natural affections The Saints here that were the called and chosen people of God they had their sorrow and grief as well as their gladness the work of grace wherever it is in truth wrought in any soul doth much restrain mens violent passions yet when men begin to be good they do not cease to be men Religion doth not rob people of their senses The godly have their fears as well as their hopes as they have their joys so they are not without their sorrows you are in heaviness through manifold temptations Afflictions are afflictions to them that fear God as well as to others Heb. 12.11 no chashiment for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous Let no Person think because the crosses and troubles he meets withal in the World do sadden and afflict him therefore he hath no grace that surely if they had grace they should have no such thing as grief and trouble of heart See the Holyest men we read of tell us the troubles of their hearts were often inlarged Though the power of godliness doth moderate our affections to things here below yet it doth not make us insensible of what we suffer here below Grace doth not rob men of Humanity as not upon a Civil account so neither doth it upon a Natural account people do not cease to be men and women when they come to be truly godly if Persons were not affected afflicted with their troubles afflictions were no afflictons to them c. Do not therefore pass sentence upon thy self as one that is an unconverted Person because the great troubles thou meetest withal in the world are laid to heart by thee though grace do diminish yet it doth not destroy mens passions James 5.17 the Apostles us Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are though he was a man of exceeding great faith yet you find him sometimes a man of great fear The Scripture records as his grace so his natural temper that eminency of grace that was in him did not destroy that that was natural in him Christianity doth not introduce a Stoical Stupidity that they do not at all regard how things go with them we may have grace in our hearts and yet lay to heart our sufferings we may be truly brought home to God and yet affected through sense of our afflictions in the World Only here let me put in a few cautions First Though God's people are in heaviness and sadness through the great troubles that they meet withal in the world yet you that fear God take heed you be not in such heaviness as those who have no hope do not sorrow as them that have no hope or no ground of hope for the blessing of God upon them here much less for happiness with God hereafter rejoyce in the Lord while you have sorrow in the world saith the Apostle rejoyce in the Lord always and he makes a repetition and againe I say rejoyce This is his councel to the suffering Saints even when most afflicted as David 1 Sam. 30.6 when he was in that great trouble when his Wives were taken Captive and his Children and the people speak of stoning David what did he do but David incouraged himself in the Lord his God so should we do when we are discouraged as to the world then we should incourage our selves in the Lord our God at what time I am afraid I will trust in thee let not our afflictions here make us think it will never be otherwise hereafter Secondly Let not your heaviness or trouble or sadness in the World be joyned with discontent do not murmur because we meet with troubles let us not think because we are afflicted that others are in a better condition then our selves because they thrive and and flourish in the world O let us not quarrel at any of God's providences let us say as that good Old man Eli It is the Lord let him do what seems him good the Lord is good and doth good and he doth nothing but what is good for us we have no cause to quarrel when God doth afflict us let us then take care that we do not fret our selves to do evil for there is no evil in the City but God doth it and good is that God that sends that evil and all evil shall be for good to them that fear God Thirdly Let your heaviness be greater for your transgressions then for any affliction or temptation let us more grieve for sin that is the cause of trouble then for all those troubles that are caused by sin let us more lay to heart our own corruptions then all the malice of wicked men and the afflictions we meet with in the world we had not known what sorrow meant had not sin been in our hearts and been in our lives let us mourn more for sin or however be sure that our natural sorrow be accompanyed with spiritual sorrow that we have that godly sorrow that workes repentance unto Salvation for worldly sorrow alone only causeth death O let sin be more laid to heart and the crosses in the World less laid to heart let us mourn more for our transgressions and we shall less mind our afflictions Fourthly Let not our heaviness or sadness or grief of spirit that is occasioned through troubles in the World cause us to neglect our duty let us take care that we do not so grieve for what we suffer as to forget what we have to do let us not so mind our misery as to forget our duty or omit our duty to God or Man in the places of our general and particular calling which God hath set us in the world When sorrow is so excessive that it drives us from God and from his wayes from delighting in him we have cause then to be in heaviness for it we are not so to mind what we suffer as to forget what we do That sorrow is never like to do us good nay that sorrow doth not make us at all to be good that keeps us from doing good if we once come to that pass to neglect our duty that heaviness is to be lamented Applicat Beloved we have heard Gods people are in heaviness through manifold temptations but let me tell you If Gods people be in heaviness here what heaviness shall Gods enemies be in hereafter If God chastise his faithful servants sure he will punish his enemies if this be done in a green Tree what shall be done in a dry if Gods people have their temptations surely wicked men shall have their tribulation tribulation and anguish upon every one that doth evil doubtless if manifold temptations be the lot of the righteous here dreadful tribulation will be the portion of the wicked hereafter doubtless the time is coming Prov. 11.8 vers The righteous is delivered out of trouble and the wicked cometh in his room the time is coming when sin and sorrow shall be gone from the people of God and then everlasting sorrow
