law and carried him through it even to perfect obedience â—is love made him say it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness and by this there is Reconciliation and Peace with God and as it was once the fulfilling of the Law so now of the Gospel All the Promises are yea and Amen in Christ's love When Saints are unworthy of the good of the Promises the love of Christ will bestow it on them There are Promises of not remembring sin of giving Grace and Glory and every good thing of putting the Law in the mind of turning all to good of saving out of all troubles and love will fullfil them all the Gospel is the Testament and Will of Christ and there must be the Death of the Testator that the Will may be of force Now here we may take notice of this truth Christ dyed that his will may be of force and lives again to the Executor of his own will and his love is the fulfilling of it hence Christ promiseth to his Disciples I will not leave you Orphans I will come to you John 14.18 Christ being dead they were Orphans c. but happy were it for many poor Orphans if their Fatheâ—s could come again and set all things right and see that every Child should have his portion now although this cannot be yet it was so with Christ He arose from Death and will be the Executor of his own Will and hence he is called the everlasting Father having a Fatherly love and regard to all the Saints which is everlasting and which will perfect that which concerns them Saints are the travel of Christ's Soul and he must see the travel of his Soul Isa 53.11 Rachel said give me Children or else I dye Christ said let me dye that so I may have Children Rachel dyed in travel and did not live to see of her travel Christ dyed in his travel with the vessels of Mercy and lives again to see of the travel of his Soul Every Saint at first was a Benoni a Son of Christ's sorrow in that he dyed in bringing them forth but afterwards a Benjamin a Son of his right hand he being alive for ever more and is ever seeing them to his satisfaction and they shall see him for ever to their satisfaction and living again he will see that they be partakers of that Grace and Glory that he bequeathed to them 4. The Love of Christ is such that when it finds not its Object lovely it can and doth make it lovely Christ found Mary Magdalen a sinful Woman and so not lovely but made her lovely in converting her Paul was an Enemy to Christ but he converted him his love made him lovely it made him a Believer a Saint a faithful Servant unto him This is set forth in Ezek. 16. Thou wast polluted in thy Blood I passed by thee and thy time was the time of love and love made them lovely I spread my skirts over thee I washed and clothed thee and decked thee with ornaments and thy beauty and renown was perfect through my comeliness put upon thee If we have cause to say as Isaiah wo is me a man of unclean lips If we abhor our selves and repent we may take comfort in this Christ doth not abhor but his love doth make us lovely 5. The love of Christ turns all evil things to good life death things present things to come all are yours the love of Christ makes them so and gives an advantagious and profitable propriety in them and makes even Reproaches for Christ's sake Riches and better then the Treasures of Egypt Heb. 11.26 Riches are things of worth so are Reproaches for Christ The Apostles rejoyced that they were accounted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Christ And better then Riches 1. In that God doth not esteem any man's wealth nor him for his wealth's sake will he esteem thy wealth Job 36.19
lowest and meanest Prudence orders the way and means foâ— bringing about that which Wisdom judgeth best to bâ— dâ—ne Prudence is the Guide of Action and s conversant in doing Wisdom counsels and consider Prudence puts upon working that which counsel determines He worketh all things after the counsel of his own will Eph. 1.11 Wisdom is conversant in counsel Prudence in working after that counsel Many men have a great measure of Wisdom and knowledge but they rest in knowing and content themselves in Speculation there is mention of a Servant who knew his Master's will and did it not His Wisdom did not dwell with Prudence he that knoweth to do good and doth it not to him it is sin 't is not so with Christ his Wisdom dwells with Prudence nay he is Wisdom c. Prov. 8.14 As he knows how to do good so he doth it He knows how to convince gain-sayers he knows how to Justifie Sanctifie and Save and how to subdue and destroy his Enemies The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand Thus Wisdom dwells with Prudence and finds out knowledge of witty Inventions The Scripture discovers many of the witty Inventions of Wisdom dwelling with Prudence foretelling and promising more 1. What a wise Invention was the World the Heavens the Earth and all the Host of them These Works of the Lord are great and to be sought out when we consider the Heavens the work of God's hand the Moon and the Stars which he hath created the Earth and variety of Creatures therein but especially man in the frame of his Body but chiefly his Soul