of free grace deepe wisedome in God must bee more then halfe play-maker here and in this redeeme the lost world The Chaldeans spoyle Job and plunder him Satan maketh him an empty house and a childelesse father mercy commeth up in the Theater and free Grace maketh Job an illustrious and faire copy of patience and faith to all ages Achitophel did as many now with our King doth hee gave wicked counsell against the Lords servant and a just cause divine justice cometh in in the game and Achitophel hangeth himselfe The use of this shall answer two questions 1. Why doth God suffer sinne to be and so much sinne in England and Ireland 2. Why doth hee suffer his people in Covenant with him to bee a land of bloud The former question is a generall a wicked Marcion asketh why the Lord who foresaw the event did suffer Evah and the Devill to conferre and if he was able why did hee not hinder sinne to bee except he had been either envious and would not or weake and could not hinder the enters of sinne in the world Tertullian answereth Because the Lord is free in his gifts Augustine answereth Epist. 59. ad Paulinum Quia voluit because it was his will Prosper and Hilarius both with Augustine say The cause may be unknown it cannot be unjust Though it were in the Potters hand to turne clay into brasse yet his power should not destroy his liberty to cause him to make a lame vessell such as if it had reason and will to fall it should not bee broken Why should Daniels enemies prevaile so as to cast him to Lions that these knees that bowed often to God and these hands which was lifted up to him should be eaten with Lions O lame vessell beleeve beleeve but dispute not And the answer is cleare sinne is the worst thing that is but the existence of sinne is not ill otherwayes saith Augustine God should never permit it to be Yea sinnes being in the world is silva justiciae divinae officina gratiae Christi A field for the glory of revenging justice and sinne is the work house of the pardoning grace of God And therefore there bee good reasons why the Lord should permit sinne and such sinnes 1. That there may be roome in the play for pardoning grace the colour and beauty of free grace had never beene made obvious in such a way to the eye of Angels and Men if sinne had not beene 2. There had beene no employment for the mercy of a soule-redeeming Jesus 3. Wee should not have had occasion in the eares of Angels to hold up for ever and ever the new Psalme of the Praises of a Redeemer 4. By this nature clay and fraile nature and selfe-dependence is cried downe and God exalted 5. By this the humble love of the contrite and broken in heart is necessitated to kisse the bowels of him who bindeth up the broken hearted mourners in Sion and furrowes of blood put to reall acknowledgement of everlasting compassion 6. Hence also are minors and poore pupils put to improve their faith and dependence upon so Kingly a Tutor as never enough loved and admired Jesus Christ 7. Hence to the praise of grace Satan hath faire justice and that in foro contradictorio in open patent Court when clay triumpheth over Angels and Hell through the strength of Jesus Christ The other question is also soone answered Why should the cause of God be so oppressed and his Churches garments rolled in blood But 1. God must bee knowne to bee God in his owne chaire of estate and hee must be The Saviour of Israel in the time of trouble 2. Satan Prelates Papists Malignants shall be vnder-workmen and kitchin-servants to him who hath his fire in Sion and his furnace in Jerusalem to purifie and refine the vessels of mercy in the Lords house 3. Christs Bride must know that this is their Inne not their home their Pilgrimage not their Countrey otherwise our Lord knoweth how to lead his passengers to Heaven not by Sea but by dry land 4. All must see that the losse of men is not the Lords losse but the Gospels gaine 5. His glorious grace must be commended who suiteth in marriage a spouse to himselfe in no place rather then in the Furnace Esay 48. 10. 6. Prayers and praises must bee the rent paid to him to whom belongeth the issues from death The Lord hath a great worke now on the wheeles in Britain Be very charitable of our Lords dispensation though the slaine of the Lord bee many in England and Ireland looke not on the darke side of Gods providence or on the blacke and weeping side of his dispensation widdowes are multiplied almost as the sand of the Sea children weepe and cry Alas my father mothers in Ireland die twice when they see their children slaine before their eyes and then are killed themselves Oh! say men why doth the Lord this Behold the faire and smiling side of Gods providence contrary windes from Rome from hell by the art of omnipotency promove the sailing and course of Christs ship 1. God is now drawing an excellent portract of a refined Church but with the inke of the innocent blood of his people say not What is the Lord doing or Is there knowledge in the Almightie who hath given the Lord counsell better wee be his courtiers then his counsellors 2. If we love the dust and the stones of Sion Psalme 102. 