God and they all fell in the wildernesse and so it would be with us in this day if he dealt with us upon the account of the old Covenant but because God deales with us upon the account of the new Covenant as the people of God have cause to be humbled for all their sinnes yet consider this cannot hinder but the Lord can yet and the Lord indeed I hope of his grace will doe glorious things for his Children notwithstanding all their unworthines his grace shall come tryumphing over all these Davids kingdome grew out of the new Covenant therefore it was not the unworthynes of him nor his followers that could hinder it from rising If you looke upon Sauls kingdome it seemes to be glorious at first but afterwards because it was not founded on the new Covenant it grew worse and worse Saul at first seem'd to have much faith and selfe-deniall when the Lot fell upon him and they were commanded to bring him forth to crowne him King he hid himselfe that they were forc't to enquire of the Lord to know where he was and when the Children of Belial said How shall this man save us they despis'd him and brought him no presents but he held his peace in the 1 Sam 9.27 he seem'd to be so patient and so humble as if he tooke no notice of it so in the 1 Sam 11.12 13. there you shall finde after they had gotten a great victory over the Ammonites and some of the people said unto Samuel who is he that sayd shall Saul reigne over us bring the men that we may put them to death And Saul said There shall not a man be put to death this day for to day the Lord hath wrought Salvation in Israel As if Saul should have said I will never give way to passion and rage why the Lord hath wrought glorious Salvation in Israel this day the Lord with his Salvation hath been among us and by his mighty Salvation hath delivered us his heart seemes to be wonderfully taken with the deliverance but afterwards looke upon Sauls kingdome and it s still waneing and decaying more and more and why because it was founded upon the old Covenant But looke upon Davids kingdome and you shall see in the beginning of it it did arise through many faylings and infirmities that were both in David himselfe and his followers David he runs away from Saul goes to Ahimelech the Priest and tells a lye to get some bread and Goliahs sword afterward he runs to Achish king of Gath and fain's himselfe mad and when he had been invading the Countrey neere unto him where he dwelt at Zicklag and Achish asked him whether he had made his rode that day 1 Sam 27.10 David tells him a flat untruth that they had been against the South of Judah At another time he fail'd exceedingly when in a way of revengefull rage he would goe against Naball to cut him off and all his house for denying him provision these were stairing offences men no doubt did wonder what would become of David his case that was attended with so many weaknesses and offences And look upon his followers and see what a rabble-rout he had at first 1 Sam 22.1 When David was escaped to the Cave Adullam then every one that was in distresse and every one that was in debt and every one that was discontented gathered themselves unto him and he became a Captaine over them if one should seriously looke upon David and his followers would be thinke there should any good come of it many no doubt did thus looke upon David and his followers and therefore expected no good to come of his kingdome I bring it to this end to shew that though men may have never so many infirmities and weaknesses yet if the worke arise through the new Covenant it shall goe on with a notwithstanding Davids kingdome was founded upon the new Covenant and therefore it was carryed on through all difficulties and weaknesses and Sauls kingdome arose onely out of the Covenant of workes and therefore though it had a glorious beginning it did wast away Therefore let not the hearts of Gods people faint or be discouraged though there are grosse failings among the Saints and in those too that desire to be friends to Davids kingdome though there be much of passion and the infirmities of men in them Consider Christs visible kingdome in this world stands upon the foundation of the new Covenant it did help David to the kingdome though through many Infirmities I speake not this to Indulge any infirmities in Gods Children I desire that this glorious cause might be so mannaged as it deserves yet suppose it s mannaged with many infirmities so that many stumble at it saying Can this Monarchy ever prosper Let such consider that this glorious blessed cause is founded upon the new Covenant and though men cannot over-looke Infirmities yet God will and accomplish the thing notwithstanding them for the new Covenants sake I will be mercifull to their sins and remember their Iniquities no more Consider when Jesus Christ rid to Jerusalem as a King he did not choose the most glorious Beast to ride upon but he chose that Beast that was most weake contemptible and simple so now the Lord he chooseth weake things to confound the strong and foolish things to confound the wise Wee have a good cause and we are upon a good ground we are upon