rule for your help herein After much humiliation and seeking of God then listen to the voice of conscience for as it is with an Officer whom you would have search the Records if you would have him diligent indeed in the search you must give him his fee else he will do the work but slightly so you must give conscience Gods Register his fee that is let conscience have much prayer and humiliation which it calls for and then it will tell you Gods minde more fully Fifthly consider what truths have been most pressed upon your hearts before the affliction for afflictions do use to come as seals to instructions as Iob 33. 16. A writing hath not that authority with it before it be sealed as it hath after but when the seal is set on then it comes with authority so it is in regard of Gods instructions before they did not come with power to your hearts now God seals them that they may prevail and by considering what those instructions were you may be helped to finde out what God aims at in your afflictions A third Rule is when you have found out your sin stir up your heart against it with indignation This is that which hath caused me all this wo that hath brought all this trouble and smart As Acts 21. 28. the Jews took hold on Paul crying Men of Israel help This is the man that teacheth every where against the people So should we take hold on our sin that we have found out and cry to the Lord Help O Lord this is that sin that hath made the breach this is that sin that hath been the cause of so much evil unto me As we read of Antonius after Julius Caesar was murthered he brought forth his coat all bloody and cut and laid it before the people Look here says he you have your Emperors coat thus bloody and torn whereupon the people were presently in an uproar and cryed out to slay those murtherers and they took their tables and stools that were in the place and set them on fire and ran to the houses of those who had slain Caesar and burnt them Thus the looking upon our afflictions and considering what mischief sin hath done us our hearts should be raised to flye upon our sin with indignation and not to be satisfied without the destruction of that which would have destroyed us A fourth rule is when God stirs your heart in affliction to promise and covenant reformation begin the work while the affliction is upon you do something now presently do not put off all till you be well till you be recovered and think then I will do it there is much deceit of the heart this way many miscarry in their vows to God upon this ground because they put off all till they be out of their affliction and by that time the impression that was upon their spirits is abated their hearts are cooled and so the duty is neglected wherefore do something presently and be always in doing till that which is vowed be fully performed Fifthly let every affliction drive you much to God in prayer Is any man afflicted let him pray says S. James It is a similitude of Chrysostom As clouds darken the heavens cause lowring weather but being distilled into drops then sweet Sun-shine and fair weather follows so sorrows and cares in the soul cloud the soul till they be distilled in prayer into tears and poured forth before the Lord then the sweet beams of Gods grace come in and much blessing follows Sixthly treasure up all the experiences you have had of God and your own heart in the time of your affliction keep them fresh in your heart and work them upon your spirit and make use of them as God offers occasion Seventhly what you wished you had done then be sure now to set about and never rest till it be done that when affliction comes again it may not finde it undone if it does it will make the affliction very bitter unto you It was the advice of one Theodoricus to Segismund the Emperor who asked him how he should be happy Do says he that now which when you have been tormented with a fit of the stone or the gout you would wish you had done that which he said of that particular afflictions is true of others We should have glorious reformations if this rule were well observed surely that which is true in times of affliction is true out of it and that which conscience upon ground judges to be right and good then is right and good now Eighthly take heed of trusting to your own promises that you have made to God for obedience rather then to his promises that he hath made to you for assistance Ninthly often call your self to account after the affliction is over What is become of it how was it with me then and how is it now have I more peace now then I had then and how comes it about Hath my peace grown upon good grounds so as it may-hold I had workings of Spirit then what are become of them have I been faithful to God and to mine own soul And thus we have finished this doctrine of affliction which by Gods ordinance is the portion of his people in this world They have been are and shall be an afflicted people CHAP. X. Wicked men have pleasures in ways of sin while Gods people endure much hardship in ways of holiness THe second point is that God sometimes gives wicked men pleasure in the ways of sin whilest he suffers his own people to endure much affliction The Israelites make the brick and are under sore bondage and the Egyptians dwell in houses living in jollity and mirth Thus it was with Elijah he must flye for his life and live in caves and be fed by ravens whilest four hundred false prophets are fed deliciously at Jezabels table While the King and Haman sits drinking in the city Shushan is in perplexity Esther 3. 15. Job says of the wicked That they take the timbrel and harp and rejoyce at the sound of the Organ they spend their time in wealth but of himself he saith that his calamity was heavier then the sand of the sea that the arrows of the Almighty were within him that the poyson of them drank up his spirit that the terrors of God did set themselves in battle array against him Chap. 6. 1 2 3. And David says of the wicked that they are not in trouble as other men their eyes stands out with fatness they have more then their heart could wish but for himself all the day long he was plagued and chastened every morning Psal 73. Christ tells his Disciples the world shall rejoyce but they shall have trouble But why does God thus suffer wicked men to enjoy their pleasure thus in the ways of sin First here is their portion they are never like to have any other consolation but
what difference between Christs heart and thine Christ bids you leap for joy when you meet with such things and you think they take away all joy But we see it in experience contrary when people come into the ways of godliness they do not finde that delight and joy you speak of their spirits are heavy and lumpish and sad For answer to that It may be it is but seriousness and thou thinkest it is sadness Secondly it may be they are not in their element and therefore they do not express chearfulness If the fish be upon the earth it cannot take delight the bird does not sing when it is upon the ground but when it is got up to the air Those that you say are melancholly and lumpish put them to religious and gracious exercises and get up their hearts to God and they will be merry Thirdly it may be it is your company makes them so because they see so much dishonor to God in your company let them be among their own company and they know how to be joyful Fourthly it is not because of Religion but because they are no more religious because they finde so much want of godliness in their hearts Fifthly it is not because they have so much cause of sorrow as you but they come to see more then you not because their hearts are not so pleasant as yours but because God hath