There will be abundant cause of admiring the witty inventions of Wisdom dwelling with Prudence and we may say of all they are fearfully and wonderfully made 2. When man was fallen by the subtil inventions of Satan what a witty Invention came forth of Wisdom dwelling with Prudence to recover man fallen The Seed of the Woman shall break the Serpents head Gen. 3.15 3. When the World was to be destroyed by a Flood what a witty invention was there of Wisdom dwelling with Prudence to save Noah and his Family and a stock of all living creatures in the Ark 1 Pet. 3.20 4. When Joseph's Brethren had their witty inventions to make void his Dreams then wisdom dwelling with Prudence had its witty inventions to accomplish them and herein to be admired that their wicked inventions intended by them to frustrate were made the means to further the fulfilling of them Gen. 50 2â— 5. When Pharaoh thought he saw an advantage against the Israelites they are intangled in the Land the Wilderness hath shut them in and now he resolves to pursue and overtake c. But what a witty invention was there of Wisdom dwelling with Prudence for the Salvation of Israel and utter destruction of Pharaoh and his Host at once by the same invention Exod. 14. 6. When Haman had a mischievous invention to destroy the Jews Wisdom dwelling with Prudence had a witty invention to save them and to cut off Haman Esther 6.7 7. There was a witty invention to cut off those three Shadrach Meshach and Abednego by setting up an Image and commanding them to worship it and because they would not worship it they were cast into the fiery Furnace but then Wisdom dwelling with Prudence that is the Son of God appeared in the Furnace and walked with them in the midst of the Fire restraining it that it had not power upon their Bodies or Garments only as we may conceive it did burn up their Bonds for they were cast in in Bonds but walked loose which is worthy of our Observation in that it hints to us God's great design in the fiery Trial at any time happening to the Saints which is to burn up their bonds Lusts within are Bonds these will the Lord consume by the fiery Trial and too often outward things as Riches Glory Prosperity are like the hands of the whorish Woman that is bonds to the Soul which sometimes are loosed by the fiery Trial and what is Death to Saints but the loosing of the bonds of the mortal body that so the Soul may go to its rest Hence Paul â—ays Phil. 1.23 I desire to be dissâ—lved to be unbound to be let loose and to be with Christ which is much better And the design of destâ—oying Daniel in the Dâ—n of Lions was frustrated and ended in the destruction of the contrivers Here we may see 1. That there are Inventions within Inventions of Wisdom dwelling with Prudence within Satans and wicked men's inventions 2. The inventions within that is of Christ are the standing inventions Many are the devices of men's hearts saith Solomon but the counsel of the L rd shall stand Christ's inventions do oveâ—-rule and over come all Satan's and wicked men's inâ—entions As 1. Sometimes making them prove abortive destroying the Wisdom of the Wife and bringing to nothing the understanding of the Prudent 2 Setting them their bounds thus far shâ—ll â—hey come and no farther and here shall theiâ— pâ—oud waves be stayed c. 3. Giving them their tendency which is many times directly contrary to what men aim at making them serve to the Author's destruction men have perished and will perish by their own inventions and fall by their own counsel the Lord will be known by his Judgments herein and his Wisdom must triumph over all the Wisdom of Hell and the World But 1. Of all the witty inventions of Wisdom dwelling with Prudence the most Glorious is that of the Word being made Flesh and so made sin that sinners may be made the Righteousness of God in him Satan had a Subtile invention to destroy the the Lord a more witty invention to save men what an invention was here that one Person should be God-man Creator and Creature Off-spring of David and Root of David his Son and yet his Lord The Salvation of Sinners seemed utterly impossible God had said a sinner must dye There was an invention of fulfilling this Law upon a Surety which undertook for man As an Infinite Person was offended so there must be an infinite satisfaction and price of an infinite value without which man could not be reconciled to God what a glorious invention was here The Surety undertaking this was an infinite Person equal with the Father he gave a life of an Infinite Value he had in the humane nature united to him A Body hast thou prepared me It was the Body of the Son of God and so a Sacrifice of Infinite Value the Priest offering the Sacrifice was infinite the Son of God the Altar Sanctifying the Gift was the Divine Nature What an invention was it for the redeeming of lost man The Incarnation of Christ the Hypostatical union was the chief of the witty inventions of Wisdom dwelling with Prudence 2. The next is the mystical union betwixt Christ and the Vessels of Mercy who are joyned to the Lord and become one Spirit with him being