the new Testament ground and seeing it s founded upon the new Covenant the grace of the Covenant will tryumph over all the weaknesses and infirmities of the Saints that labour to carry it on the Lord makes use of the weaknesses of his people sometimes to make others blind and to stumble to be a rocke of offence but when the worke is done all their weaknesses saith the Lord shall be forgotten the Lord will come and swallow up all in the new Covenant as Davids weaknesses were a stumbling blocke to those that lived in his age and when the Lord had stumbled all in that age and generation then he makes his worke to arise higher and higher through the grace of the new Covenant and so it will be with the visible Kingdome of Jesus Christ because it s founded on the new Covenant which is a sure and an Everlasting Covenant he hath made with me an Everlasting Covenant ordered and sure the Lord hath founded it so sure that all the Devills in Hell and all the rage of men in the world cannot hinder it Though my house saith David be not so with God yet he hath made an Everlasting Covenant with me which shall stand though the Saints doe not grow in grace yet this glorious worke of Christs kingdome which is founded upon the Everlasting Covenant must goe on the House that is builded upon the rocke though the winds blow and floods arise and beate upon the House it stands fast because it s built upon the rocke so Christs kingdome it hath
it may be I am glorious in the outward parts of obedience and it may be in Comfort too O but is Christ my foundation is Christ at the bottome of all my comfort It may be I performe a great many duty 's but is Christ at the bottome of all my duties O have I yet the Lord Jesus Christ as the foundation for my soule to looke unto O Christians if ever there was a day now it s a day to looke to your foundation when the Lord is shaking heaven and earth even shaking the world and shaking it to peices he will yet shake more than ever he hath shaken till he hath shaken out all the rotten professors that are not founded upon himselfe the good Lord make you to looke to your foundation what a good thing is it to stand firme upon Christ when heaven and earth and all the things of the world shall be shaken yet we shall not be shaken being upon the right foundation the Lord build all your soules upon his Son if you would be upon this foundation say good Lord doe thou come and build how long have I been building and how long have I been working but good Lord come thou and build O that every one of you would but learne thus much as to goe home and say to the Lord Jesus Christ Lord come thou and build good Lord take the worke out of my hands and build thy selfe I shall lay all beside the foundation but come and take the worke out of my hand and if God will come and settle us upon his Son as the foundation of all then shall we have Joy unspeakable and full of glory then shall we Joy and glory in our God then shall we have that comfort and peace which passeth all understanding then shall our soules have heaven begun here that shall last to all eternitie O the Lord build all upon this foundation and let no poore soule here be discouraged those oftentimes that have least cause to be shaken are most shaken and the hypocrite that hath most cause is least shaken poore troubled soules they are apt to be shaken when they heare these things but art thou convinced Soule that thou hast built upon a false foundation do'st thou say thou art undone for ever that there is no hope for thee no rather say blessed be the Lord I have seene my false bottome now I come to the Lord O Lord doe thou build me O Lord doe thou take my soule into thy hand the Lord doe this for every poore soule here that you may all who meete here together meete with the generall Assembly of the first-borne whose names are written in heaven and then shall you not count it in vaine that you have followed the Lord and laid the foundation not in your selves but in the Son of God which the Lord Grant Here followeth the Prosecution of the Point as it was found in the Authors Notes QVest 3. What is Christ the foundation of Ans 1. Of the Fathers Eternall Election Election is built upon Christ he is the bottome stone thereof Eph. 1.4 5. According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love having predestinated us unto the Adoption of Children by Jesus Christ to himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will Christ is the first of the Fathers Election if I may so say Isai 42.1 Behold my servant whom I uphold mine Elect in whom my soule delighteth and all others are Elected in him Hence the Apâ—stle concludes that the foundation of God standeth sure that is Gods decree of Election cannot be overturned it hath such a bottome Stone Secondly Of the Covenant of Grace The Covenant of Grace is the most blessed thing in the world it s the Magazine of faith Comfort and Holines a Saints strong Tower of defence against all assaults Now Christ is the foundation of this glorious Covenant of grace Hence it s said to be made with him Psal 89.3 I have made a Covenant with my Chosen He is