discovered the danger of their condition more to them and the things that concern their souls and eternal estates such things as if thou didst but see would sink thy heart into dismal bottomless sorrow and desperation Thou thinkest much to see them so sad as they are If thou didst but see that they see thou wouldst sink down into the gulf of desperation among the damned spirits It is a mighty argument they have some mighty work of God to uphold them and that grace comes from a mighty principle that they have some chearfulness notwithstanding they see such things as if one that were meerly natural should see them he would sink down into hell and yet they can hope in God and sometimes notwithstanding all unbelief do rejoyce in God Alas thy pleasantness and delight is such as every little toy is enough to damp if thou beest crossed in the least thing in the creature thou art damped But what if God should shew thee all his terrors the infinite evil of sin and the infinite danger thou art in in regard of thy eternal estate that would damp thee indeed and therefore acknowledge that that joy that the godly have considering what they see is exceeding strong that upholds them as it doth Sixthly their joy is a secret inward thing which strangers shall not intermeddle withal thou hast no skill in it What was it for Nebuchadnezzar to say No Nobleman had such pleasure as he when he was among the beasts thou hast no principle to judge of it and therefore art no meet Judge For Application Hence we see one special and great reason why Gods people are taken off so much from carnal pleasure as they are they have met with better and the sweet of the world is not so much to them because they have met with that which is abundantly more sweet It is the sweet savor of Christs precious oyntment that draws the hearts of the Saints after him that makes them cry out Draw us and we will run after thee Cant. 1. 3 4. But the savor of base pleasures draws vile hearts after them Trahit sua quemque voluptas The light of the Sun darkens the light of the candle and puts out the light of the fire The light that Gods servants do meet with in the ways of God do darken all and take away the lustre of all carnal delight and this is the reason that Satan does not go that way to work to tempt a gracious heart with sensual pleasures because he is so far above them and therefore he is fain to tempt them with spiritual pride and lusts of a higher nature It were a wonderful dishonour for any that profess godliness to have their hearts taken with any pleasures of the flesh but onely in order to better pleasures that are to be enjoyed in the ways of godliness in the ways of wisdom In the second place What infinite cause have we to bless the Name of God that gives us such pleasant ways unto glory Though his ways were never so full of torment we had cause to bless God but for to pave our way to Heaven with such delights and to afford unto us such soul-satisfying contents here while we live in this our poor pilgrimage this is praise-worthy If we were to ascend to Heaven in a fiery Chariot we were to praise God but this is the Chariot of Solomon the midst whereof is paved with love as you heard How are we to bless God for this Thirdly if it be so here is an aggravation of the wickedness of those that shall take delight in sinful pleasures God sees it is impossible for any of his creatures but they must seek for pleasures some way and that God might take our hearts to himself he hath provided ways wherein we may have pleasure and an infinite aggravation it will be to your wickedness to seek for pleasure in the ways of sin in dishonoring God when thou mayest have pleasure in honoring of God Consider this and let thy soul upbraid it self for abominable wickedness and ingratitude There are ways of delight wherein God may be honored and my soul satisfied there are other ways that have delight but such ways as God will be dishonored in them and my soul endangered Now when as God does give me a cup full of all delicacy to satisfie my thirst with for me to take a cup of poyson to satisfie my thirst with this is folly and this is abominable wickedness of mens hearts God sets his cup of salvation and tenders it in his ways to satisfie your souls withal and the Devil comes with his cup of poyson and do but speak of delight and when you are athirst you rather take the cup of poyson then the cup of Salvation the more delight there is in Gods ways the more abominable is thy wickedness to forsake them Fourthly hence the great scandal of the ways of godliness that the world stumbles at is taken away they call them dumpish ways The Saints of God never knew the minde of God if this be so The world deals with the ways of God in this case as they did with the Christians in the Primitive times they used to put Christians into Bears and Dogs skins or ugly creatures and then bait them and so the men of the world put Religion into ugly conceits and then speak against them and truly that they speak against is only their own conceits and not any thing in themselves they are lovely and excellent and glorious onely they appear
dangerous as if you being conscious to your self dare yet joyn with them if you deceive the Church herein God may justly avenge himself of you it may cost you your life Revel 2. 9. I know the blasphemy of them that say they are Jews and are not It is by God accounted blasphemy for any to say they are Jews and are not to make profession of godliness and not to be godly is blasphemy Surely then it is not sufficient to be with Israel but we must be of Israel not to be a Jew outwardly but a Jew inwardly so as God may own you in the last day when there shall be a narrow search who are the true people of God that then you may be found to be such indeed it will be a dreadful thing for any of you that now seem to be of Gods people and that have lived amongst the sheep if you should be found amongst the goats standing at the left hand when you shall see others of Gods people stand at the right hand looking upon you and say Yonder is one who lived with us and we could never discover him to be an hypocrite though sometimes we had jealousies of him there he stands now he is discovered therefore approve your selves to be of the true Israel of God Quest But who is a true Israelite Answ Such a one as can approve to his own heart an inward effectual call of God calling him out of the world as well as an outward call by the Ordinances such a one as hath testimony to his own spirit that he is separated set apart for God that he hath an inward sanctification of the holy Ghost such a one as in whose spirit there is no guile this is a true Israelite indeed Secondly if it be such a great blessing to be joyned in union and communion with the people of God hence labor to bless God for this great blessing that is such an amiable desireable condition it is your heaven upon earth that mercy that should sweeten all other mercies yea that should sweeten your afflictions to you Gods holy mountain Isaiah 57. 