14. Christ is ravished with one of his Churches eyes and with a chaine of her neck Cant. 4. 9. God loveth his owne glory more ardently then I can love it 3. The Church is dearer bought to Jesus then to me or you hee hath given too great a price for her to lose her 4. Rather when wee cannot see to the bottome of providence beleeve upon plain trust and say as Esay 8. 17. I will wait upon the Lord that hideth his face from the house of Jacob and I will looke for him Part. 2. In every dominion of my kingdome This is the second part wherein the parties to whom this Law is given are expressed in their universalitie as they are v. 25. To all people nations and languages that dwell on all the earth peace Whence observe That Nations without the visible Church never wanted means either ordinary or extraordinary to know God though we cannot in reason say that the Decree or Law of a heathen King is the Arminian universall grace yet some means all have And God hath laid open foure bookes to all nations 1. That booke of creation of the Heavens and his workes Psalme 19. 1. The Heavens Mesappe-rajim cevodel doe booke and register the glory of God Romanes 1. 20. 2. The booke of ordinary providence is a Chronicle or Diurnall of a God-head and a Testimony that there is a God Acts 14. 17. Acts 17. 27. 3. There is a booke of the extraordinary workes of God and some report of the true God upon occasion
carried to Nations without the borders of the visible Church As our text saith And Rachab saith Josh. 2. 10. We have heard how the Lord dryed up the red Sea c. But as children sport themselves and play with the pictures in a booke and with the gold on the covering of the booke and the ribbins not knowing the sense and meaning of this book so doe we sport our selves in looking on the outside of these three bookes not searching it to reade and understand the invisible things of God his eternall power and God-head Rom. 1. 20. 4. The booke of mans conscience Rom. 2. 14 15. doth speake of God to all Nations though now by reason of our sinfull blindnesse and dulnesse that book be uncorrected and dimme-printed written with white and watery Ink so that we see not God distinctly in it yet all these foure serve to make men without excuse because when they know God they glorifie him not as God neither are thankefull Rom. 1. 20. But this condemneth us to whom there is laid open a better and fairer and learneder piece Psal. 19. 7. Use The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the Soule Yea if Christ in the Gospel had not come to us we should have had no sinne no evangelick guilt of unbeleefe but now wee have {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} no shift of Law no cloake for our sinne Hence though this Island be in a more blessed condition by reason that the Sunne shineth in his strength and light in our Meridian God hath not done so to every Nation Psal. 147. 19 20. yet by reason of despising salvation in this day-light of the Gospel we are in a most dangerous condition 1. Because Sodomy is not so hainous a sinne as unbeleefe and the despising of the Gospel Matth. 10. 15. For Evangelick unbeleefe is against the flower and garland to speake so of the excellency of God not onely against a Creator but against a Saviour and against those most lovely and soul-ravishing attributes of God his mercy goodnesse free-grace longanimity patience bowels of compassion and therefore an unbeleeving Covenanter with God in England and Scotland is to looke for a hotter furnace in the lake of fire and brimstone then one of Sodome and Gomarrah 2. Because there is some exception against the Law-vengeance for the Gospel is a cleare exception against those who are under the Law-curse John 3. 16. But there is no exception against the Gospel-vengeance this is a year and age and Eternity-vengeance for the finall rejecter of the Gospel hath not a Sacrifice for sinne to looke to as the Law-breaker hath Heb. 2. 1 2. Heb. 10. 26 27. 3. The rejecting of the Gospel is a fighting against the Spirit of the Gospel whereas the Law is but a letter and unbeliefe is a sinne against the Holy Ghost though it be not alwayes the sinne against the Holy Ghost therefore are the despisers of the Gospel kept as desperate robbers are to the judgement of the great Court day and chained up and fettered to the last and terrible vengeance 2 Thes. 1. 8 9. Deut. 32. 22. Heb. 10. 