your hearts c. the refusing to hearken will harden your hearts against Christ there is no other name given whereby you may be saved neither is there Salvation in any other Act. 4.12 look whether you will there is no Salvation you may look to the World you may look to your Riches Lands c. but there 's no Salvation in them so then say to your selves that its vain for me to say to my Soul sit down here in Christ alone is Salvation to be had then look to him say that it 's good to be here here I will dwell this shall be my rest for ever I 'll commit my Soul to him who is able to keep what I shall commit to him against that day Christ in you the hope of Glory Christ formed in you Christ revealed to you Christ appearing with his Blood in the heart as well as in Heaven Christ sheding abroad his Love Christ believed on Christ judged worthy of Glory c. most worthy of Love and Obedience Christ esteemed as the chiefest of Ten Thousands as altogether lovely Christ being thus in the Heart is the hope of Glory in that Heart and assurance of Salvation in that Heart when the Sun of Righteousness thus shines into your Hearts then you shall see Salvation sure 'T is not the performance of Duties praying with fervency hearing with delight and abstaining from this or that Sin that is a sure ground of assurance of Salvation any Duty and Grace if there be a beam of Christ that you see derived from Christ the Sun of Righteousness coming from him and tending to him may afford some light towards assurance but then is full assurance when Christ the Sun of Righteousness shines in the Soul God shines in the Face of Christ and sheds abroad his Love in the Heart by Jesus Christ 2. Consider the properties of true assurance of Salvation and the concomitants c. 1. The more assurance of Salvation there is the more Purity true assurance is purifying The more you dwell in the love of God the more will you labour to be like unto God and the more will you abhor impurity and the more will you follow after holiness Assurance will not make licentious dwelling in love and walking in your Lusts hopes of Glory and conforming to the courses of the World a looking for new Heavens and a new Earth wherein Righteousness dwells and not a putting off the old Conversation these will not consist together He that hath this Hope purifies himself even as he is pure 1 Joh. 3.3 Seeing we look for such things be diligent that we may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless 2. It makes fruitful in good works the abounding of the Love of God in the heart will cause an abounding in the work of the Lord it will constrain you to serve the Lord and to live to him 3. The more Assurance the more heavenly mindedness our conversation is in Heaven whence we look for a Saviour when Heaven is sure the mind will be most in Heaven If there is your hope there will be your hearts This will make you willing to leave all these things here below this will make you sojourners here in the World By Faith Abâ—aham sojourned â—n the Land of Promise as in a strange Land If you look for a City that hath Foundations then will you be strangers and Pilgrims on the Earth 4. An earnest desire of Christ's appearing Where there is true Assurance a Man shall say to be with Christ is much better Let my beloved be like a Roe on the Mountains of Spices let him make haste to come let him come quickly When there 's a taste of the Love of God the Soul would have it fully When God shines into the hearts in some beams of his Glory the heart would know him perfectly and enjoy him fully That heart that enjoys Assurance of everlasting Love would have an everlasting and uninterrupted sense of that Love That Soul that sees its self above danger of wrath and loss of Love would be above danger of the with-drawings of Love That Soul that is Assured of Eternity of Love would be in such a condition as not to be subject to any moments displeasure in regard of the hidings of God's face 3. Take heed you give not the Right Hand of fellowship to the Enemies of Assurance As 1. Do not love darkness and hate light there 's no greater Enemy to the Assurance of your Salvation then this This is thâ— most direct way you can take to make your reprobation your damnation sure This is the condemnation this makes condemnation sure that light is come into the World and men love darkness rather than light John 2.19 Do not shut your Eyes from beholding the things of your Peâ—ce How should you be assured of your Salvation if you now shut your eyes from Salvation that is spoken to you c. or if you refuse him in whom Salvation is to be found and no other Rom. 1.28 Because they liked not to retain God in their Knowledge God gave them up to a reprobate mind c. 2. Be not enslaved to the World to the Riches and to the Pleasures of it this will hinder you from desiring or seeking Salvation to be made sure The Love of Money is the Root of all Evil which while some have coveted after have erred concerning the Faith to deny the Faith to keep Richeâ— this is a great cause of Mens erring so dangerously concerning their Souls that they do not provide better for them that they study not the good