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cause_n	great_a	know_v	lord_n	3,918	5	3.5901	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43587	The sure mercies of David: or, a second part of Heart-treasure Wherein is contained the supream and substance of gospel-mercies purchased by Christ, and promised in the covenant of grace, together with the several ways how they are made and are to be improved for the saints fort and defence, settlement and incouragement in shaking and back-sliding times. Being the fruit of some meditations upon Isa. 55. 3. By O. Heywood an unprofitable minister of the gospel.; Heart-treasure. Part 2.	Heywood, Oliver, 1629-1702.	1670 (1670)	Wing H1775; ESTC R216795	143,081	284

Covenant is as sure as that the World shall no more be totally drowned with Water yea as sure as the standing of the lasting Mountains and Hills yet further as sure as the Ordinances of Sun by day Moon and Starrs by night nay once more it 's as possible that the Heavens should be measured by the short span of a mortal man or the foundations of the earth searched out as for the great and unchangeable God to violate this Gospel-Covenant with his dear Israel of elect souls Read this fully in Isa 54.9 10. Jer. 31.35 36 37. But yet more particularly this Covenant and these mercies of it may be made sure two wayes to believers viz. 1. Infallibly so as not to miss of 2. Immutably so as never to lose these mercies 1. These mercies of the Covenant are sure infallibly i. e. there is a certain number of elect selected souls set apart by the soveraign Lord of Heaven and Earth to eternal happiness by our Lord Jesus Christ and these shall have interest in and possession of the forementioned mercies of David that God hath chosen some to life as the end and through Christ as the way of attaining that end is clear in Scripture Ephes 1.4 According as he hath chosen us in him and ver 5. having predestinated us unto the adoption of Children by Jesus Christ to himself and 1 Thes 5.9 for God hath not appointed us unto wrath but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ electing and redeeming love are of the same latitude and extent whom God the Father had in his Council God the Son bore upon the bitter Cross and those that are ordained to eternal life shall believe Act. 13.48 Which Text saith Calvin teacheth that saving faith depends upon Gods eternal election hence also faith is called the faith of Gods Elect Tit. 1.1 because all the Elect and none but the Elect obtain it for all men have not faith it is peculiar to these selected persons Besides God hath laid the plot and platform of mans salvation upon the sure foundation of his own free-grace on purpose to make these things firm and sure to elect souls so that their unworthiness shall not hinder the certain execution of his eternal Decrees Rom. 4.16 therefore it is of faith that it might be by Grace to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed i. e. that the Covenant with all the mercies of it might be made good to all the heirs of promise the election or elect souls hath obtained it but the rest are blinded Rom. 11.7 hence saith the Apostle 2 Tim. 2.19 Dico novit Domiaus qui sunt ejus ipsae oves aliquando seipsas nesciunt sed pastor novit cas secundum electionem ovium ante constitutionem mundi Aug. in Joh. 10. the foundation of God standeth sure the Lord knoweth them that are his he knows these sheep even before they know themselves according to his sure election before the foundation of the world hence also God would not have the enjoyment of these mercies to depend upon mans sorry mutable and inconstant will nor upon any works wrought by man as the whole strain and tenour of the Gospel holds forth and indeed if the whole stress lay on mans free-will it would bring us back to a Covenant of Works and if it were possible for any to attain these that man were the casting cause of his own salvation and then what need of any Redeemer besides it might so fall out yea and would certainly that these mercies might be applyed to none for conditio nihil ponit in esse that which is not effectual without a contingent condition upon which it depends the particular motion of this mans will and so of anothers towards God and closing with promises being in his own choice is doubtful and uncertain and so must needs be the priviledges which depend upon that condition therefore they that make these mercies possibly every ones make them certainly no ones the truth is God hath not left the enjoyment of these Covenant-mercies to the choice or refusal of the fickle or inconstant will of the creature at his pleasure but though he doth not violence to the will but of unwilling makes it willing God himself and Jesus Christ by the holy Spirit hath ingaged himself to bring souls home by converting grace certainly and infallibly though sweetly and suitably to the nature of a rational creature hence effectual calling and instating the elect in these mercies is not left at rovers may-bees or hap-hazard but it 's put beyond all peradventure so that there 's a Must and Shall annext to it Joh. 10.16 other sheep I have them also I must bring and they shall hear my voice Joh. 6.37 All that the father giveth me i. e. by election shall come to me i. e. by faith and repentance the God of Heaven hath ingaged himself for it and he is a God of truth to make good his word and of infinite power and he works and who can let it Videsis Ames Coron ad Coll. Hag. adv●rsus Remens Artic. prim de electione Cap. 4. p. 