26. O tremble and stand in awe of this high treason for your sinne is not like Sodomes nor like the despising of the religious decree of such an heathen King as Darius But ere I proceed it may be asked Is unbeliefe a greater sinne then Sodomy which hath a cry up to Heaven unbeliefe soundeth no such cry to Heaven I answer Hainous sinnes against the second Table are borne with a shout and a cry in their mouth and are very broad-faced and bloudy and have more of a naturall conscience in them because the duties of the second Table are written in our heart in fairer print and in a bigger Character then the duties of the first Table Therefore naturall men can heare the cry of these sinnes and that is our corruption that a man is more wounded in minde if he offend his earthly Father then if he blaspheme his heavenly Father the great and eternall Jehovah But the duties of the first Table are written in our heart by nature in a more dimme and obscure way and hath lesse of naturall conscience and the principles of the Gospel are not written in our heart at all at least as they are Evangelicke we know them not but by revelation Gal. 1. 15 16. Mat. 16. 17. and therefore sinnes against the Gospel are borne dumb and being more cleanely and spirituall sinnes they have no shout or cry against the conscience except in so farre as they are enlightened supernaturally in whom unbeliefe hath a stirring and a paine of Conscience Hence observe a considerable difference by the way betwixt the naturall and renewed soule A naturall man may be pained in conscience with parricide robberies acts of cruelty but never shall you heare him troubled in minde with unbeliefe and doubting of a God-head and the soules immortality as Judas was wakened in conscience for bloud and treachery against his innocent Master but not for unbeliefe and blasphemy whereof he was guilty in an high measure But the renewed are troubled with spirituall sinnes which are onely discerned by a spirituall and supernaturall light as with unbeliefe ignorance security wandring of heart in Prayer doubtings of a providence that ruleth all Also it may be questioned How it commeth to passe that God sendeth not sufficient helps to all Nations that they may come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved I answer shortly It is enough that he giveth sufficient meanes in this sense That Gods justice is cleared and men are without all excuse in that they wilfully lose themselves 1. Men are not formally guilty because they are not saved 2. Nor are all men guilty because the Gospel commeth not to them 3. Nor are they all guilty because they beleeve not For how shall they beleeve in him of whom they have not heard Romans 10. 14. But they are guilty because they doe not use that which is given them for God Object 1. But God gave me no more grace and what can I doe without grace Answ. This argument toucheth those who heare the Gospel as well as those who never heard of it And it is a chiding with the soveraigne Lord because he gave not efficacious grace to all And Patrons of nature and Arminians are no lesse straited with this incomprehensible dispensation of God then we are Object 2. But if I had had such grace as God gave to Peter I should have beleeved Answ. It is the carnall mans argument Rom. 9. 18 19. If he have mercy on whom he will He cannot be angry against me who do not beleeve for no man resisteth his will Yea but as the clay should not dispute with the Potter so the clay having a corrupted will doth wilfully refuse to beleeve and the creatures willing disobedience and Gods free decree of denying grace doth meet in one for which cause the creature is justly
Episcopacy Antichristian Ceremonies Superstition and Will-worship were injoyned by Law to pleasure an earthly King you willingly followed after the command against the direction of the King of Kings and now hath the Lord delivered the people of the Land into the hand of their KING And for this the Sword of the Lord hath gone through the Land 2. Vse From the perpetuity of the Lords Kingdome we may infer That this Cause of God shall prevail and that the Church though in the burning Bush cannot be consumed for JEHOVAH is in the Bush There be three grounds that there is hope that God will build his own Jerusalem 1. God never laid the foundation of so fair a building and then deserted the VVorke when he hath put it into the hearts of the Parliament and Land to enter into a Covenant with the Lord the Cause doth now in formall and direct termes become the Lords Cause And so the Lord is become surety for England 2. When did the Lord ever finally prosper his bloody-hearted enemies Babylons Womb and Bowels are swelled with blood they intend to root out the Protestant Religion Can God say Amen to this in Brittaine No he will not this end was sworne at the councell of Trent It was aimed at by Charles the fifth by Leo the tenth against Luther and the designe of the Actors of that bloody massacre of Paris yet hitherto all hath failed them 3. Gods Noble and stately acts of disappointing and discovering so many Plots give us hope for in them all God maketh true of England what is said Esai 66. 