unto God that great Prophet of the Church our Lord Jesus Christ himself did not only reveal his Fathers mind to his Disciples but often prayed and that earnestly for them as in that 17. Joh. and other places Vse And if this be so then by way of equity People ought to pray for their Minister but to pass to the second after his exhorting them to stedfastness he goes to Prayer and it shews thus much that Paul's exhortations to them were not sufficient of themselves to stablish these Saints without the grace of God in as much as these things given in command to stedfastness is backt by Prayer it intimates how little these will prevail unless God touch the Heart from whence we have this Doctrine Doct. II. That Ministers Preaching without Godâ—s blessing will do Peoples souls no good The voice of Ministers in Preaching is but an empty sound and though it come into our ears will never reach the Heart unless the doctrine have efficacy from the Spirit of Truth Neither Paul or any of his fellow-labourers in the work of the Gospel will bring people into or keep them in the ways of the Lord unless God bless their labours to that end none of these blessed Apostles could by any of their own power by the height or strength of arguments prevail with them to obey the Gospel they could never convert to the Truth or keep them in the Truth unless God were pleased to turn their Hearts this is clear by the Jews under the Old Testament and the people under the New the Word of God that came to the Jews how often doth Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel and other Prophets tell them of their sins but they would not hear see how the Lord complains in the 17. Jerem. 25. Since the day that your Fathers came forth out of the Land of Egypt unto this day I have sent unto you all my Servants the Prophets daily riseing up early and sending them yet they hearkned not unto me c. for all they had so many messengers from God to them and this too afterward repeated in several places yet they did not hearken to God neither when they were in their own Countrey nor in a strange Land and so in the New Testament Peter and Paul here That laboured more abundantly then they all yet how inefficatious was it to many when he Preached to the Jews 13. Acts 45. ver They were filled with envy and spake against those things that were spoken by Paul contradicting and blaspheming And so among the Gentiles instead of prevailing with them to bring them to the Truth he was persecuted by them 1 Cor. 3.5 6. Who is Paul or who is Apollo but Ministers by whom you believe and though he did prevail with many it was not of themselves but it was the Lord that gave the increase your believing your getting grace your growing and increasing in holiness is only through the blessing of God Therefore when Paul tells us of several places where he did good he saith when he came to such or such a place there was a door opened to him as a door of utterance to the Apostle so a door of entrance to the People that they received the Word of God and though his commission runs That he might turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Sathan unto God c. 26. Acts 18. yet he is only the instrumental cause God is only the efficient cause God alone commanded the light to shine out of darkness he alone that is the heart searcher is the heart changer he opened Lydias heart we need not go far to evidence this Truth we need not go abroad but stay at home to see this sad spectacle how many faithful Preachers hath God sent to this Land of ours for many scores of Years together scarce any Nation under Heaven hath had that plenty of Ministers and Ordinances that England hath had and that powerful Preaching since the Apostles days that we have had and yet what little fruit to be seen How many setled upon their Lees and will not be brought off he that was filthy is filthy still How great are the abominations Lying Swearing Whoring Drunkeness c. How doth the love of many wax cold How many back-sliding from the Truth and ways of God what ever Ministers say to the contrary People time after time have been call'd on to walk after the Spirit and not after the Flesh yet they refuse to return may not the Lord say to us as to the Jews Isa 5.4 5 6. verses What could have been done more to my Vine-yard that I have not done in it Wherefore when I looked that it should bring forth Grapes brought it forth Wild-grapes I wish we have no occasion to take notice of the words following vers 5. And now go to I will tell you what I will do to my Vine-yard I will take away the hedge thereof and it shall be eaten up and break down the wall of it and it shall be troden down vers 6 And I will lay it wast it shall not be pruned nor digged but there shall come up briers and thornes I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it which judgment God in his mercy prevent it is true Ministers may do thus much save their own souls by taking heed to their Doctrine and their lives and by warning people of their sins and though Ministers by Preaching may leave people without excuse they cannot say at the last day Lord if we had known our duty we would have done it Ministers Preaching may add to Peoples sufferings they may increase their condemnation another day but alas it is not in the power of Ministers to affect Peoples hearts or reform their lives how earnest then should Ministers and People be that when the Word of God is Preached they should pray that the power of God might accompany it Peoples prayers should be that as God would send forth Labourers into his harvest so that God would make that food that 's sent them to nourish their souls in spiritual life unto life eternal for man lives not by bread only but by the Word of God as natural life is not preserved through bread without the concurance of Gods providence so neither spiritual life without the influence of his Spirit the Sword of the Spirit is only able to strike through our lusts the weapons of our warfare are only mighty through God People had need pray as for their Ministers that they may have a door of utterance so for themselves that they may have a door of entrance that with readiness of mind they may be brought to and built up in their most holy Faith that when the Gospel comes by Preaching to them it may come not only in word but in power of the Holy Ghost Thirdly Whereas he prays not only to God the Father but to the Lord Jesus Christ for these Saints comfort and establishment we
