watchfulnesse that we fall not into sinne we have lucem essentiae possession and fruition of heaven and of the light of Gods presence and then if we doe by infirmity fall into sinne yet by this denudation of our soules this manifestation of our sinnes to God by confession and to that purpose a gladnesse when we heare our sinne spoken of by the preacher we have lumen gloriae an inchoation of our glorified estate and then an other couple of these lights which we propose to be considered is lumen fidei and lumen naturae the light of faith and the light of nature Of these two lights Faith and Grace first and then Nature and Reason we said something before but never too much be cause contentious spirits have cast such clouds upon both these lights that some have said Nature doth all alone and others that Nature hath nothing to do at all but all is Grace we decline wranglings that tend not to edification we say onely to our present purpose which is the operation of these severall couples of lights that by this light of Faith to him which hath it all that is involved in Prophecies is clear and evident as in a History already done and all that is wrapped up in promises is his own already in performance That man needs not goe so high for his assurance of a Messias and Redeemer as to the first promise made to him in Adam nor for the limitation of the stock and race from whence this Messias should come so far as to the renewing of this promise in Abraham nor for the description of this Messias who he should be and of whom he should be born as to Esaias nor to Micheas for the place nor for the time when he should accomplish all this so far as to Daniel no nor so far as to the Evangelists themselves for the History and the evidence that all this that was to be done in his behalf by the Messias was done 1600. yeares since But he hath a whole Bible and an abundant Library in his own heart and there by this light of Faith which is not onely a knowing but an applying an appropriating of all to thy benefit he hath a better knowledge then all this then either Propheticall or Evangelicall for though both these be irrefragable and infallible proofs of a Messias the Propheticall that he should the Evangelicall that he is come yet both these might but concern others this light of Faith brings him home to thee How sure so ever I be that the world shall never perish by water yet I may be drowned and how sure so ever that the Lamb of God hath taken away the sinnes of the world I may perish without I have this applicatory Faith And as he needs not looke back to Esay nor Abraham nor Adam for the Messias so neither needs he to looke forward He needs not stay in expectation of the Angels Trumpets to awaken the dead he is not put to his usquequo Domine How long Lord wilt thou defer our restitution but he hath already died the death of the righteous which is to die to sinne He hath already had his buriall by being buried with Christ in Baptisme he hath had his Resurrection from sinne his Ascension to holy purposes of amendment of life and his Iudgement that is peace of Conscience sealed unto him and so by this light of applying Faith he hath already apprehended an eternall possession of Gods eternall Kingdome And the other light in this second couple is Lux naturae the light of Nature This though a fainter light directs us to the other Nature to Faith and as by the quantitie in the light of the Moone we know the position and distance of the Sunne how far or how neare the Sunne is to her so by the working of the light of Nature in us we may discern by the measure and virtue and heat of that how near to the other greater light the light of Faith we stand If we finde our naturall faculties rectified so as that that free will which we have in Morall and Civill actions be bent upon the externall duties of Religion as every naturall man may out of the use of that free will come to Church heare the Word preached and believe it to be true we may be sure the other greater light is about us If we be cold in them in actuating in exalting in using our naturall faculties so farre we shall be deprived of all light we shall not see the Invisible God in visible things which Saint Paul makes so inexcusable so unpardonable a thing we shall not see the hand of God in all our worldly crosses nor the seal of God in all our worldly blessings we shall not see the face of God in his House his presence here in the Church nor the mind of God in his Gospell that his gracious purposes upon mankinde extend so particularly or reach so far as to include us I shall heare in the Scripture his Vinite omnes come all and yet I shall thinke thatâ— his eye was not upon me that his eye did not becken me and I shall heare the Deus vult omnes salves that God would save all and yet I shall finde some perverse reason in my selfe why it is not likely that God will save me I am commanded scrutari Scripturas to search the scriptures now that is not to be able to repeat any history of the Bible without booke it is not to ruffle a Bible and upon any word to turne to the Chapter and to the verse but this is exquisit a scrutatio the true searching of the Scriptures to finde all the histories to be examples to me all the prophecies to induce a Saviour for me all the Gospell to apply Christ Jesus to me Turne over all the folds and plaits of thine owne heart and finde there the infirmities and waverings of thine owne faith and an ability to say Lord I beleeve help mine unbeleefe and then though thou have no Bible in thy hand or though thou stand in a dark corner nay though thou canst not reade a letter thou hast searched that Scripture thou hast turned to Marke 9. ver 24 Turne thine eare to God and heare him turning to thee and saying to thy soule I will marry thee to my selfe for ever and thou hast searched that Scripture and turned to Hos. 2. ver 19. Turne to thine owne histery thine owne life and if thou canst reade there that thou hast endeavoured to turne thine ignorance into knowledge and thy knowledge into Practice if thou finde thy selfe to be an example of that rule of Christs If you know these things blessed are you if you do them then thou hast searched that Scripture and turned to Io. 13. ver 14. This is Scrutari Scripturas to Search the Scriptures not as though thou wouldest make a concordance but an application as thou wouldest search a