15. c. he worketh all things according to the council of his own will Eph. 1.11 All that God the Father hath given to Christ in the free election the Son hath undertaken to bring to glory by his mediatory administration this is the first these mercies are sure infallibly the heir of glory shall partake of them 2. They are sure immutably not any that do partake of these mercies shall ever lose them they shall alwayes have them and shall ●ever be deprived of them there are in●eed some common gifts of the spirit that God may revoke and take away as the gifts ●hat Saul had but these gifts of Grace and ●his effectual calling are without repentance Rom. 11.29 he will never repent of or retract ●hese precious donations Mary's better part ●hall never be taken from her worldly riches ●ay be lost but spiritual mercies are durable ●iches God the Author of these mercies is ●mmutable with him there is no variableness ●or shadow of change he receives no varia●ion from the contingent events of second ●auses the Lord will not forsake his people for ●is great names sake because it hath pleased ●he Lord to make them his people 1 Sam. ●2 22 he hateth putting away he will not ●is-inherit his Children for misdemeanours ●e knows their frame sees and pitties their ●eaknesses raiseth them out of falls and ●eals their back-slidings Christ Jesus the ●urchaser of these mercies is the Amen Rev. 3.14 Heb. 13.8 Isa 63.1 Joh. 10.28 29. Joh. 17. the ●aithful and true witness the same yesterday ●o day and for ever mighty to save a merci●ul and faithful high-Priest none can pluck ●hem out of his hands he will lose none of ●hese that his father hath given him he will ●ave to the uttermost This our Joshua will ●ring the elect souls to the Canaan of eternal

into Heaven and as a token thereof sets him upon his right hand which is an evidence of honour as Solomon dealt with his Mother and then bids him ask and he would give him all that was in his heart certainly then the mercies of the Covenant must needs be sure and that in Christ the Mediatour since his Intercession is so prevailing that he said in the dayes of his flesh when praying over Lazarus's Grave Father I knew that thou hearest me alwayes Joh. 11.42 Thus I have dispatcht the Doctrinal part of this subject wherein I have endeavoured to clear up what the mercies of the Covenant are in what respects they are said to be sure by what means and wayes they are made sure and how they are made sure in and by Jesus Christ the great Mediator of the Covenant CHAP. VI. NOW for the Application of this point I shall make use of it several wayes 1. For confutation of 1. Atheists 2. Papists 3. Arminians 4. Socinians 1. It confutes the vain conceits of Atheists who call in question the great things of Religion they are first Scepticks and Disputants then by degrees they grow Atheists and deny God as one saith in the Academy of Athesin a sinning soul takes these sad degrees 1. To doubting whether there be a God or no. 2. To living as though there were indeed no God 3. To wishing that there were none and 4. To disputing against a Deity and then he commenceth Doctor in positive Conclusions Mr. Herle in Policy p. 52. with the fool that there is no God Psal 14.1 many are ready to say that Religion in the power of it is but a fiery Meteor which the influence of those hot Dog-starrs of the times Ministers have drawn up and kindled in the grosser Region of some sick and melancholy brains and so like fire is apt to catch in thatcht and low-built houses not Pallaces and Castles i. e. ●arge and high-built souls But the truth is some Atheists do find in this life the certainty of our Religion all shall find it to their cost hereafter by an irrecoverable loss of these sure mercies and by intolerable sustaining of ●verlasting miseries As Atheism hath been much propagated in these latter dayes so God hath afforded some remarkable convictions by several modern examples Cardinal Richlieu who after he had given Law to all Europe many years confessed to P. Du Moulin that being forced to many irregularities in his life time by that which they call Reason of state and not being able to satisfie his Conscience thence had temptations to dis-believe a God another World the immortality of the soul and by that distrust to relieve his aking heart but could not so strong said he was the notion of God on his soul so clear the impression of him upon the frame of the world so unanimous the consent of mankind that he could not but taste the powers of the World to come and so live as one that must dye and so dye as one that must live for ever and being asked one day why he was so sad he answered Monsier Monsier the soul is a serious thing it must be either sad here for a moment or sad for ever and though Cardinal Mazareen was an Atheist the greatest part of his time yet he hath left behind him clear convictions of the immortality of the soul and certainty of another state after this life professing that if he were to live again he would be a Capuchin rather than a Courtier i. e. of a Popish religious Order to serve God in their way rather than choose worldly preferments 't is recorded of Sir John Mason Councellor to Hen. 8. Edw. 6. that he called his Clark and Steward to him and said I have seen five Princes been Privy Councellour to four seen the most remarkable observables in forreign parts been at most State-transactions for thirty years and have learned that seriousness is the greatest wisdom temperance the best physick and a good conscience is the