called the Mediator of this Covenant Heb. 8.6 But now he hath obtained a more excellent Ministry by how much also he is the Mediator of a better Covenant which was established upon better promises And Chapter 12.24 And to Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant his blood is called the blood of the Covenant Zach 9.11 As for thee also by the blood of thy Covenant Heb. 13.20 Now the God of peace that brought againe from the dead our Lord Jesus that great Shepheard of the sheepe through the blood of the Everlasting Covenant Yea he is called the Covenant it selfe Isai 42.6 I the Lord have called thee in righteousnes and will hold thine hand and will keepe thee and give thee for a Covenant of the people for a light of the Gentills Chapter 49.8 I will preserve thee and give thee for a Covenant of the people to establish the earth to cause to inherite the desolate heritages Thirdly Of all the Promises of God this followes upon the other if of the Covenant then of the promises every promise is built upon him Hence observe the promises still run to Christ the first promise that ever was made runs to Christ the Womans seede the promises afterward given to Abraham looke to Christ Gal 3.16 Now to Abraham and his seede were the promises made he saith not And to seeds as of many but as of one and to thy seede which is Christ All the Leviticall Types and shaddowes which were a representation of things to come did looke to Christ the great Sacrifice Hence the Apostle concludes all the promises of God to be in him and because in him to be firme and Immutable 2 Cor 1.20 For all the promises of God in him are yea and in him Amen unto the glory of God by us Fourthly Of all a Saints speciall priviledges as First Reconciliation 2 Cor 5.18 19. And all things are of God who hath reconciled us to himselfe by Jesus Christ and hath given to us the Ministry of Reconciliation To wit that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe not Imputing their Trespasses unto them and hath committed unto us the word of Reconciliation Rom 5.10 11. For if when we were Enemies we were Reconciled to God by the death of his Son much mere being reconciled we shall be saved by his life and not onely so but we also Joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received the Atonement Coll 1.20 21 22. And having made peace through the blood of his crosse by him to reconcile all things unto himselfe by him I say whether they be things in earth or things in heaven And you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your minde by wicked works yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight
doe so against the superstitions of the Age before us Saints in all Ages have looked upon it as their duty to bear witnesse against the sin and evill of the Age. Hence Christians are called Witnesses a man that keeps all in his breast is no witnesse but he is a Witnesse that gives forth a Testimony to others And truly I speak this because we may be holy and humble and wise in doing this our duty in bearing witnesse and testimony against the sins of the times O my thinks when a Saint in cold blood shall sit downe and consider that he sees God and his name and his cause and interest blasphemed and trod under foot and abused and dishonoured and shall not stand up for God nor appear for God not have a word to speak for God how will this grieve him and trouble him And may such a one not question his love to Christ It 's to be feared we have but little love to Christ and his cause his name and interest when we cannot speak and appear for him for men to have such a Principle as this I may stand by and look on and see God and his name cause and interest trodden under foot and yet not speak a word but hold my peace and say nothing and another may stand and look on but say nothing no man must speak a word truly this is such a piece of Doctrine that I never heard of and that hath read such Lectures already as I think were never yet read when they themselves that doe such things cannot but know and see and they that look on it's so plaine that they that run may read that there is an Apostacy and yet notwithstanding none must speak of these things and bear testimony against it truly it 's such a Principle and such a piece of Doctrine as never was practiced by the Saints in former times And if the Saints and people of God in former and later times had practiced such a Doctrine and Principle as this is they would never have lost their lives as they did there would not have died so many Saints as there did there would never have been such a large Book of Martyrs as there is we should never have had so many living Testimonies of dying Saints as we have if such a Doctrine and Principle as this had been practiced If any say these men are good men though they have many and great failings Why if it be so this cannot excuse the matter Is a sin the lesse evill because a good man commits it And you cannot but acknowledge that if King Charls or the former Powers had don some things these men have done you would not have put such favourable constructions upon them and why should