13. is promised as an inheritance opposed to vanity and promised as the blessing upon trusting in the Lord Vanity shall take them but he that putteth his trust in me shall inherit my holy mountain Let us not enjoy the world in all their vanity but bless we our selves in our God let us rejoyce in our inheritance the mountain of the Lord. Though we beg our bread says Luther is it not made up with this That we are fed with the bread of Angels with eternal life Christ and the Sacraments c We have cause to bless God that we might be with Gods people though in caves and woods and banished from all we have much more cause to bless God when we can be with them thus publiquely and peaceably and can go from Gods house to our own houses and have communion there this is the rest that the Land of Canaan did typifie for which the name of God is to be mganified God might so have left us that we should have had communion onely with the prophane ones and drunkards yea we might have been cast out from God to have had communion onely with reprobates and that now we may have communion with the godly it is a wonderful mercy Rev. 14. we read of Christ standing upon the Mount Zion and having so many people standing up to joyn with him in Church-fellowship for that is the meaning of that place there they were rejoycing at the mercy of the Lord that they were upon the Mount with the Lamb though there might be time when our Harps hanged upon the Willows yet if we be called to the Lamb upon Mount Zion Let us have our Harps in our hands Is there nothing in the delight that God hath in his people and the presence of God with his people and the great priviledges they have to raise our hearts to praise the Lord and let it not be verbally but really As namely thus Is it that we are Gods delight let him be our delight if we be his treasure let him be our treasure if we be his portion let him be our portion if he communicates choice mercies to us let us give choice endeavors to him if he gives us protection let us protect his truths and name if he honor us let us give him his honor And so I slip into a third particular which is a third branch of this exhortation 3. If there be so much excellency in communion with the people of God you that are such take heed you do not darken that excellency that God hath put in communion with his people there are three ways especially that darkens this excellency First if we rest in any Church-priviledge we have and make that to be our Religion and the strength of our spirits be let out about these things we enjoy more then others so as we begin to decline in the savour and power of godliness if others that knew us before when we had not those priviledges and mercies that we have now shall say What good is to be had there I knew such and me thinks they had more savour and relish in the ways of God then now more sweetness and warmth to be had in their company then now there is Take heed of this of giving occasion to any to say so It is a very evil and a dangerous thing to rest in Church-priviledges to make all our Religion to consist in being in a Church-way we may have this revealed to us and yet little of Heaven revealed There were two vails of the Tabernacle one covered the Holy of Holies the other the place where the Priests entred it may be we have had the first opened to us but yet the second which leads to the Holy of Holies may still be vailed Many whose hearts are very carnal may be much for Church-Ordinances We have in the 24. of Ezekiel ver 21 22. seven several expressions of carnal hearts prising Church-priviledges First they accounted them their strength Secondly the excellency of their strength Thirdly the desire of their eyes Fourthly that which their souls pitied Fifthly their glory Sixthly the joy of their glory Seventhly that whereupon they set their mindes What a noise did they make about the Temple of the Lord The Temple of the Lord The Temple of the Lord Ier. 7. 4. and yet they were carnal Take heed therefore you rest not in the Church-priviledges by this you will deceive your selves and darken the excellency of this blessed communion Secondly take heed of darkning this by any scandalous way as those do who profess themselves to be the people of God and yet by their wretched ways of sensualities or any other ways are a scandal unto Gods people this is an evil and a bitter thing Christ walks amongst the golden candlesticks Every Church should be a golden candlestick holding forth light in
the highest things that a body can be in without any weariness Thirdly there must be a great deal of power to be able to bear the weight of glory that shall be put upon them 2 Cor. 4. 17. Our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory such a weight as certainly if the body were not by the power of God upheld it were impossible it should bear it here we finde when there is great joy in the heart the body is not able to bear it but then there shall be a power to bear the weight of glory they shall have And the last is that which I finde expressed in Luther namely The bodies of the Saints shall have that power as to toss the greatest mountains in the world like a Ball. And I finde it in an expression of Anselem It shall be such power as they shall be able to shake the whole earth at their pleasure and we cannot think this incredible upon that ground that was named before there is not so much difference between the raising a thing from the lowest degree of power to the highest possibility as in raising a thing from nothing to the lowest degree of power Suppose a creature had but so much power now as to stir the least mote that is in the Sun to raise this power so high as to stir the whole earth does not require so much power as to make a thing out of nothing and if God do intend to manifest his power in glorifying the Saints and in making of them powerful why should we not think that God will extend that possibility of power that is in the body to that heighth certainly glorious shall be the power of the bodies of the Saints and that is the third thing Fourthly it is sowen a natural body and it shall be raised a spiritual body not that it shall be turned into a spirit It shall remain a body but the spiritualness consists in three particulars First that it shall be in a spiritual condition they shall have no more need of meat or drink or clothes or marriage or the like that now the body stands in need of the Angels themselves shall have as much need of meat and drink and clothes as their bodies shall so says Christ They shall not be married nor given in marriage but they shall be as the Angels in Heaven Secondly the spiritualness of the body consists in the absolute subjection of the body to the spirit as to be fully and absolutely serviceable to the spirits of the Saints which here they are not Here many times is a strife between the spirit and the flesh the spirit is willing when the flesh is not but then there shall be an absolute subjection of the body to the spirit As here the spirit of a carnal man is called flesh because his soul is serviceable to the flesh to make provision for the sins of the flesh his soul is counted carnal the wisdom of the flesh is enmity against God As the soul now is as it were carnal because it is serviceable to the flesh so the body shall be spiritual because it shall be serviceable to the spirit for you to have such a body as to be serviceable to your souls as you would desire it were a great blessing time will come when it shall be so Thirdly the spiritualness of the body consists in the agility of the body the ability it shall have to move up and down which way it will and that suddenly they shall move in the Heavens as the birds do in the ayr I remember an expression that Luther hath that the body shall move up and down like a thought And Augustine saith They shall move to any place they will as soon as they will These words we do not finde in Scripture but lay this for a ground that whatsoever we can expect for the excellency of a body it is that we speak of or beyond it and then we have a great deal of liberty to invent what expressions we can for our comfort certainly there shall be that happiness of the body that shall come to that we speak of or to more Fourthly some make the spiritualness of the body to consist in the transparency of