7. Before she travelled shee brought forth and before her paine came she was delivered of a man-Childe When she was sleeping ere the blow came the Childe was borne and the Woman delivered His Dominion shall be to the end Dominion is a power to use a thing as you please for such ends as you think good in the Creature our pleasure is supposed to be regulated by Law and Reason but men or Angels will or pleasure is not the rule of the use or lawfull exercise of Dominion but in God whose blessed will not being differenced from his holy reason and infinite wisedome it s the rule of the use of his Dominion and none may say to him What doest thou that but standeth still to the Creature as a binding Law Illud tantum possumus quod jure possumus we have no more lawfull morall power given to us of God then we can or do lawfully exercise according to the morall rule But Gods Dominion is to be discussed thus as it standeth in those following heads First in the manner of it its compleat Deus Dominatur in totum ens in totum entis God hath Dominion over every being of the Creature and over every part of the being God hath Dominion over his Creatures soule and his soules faculties his will minde conscience affections faith hope feare love joy over the body and all the powers and motions therof So God hath a compleat Lordship over the Creature One Creature hath not a compleat Lordship or Dominion over another yea a free reasonable Creature hath not a compleat Dominion over himself The reason is God made the Creature he made all and every being and part of the Creature He made the soule the body the faculties of both the actions and purposes of both Therefore he hath an absolute Dominion over both The potter hath a Dominion of art not a Dominion by creation over the Lame-pot he made the Lame-pot but he created not the Clay He hath therefore but a Dominion of art over the Clay not to annihilate the Clay as god can do His Dominion is of Art to frame of the Clay a Vessell of honour for a Kings Table or a Vessell of dishonour for the receiving of Urine The Master amongst the Jews might sell his man-servant and put him in his purse but the truth is when he sold him he sold but his bodily-service as hee was usefull to labour and work but he could not sell his servants soule nor his understanding nor his will nor his love nor his faith or Religion nor any of these Courtiers then and Cavaliers Prelates Atheists who professe they are of the Kings Religion and will dispose of their soules at the Kings pleasure to kill the innocent they make their soules bastards and unlawfull broods and they make the King the Creator of their soules and the absolute Lord of their Religion O foole the King did not make thy Soule there is an other Soule-Lord then the King Ezek. 18. 4. Behold all Soules are mine saith the Lord and there is another Soule-former then the King of Brittaine hear God speak himself Esai 57. 16. If I should contend for ever the spirits should faile before me and the soules that I have made O finde me an Earthly King that can forme Soules and then let the Cavaliers sweare that which many now practice I am the Kings wholly both soule and body faith and conscience But I pray you are not all in England the Kings Subjects yea trùly and all in Scotland also but not one soule not one conscience in all the three Kingdomes is the Kings Subject 2. Gods Dominion for the matter is universall he can presse an Army in the Clouds and in the Firmament Judg. 5. 20. The Stars in their course fought against Sisera he hath an host in Hell and raised an Army against the first-borne of Egypt Psal. 78. 49. Hee troubled them by sending Malokim ragnim evill Angels or Devils amongst them He can blow a Trumpet and cry to the dust of the Earth Arms Arms and there ariseth an host of Catter-pillers or Canker-wormes Joel 2. and vers. 6. before the faces of these Wormes the people is much pained and all faces gather blacknesse that is strange to see valient men of Warre tremble before a Worme and one man with a tramp of his foot may kill hundreds of them but this is the Dominion of JEHOVAH the Lord He hath an host of VVaters every wave of the Sea being a Souldier every fish receiving pay from JEHOVAH first to drown Pharoah and then to eat him and his Princes 3 He hath a Soveraigne Dominion over the salvation and damnation of men as Rom. 9. 21. The potter hath power over the Clay Arminians and Papists will have Freewil Lord and Carver of the white roll of election to glory but Gods own Pen from eternity did write in the Lambs Book of life so many and did book those from eternity whom he was of free grace to make Senators of heaven to walk with the Lamb in white nor doth freewill pen its own doome But God hateth Esau before he doth good or ill 4. God hath an absolute Dominion in all the operations of second Causes The Stars these five thousand yeers have marched so orderly and kept their Orbes Distance Line that not one of them ever transgressed the borders of another And Gods