who hath hardened himself against him and prospered He can bind mens hands and rule mens hearts and do what ever he will Ephes 3. ver 20. He is able to do exceeding abundantly above what we can ask or think who is so great a God as our God we that fear him Psal 77.13 14. Thy way oh God is in the sanctuary who is so great a God as our God thou art the God that dost wonders thou hast declared thy strength among the people Job 11.7 Canst thou by searching find out God canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection Here 's thy priviledge if thou have the work of grace wrought in thee here 's thy safety God is thy Father that God that never wants power to defend his people that is seen in the mount and will not many times help till we are in extreamity that his power may then be manifest safe they are that have God for their Father he is sufficient to protect them Consider secondly God is very wise a wise Father and that in regard of his knowledge and in regard of his prudence he knoweth what ever men do in the World Job 34.21 For his eyes are upon the ways of man and he seeth all his goings Ver. 22. Ther 's no darkness or shadow of death where the workers of iniquity can hide themselves Iob 12.22 He discovereth deep things out of darkness and bringeth out to light the shaddow of death He knoweth men better then they know themselves God needeth none to give him intelligence he knoweth what is done in the secret closet of every one of our hearts Nay secondly he is very prudent too he knoweth how to order his affairs he is wise in heart saith Job that man is wise indeed that knows how to out-wit the wisest of men God knoweth how to ensnare the wicked in the works of their own hands 1 Cor. 4.5 Isa 44.25 That frustrateth the tokens of the liars and maketh the diviners mad that turneth wise men backward and maketh their knowledge foolish Come on saith Pharaoh let us deal wisely but he was out-witted Exod. 14.28 God turns the counsel of Achitophel into foolishness God is never at a loss he knows what to do Consider thirdly He is a very tender Father too he is very pittiful very merciful a very tender Father that lays to heart the miseries of his people when they were in Egypt he pittied them Isa 63.9 In all their afflictions he was afflicted and the angel ef his presence saved them c. speaking after the manner of men they that lay the troubles of others to heart as their own and he is not thus pittiful only to his Israel but to all his people Psal 103.13 Like as a Father pittieth his Children so doth the Lord pitty those that fear him Nay Consider fourthly He is a very careful Father he minds how it goes with his children 1 Pet. 5.7 Cast all your care upon him saith the Apostle for he careth for you you are never out of his eye or thoughts when Zion said The Lord hath forsaken me and my God hath forgotten me Isa 49.14 15. saith God Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb yea they may forget yet will not I forget thee c. The condition and troubles and miseries thou art in are always in my thoughts Psal 9.18 The needy shall not always be forgotten the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever That 's the second but Use III. Hence we may learn our Duty If God be the Saints Father and what 's that First duty To pray to him whom should they go to but to their Faither Be careful for nothing saith the Apostle but in every thing let your request be made known to him by prayer and supplication Phil. 4.6 and Mat. 7.24 Psal 145.18 ver The Lord is nigh unto all that cal upon him Second duty Trust in him whom should we trust if not our Father therefore trust in him Psal 146.3 Put not your trust in Princes nor in the son of man in whom there is none help ver 5. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help whose hope is in the Lord his God The Scripture denounceth a woful curse to him that trusteth in any thing but in God Jer. 17.5 Cursed be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm and ver 7. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is God takes notice of those that trust in him Psal 33.17 An horse is a vain thing for safety neither shall he deliver any by his great strength So long as we trust to our selves at any time for any thing our case is sad but none that trusted in the Lord have any cause ever to be ashamed Thirdly Let us Honour him if a Father and that in three respects first in our thoughts have always good thoughts of God what ever his providences be towards us Psal 145.17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways c. what ever God doth is good he is just he is righteous in all those ways that are most cavil'd at by men Job 34.21 He will not lay upon man more then is right everyman may say in the bitterest cross in the World God hath not dealt with me after my sins it 's a mercy we are on this side Hell Secondly Honour God as in our thoughts so in our words speak well of God Psal 118.1 Give thanks unto the Lord for he is good for his mercy endureth for ever Psal 146.1 2. ver Praise the Lord oh my soul while I live will I praise the Lord I will sing praises to God while I have a being Now praising God is honouring of him He that offers me praise glorifieth me Psal 50.23 Thirdly Honour him in all our ways 1 Cor. 10.31 Whether ye eat or drink whatsoever ye do do all to the glory of God and Mat. 5.16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your Father which is in Heaven Phil. 1.11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory of God Be very obedient obey him willingly constantly universally in all his commands because he is our Father Lastly We that profess our selves to be Gods children be like him Be ye merciful as he is merciful holy as he is holy But to go on Who hath loved us Doct. God loves his People Psal 145.8 ver Psal 147.10 11. The Lord loves his Saints Love I here 's love indeed 1 Joh. 3.1 Behold what manner of love is here that we should be called the Sons of God And if this be so Vse Then bless him for his love thank him for it Psal 103.1 Bless the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me praise his holy Name And that in this respect First God loves us undeserved and that