it Aquinas says It shall be so clear and transparent that all the veins and humors and nerves and bowels shall be seen as in a glass Now brethren the reasons why God will reward the Saints in this part are First because humane bodies as well as humane souls have an hypostatical union with the second person of the Trinity and therefore God rejoyces to raise humane bodies as well as humane souls unto happiness Secondly Christ suffered so much in his body therefore God will glorifie the bodies of the Saints Thirdly our bodies are part of the members of Christ our bodies are joyned in a mystical union with Jesus Christ Fourthly our bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost and God will glorifie his own temples Fifthly our bodies are in part sanctified as well as our souls and therefore shall also be glorified Lastly our bodies shall be glorified for the further terror and confusion of the damned because they in their bodies shall see the glory of the Saints and be confounded Here you see a way to get your bodies in a blessed condition here is a stir for clothing of our bodies but there shall be a cloathing with immortality you that have sickly and weak bodies remember this you shall one day receive your bodies in another maner then you have them now Eusebius tels us of one of the children of the Macchabees that were put to death for the profession of the truth when they cut off his members says he I have received these from Heaven and now I do give them unto the God of Heaven and I hope I shall have them again Let us be willing to put our bodies to pain if our bodies suffer hunger or thirst or nakedness or be tyred or suffer Imprisonment or any violence be offered to our bodies in the cause of God What great matter is it we shall receive our bodies in another maner The overcoming of the flesh is the destruction of it but the overcoming the flesh is the glory of it When we speak of the happiness of our souls we are not so capable of it but when we speak of the happiness of our bodies we are sensible of that Now certainly there shall be much more for our bodies here is a way to provide for your bodies Lay up provision for your flesh is spoken as an argument of a carnal heart in Rom. 13. 14. the Apostle exhorts them not to make provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof but there is a way of laying up provision for the flesh that is lawful and that this day I exhort
of the glorious reward fills the heart with precious liquor that you may set it by the fire and put it into troubles it will not break As a Gyant refreshed with wine hath great strength to undertake any thing so the soul that is filled with this comfort of the hope of Heaven and glory can go forth as a Gyant refreshed with wine and make nothing of those things that others make great matters of When the heart is filled with joy hope of believing and so filled with light within whatsoever darkness is abroad it cares not As Oecolampadius when he was to dye and they spoke of the light without says he What is the light without I have light enough within And so a gracious heart says there is enough within to strengthen me let there be without what there will When Alexander gave away great things almost all he had one of his Officers aked him what he would have left for himself says he Hope so says a gracious heart though all things be gone yet it is enough to fill my heart with joy that I have hope of the glory that is to be reveald A natural chearful spirit can be able to undergo great things that one that is naturally timorous cannot the Wise man saith The Spirit of a man shall sustain his infirmities A man that hath a natural chearful spirit is able to sustain many infirmities that others cannot As for melancholy spirits every thing that comes cross to them is ready to sink them and they cannot undergo those troubles which a chearful spirit can because they want the sweetness within What strength is there then in the filling the heart with joy in believing of these things As a man that hath his bones filled with marrow and hath abundance of good blood and fresh spirits in his body he can endure to go with less cloathes then another because he is well lined within so it is with a heart that hath a great deal of fat and marrow joy and peace within though such a one hath not many cloathes and outward comforts to strengthen him he will go through troubles well enough Proverbs 14. 14. A good man is satisfied from himself And it is enough for good men to know within themselves that they have an enduring substance Heb. 10. 34. A tree that hath a great deal of sap within can bear great weights and burthens that others cannot and that is the fifth ground because the hope of these things does fill the heart with joy and so strengthens the heart A sixth thing wherein the power of having respect to the recompence of reward appears is in that it hath a great deal of power to resist any temptation of Satan and to quench the fiery darts of Satan In Ephes 6. where the spiritual armor is spoken of the helmet the armor that is for the head and keeps that from being hurt with any stroke is the hope of salvation and the hope of glory so that whatsoever temptations of the Devil comes by this helmet they are kept off that they do not so much as take the judgement As we might instance in the several temptations that the Devil hath to keep one from sufferings as when he comes and says Why will you undo your selves in such a way as this Presently the hope of salvation is held up and the soul answers It is so far from undoing of me that it is the onely way to provide for my self He that will save his life shall lose it and he that will lose his life for my sake shall save it If the Devil comes with this temptation Surely God does not require such things of his people to be brought into such straits and suffer such hard things The soul that hath the hope of his glory holds it up and makes this answer Why seeing the Lord hath laid up such glorious things hereafter why should I not think that God may require hard things for the present If he comes with this temptation Why will you go on in a singular way from others A gracious heart upon this argument answers I expect choice and singular mercies from God and why should I think much to go on in a way that is singular though others do otherwise it may be they shal never be partakers of such singular things If the Devil comes and say Surely God does not love you if he did he would not suffer such great calamities and sore troubles to befal you and if it were his cause he would assist you in it the soul answers Hath the Lord laid up such glorious things for me hereafter and shall I call Gods love in question because I am deprived of these mean things and undergo such afflictions as these certainly those things that God hath laid up for me shall so uphold my heart as that I shall never call in question Gods love though I suffer never so much here and that is the sixth particular Seventhly there is a great deal of power in this argument to help on the soul in a way of suffering because by looking at this recompence of reward the soul comes to see what glorious things sufferings do prepare for hasten unto and work to the encrease of First what glorious things sufferings prepare for As it is a notable expression Mr. Hawks hath in a Letter he writ to encourage Mr. Philpot being cast into the Bishops Cole-house says he This Bishops Cole-house is but to scour you and make you bright and to fit you to be set up upon the high shelf meaning Heaven as when you would set up vessels of brass or iron you first take cinders or ashes and scour them and by rubbing them with such things they are fit to be set up so all sufferings are but the means that God uses to scour his people to make them bright to set them up on high God will not set up his servants on the high shelf till first he hath made them bright and he uses this way to do it and then they hasten to great things the more one suffers the nearer he comes to glory and to Heaven Let the world do the worst it can it can but take away your estates and meat and drink and put you in the cold and hasten death and the hastening of death is the hastening of glory The greatest sufferings of Gods people are but as the fiery Chariots to carry Gods people home in This was the answer of Basil to the Emperors Lieutenant when he threatned death to him Death is a benefit to me it will send me sooner to God to whom I live to whom I desire to hasten And then they do encrease glory it is but a trade of less things to encrease greater all sufferings are the seeds of glory Eighthly there is a great deal of power in this to carry on the soul in a way of suffering because it does mightily enflame the soul with love to God
