is so accidentally and occasionally through the pravity of mens hearts instead of believing in him they are offended at him The Sun though in its own nature is pure and pleasant yet it is hurtful to sore eyes Jesus Christ is as well for the fall as the rising of many Luk. 2.34 Sinners stumble at a Saviour and pluck Death from the Tree of Life As Chymical Oyles recover some Patients but destroy others So the Bloud of Christ though to some it is medicinable to others it is damnable Here is the unparallel'd misery of such as live and dye in sin The best things work for their hurt Cordials themselves kill 5. See here the wisdom of God who can make the worst things imaginable turn to the good of the Saints he can by a divine Chymistâ—ie extract Gold out of dross 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God! Rom. 11.33 It is Gods great design to set forth the wonder of his wisdom The Lord made Iosephs prison a step to preferment There was no way for Ionah to be saved but by being swallowed up God suffered the Egyptians to hate Israel Psal. 106.41 and this was the means of their deliverance St Paul was bound with a Chain and that Chain which did bind him was a means to enlarge the Gospel Phil. 1.12 This wise Physitian can of the Viper make a Treacle God doth enrich by impoverishing he causeth the augmention of Grace by the diminution of an Estate When the Creature goes further from us it is that Christ may come nearer to us God works strangely he brings Order out of Confusion Harmony out of Discord he makes use many times of unjust men to do that which is just He is wise in heart Job 10.4 He can reap his Glory out of mens fury Psal. 76.10 Either the wicked shall not do the hurt which they intend or they shall do the good which they do not intend God often helps when there is least hope and saves his people in that way which they think he will destroy He made use of the High-Priests malice and Iudas his Treason to redeem the World God hath sometimes much adoe to please us through indiscrete passion we are apt to find fault with things that fall out which is as if an illiterate man should censure Philosophy or a blind man find fault with the work in a Landskip Iob 11.12 Vain man would be wise Silly animals will be taxing Providence and calling the wisdom of God to the Barr of Reason Gods wayes are past finding out Rom. 11.33 They are rather to be admired than fathomed There is never a Providence of God but hath either a mercy or a wonder in it How stupendious and infinite is that wisdom that makes the most crosse perplex dispensations work for the good of his children 6. How little cause have we then to be discontented at outward tryals and emergencies What discontented at that which shall do us good All things shall work for good There are no sins Gods people are more subject to than unbelief and impatience they are ready either to faint through unbelief or fret through impatience When men fly out against God by discontent and impatience it is a sign they do not believe this Text. Discontent is an ungrateful sin because we have more mercies than afflictions and it is an irrational sin because afflictions work for good Discontent is a sin which puts us upon sin Psal. 37 8. Freâ— not thy self to do evil He that frets will be ready to do evil Fretting Ionah was sinning Ionah Chap. 4.9 The Devil blows the coals of passion and discontent and then warms himself at the fire Oh let us not nourish this angry Viper in our Breast Let this Text breed patience All things shall work for good to them that love God Shall we be discontented at that which works for our good If a friend should throw a bag of money at another and in throwing it should break his head he would not be troubled much seeing by this means he hath got a bag of money So the Lord may bruise us by afflictions but it is to enrich us these afflictions work for us a weight of glory and shall we be discontented 7. See here that Scripture fulfilled Psal. 73.1 God is good to Israel When one looks upon cross Providences and sees the Lord covering his people with ashes and making them drunk with Wormwood Lam. 3.15 he would be ready to call in question the Love of God and to say that he hath dealt hardly with his people Oh no yet God is good to Israel because he makes all things work for good Is not he a good God who turns all to good he works out sin and works in grace is not this good 1 Cor. 11.32 We are chastned of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world The Hell of affliction is to save us from the Hell of damnation Let us always justifie God when our outward condition is never so bad let us say yet God is good 8. See what cause the Saints have to be frequent in the work of thanksgiving Christians are herein defective though they are much in supplication yet little in gratulation The Apostle saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In every thing giving thanks 1 Thess. 