fairest estate and were I to live again I would change the Court-life for a Cloyster my privy Councellors bustles for an Hermits retirement and my whole life in the Pallace for one hours enjoyment of God in the Chappel all things else forsake me besides my God my Duty my Prayer thus he It is also recorded of Charles 5. Emperour of Germany King of Spain Lord of the Netherlands that after 23. pitcht Fields 6. Triumphs 8. Kingdoms won after all this success reigned all these retired to his Devotion had his Funeral celebrated before his face left this testimony behind him that the sincere profession of Religion hath its sweets and joys that Courts were strangers to and we know from Holy Writ that Solomon after his vast experiments and exact disquisitions left this Maxime as the total summ of his large accounts Eccles 12 13 fear God and keep his Commandments for this is the whole duty of man Atheists never yet tasted the sweetness of Religion they never fully studied the Word or Works of God both which would satisfie them 't is recorded of Francis Junius that reading Tully de Legibus Nihil curare deum nec sui nec alieni he fell into a perswasion that God cared for nothing neither his own nor others affairs but in a tumult in Lions the Lord convinced him of a Divine Providence by delivering him strangely from eminent death and also being put by his Father upon reading the first Chapter of John's Gospel he was abundantly convinced by the Divinity of the Argument Majesty and Authority of the stile in such a manner as his body trembled his mind was astonished and his his soul savingly Converted Yea the works of God are sufficient to leave a Conviction of a Deity upon Conscience Lord Bacon used to say that a little smattering in Philosophy might tempt a man to be an Atheist but a through study of it would bring him back to be Religious for it would reduce him to a first cause and a last end But I must not enlarge on these Atheists see them described and confuted in Weems Treatise of four degenerate Sons of Adam All I shall adde is the words of Lord Chancellour Egerton to be Prophane is the simplest thing in the World for the Atheist layes a wager against the serious man that there is no God but upon wosul odds he ventures his everlasting state the other only hazards the loss of his Lusts if there were no God yet the latter doth as well as the Atheist at last and lives better at present but if there be a God as undoubtedly there is Oh the vast disproportion at the great day if the Arguments for or against the verity of the Gospel were equal yet the gain or hazard is infinitely unequal therefore every wise man will take the safest side Lord what an Age do we live in when the choicest truths duties mercies from a principle of opinionativeness or licentiousness are

they are dear to Jesus Christ but free to us they are purchased with the warmest blood in the veins of the Son of God yea he thought his dearest heart-blood well bestowed to purchase these sure mercies he sees of the Travel of his soul and is well satisfied the fruits of his purchase are the joy of his heart he thinks these worth all his pains pain and dolours God the father is well pleased and accounts these mercies a valuable fruit of his Sons purchase and shall not we be thankful 3. They are Deep mercies Aquae quo sunt profundiores eo sunt puriores quoniam crassa terrea materia in profundum depressa est hinc profunditatem a quarum bibea Ezek. 34.18 high and broad and have all the dimensions of greatness Psal 36.5 6. these mercies can fetch up a drooping despairing soul out of the grave yea out of Hell be the soul sunk as low as sin can make it in this World these mercies can fetch it up and raise it out of the grave and pit of silence and save to the uttermost Oh what a long arm of mercy hath been reached forth unto your troubled hearts in your low estate and doth not this deserve thankfulness 4. They are Designed mercies purposely designed aimed and intended to set forth riches of grace the infinite contrivance of the blessed God to magnifie riches of love to sinners 't is true God intended to set off his power wisdom justice truth but he hath magnified his mercy above all the rest of his name it 's beyond the rest of his works the attributes of God are set very high but mercy sits in the chiefest Throne he declares to Angels and Saints what he can do for sorry man oh advance free-grace 5. They are Dignifying mercies such honour have all his Saints oh what an height doth God raise his Covenant-Children to he deals bountifully with them by these Covenant-mercies was David raised up on high 2 Sam. 23.1 and therefore confesseth that God regarded him according to the estate of a man of high degree 1 Chron. 