poor afflicted estate And surely the Papists could not always plead this argument time hath been when the Goths Vandals Hunnes and Turks have been more prosperous then they The Emperor Henry the fourth was much hated by the Bishop of Rome and yet he was not unprosperous in his way when the Pope cursed him and made another Emperor namely Rodulphus King of Swevia yet this Emperor of his setting up prospered not at all but was overcome and slain by Henry The Pope after set up another and he was slain by a woman yea he set up a third after him against Henry the fourth he likewise was taken in a Mill and slain by the Emperor at the last the Pope himself was cast out of his Seat and cast into Prison and dyed in extreme dolours of minde for that he had so wronged the Emperor and as it is reported he asked pardon of him And as outward prosperity hath not been always an argument that they could make use of so we hope that time will come when they shall make use of it no more when their judgements shall be altered and this argument wherein now they boast shall for ever fail them but for the present though now she be crowned with Diamonds and cloathed with Scarlet yet still she is the mother of Harlots and the abominations of the earth I have not says Luther a stronger argument against the Papal Kingdom then this that it is without the cross Let none amongst us deceive themselves by resting upon outward prosperity as an argument of Gods love for their everlasting estates Many have no other hold to lean upon for their salvation but this all those solemn protestations of God against this in his word all the works of Gods providence towards his own people in leading them on in an afflicted condition and towards the wicked in giving them the fat of the earth will not take mens hearts off from this false reasoning but still they will think if God did not love them surely he would not let them prosper so as he doth A painted face is as certain an argument of a good complexion as this is of a good condition When God shall come hereafter to take up his own to himsef he will not look so much amongst the great ones of the earth the rich the gorgious attires sumptuous houses furnished tables as amongst the the persecuted contemned scorned company out of them he will finde his own Mal. 3. 17. In that day when I make up my jewels saith the Lord the phrase notes that Gods jewels now do lie scattered in the dirt and God hath his time to make them up God passes by Pallaces and looks in at cottages he passes by the rich and takes the poor he passes by the honorable and takes the despised ones Thirdly hence we have a confirmation of another life after this certainly these things cannot always continue it is impossible that the godly should always be in this poor afflicted distressed condition it is not against the rule of justice to suffer this for a while that way may be made to other of Gods intentions but that there never should be any righting of their cause that there should never be seen a difference between him that feareth God and him that feareth him not that God should never appear to judge in the Earth that there should never be a reward for the righteous this cannot be The souls that are under the Altar which were of those who were put to death for the Testimony of Christ they cry How long O Lord holy and true will it be before thou avengest thy self for the blood of thy Saints S. Paul reasons strongly from this argument 1 Cor. 15. 19. to prove the resurrection For saith he if in this life onely we have hope in Christ we are of all men most miserable When therefore we see the godly to be wronged and persecuted when we see iniquity to be in the place of righteousness and wickednes in the place of judgement let us not be offended but say in our hearts God shall judge the righteous and the wicked for there is a time for every purpose and every work And as Chap. 5. 8. When thou seest the oppression of the poor and violent perverting of judgement marvel not at the matter for he that is higher then the highest regardeth If God should always prosper his servants in this life then it would be thought he intended no other for them but he withdraws his hand here that we might be taught to look for another In the times under the Law God did usually more prosper his people in outward things then now he does and the reason may be because then Christ was but darkly revealed the riches of spiritual mercies were not much made known there was but little mention made of that eternal life which is to come hereafter we have very few texts of Scripture in the Old Testament wherein there is any clear mention made of eternal life but in the times of the Gospel God calls his people to a more suffering condition then he did then and therefore the mystery of Christ the glorious promises of the Gospel the Doctrine of the resurrection and the ways of God in that eternity which is to come hereafter are more clearly and fully revealed It is an excellent expression that Luther hath to this purpose Bodily promises says he is as the shell or husk that covers the nut which is Christ and eternal life wherefore Christ coming the shell the husk is broken and taken off that is temporal promises cease and the spiritual succeed he means in comparison of that it was under the Law The Reason why the Pharisees scorned at Christ preaching against seeking the things of the world Luke 13. 14. was because the promises were so large for temporal things Wherefore when Christ would teach them not to seek those which they conceived the chief blessings of God contained in the promises they deride him hence Christ tells them ver 16. The Law and the Prophets were till Iohn till then the promises ran much upon temporal things but now the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence there is now another maner of kingdom revealed sought after in another way then ever formerly I dare appeal to thy conscience whosoever thou art canst thou think otherwise in thy conscience but that those who walk close with God subjecting their hearts and lives unto his fear must be most beloved of him they must needs be nearer that eternal good and fountain of all happiness then vile wretched sinners who walk according to their lusts who are vile and abominable in their ways When thou seest Gods people to be so low so distressed so afflicted either thou must be convinced strongly that there is a time wherein all shall be called over again or else thou art an Atheist God will convince thee another day by this argument Did you