you think any thing the better of an evill because you think good men commit it It 's not the badnesse of any person that can make a good cause bad nor the goodnesse of the person that can make a bad cause good for though we and all the people of God have many weaknesses and infirmâ—ties yet that cannot make his good cause bad the poor people of God it hath been often upon my spirit that they should be allowed their infirmities in all times and ages they have been allowed their infirmities and truly the allowance now should be larger and greater then ever it was in former times and that upon the account of reason because they and their enemies have been brethren friends together and I speak this to this end that we may not goe and condemne all as I know this is the noise abroad I am perswaded when we come to stand before the Lord Jesus our Judge Christ will make another manner of judgement than now is made and passe another manner of Sentence then now is past upon the Saints by men And I am perswaded if so be that good men would but study things they would see more into them than they doe I mean things by which God is dishonoured and his name blasphemed and they see it not and know it not And they could not in such a day as this but venture hard for God This I am perswaded is the truth of God and many soules that doe not see it God will make them one day ashamed of it that they have not had hearts for God and tongues for God and mouths for God in such a day as this is wherein his cause hath called for it Thirdly Another duty that lyes upon the Saints in such a day as this is is That they endeavour their utmost the reformation of such a thing Ezra did so he endeavoured to bring the Congregation upon their knees and to a reformation of the sin of that Age of taking strange wives he caused the Congregation to enter into a Covenant to put them away Ezra 10. But the third Generall Head is this That the Saints should be often speaking one to another of the precious great and glorious Promises that God hath made of better times to come And we find the Prophets are full of these speakings telling us of glorious times wherein we shall come to enjoy that which will make up all our sufferings afflictions and persecutions God bears up the hearts of his people this way by promising and discovering of better times to come When the Children of Israel were in Aegypt God told them of a better time promises them the Land of Canaan so when his people were in Babylon he made them a Promise of a better time to come he told them then in the time of their Captivity to comfort and chear their hearts that the time was coming wherein all the Kingdomes of the earth and the power and greatnesse of the Kingdome shall be given to the Saints of the most high and with this Christ bears up the hearts of his Disciples I appoint unto you a Kingdome saith he and truly this will sweeten the bitternesse of an evill time this will make up suffering times this will make amends for all the Kingdome that Jesus Christ will give unto those that abide with him in an evill time as the Saints have had a day of Patience so they shall have a day of Power as they have had a day of sorrow so they shall have a day of joy they shall have a day of Peace and Comfort they shall have full peace and full joy yea they shall have joy and peace running over an overflowing of joy and peace they shall have a day of power and rejoycing and therefore saith the Apostle Paul speaking about suffering Rom. 8.18 I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us O the thoughts of that time of glory and power swallowes up all the thoughts of this time of suffering and of evill I reckon and account that the sufferings of this present world are not worthy to be compared unto the glory which shall be
us up to himselfe in that day when he makes up his Jewells O saith God to his Angels goe and gather up that soul for that soule is mine he is one of my Jewells O God will then shew what it is to owne him God will make it appear plainly then what we are and who we are And I will saith God spare him as a man spareth his owne Son that serveth him I will spare them and pity them O they have many weaknesses and infirmities what though yet saith God I will spare them 't is true saith God they have many weaknesses and have much frowardnesse O but yet I will pardon all and overlook all I will spare them notwithstanding all that I see what they drive at and what they aime at I see what their ends are they aime at my glory at my honour and they aime to be serviceable to me and would very gladly doe something forme well I will overlook and passe by all their weaknesses and infirmities and I will spare them as a man spares his Son that serves him though their brethren and friends will not pardon nor forgive their passions and their frowardnesse their weaknesses and infirmities yet saith God I will I will spare them O Saints here is our glory and our comfort that our father our God will spare us he will over-look our infirmities it 's true Saints we have many weaknesses much frowardnesse of spirit much passion many