of them because their Hearts are so much glued to the World 3. Let not Sin reign in your Mortal Bodies that you should obey it in the Lusts thereof so long as Sin â—â—igns you are in danger of Death for Sin reigned unto Death and you cannot say you are under Grace for that Spirit that speaks peace to a Sinner proclaims war against his Sin that Spirit that sheds abroad the love of God in the Heart will lust against the Flesh that Spirit that brings Chyist into the Heart as the hope of Glory will write the Law of Christ in the heart and cause a walking in newness of Life 4. Take heed of grieving and quenching the Spirit the Spirit strives in the preaching of the Gospel as with the men of the Old World Noah was a Preacher of the Righteousness of Faith Assurance is a Grace of the Spirit a Gift of the Spirit and if you resist the Spirit the Spirit will not witness with you that you are the Children of God but against you that you are Enemies to God 2. Be not Enemies to the dominion of the Lord Jesus Christ's Kingdom of Light Assurance is a Priviledge of his Kingdom and of those that belong to it When you can see your selves translated out of the Kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Christ then happy are you then you are past all danger of
grace offered unto them they out of hardnesâ— and unbelief in refusing are made the more inexcusable their Mouths are stopped not only by the Law but the Gospel and the Justice of God is more glorified in their Condemnation This is the Condemnation that Light is come into the World c. Objeâ—tion Why is unbelief and not laying hold on Grace charged on Men as their Sin if they have not free will and power of themselves to consent to the taking of Christ Answer Unbelief is never the less sin for that a Man hath not power to believe As transgressing the Law is never less sin because a Man hath not power to keep the Law because Man had once power given him 't was given him in Adam and lost in Adam who was the Head of all Men and representatively every Man There is the more of Divine Grace seen in giving Faith to any and nevertheless of sin in any to refuse it As 't is Man's sin that he doth not believe so 't is Man's sin that he cannot believe Sin caused the Impotency and Impossibility of believing so Impotency and Impossibility doth not make unbelief no sin Sect. 20. Use 1. Of Instruction God works to will and to do the will of the Creature is determined by God to this or that to will good to consent to embrace Christ and things that please him Now if the will of the Creature be determined by God Then 1. The will of God is not determined by the Creatures God works in a Creature a will and consent to be saved by Christ so the Creatures willing and embracing Salvation doth not work a will in God to save him as the Apostle says We love God because he first loved us 1. Joh. 4.10 The love of the Creature is not the cause of the love in God but the love of God is the cause of love in the Creature so Man wills because God wills and works to will God doth not so will the Salvation of Man because Man wills it There 's an Opinion abroad that advances the Creature and the power of Nature to embrace good offer'd and that makes the will of God in relation to Salvation wholy dependent on the will of Man and determin'd by it They say God wills Salvation to all alike and is not determined to this or that Man but by the right use of free will This day if Man's will consents to take Christ c. then God wills his Salvation To morrow if he be off from willing what he did before then God is off from willing his Salvation And thus God's will is not the first mover and cause of things but Man's will This is overthrown by this Text God determines the will of Man Iâ— it be determined by God to will the embracing of Christ this is of God God works Man to will so Man doth not work God to will because God wills it he makes the Creature to will it For further clearing it Consider Consid 1. God wills the Salvation of some but not of all the Gospel says 1 Tim. 2.4 God will have all to be saved But this is meant of some of all sorts not of all of all sorts and God wills it that is calls on all Men to receive the knowledge of the Truth invites all to come to Christ so he wills it with his offering will but not with his ordaining will That thus appears Esau was a Person God never did will to save For before they had done either good or evil that the purpose of God might stand God said the Elder shall serve the Younger Jacob have I chosen Esau have I hated Rom. 9.11 There is Election of God What is that A chusing of one that implies a passing by of another If there be any such thing as Election from Eternity which the Scripture so often speaks off then God doth not will the Salvation of all Consideration 2. The will and decree of God in relation to Man's Salvation is absolute and peremptory 1. In respect of any cause without God no foresight of Faith or of what the Creature will do if it be placed in such a condition and Grace be offered to it Rom. 9.5 He saith to Moses I will shew Mercy to whom I will shew Mercy 'T is not of him that