pleasantly First be sure to keep the heart right within be sure to keep all at peace within thy soul you know according to the temper within so there is the relishing of things without He that hath peace within can easily go through the duties that are required without with joy Further exercise faith in the work and office of the holy Ghost that office that the holy Ghost is designed unto by the Father and the Son to be the Comforter of his people to bring joy and comfort to them look upon the holy Ghost as designed by the Father and the Son to bring joy and delight to the souls of his people What an infinite difference there is between the comforts of a carnal heart and the comforts of the godly The one come from a little meat and drink and the other come from the exercise of faith about the office of the holy Ghost that is designed to this work Thirdly in all that thou doest be sure to be upright Though thou beest able to do but a little in any way of God if thou beest upright God accepts of it and and thou wilt finde comfort Thou sayest thy duties are mean it may be so but if thou beest upright thou mayest have comfort it becomes the upright to be joyful whereas the most glorious performances if they be not in uprightness are but abominable Again sweeten all your duties by spiritual meditation a Christian that treasures up spiritual meditation and every duty that he performs brings it in by meditation and hath a great many meditations to rowl his duty up and down in this is delight To go to duty and to have a barren heart to act there is no delight but to go to a duty and to exercise spiritual meditation this is sweet Again labor to principle thy heart aright in the ways of godliness to understand what they are if thou understoodest what they are they would be delightful and the reason why many do not go on delightfully is because they do not understand what is in the ways of God to cause delight You will say What is there in the ways of God to cause delight First every work of godliness and that ability that grace hath to exercise is a beam of that infinite choice eternal electing love of God upon thy soul if thou lookest upon it so it will be wonderfully delightful Secondly look upon every duty of godliness as having more of the glory of God in it then the whole frame of heaven and earth besides Take all Gods works in the Creation in Providence in the Heavens the Sun Moon and Stars in the Earth and the Seas there is not so much of the glory of God in them all as in one gracious action that a Christian performs and if you looked at it thus it could not but have pleasure in it Thirdly look at that action of grace as that in which God attains his end in creating heaven and earth more then in other things besides as there is more of God in it so God attains more in it the end of God in his counsels is more attained by any gracious act then by any thing else that can be done save of the same nature How delightful should we be in the ways of godliness if we looked thus at them Fourthly look upon every gracious act as the seed of glory and eternal life Every work of grace in the heart and life of Gods people is a seed of glory and eternal life And these four considerations being put upon every gracious act do confirm that which was said in the opening of the point they must needs be full of pleasantness Be not satisfied in doing any thing in the ways of God till you do it pleasantly I hear the ways of God are pleasant I have gone on being haled by conscience but little have I understood of the pleasantness of them there is more to be looked after then I have attained to By this thou shalt come to be mightily strengthened and it wil be a marvellous help to make thee continue in the ways of godliness And as I said in handling that argument of the easiness of the ways of godliness those that are continually thinking of the hardness of Gods ways will fall off but by having them pleasant it will carry thee on against temptations and the current of all arguments The last Use of all is If the ways of wisdom be ways of pleasantness what is the end of wisdom If the neather springs be so sweet what will the upper be If the lower Jerusalem be paved with gold surely that upper Jerusalem is paved with pearls It is an excellent speech of Bernard Good art thou O Lord to the soul that seeks thee what art thou then to the soul that findes thee How sweet and pleasant are the ways of wisdom then How sweet and delightful is the end of wisdom If grace be pleasant how pleasant is glory therefore the Saints dye so pleasantly because there is a meeting of grace and glory Grace is delightful glory more delightful but when these both meet together what delight will there then be It is a speech of Jerome speaking of carnal delights None can go from delight to delight but it is not so spiritually the more delight we have here the more we shall have hereafter and therefore let this be all our prayer Lord give us evermore this pleasure satisfie our souls with this pleasure if the drops be sweet the rivers of pleasure and joy that are at Christs right hand how sweet are they Moses his Choice The second Part. CHAP. XVI A spiritual eye can see an excellency in Gods people though under great affliction THe fourth Doctrinal Conclusion that was raised from the words was That a spiritual eye can see an excellency in Gods people though under never so great affliction Moses chooses rather to suffer affliction with the people of God Who were this people A despised people an afflicted people Yet Moses could see an excellency in them while they were making their brick while they were whipped by their task-masters and contemptible in the eyes of all the Egyptians yet by the eye of faith Moses could look upon them as the most excellent of the earth as the most glorious people that lived in the world and desires rather to joyn with them though in the greatest afflictions then to abide Pharaoh's Court in the enjoyment of all worldly delights let the world cast what dirt they will upon them and darken their glory what they can yet they are precious and honorable in the Saints eyes The excellent of the earth and the glory of the world Job scraping his sores upon the dunghil and Jeremy sinking into the mire in the dungeon are more beautiful and glorious then the great men of the earth when they are crowned upon their Thrones Though you have lien
and danger and hazard himself in joyning with your childe in his affliction and danger you would take it well at his hands Secondly they hold out the honor of God in the world in their sufferings they are Gods witnesses Isaiah 44. 8. They stand for God in appearing therefore for them and their cause ye appear for God himself the cause is yours as well as theirs if God be yours Thirdly they need encouragement especially in the time of their affliction the best have flesh and blood and if they be deserted in their cause much advantage is given to temptation Wo to him that is alone If any should fail if any should miscarry through your deserting or not coming in and joyning with them it will prove a sore and a fearful evil against you If any of Gods servants in affliction shall go to God and make their means to him and in the grief of their souls tell him how you have left them how they are alone in so great a cause whereas such and such might have afforded much help and encouragement surely this will witness fearfully against you and it will go ill with you Certainly you bring much guilt upon your souls in deserting the Saints in the time of their affliction Hence Paul prayed that God would not lay to the charge of those in Asia that left him in his first answer Fourthly not appearing is a betraying the truth It is a speech of Zuinglius in his third Epistle We may as well with Dioclesian worship at the Altar of Jupiter or Venus as hide our faith under Antichrist He that is not with me is against me says Christ Fifthly Christ appears most for his people in their afflictions when they are at the lowest Isaiah 63. 