in fetters Assertion 3. The onely saving grace of God infused in the mind will and affections doth subdue the conscience to truth and obedience of the truth Grace is the greatest conquerour of all Jer. 20. 9. I was weary with forbearing and I could not stay Act. 4. 20. We cannot but speake the things which we have seen and heard New wine must have vent Vse 1. We would beware of sinnes against light these are under water in the ship and are sinking sins a Reformation hath beene calling on you and offering it selfe to you these fourescore yeares and men have beene saying It is not time to build the house of the Lord and consider I pray you how fearefull it is for men not to stoup and fall downe as taken captives to the truth of God for every thought should bee brought as an apprehended souldier and a captive to the obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10. 5. And specially the land is to be humbled for such sins as by the light of the Gospel hath been cried against as luxury vanity pride and fulnesse of bread uncleannesse swearing lying unjustice oppression but especially multiplied Altars Idolatry superstition wil-worship Vse 2. The honourable Houses are to beware of the halfe reformation of Darius nothing more odious to God then 1. A negative devotion Nebuchadnezzar thinketh hee hath done all if nothing bee spoken amisse of the true God Dan. 3. 29. 2. Agrippa his almost a Christian is not a Christian at all Ier. 3. 10. Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned to me with her whole heart 3. God detesteth lukewarmnes and coldnes in his matters 4. Hee hateth a mixture it is a marke put on Samaria 2 King 17. 33. They feared the Lord and served their owne Gods this is that which bringeth the stretched-out arm of the Lords fury on the land Zeph. 1. 5. because they sweare by the Lord and by Malcom and because the people halteth betwixt the Lord and Baal 1 King 18. 21. And it is Johu his reproachfull reformation 2 King 10. 28. Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel 29. Neverthelesse he departed not from the sinnes of Jeroboam the sonne of Nobat O how fearfull to be under this he is for the good cause neverthelesse he knoweth nothing of the power of Religion so hee is right in the house neverthelesse he complaineth much with Malignants It is knowne to you all when the Whore of Babylon was cast out of the Church that shee left behinde her a gold ring and some love tokens I meane Episcopacie and humane Ceremonies this was the whores policy to leave a token behinde her that she might finde an errand in the house againe and shee was indeed returning to the house to demand her love-token again but it shall bee Heavenly wisedome to make a perfect Reformation keep nothing that belongeth to Babylon and let not a stone to be a corner-stone or a foundation bee taken out of Babylon for the building of the Lords house for they are cursed stones That they tremble and feare In Part 2. of the third member of our Text we are to consider that Iehovah is to bee looked and served with feare and trembling upon these sixe grounds all applicable to the present condition of times 1. He is a great God Ier. 30. 6. For as much as there is none like unto thee O Lord thou art great and thy Name is great who would not feare thee O King of Nations Ier. 5. 22. Feare ye not me saith the Lord will ye not tremble at my presence which have placed the sand for the bound of the Sea c. Alas we fancy to our selves a little God and a great mortall King therefore we tremble at the one and feare not the other so when we have to doe with an earthly power the soule is servilely timorous when we have to doe with God the conscience is all made of stoutnesse 2. The sinnes of the Land should make us tremble Esa. 24. 16. But I said my leannesse my leannesse woe unto me for the treacherous dealers dealeth treacherously Ier. 23. 9. My heart within me is broken all my bones shake c. Psal. 119. 53. Horrour hath taken hold of me because of the wicked that keep not thy law What should the sins of Court of Prelates make me tremble are they my sins Yea 1. every sin that I am not grieved for is mine 2. He never mourned for his own sins who is not humbled for the sins of the land 3. A gracious Samuel will own the sins of Saul 3. Gods great workes call for trembling Habak. 3. The Prophet considering Gods walking through the red Sea with his horses maketh him say though it was a worke of mercy verse 16. When I heard it my belly trembled my lips quivered rottennesse entred into my bones and I trembled in my selfe O tremble at this Lord who hath 1. Wrought State miracles if not miracles in nature hee hath commanded the Sunne of righteousnesse to stand still in the Meridian of Brittain 2. He hath divided our red Sea 3. He hath brought us backe from the bordell-house and renewed a Covenant with us 4. Our enemies are fallen and those are inlarged who were banished imprisoned vexed by Prelates for the haynous crime as they thought of pietie holines and orthodoxie Tremble at his goodnesse Feare the Lord and his goodnesse Hos. 3. 