willeth but of God that sheweth Mercy Man's will is not the cause of God's will to shew Mercy 2. Absolute without alteration the foundation of the Lord standeth sure c. 2 Tim. 2.19 Rom. 8.30 Whom he predâ—stinated them he called and whom he â—alled them he justified c. The immutability of his Councel c. Heb. 6 18. Consid 3. Christ was given to dye for such as are ordain'd to life It 's true as in Adam all dye so in Christ all are made alive Rom. 5. It doth not follow that Christ died for every Man Hence if any will conclude that Christ died for every Man it may be as well concluded that every Man shall be actually saved but that 's clear against Scripture For 1. Christ shall save all that he died for For this is the will of him that sent me of all that he hath given me I should not loose nothing but raise it up at the last day Joh. 6.39 But all are not saved so Christ died not for all 2 Christ did not pray for all so did not die for all Joh. 17.9 19. For their sake I sanctify my self that is sacrifice my self For whose sake For the Men thou hast given me out of the World verse 6. Consid 4. God in due time works in their Hearts a consent and will to take Christ for a Saviour whom he did will to save by Christ As many as were ordain'd to Eternal Life believed Act. 13.48 God was willing to shew to the Heirs of Salvation c. Heb. 6.18 God makes Heirs of Salvation his will to save them makes them Heirs And God shews to them his will and counsel and the immutability of it and then God makes willing None can come except the Father draws and it follows they shall be all taught of God Joh. 6.45 All are drawn and made willing that are ordained to Eternal Life So that God's will is the cause of the Creatures will and not the Creatures the cause of God's God's free will is the cause of Salvation and not Man's free will Use 2. Of Consolation To such as do will to be saved by Christ and to take him as he is offered in the Gospel herein you may see a saving work of God on their Souls or God in their Hearts working them to will 1. If your will he to embrace Christ and close in fully with the Gospel Promises then you may reâ—d the will of God to save you the will of God in giving Christ for you this is an evidence of God's will for good God by this writes a Book of Life in your Hearts in which you may read your Names read the Eteâ—nal
flowing in till there be fullness and then they never flee away concerning Babylon's wealth the cry will be Alas alas in one hour so great Riches are come to nought Rev. 18.16.17 but Sion's Riches never came to nought being the durable Riches Prov. 8.18 2. They many times hinder Mens entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven 't is hard for â— Rich Man to enter thither because Riches are loved more than that Kingdom but being rich in Christ and having Vertue and Knowledge Temporance and Godliness added to Faith so you may know that Entrance shall be administred abundantly into the Everlasting Kingdom of Christ 2. Pet. 1.8 11. 3. The love of Money is the Root of all Evill a Root bearing Gall and Wormwood as Lying Deceit Violence Apostacy Pride c. on the other side the love of Christ's Riches will be a Root out of which much good will grow as Obedience Zeal of following Christ Boldness to Confess him a heavenly Conversation with contentment with food convenient as the love of Money is the Root of Sin so of piercing Sorrow and distracting Cares but the love of Christ's Riches will be a Root out of which much Peace and Joy will grow even that Peace which passeth Understanding and Joy unspeakable and full of Glory 2. Let those that are partakers of Christ's Riches take these Instructions 1. Be poor in Spirit when you are rich in Christ being rich in the Spirit of Christ given you be poor in your own Spirits Paul said in nothing came I behind the very chiefest Apostles though I be nothing 2 Cor. 12.11 whatever I have now there was a time when I had nothing and was nothing I see now but I was blind I am Righteous now but I was a Sinner and by the Grace of God I am that I am 1 Cor. 15.10 I have no Sufficiency of my self but his Grace is sufficient for me thus be poor in Spirit then you are blessed for yours is the Kingdom of God Math. 5.3 blessed are those that are thus poor in Spirit for they are rich blessed are they that are empty for they are full blessed are they that are thus nothing in Christ they have all 2. Know that it is by your Faith you are Rich Jam. 2.5 rich in Faith Faith seeing Christ Faith receiving Christ and staying upon him makes Rich. Thou standest thou livest thou lovest thou followest Christ by Faith therefore be not high minded but fear be not low minded but believe 3. Such as are rich in Christ should be rich towards Christ 1 Tim. 6.17 18. Charge them that are rich in this World that they be rich in good works much more should those that are rich in Christ be rich in good works abounding in the work of the Lord. 1 Cor. 15 58. 6. 20. 