9. In their affliction he was afflicted the Angel of his presence was then with them his love and his pity was towards them he bare them and carried them Psal 69. 9. The Zeal of thine house hath eaten me up the reproaches of them that reproached thee are faln upon me You know the place is spoken of Christ and these words were spoken when the Church was in a very ill case as appears in the Psalm Sixthly times of affliction are the especial times to manifest our true love to the Saints which are near to us in many bonds It is an ill part of a wife or friend to forsake husband or friend when in affliction Josephus reports of Herodias wife to Herod the Tetrarch who when the Emperor had deprived her husband of his Tetrarchy and banished him annexing his Tetrarchy to Agrippa his kingdom understanding that Herodias was Agrippa's sister the Emperor gave her her husbands substance supposing that she would not accompany her husband but she answered the Emperor There is a cause that hinders me from partaking the benefit of your bounty the affection I bear to my husband whom if I should forsake in this his misery it would very ill beseem me in that I have been a partner with him in his felicity the Emperor displeased with her answer banished her likewise with her husband a brother a friend a wife is for the time of adversity Especially hence it is recorded of Davids brethren and fathers house 1 Sam. 22. 1. When David was persecuted and came to the Cave of Adullam when they heard it they went down thither to him they ventured the displeasure the rage of Saul the forfeiting all their estates to go down to David their brother both his father and mother was there though very old now as appears ver 3. Basils forwardness in appearing for his friend in danger mightily affected Chrysostom he tells of him that he hazarded himself much to deliver his friend in danger and being blamed by some for venturing so much he gave this answer I have not learned to love otherwise I know not how to manifest my love but thus Seventhly when Gods people suffer most in Gods cause it is then most honorable to be called forth to appear for it to assist in it Amongst the Persians the left hand is accounted the most honorable Xenophon reports of Cyrus that those whom he honored most he placed at his left hand upon this ground because that hand was weakest and most subject to danger the most honorable of the kingdom were set to defend where there was most weakness and most danger If the people of God be brought low if they be brought under by affliction if the cause of God in them seem to be in danger then to come in and appear to stand by them and for them this is honorable Eighthly this appearing for the Saints and joyning with them in their affliction shall be highly rewarded of God When David was in his affliction persecuted by Saul Abiathar fled to him with the Ephod and abode with him Although self-respects might move him Saul having slain his father and fourscore and four priests of the Lord and if he had not escaped he had gone to it too yet because he was with David in his affliction mark how Solomon respects him for it 1 Kings 2. 26. Thou art worthy of death but I will not put thee to death but go to Anathoth to thine own fields because thou barest the Ark of the Lord God before my father David and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted Josephus reports of Agrippa that being bound with chains and sent to prison by Tiberius for wishing Caius in the Empire one Thaumastus one of Caius his Servants carrying a pitcher of water met him and Agrippa being very thirsty desired him to give him drink which he willingly did upon which Agrippa said This service thou hast done in giving me drink shall do thee good another day afterwards when Caius was Emperor and Agrippa was made King he first begged Thaumastus his liberty of the Emperor and made him a free man then he made him his chief Officer over all his affairs and after his decease he took order he should continue in the same office with his son This Agrippa was a wicked man who thus rewarded him that relieved him in his affliction it was the same Agrippa whom the Angel smote and was eaten up of worms because he gave not glory unto God How much more then will Christ reward those who shall give him in his members cups of water in their affliction yea who shall so joyn with them as to hazard themselves for them surely they shall not go without their reward when Christ comes in his glory he will own them But how must we appear what doth this point require of us First when Gods servants and their cause are accused and condemned you must not be silent you must not let it pass as being afraid to be accounted one belonging to them Luther in an Epistle to Staupitius a German Divine says That when Jesus Christ is condemned and
were these Kenites How long since was his kindeness shewed What was this kindeness For the first The Kenites were the posterity of Jethro Moses his Father in Law this you may see Judges 1. 16. For the second This kindeness was four hundred and twenty years before this time at the least for so long it was from the Children of Israels being then in the wilderness and this time of Sauls reign For the third It is thought of some to be the kinde visit of Iethro visiting his son in law and Israel in the wilderness and besides directing him in a way of government of the people that he might not wear away himself which was a great blessing to Israel at that time And further whereas Moses desired him to go with him to direct him in the way of the wilderness where they should go it is like he did it in part but though he did not stay with him but returned to his Country yet it is probable that some of his children staid and went along with Israel and were helpful to them in their way for Iudges 1. 16. The children of the Kenite are said to go up out of the city of palm-trees with the children of Iudah now this is by Jericho the first City the Israelites took in Cannan as appears Deut. 34. 3. therefore it s like that they accompanied Israel along in the wilderness and so shewed kindeness unto them which the Lord here remembers Ye who are willing to shew kindeness to Gods people in their affliction know there is mercy laid up in store for you and your posterity that childe not yet born may many years hence have the blessing of this your love Let no vain objections therefore no carnal reasonings hinder you in this great and honorable service of Christ for appearing for for defending of rejoycing in the persecuted despised afflicted Saints of God be not ashamed of them look not shy upon them deal not ruggedly with them let your hearts and houses be open to them let their spirits be comforted their bowels be refreshed their names vindicated their cause maintained their persons honored their sorrows eased their burthens lightened by what you have or can do by your selves or others If there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any bowels and mercies if any hope any desire that Jesus Chirst should know your souls in the day of your adversity fulfil this truth now opened before you applyed unto you this duty urged upon you It may be some of you have been Moses's such as have been drawn out of the water out of great afflictions be you now Moses's to others seek to draw them out if it may be