17.17 and truly it is the highest preferment in the World to partake of these sure mercies and therefore we have great cause of thankfulness 6. They are Sanctifying mercies they season all other mercies and make common mercies to become Covenant-mercies yea they make crosses mercies they perfume the most offensive griefs and are like Moses's Tree that sweetens the Waters of Marah if you poure a paile of Water on the floor it seems a little Sea but pour it into the Ocean it 's swallowed up and seems nothing so afflictions out of the Covenant are intollerable but as in Covenant-love they are inconsiderable the depth of mercies drowns the depth of miseries and is not this ground of thankfulness 7. They are Separating mercies hereby are Gods Children distinguished from all the people that are upon the face of the Earth Exod. 33.16 19. even in their finding grace in Gods sight and his presence with them and making his goodness pass before them if there be any discriminating mercies for any of the Children of men as protection provision direction these Covenant-mercies usher them in and sort them out to the heirs of Promise and if they be good for them they shall partake thereof then bless God 8. They are Sealing mercies they signifie exhibit and represent Gods love to the soul where-ever these mercies are laid up in the breast of a sinner that soul is the Jedidiah or beloved of Gods soul they testifie such a souls relation to God and Gods affection to it wicked men are strangers to Covenant-love Gods people are the proper subjects of these endeared thoughts of Gods heart and are you of that number oh give God the glory of this mercy 9. They are Extensive mercies they are exceeding broad they have wide arms and embrace all the heirs of Promise not a gracious soul though never so poor is left out yea they are largely extended to every Christians state case exigency and necessity let doubts be what they will let ●ears falls faults be sad and soul-astonishing yet these sure mercies will answer all they are commensurate and proportionated to all conditions of soul body estate relations oh bless God for them 10. They are Comprehensive mercies they contain all the good that God promiseth or a soul needeth grace and glory holiness and happiness peace and pardon all our fresh springs are herein the good things of this life and of a better and there are many precious things put forth by this Sun of righteousness in a Covenant-way Oh what cause have we to bless God and admire free-grace that hath not only given us the spiritual good things of his Kingdom righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Ghost but temporal good things by a sure and sweet tenure so that these sure mercies of the Covenant insure unto us the corporal mercies that are good for us and and after another and better manner than any uncovenanted persons though never so great can enjoy them for in a Covenant-way believers do enjoy common-mercies 1. More refinedly taken off the dregs o● cares and sorrows Prov. 10.22 a Saints bread Psal 81.16 though never so course is of the finest of the wheat and he is satisfied with honey out of the rock Luk. 8.18 Psal 39. yea they come 2. More really other comforts are but seeming comforts as man walketh in a vain shew so what he enjoys is but a dream but outward comforts coming through the blood of Christ are solid substantial refreshments again they come more 3. Sweetly have not those prickles and stings that worldly things have to natural men Oh the peace and quietness that a Christian enjoys with outward comforts and further comforts come to a Child of God more 4. Serviceably the creature doth homage to its Maker and Masters Children so that what they have is for their good and doth them good and comforts also come more 5. Satisfyingly a Godly man is more contented with his little than the men of the world can be with abundance a little that the righteous hath is better than the riches of many wicked Psal 37.16 and then a Child of God enjoys his comforts in a Covenant-way more safely he needs not fear want bread shall be given him his waters shall be sure Isai 33.16 God is the Christians purse-bearer and it 's in safer hands than in his own and they are here more 7. Lastingly we shall have corporal mercies as long as we need them and when we need them not they shall be swallowed in eternal enjoyments O therefore let the Saints of God be truly thankful let the high praises of God be in their mouths this is the chief rent and reasonable Tribute that God expects for these sure mercies sacrifice these sacrifices of thanksgiving take this Cup of salvation and give God the praise that 's due unto his name Begin that work here in time which shall be fully managed by the ransomed of the Lord to all Eternity this this shall be the burden of the Saints triumphant Song in Heavenly Mansions that glorious pallace shall ring and eccho with the blessed note of mercy mercy free-grace laid the foundation and grace grace only lays the top-stone of Saints glory Oh how will God be admired by and in all that believe at that day well sirs begin those Hosanna's here that will be seconded with Hallelujahs hereafter speak well of your gracious God admire this new-Covenant design and let him have all the glory of this blessed contrivance so shall you accomplish Gods end and evidence your Covenant-interest in these sure mercies of David Thus though these Divine graces which adorn the Temple of a Christians breast do sometimes disappear and sin costs the soul some tears yet the gracious soul hath abundant ground of thankfulness for the whole transaction take it in Divine Herbert's Poem of Church-floor Mark you the floor that square and speckled ston which looks so firm and strong is Patience And th' other black and grave wherewith eac● on is checker'd all along Humility The gentle rising which on either hand leads to the Quire above is Confidence But the sweet Cement which in one sure band tyes the whole frame is Love and Charity Hither sometimes sin steals and stains the Marbles neat and curious veins But all is cleansed when the Marble weeps Sometimes death puffing at the door blows all the dust about the floor But while he thinks to spoil the room he sweeps Blest be the Architect whose art could build so strong in a weak heart FINIS