5. Rejoyce in trembling Psal. 2. 11. An ingenuous minde feareth debt mercies tendered to us are debts lying on us O how shall we repay him what shall we render to him Are wee not banckrupts to mercy and the goodnesse of God 4. Tremble at Gods judgements Psal. 119. 120. My flesh trembleth for feare of thee and I am affraid of thy judgements Jer. 4. 19. My bowels my bowels I am pained at the very heart my heart maketh a noise within mee I cannot hold my peace because thou hast heard O my soule the sound of the trumpet the alarme of warre Here is a waste field of trembling God in Germany is God to be feared in all places for in these lands the wife could scarce have the halfe of her husband to bury the best halfe hath beene blowne up in the aire with fire-work 2. Horse hath beene esteemed good meat 3. In Ireland the mothers have heard their young children aske mercy at the rebell with his Skainzer cutting the throat of her sonne and hath not the Sword multiplyed Widdowes and multiplyed Orphans in this land It is fearfull to man to bide it out as a warre whether Gods displeasure will or no 5. We are exceedingly to tremble at his anger Amos 3. 8. The Lyon hath roared who would not feare When God doth but seeme to be angry The children of God have beene distracted and almost besides their wits with Gods terrours Psal. 88. 15. and they were scarce in the suburbs of hell Is there not cause to feare if any of the land breake the oath of
sunk and overwhelmed if those three hold good which Papists and Arminians hold 1. Our salvation were in danger if free-will which hath its rise and working in time were the Axeltree upon which are rolled the wheeles of eternall election and reprobation But there is as good reason to say that a sucking childe may reach up his arme above the Sunne and Starres and roll about the wheele of the first Heaven from East to West and turne the wheele again from West to East as to say that time-free-will can turn about the eternall counsel of God and that our acts of believing are not believing and our good and evil works which have their rise from yesterday and to day and are like Jonahs gourd up and down in one night doe roll about the eternall will and decree of God from favour and love to hatred and rejecting of men Better make the former of all things supreame and soveraigne then give the Prerogative Royall of all to naughty and sinfull clay 2. We could easily grant that it were in mens power to destroy the Church of God and that the King of the bottomlesse pit and his Lady and Queen Babylon the great whore and their sonnes Papists and Prelates might cut off the name of the Lords Israel if upon the supposall of their dream of N. media scientia the new eyes which Jesuits with all humble submission and glory to the glorious God bee it spoken have given to the Almighty contingency did rule all for upon the nod and dominion of causes without all determination of Gods righteous providence and eternall counsel all revolutions of Church and Kingdomes depend say they and all hang upon these two poles may be may not be what hindereth then that Christ have no Spouse no redeemed people and that he be a husband without a wife a King without Subjects a Saviour without a ransomed people as they expresly teach who with Arminians are advocates for nature and pleaders against the grace of God but wee believe God to bee eternall and his counsel eternall and his eternall decree to have a strong influence in the safety of his Church against which the gates of hell shall not prevail and that Divels Men Babylon Rome Spain Irish rebels powers on earth in their plots machinations counsels endeavours battels victories all which come from free causes are yet chained and fast linked to the high dominion and independent soveraignty of an eternall God And we believe that this differenceth Jehovah from all other Gods who as Esay saith Can neither do good nor evil Therefore there is not an arrow steepd in hell and shot against the Church but it cometh out of Gods bow and he saith it Esay 43. 13. Yea before the day was I am he and there is none that can deliver out of my hand I wil worke and who shall let it The Churches victories and deliverance depend upon an eternall hand and therefore the sonnes of Belial prevail not and the sons of Jacob are not consumed 3. It were a desperate matter for the elect to be saved if the first Adam were our surety but our Tutor Jesus Christ is old and wise the ancient of dayes Daniel 7. 