4. Prize the Riches of Grace as well as the Riches of Glory Isa 33.6 the fear of the Lord is his treasure as the fear of the Lord and zeal of worshiping God was that which brought so much treasure to Hezekiah and filled his Treasures with precious things so the Worship and Service of God was esteemed by him as a great Treasure the Treasures of Grace which he had in his Heart were better than the house of his precious things he is a sound Christian that looks on the favour of God and the fear of God as his Treasure 5. Communicate of your Riches As the Ministration of the Spirit so the Riches of Christ are given to profit withal and we should be good Stewards of them in trusting as we are intrusted comforting as we are comforted when Christ gives his Riches he gives his Charge with them Occupy till I come Luk. 19.13 with 1 Pet. 4.10 6. Honour the Lord with your earthly Riches feed Christ hungry and cloath Christ naked we may argue as the Apostle 1 Cor. 9.11 If we have sown Spirituals is it a great matter if we reap your Carnal things If Christ sows his Heavenly Spiritual Incorruptible Riches is it a great matter for him to reap our Carnal make you Friends of the Mammon of Vnrighteousness Covetuos Men look on Mammon as their best Friend Saints should not do so but make themselves Friends with it Not Christ we can't make him our Friend by our Riches Believe come to him Reverence him and so he will be our Friend our Riches cannot purchase his Friendship but make the Saints our Friends do good to the Houshold of Faith and then when these fail they shall receive you with Joy and consecrate your Gain to the Lord If Men have not a heart to it themselves the Lord will do it for them Mich. 4.13 I will consecrate their Gain to the Lord c. when covetous Men make a God of their Wealth Saints should Honour God with it 2 Sam. 1.21 Ye Mountains of Gilboa let their be no Rain nor Dew nor Fields of Offerings the Fields of Canaan were Fields of Offerings of the Fruits of them were made Offerings to the Lord so shâ—â—ld the Fields of Saints be Fields of Offâ—rings tâ—eir Riches the Riches of Offerings and 〈◊〉 â—hat is in the hands of wicked Men is the Mammon of Unrighteousness but shall in the handâ— of Saints be the Riches of Righteousnesâ— 3. Comfort to such as have Christ and his Riches with him Those tâ—at have theâ—â— Portion only in this life and enjoy their good things here hereafter mâ—y have torment and as Jam. 4.1 Go too now ye Rich Men weep and howl for the Miseries that are to come upon you But go too now ye Sainâ—s that are so much scorned and contemned in the World so much persecuted c. rejoyce and be exceeding glad great are your Riches â—n Christ much have you received mo e is laid up for you great is your reward on Earth but far greater in Heaven If you are of the Poor of the World you are rich in Christ if you loose outward Riches for Chrâ—st's sake you have an hundred fold and in the World to come Everlasting Life and the fulness of heavenly Riches In every State you may know how to want and how to abound having Food and Rayment you may very well be content and account Food convenient as all Phil. 4.18 I have all and abâ—und having received of Epaphroditus the things sent from you what an Excellent frame of Spirit was there and most worthy of our Imitation and what cause is there to rejoyce in filling up that which is behind of the Sufferings of Christ as Paul did Coll. 1.24 seeing Christ is filling up that which is behind of our Grace and Glory and is the Lord Proving and Trying you as Silver is tried doth he bring you into a Net and lay Afflictions upon your Loins doth he at any time cause Men to ride over your Heads what is the Issue of all Psa 66.12 Thou ledd'st us through fire and Water and brought'st us out into a wealthy Place Heaven is the wealthy place thither at
last must their Souls be brought The Kingdom of Christ is the wealthy Place Into that the Church at last shall be brought The Israelites had great Afflictions in Egypt and were led through the Water of the Red Sea and through Fire afterwards the burning at Taberah the stinging of the fiery Serpents and at last were brought into Canaan the wealthy Place were they enjoyed Vineyards they planted not Houses they built not so the Church is under hard bondage in Egypt Spiritually so called and that may have great Tryals in the Wilderness but at last it must enter into that Rest that remains and that wealthy place prepared for it or moist well watered Land as the words import or into a Refreshing as the Greek hath it Suitable to this the Apostle speaks Of times of refreshing from the presenee of the Lord Act. 3.19 After these sore afflicting times under the Reign of that Man of Sin shall be times of most sweet and abundant refreshing from the presence of the Lord when he shall consume Antichrist with the Spirit of his Mouth and destroy him by the brightness of his coming and so make the Kingdoms of the World his own Kingdom 4. See that you have a true right to those true Riches you must have Christ that you may have his Riches he that hath the Son hath life 1 Joh. 5.12 he that hath Christ hath his Riches you must be in Covenant have the Lord for your God be his People and all is yours ye are Christ's 1 Cor. 3.22 23. you must have Christ as Saviour and