5.18 Why so because God makes every thing work for our good We will thank the Physitian though he gives us a biter Pill which makes us sick because it is to make us well we will thank any man that doth us a good turn and shall not we be thankful to God who makes every think work for good to us God loves a thankful Christian. Iob thanked God when he took all away Iob 1.21 The Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord Many will thank God when he gives Iob thanks him when he takes away because he knew God would work good out of it We read of Saints with Harps in their hands Rev. 14.2 an Emblem of praise We shall meet many Christians who have tears in their eyes and complaints in their mouths but few with Harps in their hands who in affliction praise God to be thankful in affliction is a work peculiar to a Saint Every Bird can sing in Spring but some Birds will sing in the dead of Winter Every one almost can be thankful in prosperity but a true Saint can be thankful in adversity A good Christian will blesse God not only at the Sun-rising but at the Sun-setting Well may we in the worst that befals us have a Psalm of thankfulnesse because all things work for good Oh be much in blessing of God we will thank him that doth beâ—riend us 9. If the worst things work for good to a Believer what shall the best things Christ and Heaven How much more shall these work for good If the Crosse hath so much good in it what hath the Crown If such precious Clusters grow in
Golgotha how delicious is that fruit which grows in Canaan If there be any sweetnesse in the waters of Marah what is there in the wine of Paradise If Gods Rod hath Honey at the end of it what haâ—h his golden Scepter If the bread of affliction tasts so savouâ—y what is Manna what is the Heavenly Ambrosia If Gods blow and stroke work for good what shall the smiles of his face do If Grapes may be gathered of Thornes what fruit will the Tree of Life yield If temptations and sufferings have matter of joy in them what shall Glory have If there be so much good out of evil what then is that good where there shall be no evil If Gods chastening mercies are so great what will his crowning mercies be Wherefore comfort one another with these words 10. If God makes all things to turn to our good how equal is it that we should make all things tend to his glory 1 Cor. 10.31 Do all to the glory of God The Angels glorifie God they sing divine Anthems of praise how then ought man to glorifie him for whom God hath done more than for the Angels He hath dignified us above them in uniting our nature with the God-head Christ hath dyed for us and not the Angels The Lord hath given us not only out of the common stock of his bounty but he hath enriched us with Covenant-blessings he hath bestowed upon us his Spirit he studies our welfare he makes every thing work for our good Free-grace hath laid a plot for our Salvation If God seeks our good shall not we seek his glory Quest. How can we be said properly to glorifie God he is infinite in his perfections and can receive no augmentation from us Answ. It is true in a strict sence we cannot bring glory to God but in an Evangelical sence we may When we do what in us lies to lift up Gods name in the world and cause others to have high reverential thoughts of God this the Lord interprets a glorifying of him as a man is said to dishonour God when he causeth the name of God to be evil spoken of Quest. How many wayes are we said to advance Gods glory Answ. Three wayes 1. When we aim at his glory when we make him the first in our thoughts and the last in our end As all the Rivers run into the Sea and all the Lines meet in the Center so all our actions terminate and center in God 2. We advance Gods glory by being fruitful in grace Iohn 15.18 Herein is my Father glorified that ye bring forth much fruit Barrenness reflects dishonour upon God then we glorifie God when we grow in fairness as the Lilly in tallness as the Cedar in fruitfulness as the Vine The Spouses Breasts were like Clusters of Grapes Cant. 7.7 3. We glorifie God when we give the praise and glory of all we do unto God It was an excellent and humble Speech of the King of Sweden He feared the peoples ascribing that glory to him which was due to God would remove him before the work was done When the Silk-worm weaves her curious work she hides her self under the Silk and is not seen When we have done our best we must vanish in our own thoughts and transfer the glory of all to God 1 Cor. 15.10 I labour more abundantly than they all One would think this speech favoured of pride but the Apostle pulls off the