failings and many out-goings from God and we cannot manage that blessed cause we have in our hands with that wisdome and with that meeknesse and with that humility of spirit as we should O but here 's our comfort we have a sparing God an over-looking and forgetting God O Saints our father will spare us the father will overlook our infirmities he sees we aime at his glory and would doe service for him and that delights his heart and certainly this will appear to be the great sin of Saints one day that they cannot forgive and forget and over-look one anothers weaknesses and one anothers infirmities O but here 's the great comfort of the Saints in such a time that though they have many weaknesses and infirmities yet they have a God and father will spare them and pardon them Saints there 's sparing mercy in God there 's forgiving mercy in God there 's forgetting mercy in God there 's over-looking mercy in God O the good Lord keep our hearts close to him and help us to keep our white Robes about us and to walk in his feare alwayes O let us cast and venture our selves upon the rich grace of God in the New Covenant and love in Jesus Christ FINIS Looke to your Aimes and Ends. MATHEVV 11.7 And as they departed Jesus began to say unto the Multitude concerning John what went ye out into the wildernesse to see A Reede shaken with the winde IN the foregoing Verses we have John who is now in Prison sending some of his Disciples to Christ to propound a Question that he might receive satisfaction therein from the mouth of Christ himselfe The Question is Art thou he which should come or doe we looke for another In effect Whether art thou the Christ or not Or are we to look for some other yet to come that is the Messiah whom God hath promised by his holy Prophets to send unto his People It seems John though he had Preacht Christ and was his Harbinger his Fore-runner and had all the time of his Liberty spoken gloriously of Christ yet now when he is brought into a Prison into a state of temptation he is doubting As it doth befall the dear Children of God when they come into that state when they are under Temptation they doe then question those things which they believed in the day of their Prosperity and Joy So John when he was Preaching in his Prosperity and at Liberty he then held forth Christ but when John is cast into Prison John's faith is not strong now though it was very strong once yet it had need of confirmation from Christ himselfe therefore he sends to Christ Art thou he which should come or doe we looke for another Our Lord answers John's Disciples that came to him that they should Goe and tell John what they heard and saw And what things are those The blind receive their sight and the lame walke The Leapers are cleansed and the deafe hear the dead are raised up and the poor have the Gospel Preached to them Goe tell John of my works saith Christ Christ endeavours to convince him by his works and then he concludes And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me As if he should have said it will be a hard thing not to be offended in me it 's a very hard thing for a poor Creature not to be offended in Christ John himselfe that had Preacht Christ so much is upon the very brink of an offence and had much adoe to keep himselfe from being offended therefore Christ saith Blessed is he that is not offended in me I doe not wonder at John it 's a very blessed thing not to be offended in me my people shall meet with such Tryalls and Temptations in owning â—â—e that it 's a very hard thing not to be offended Having this opportunity put into his hands by John's Disciples putting this Question unto him Christ turnes unto the multitude As they departed Jesus began to say unto the multitude concerning John what went ye out into the willdernesse to see what were yee taken with A Reed shaken with the winde The multitude were much taken with John they cry'd up John as a great Prophet and indeed Christ saith that among all that were borne of women there was not a greater that then had risen then John the Baptist yet this great John John that had so much light John that had so much grace John that had Preached Christ so clearly John that the whole multitude followed this John when he comes into Temptation is but a Reed shaken with the winde What went yee out for to see a Reed shaken with the winde The strongest Christian that hath the strongest grace and most experience and most strength yet let him but enter into Temptation and he is but as a Reed shaken with the wind What went ye out for to see a Reed shaken with the winde But this is not that I intend to stand upon The word that I intend to speak to is grounded upon Christs Querie What went yee out into the wildernesse to see The multitude followed after John but alas they did not know him nor wherefore they went after after him So it 's with poore sinners they are apt to be taken with any thing a while but we doe not know our owne hearts our owne designes What went ye out into the wildernesse to see As if he should have said What was your end He put them upon their end to look unto their aymes in spirituall