disarm them he wil infatuate them he wil make them a prey to their enemies take away all true and all imaginary rest too Briefly it is the mark of all men even naturall men Rest for though Tertullian condemn that to call Quietis Magisterium Sapientiam The act of being and living at quiet wisdome therein seeming to exclude all wisdome that conduces not to rest as though there were no wisdome in action and in businesse Though in the person of Epicurus he condemn that and that saying Nemo alii nascitur moriturus sibi It is no reason that any Man should think himselfe born for others since he cannot live to himselfe or to labour for others since himselfe cannot enjoy rest yet Tertullian leaving the Epicures that placed felicity in a stupid and unsociable retiring sayes in his own person and in his own opinion almost as much Vnicum mihi negotium nec aliud curo quam ne curem All that I care for is that I might care for nothing and so even Tertullian in his Christian Philosophy places happinesse in rest Now he speaks not onely of the things of this world they must necessarily be car'd for in their proportion we must not decline the businesses of this life and the offices of society out of an aëry and imaginary affection of rest our principall rest is in the testimony of our Conscience and in doing that which we were sent to doe And to have a Rest and peace in a Conscience of having done that religiously and acceptably to God is our true Rest and this was the rest which the Jewes were to lose in this place the testimony of their consciences that they had perform'd their part their Conditions so that they might rely upon Gods promises of a perpetuall rest in the Land of Canaan and that rest they could not have not that peacefull testimony of their Consciences They could not have that rest no Rest not there not in Canaan which was the highest degree of the misery because they were confident in their term their state in that Land that it should be perpetuall and they were confident in the goodnesse of the Land that it should evermore give them all conveniencies in abundance conducing to all kind of rest for this Land God himself cals by the name of rest and of his rest I sware they should not enter into my rest So that rest was proper to this Land and this Land was proper to them For as St. Augustine notes well though God recover'd this Land for them and reestablish'd miraculously their possession yet they came but in their Remitter and in postliminio the inheritance of that Land was theirs before for Sem the son of Neah was in possession of this Land and the sons of Cham the Canaanites expel'd his race out of it and Abraham of the race of Sem was restor'd unto it again So that as the goodnesse of the Land promis'd rest so the goodnesse of the title promis'd them the Land and yet they might have no rest there They had a better title then that Those often oathes which God had sworne unto them that that land should be theirs forever was their evidence If then that land were Requies Domini the rest of the Lord that is the best and the safest Rest and that land were their land why should they not have that rest here when the Lord had sworne they should Why because he swore the contrary after but will God sweare contrary things why sâ—lus securus jurat qui falliâ—non potest says Saint Augustine onely he can sweare a thing safely that sees all circumstances and foresees all occurrances onely God can sweare safely because nothing can be hid from him God therefore that knew upon what conditions he had taken the first oath and knew againe how contemptuously those conditions were broken he takes knowledge that he had sworne he denies not that but he sweares againe and in his anger I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest Those Men says he which have seen my glory and my Miracles and have tempted me tenne times and not obeyed my voyce certainly they shall not see the land whereof I sware unto their fathers neither shall any that provoke me see it He pleads not Non est factum but he pleads conditions performed he denies not that he swore but he justifies himselfe that he had done as much as he promised for his promise was conditionall The Apostle seemes to assigne but one reason of their exclusion from this Land and from this rest and yet he expresses that one Reason so as that it hath two branches He sayes we see that they could not enter because of unbeleef and yet he asks the question To whom sware he that they should not enter into his Rest but unto them that obeyed not Vnbeleef is assigned for the cause and yet they were shut out for disobedience now if the Apostle make it all one whether want of faith or want of works exclude us from the Land of Rest let not us be too curious enquirers whether faith or works bring us thither for neither faith nor works bring us thither as a full cause but if we consider mediate causes so they may be both causes faith instrumentall works declaratory faith may be as evidence works as the scale of it but the cause is onely the free election of God Nor ever shall we come thither if we leave out either we shall meet as many Men in heaven that have lived without faith as without works This then was the case God had sworne to them an inheritance permanently there but upon condition of their obedience If they had not had a privity in the condition if they had not had a possibility to perform the condition their exclusion might haveseemed unjust and it had been so for though God might justly have forborne the promise yet he could not justly breake the promise if they had kept the conditions therefore he expressed the condition without any disguise at first If thy heart turne away â—â—prâ—nounce unto you this day that you shall surely perishâ— you shall not prolong your dayes in the land And then when those conditions were made and made knowne and made easie and accepted when they so rebelliously broke all conditions his first oath lay not in his way to stop him from the second As I live saith the Lord I will surely bring mine oath that they have broken and my covenant that they have despised upon their head shall they breake my covenant and he delivered says God there God confesses the oath and the covenant to be his covenant and his oath but the breach of the oath and covenant was theirs and not his He expresses his promise to them and his departing from them together in another Propher God says to the Propher Buy thee a girdle bury it in the ground