Crown from his own head and sets it upon the head of Free-grace Yet not I but the Grace of God which was with me Constantine did use to write the name of Christ over his Door so should we over our Duties Thus let us endeavour to make the name of God glorious and renowned If God seek our good let us seek his glory if he makes all things tend to our edification let us make all things tend to his exaltation So much for the first part of the Text the Priviledge THE BREATHINGS OF LOVE CHAP. VII Shewing the Nature Cause Kinds Properties and Degree of love to God 2. I Proceed to the second general Branch of the Text the Persons interested in this Priviledge and they are doubly qualified 1. They are Lovers of God All things work together for good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to them that love God Despisers and Haters of God have no lot or part in this priviledge it is childrens bread it belongs only to them that love God Because love is the very heart and spirit of Religion I shall the more expatiate upon this and for the further discussion of it I shall cleer these five things 1 The Nature of love to God 2 The Ground of love to God 3 The Kinds of love to God 4 The Properties of love to God 5 The Degree of love to God 1. The Nature of divine love Love is an expansion of soul or the inflaming of the affections whereby a Christian breaths after God as the supream and soveraign good St Austin in his second Tome calls love Pondus animae Love is to the soul as the weights to the Clock it sets the soul a going towards God it is the wing by which we flye to Heaven by love we cleave to God as the Needle to the Load-stone 2. The Ground of love to God and that is knowledge Ignoti nulla cupido We cannot love that which we do not know That our love may be drawn sorth to God we must know these three things in him 1. A fulness Col. 1.19 He hath a fulness of grace to cleanse us and of glory to crown us a fulnesse not only of sufficiency but redundancy he is a Sea of goodnesse without bottom and banks 2. A freenesse Fluit acrius amne perenni God hath an innate propensness to dispence mercy and grace he drops as the Honey-comb Rev. 22.17 Whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely God doth not require we should bring money with us onely appetite 3. A Propriety We must know this fulness in God is ours Psal. 48.14 This God is our God Here is the ground of love Deity and Propriety 3. The Kinds of love which I shall branch into these three 1. There is a love of Appretiation when we set an high value upon God as being the most sublime and infinite good we so esteem of God as if we have him we care not though we want all things else The Stars vanish when the Sun appears All creatures vanish in our thoughts when the Sun of righteousnesse shines in his full splendour Cant. 1.13 A bundle of Myrrhe is my well-beloved unto me and as a cluster of Camphirâ— 2. A love of Complacency and delight So Aquinas defines love to be complacentia amantis in amato As a man takes delight in a friend whom he loves The soul that loves God rejoyceth in him as in his treasure and rests in him as in his Center The heart is so set upon God as it desires no more Iohn
cannot be long asunder Such as love God have an holy fondness they know not how to be from him they can want any thing but Gods presence they can want health and friends they can want a full Table but they cannot want God Psal. 143.7 Hide not thy face from me least I be like them that go down into the Grave Lovers have their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fainting fits David was ready to faint away and dye when he had not a sight of God They who love God cannot be contented with having Ordinances unless they may enjoy God in them that were to lick the glass and not the honey What shall we say to them who can be all their lives long without God they think God may be best spared They complain they want health and trading but not that they want God Wicked men are not acquainted with God and how can they love who are not acquainted nay which is worse they do not desire to be acquainted with God Iob 21.14 They say to God depart from us we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes Sinners shun acquaintance with God they count his presence a burden and are these Lovers of God Doth that woman love her husband who cannot endure to be in his presence 3. The Third Fruit of love is grief Where there is love to God there is a grieving for our sins of unkindness against him A Child that loves his Father cannot chuse but weep for offending him The heart that burns in love melts in tears O that I should abuse the love of so dear a Saviour Did not my Lord suffer enough upon the Cross but must I make him suffer more shall I give him more