13. and he hath seven eies they cannot chuse but hold the apostasie of the Saints who make free-will our tutor And therefore if I were halfe in heaven and my one foot in eternity and my other in time if such a sinfull principle as free-will should tutour and guide me I should come back again out of heaven and be damned eternally If any weak soule apprehending wrath and under a fervour of desertion should complain What hindreth me to be eternally condemned for I am not distracted I am privie to my selfe that I have sold my birth-right and sinned against the grace of God hainously Let me answer That the selling of your birth-right dependeth upon the consent of your tutor Jesus Christ who is the King of ages as no minor can sell his inheritance without the consent of his tutor and if he should doe it it cannot stand in Law but may be revoked Christ is first heire and all the elect joynt heires with him Rom. 8. 17. and joynt heires in Law though many persons yet they make but one heire consider then if he who is your eternall King of ages and so unchangeable hath not given his consent to the bargaine that you should sell his birth-right and inheritance and under him your own birth-right you had no power to doe it Christ because he is God eternall cannot subscribe nor signe with his hand the writs wherein you have sold your inheritance therefore the bargaine in Law is a meere nullity Thirdly if he be God enduring for ever What fooles are we to place our hope in a King that shall die Surely they cast their anchor in ill ground who trust in the creature thou puttest thy heaven betwixt the browes of a King and in the light of his countenance he is but a man and may change and though his favour were constant yet when his eye-strings shall be broken with one breath he shall breathe out his own soule and thy heaven And what canst thou then say or do because sence and the flesh leadeth us and time goeth about us from the cradle to the grave we are all for time we are for a time-Court a time-Glory a time-Prince a time-Friend a time-Husband a time-Brother a time-Heaven and happinesse a time-deliverance in trouble time-Riches time-joy and time-pleasure time-triumphing a time-life c. But we may finde in this King of ages who indureth for ever these same good things of another nature as we finde in God eternall Court eternall Glory an eternall King an eternall Friend an eternall Husband an eternall Brother an eternall Happinesse an eternall Salvation eternall riches eternall victory and triumph and in summe life eternall His Kingdome such as cannot be destroyed The other classe of arguments to prove Daniels God to be the true God is from his government His Kingdome that is The people of his kingdome cannot be destroyed and now the King doth say though there be variety and choyce of gods in Chaldea and Persia yet Daniels God is incomparably above them all and Daniel and his fellowes are blessed and more happy in their God then all that serve other gods The Lord when he is tried will be found the onely excellent and matchlesse God above all gods and none like to him and his people the onely happy people that mans portion is fallen in pleasant lines who hath the Lord for his portion but I must go on to make good this doctrine That the Kingdome and Church of God is the most permanent and induring society on earth and a Kingdome which cannot fail and I go upon these grounds There is a most firm and sure Covenant made betwixt the Lord and his people Jer. 31. 35. Thus saith the Lord that giveth the Sun for a light by day and the
condemned Object 3. But more grace should make me beleeve and more grace God denieth to me Answ. It is easier to complaine for what we have not then thankfully to use what we have If the creditor crave the payment of ten thousand pounds from a Land-waster it is bad payment to say You are to be blamed that I pay not because you lent me not twenty thousand pound Object 4. But I have a strong inclination and cannot resist when I am tempted Answ. O lame vessel tremble but dispute not 2. It is lawfull to complaine and sigh under those fetters Rom. 7. 24. but unlawfull to childe and excuse sinfull rebellion Part. 3. That men tremble and feare before the face of the God of Daniel In this third Part we have to consider these two First Who commandeth trembling and feare Secondly The thing commanded trembling and feare 1. The Commander is Darius but whether converted or not is a question I thinke there is no ground to hold that he was a converted man 1 Because all that he commandeth is trembling and feare of God upon the occasion of a miracle the positive worship of God is not commanded 2. He calleth not God his God but the God of Daniel 3. He acknowledgeth Daniels God to be the living God but doth not command that he onely shall be served and all dead gods cast off 4. The Babilonish History sheweth he still kept his idol-gods 5. The rise of this Proclamation is a miracle and such as breedeth rather a servile feare then a filiall adoring of God 6. There is nothing here of the meanes to instruct his people in the knowledge of the true God And to command Religion without information of the minds is rather Tyranny over the conscience then true zeal Hence unrenewed men may out of the dominion of a convincing light be forced to acknowledge the Lord when yet the will and affections are not subdued to the knowledge of God Hence I expresse my thoughts in this point in these assertions 1. Assertion The naturall conscience is not its owne Lord in knowing bleeving and confessing something of God For first Devils believe there is a God but they tremble Iames 2. 