Lord and Christ must have you to be his Servants and Followers to be his Spouse and Members do not content your selves with a Thought and Opinion that his Riches are yours but see that it be so indeed Laodicea thought her self to be Rich but was Poor as worldly Mens inward thoughts are as Psa 49.11 that their Houses shall continue and so the inward thoughts of some are that they have an Interest in the Riches of Christ when they are none of theirs as he that getteth Riches and not by right shall leave them in the midst of his Days and in the end shall be a Fool Jer. 17.11 So he that thinks he hath Christ's Riches and hath them not indeed in the end shall be a Fool Math. 13.12 From him that hath not shall be taken away that which he hath he that hath a Name and not the thing a Name to live to be rich in having Christ and is dead and without Christ indeed shall have his Name taken away He that hath a form of Godliness and not the Power shall have the form taken away He that hath Gifts and not Grace shall have his Gifts taken from him he that hath a Lamp and not Oyle shall have his Lamp taken from him as 't is said concerning Judas his Bishoprick let another take it but on the other side to him that hath shall be given He that indeed is partaker of the Unsearchable Riches of Christ shall then have them more yea more abundantly The End of the First Discourse THE SECOND DISCOURSE OF Knowing CHRIST Crucified 1. CORINTHIANS ij.ij. For I determined not to know any thing among you save Jesus Christ and him Crucified THere were two sorts of men that took offence at Paul's Preaching Jews and Greeks as appears in Chap. 1.22 1. Jews The Preaching of Christ Crucified was to them a stumbling block they dreamt that the Messiah should abide always John 12. â—4 and never die or be crucified they expected a Messiah that should restore the Kingdom to Israel and that which was to be understood mainly in a Spiritual sense they understood carnally of outward and mundane Peace and Glory They that had such high and large expectations of temporal felicity would not believe in a Crucified Messias that Life Salvation Eternal Glory and an everlasting Kingdom should spring from a Cross from a cursed death upon it their vailed understandings and carnal hearts could not be perswaded of They expected likewise some visible convincing Sign to Evidence to all the World that he was the Messias without which they will not believe Chap. 1.2 The Jews require a Sign 2. Greeks who were Philosophers Disputers of this World had wise and subtil heads these Greeks seek after Wisdom they apprehended there was no wisdom in Paul's Preaching Chrâ—st Crucified 1. Because he did not speak Reason they deemed it commendable wisdom to deny assent to that which was not made apparent by Arguments clearing it to Mens Reason Paul Preached naked Truths only upon the Testimony and Authority of God Now as Thomas would not believe unless he did feel so will not these Greeks unless these Truths be evidenced to Reason The Jews seek after a Sign the Greeks after a Convincing Reason The Jew will have it made evident to his Sense by a Miracle the Greek by a sound Argument to his Reason that Christ Crucified is the Saviour of the World so Natural Reason and Carnal Wisdom is made the rule and standard for the proof and trial of Divine Truths 2. They dislike his manner of Preaching 't was not sufficiently adorn'd with Wit and Eloquence the Truths that he Preached were not set before them in a comely dress they conceived both wisdom of Matter and wisdom of words to be wanting Truths of God Soul saving Truths are rejected because they were not delivered in enticing words of Man's Wisdom here 's the ground of the Offence To these groundless grounds of Offence the Apostle replies by urging his Commission given by Christ his Practice grounded on and conformed to that Commission and the Reasons why such a Commission was given him 1. He shews his Commission Chap. 1.17 Christ sent me not to Baptize but to Preach not with wisdom of words c. not to Baptize c that is this was not my principal work that he set me about but to Preach which is the greater and more noble work Verbum est vis Sacramenti Preaching is the means to beget Life Sacraments do but seal and confirm what is begotten the Church may sometimes subsist without the Administration of Sacraments for a time as the Jews in the Wilderness but not without the Preaching of the word though Hypocrites are of a contrary mind herein if they have Sacraments administred and their ordinary Service kept up no matter how little preaching there be but says Paul Christ sent me not to Baptize that is to Baptize and not to Preach or to Baptize as my chief and principal work but to Preach and that not with wisdom of Words His Commission was not to go and preach wisdom of words or to go in the strength of natural Wisdom or rational Arguments to convince their Judgments or with enticing words of mans wisdom with well-set Sentences and Eloquent Phrases to move their Affections but declare plain and naked Truths set Christ Jesus before them as Crucified urge the Testimony and Authority