Gall and Vinegar to drink How dis-loyal and dis-ingenious have I been how have I grieved his Spirit trampled upon his Royal Commands sleighted his Bloud this opens a Vein of godly sorrow and makes the heart bleed afresh Mat. 26.75 Peter went out and wept bitterly When Peter thought how dearly Christ loved him he was taken up into the Mount of Transfiguration Christ shewed him the Glory of Heaven in a Vision now that he should deny Christ after he had received such signal love from him this broke his heart with grief he went out and wept bitterly By this let us try our love to God Are our hearts spiritual Lymbecks dropping the water of godly tears Do we grieve for our unkindnesses against God our abuse of mercy our non-improvement of Talents How far are they from loving God who sin daily and their hearts never smite them they have a Sea of sin and not a drop of sorrow they are so far from being troubled that they make merry with their sins Ier. 11.15 When thou dost evil then thou rejoycest Oh wretch did Christ bleed for sin and dost thou laugh at it These are far from loving God Does he love his friend that loves to do him an injury 4. Another Fruit of love is Magnanimity Love is valourous it turns cowardise into courage Love will make one adventure upon the greatest difficulties and hazards Amor nescit difficultates The fearful Hen will fly upon a Dog or Serpent to defend her young ones Love doth infuse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a spirit of Gallantry and Fortitude into a Christian He that loves God will stand up in his Cause and be an Advocate for him Acts 4.20 We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard He who is afraid to own Christ hath but little love to him Nicodemus came sneaking to Christ by night John 3.2 He was fearful of being seen with him in the day time Love casts out fear As the Sun expels Fogs and Vapours so doth Divine Love in a great measure expel carnal Fear Doth he love God that can hear his blessed Truths spoken against and be silent He who loves his friend will stand up for him and vindicate him when he is reproached Doth Christ appear for us in Heaven and are we afraid to appear for him on Earth Love animates a Christian it fires his heart with zeal and steels it with courage 5. The fifth Fruit of love is sensibility If we love God our hearts ake for the dishonours done to God by wicked men To see not only the Banks of Religion but Civility broken down and a Flood of wickednesse coming in to see Gods Sabbaths prophaned his Oath violated his Name dishonoured if there be any love to God in us we shall lay these things to heart Lot's righteous soul was vexed for the unclean conversation of the wicked 2 Pet. 2.17 He took the sins of Sodom and made Spears of them to pierce his own soul. How far are they from loving God who are not at all affected with his dishonour if they have but Peace and Trading they lay nothing to heart A man who is dead drunk though another be bleeding to death by him he never minds or is sensible so many being drunk with the wine of Prosperity when the honour of God is wounded and his Truths lye a bleeding they are not sensible Did men love God they would grieve to see his Glory suffer and Religion it self become a Martyr 6. The sixth Fruit of love is Antipathy against sin Fire purgeth the Drosse from the Metal The Fire of Love purgeth out sin Hos. 14.8 Ephraim shall say what have I to do any more with Idols He that loves God will have nothing to do with sin unlesse to give battel to it Sin is Dei-cidium it strikes not only at Gods Honour but his Being Doth he love his Prince that harbours him who is a Traitor to the Crown Is he a friend to God who loves that which God hates The love of God and the love of sin cannot dwell together The Affections cannot be carried to two contraries at the same time A man cannot love health and love poyson too so one cannot love God and sin too He who hath any secret sin in his heart allowed is as far from loving God as Heaven and Earth are distant one from the other 7. Another Fruit of love is Crucifixion He who is a Lover of God is dead to the world Gal. 6.14 I am crucified to the world I am dead to the honours and pleasures of it He who is in love with God is not much in love with any thing else His love to God moves as the Sun in the Firmament swiftly but his love to the world is as the motion of the Sun upon the Dial which is very slow The love of God and the violent love of the world are inconsistent 1 Iohn 2.15 If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him Love to God swallows up all other love as Moses's Rod swallowed up the Egyptian Rods. If a man could live in the Sun what a small Point would all the Earth be So when a mans heart is raised above the world in the