19. They beleeve against their will as a man condemned to death for a crime beleeveth he must die but his will is opposite to his faith Iudas awaked cannot chuse but beleeve a vengeance Light is a King and a conquerour sometime 2. You seldome finde but enemies have given a testimony now or then for God Exod. 14. 25. Let us flee say the Egyptians for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians Pharaoh being mastered in conscience with the plague of haile mingled with fire saith Exod. 9. 27. I have sinned this time The Lord is righteous and I and my people are wicked Deut. 32. 31. For their rocke is not as our rock our enemies being Iudges Psal. 126. 2. Then said they amongst the heathen the Lord hath done great things for them Sauls conscience speaketh truth in a dreame through his sleepe though he went to bed again 1 Sam. 24. 17. Thou art more righteous then I so speaketh he to David The Devill can say no otherwayes Luke 4. 34. I know thee who thou art the holy one of God Pilate must say of Christ I finde no fault in him Caligula his feare must make his faith a lyar and when he heareth a thunder say Mine eares heare the God which my heart denieth to have any being Nero cannot say but hell is begunne in his soule before the time The Apostate Iulian said Vicisti tandem Galilaee At length O Iesus thou art victorious Paul the third a monster of men said dying I shall now be resolved of three things 1. If the soule be immortall 2. If there be a God 3. If there be a hell Plinius the second wrote to the Emperour that Jesus Christ was a great Prophet and a holy man Many Papists of old gave testimony that the Waldenses were holy men Many at Rome said Luther was for the truth and counselled that Leo the tenth would reforme the Church as Guiciard hist. l. 3. saith Malignants on their death-bed have said the Parliament of England is for justice and religion and Scotland contend for the purity of the Gospel and let but adversaries aske at their conscience in cold blood whether the world and their own ease or the truth of God bottomed their conscience in following the wayes of Cavaliers and aske on whose side are lies perjury blaspheming mocking of godlinesse the idolatrie of the masse Assertion 2. The will and affections have a dominion over conscience in many things in that 1. There is a Covenant betwixt conscience and concupiscence while as Chrysostome saith Men beleeve not what they know but what they will and will is halfe play-maker in their faith 2 Pet. 3. 5. Of this they are willingly ignorant excellently is it said Ier. 9. 6. Bemirmah In deceit they refuse to know me saith the Lord The will hath a pack-pull on the minde Light and malice minde and will are vowen through other the wills malice soureth and leaveneth the minds light as rotten matter mixed with good wine overmastereth it and taketh taste and colour from it 2. The will and affection hath power to suspend the acts of Considering of Christs excellency 2. Sinnes horrour 3. Truths beauty 4. The sweet peace of obedience to God 5. The eternitie of heaven and hell Hos. 7. 1. The theefe cometh in and the troopes of robbers spoile without and they say not in heart that I remember all their wickednesse The will and affections should ingage and take the minde suretie and oblieged to consider of God and his wayes But it is here as when a merchant cometh in and overbiddeth the customer and causeth the seller and the customer part company When the minde is upon this or the like What shall the wrath or the smiles of a King doe to mee when my eye-strings shall bee broken What thoughts can I have of gaine lust pleasure court when wormes shall make their nests in my eye-holes In these affections come in and divert the minde from such precious thoughts and here bee two errours in the will First a sort of wicked diverting of the minde from necessary truths Secondly a will-heresie when faith and divinity is swallowed up in the will and affections 3. The will and affections resist truth in the minde as Act. 6. 10. The adversaries could not resist the wisedome and spirit by which Stephen spake then their minde was convinced Act. 7. 51. You doe alwayes saith Stephen resist the holy Spirit Behold they could not resist light yet they doe of malice resist light 4. The will and affections can imprison and cast in fetters Truth Rom. 1. 18. They keep the truth of God captive or in bonds though Truth sometime break the fetters and bolts and escape and come out to a confession yet they apprehend Truth againe and lay it