the breast of one man and is therefore subject to alterations They sacrifice to gods whom they know not says God and those gods new gods too The more suspicious for their newnesse and as it is added there unto gods whom their fathers feared not Men that fall from us whose fathers were of that Religion put themselves into more bondage and slavery to the Court of Rome now then their fathers did to the Church of Rome then They sacrifice to gods whom they know not and whom their fathers feared not so much as they doe But they have corrupted themselves as God charges them farther They are fallen from us whom no example of their fathers led that way fathers have left their former superstition which they were born and bred in and the sonnes which were born and bred in the truth have embraced those superstitions Their spot is not the spot of children so it follows in the same place a weaknesse that might have that excuse that they proceeded out of a reverentiall respect to their fathers and followed their example for their fathers have stood and they are fallen Their spot is not the spot of children And because Kings are pictures of God when they trun upon new gods they turn to new pictures of God too and with a forein Religion invest a forein Allegiance Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians says God and from the Ammonites and from the Amorites and Philistims from a succession of enemies at times and from a league of enemies at once Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods says God there And therefore to that resolution God comes Therefore I will deliver you no more And yet how often did God deliver them after this Ingratitude Idolatry are just causes of Exhaeredation Israel abounded in both these and yet after all these in this Text he cals them Children The Children of Israel and therefore his children God is kinde even to the unthankfull saith christ himself and himself calls Jerusalem The holy City even when she was deâ—iled with many and manifold uncleannesses because she had been holy and had the outward help of holinesse remaining in her still Christ doth not disavow not disinherit those children which gave most just cause of exheredation much lesse doth he justify by his example finall and totall disinheriting of children occasioned by single and small faults in the children and grounded in the Parents upon sudden and passionate and intemperate and imaginary vowes They have vowed to doe it therefore they will doe it for so they put a pretext of Religion upon their impiety and make God accessary to that which he dislikes and upon colour of a vow doe that which is far from a service to God as the performance of every lawfull and discreet vow is God calls them his Children which is one and then though as a Father he correct them yet he shewes them his face in that correction which is another beam of his mercy He calls their calamity their affliction Not a night but a day many dayes shall the children of Israel suffer this We finde these two words often joyned together in the Scriptures Dies visitationis The day of visitation though as it is a visitation it be a sad a dark contemplation yet as it is a day it hath alwayes a cheerfulnesse in it If it were called a night I might be afraid that this night They I am not told who would fetch away my soul but being a day I have assurance that the Sunne the Sunne of Righteousnesse will arise to me At the light of thine Arrowes they went forward saith the Prophet Habakkuk Though they be Arrowes yet they are Torches too though they burn yet they give light too though God shoot his Arrowes at me even by them I shall have light enough to see that it is God that shoots As there is a heavy commination in that of Amos I will cause the Sunne to goe down at noone and I will darken the earth in clear day so is there a gracious promise and a constant practise in God That he will as he hath done command light of darknesse and inable thee to see a clear day by his presence in the darkest night of tribulation For truly such a sense I think belongs to those words in Hosea That when God had said The dayes of visitation are come the dayes of recompence are come God adds that as an aggravating of the calamitie yea woe also to them when I depart from them as though the oppression of the affliction the peremptorinesse of the affliction were not in the affliction it self hut in Gods departing from them when he afflicted them they should be visited but see no day in their visitations afflicted from God but see no light from him receive no consolation in him In this place we take it for the exaltation of your devotion as a particular beam of his mercy That though the Children of Israel were afflicted many dayes yet still he affords them the name of Children and still their darke and cloudy dayes were accompanied with the light and presence of God still they felt the Hand of God under them the Face of God upon them the Heart of God towards them Those then which have this filiation God doth not easily disinherit because they were his Children after unnaturall disobediencies he avowes them and continues that name to them But yet this must not imprint a security a presumption for even the children here are submitted to heavie and dangerous calamities when Christ himselfe saith The children of the kingdome shall be cast into utter darknesse who can promise himselfe a perpetuall or unconditioned station we have in the Scriptures two especiall Types of the Church Paradise and the Arke But in that Type the Arke we are principally instructed what the Church in generall shall doe and in that in Paradise what particular men in the Church should do For we doe not reade that in the Arke Noah or his company did waigh any anchor hoyst any saile ship any oare steare any rudder but the Arke by the providence of God who onely was Pilot rode safe upon the face of the waters The Church it selfe figured by the Arke cannot shipwrack though men sleep though the Devill wake The gates of Hell shall not prevail against the Church But in the other Type of the Church where every man is instructed in his particular duty therein Paradise Adam himself was commanded to dresse Paradise and to keep Paradise And when he did not that which he was injoyned to doe in that place he forfeited his interest in it and his benefit by it Though we be born and bred in Gods house as Children Baptized and Catechized in the true Church if we slacken our holy industry in making fare our salvation we though Children of the Kingdome may becast out and all our former helps and our