howsoever to relieve and help them while they are in the waters and the blessing not of Moses but of Jesus Christ the mighty Savior the great stander up for and comforter of his people in times of straights be upon you CHAP. XIX Enjoyment of communion with Gods people is worth the enduring much affliction WE are now come to the sixth doctrinal Point that we have here in this part of Moses choice That the enioyment of communion with Gods people is worth the enduring of a great deal of affliction Moses chooses to suffer affliction with the people of God he saw they were Gods people and that it was a good thing to be with them and therefore rather then he would not be with them he was content to lose all the honors of Pharaohs Court and put himself under the sorest affliction that he could meet withal nothing should hinder him from joyning with them In the worst times of the Church wherein the hardest things were to be suffered in joyning with Gods people yet even then would those who had gracious hearts choose to be with them upon the hardest terms rather then to be from them with all outward ease and carnal delight It was a very ill time when there was a separation between the ten Tribes and the rest when the ten Tribes left the Temple left the Ordinances of God and followed after Jeroboam this was a very hard time and the rather because Jeroboam set watchers to observe who would go from him unto Judah to joyn with Gods people there for there remained the true Church And this is the meaning of that place Hos 5. 1. Hear ye this O Priests and hearken ye house of Israel and give ye ear O house of the king for judgement is towards you because you have been a snare on Mizpah and a net spread upon Tabor Now these two places were places that were between Samaria the ten Tribes and Jerusalem whosoever should go from them to Ierusalem to joyn with Gods people there in the true worship of God those that were set at Mizpah and Tabor would spy them and so they were ready to be taken This was the hard condition of Gods people then and they did mightily scorn at those that would go to Jerusalem to worship and to joyn with them in that way of worship And therefore Amaziah said to Amos Chap. 7. ver 12. O thou Seer go flee thee away into the land of Judah and there eat bread and prophesie there as if Amaziah should say Judah is a fitter place for you then this you are so precise and strict you had need be gone to Judah we are Idolaters here and no true Church but in Judah such as you are had better be gone to Judah And so it is usual for those that are carnal and prophane to scorn at those that are godly Yet though things were so hard in these times that there were watches and spies set to watch over them and they did contemn those that did look towards Judah yet those that were godly would not be discouraged but would go and joyn with Gods people notwithstanding all this and therefore you have it in 2 Chron. 11. 16. what was the way of Gods servants in that time when it was such a difficult thing to joyn with Gods people All such as set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel there were a company of them that would stay in Samaria that might have good wishes that times were better and things were better but would not suffer any thing to go and joyn with Gods people where they might have the Ordinances in a pure maner but all such as set their hearts to seek the Lord and resolved whatsoever came of it they would have God in the purity of his Ordinances they went up to Jerusalem And So it was in the Primitive times they were very hard times for Gods people and the people of God and Christians were discovered by their meetings together if so be all of them would have separated one from another and kept their Religion to themselves they might not have been discovered but though it were with hazard of their lives they would joyn together and meet together and
no partner But that this might not be an offence so as to keep us from joyning in Communion with the people of God let us know if this might have been offence enough to keep men from joyning with them it would have kept men in all times from joyning with the Churches since Christs time You know what difference was between Paul and Barnabas two Apostles And so the Apostles do complain of the dissentions and divisions in the Church of Corinth in the Primitive times and if that had been enough to keep out men from joyning with them then there had been no joyning with the Church of Corinth and other Churches Basil complains I have lived now to the age of a man and I see more union in Arts and Sciences then in Divinity for in the Church I see such dissentions as do dissipate it and rend it asunder And so between Chrysostom and Epiphanius the one wished the other might never dye a Bishop and the other wished that he might never go home alive And between Jerome and Ruffinus and Luther and Oecolampadius There is a most sad story we have of those that fled to Frankford from England in Queen Maries time and when they came there though they fled for Religion and for their lives yet there were such grievous breaches as they sought the lives of one another picking out some words against the Emperor in a Sermon that Master Knox had preached in England long before and now accusing him for them to the Magistrates of Frankford upon which divers of them were fain to flee This is through the malice of the Devil in sowing tares and therefore if you will be offended in this way of scandal you must be offended Yet we must all take heed of giving offence for though offences will come yet wo to them by whom they come Howsoever there fall out offences through the sinful distempers of mens hearts let not the Ordinance of God be challenged as the cause of these offences Joyning in Church-fellowship is a special Ordinance of God to maintain love and peace amongst his people yet by the abuse of it many times divisions and dissentions are stronger and more bitter in the Church then elsewhere let not Gods Ordinance be accused as the cause of it nor declined for this but let the wickedness of mens hearts be accused let us seek to have it purged Christ came into the world to dissolve the works of the Devil and yet the Devil never more raged then in Christs time and a while after We never read of men so possessed of the Devil before Christ came as they were then Shall we therefore accuse Christ for bringing the Devil into the world for being the cause of mens being possessed of the Devil Those who thus reason against the Ordinance of Christ because of this evil that falls out by accident upon it may as well yea and certainly would as readily reason against Christ if they lived in his time because of such possession of Devils which never was so before he came as it was then but as the true reason why the Devil thus prevailed upon Christs coming was the just judgement of God against men for contemning and rejecting Christ who came amongst them so it is here the judgement of God for the evil of mens hearts in abusing such a blessed Ordinance of love and peace So likewise the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is a Sacrament appointed by God to maintain love and peace in the Church it is an Ordinance for communion it hath the denomination from thence it is called communion Yet what hath occasioned such dissentions in the Christian world as the controversies about the Sacrament Shall therefore this Ordinance be accused as the cause of dissention O let us for ever learn this truth that whatsoever evil falls out Gods Ordinances be not blamed but mans corruption let that be condemned and purged Origen writing to Celsus says If you will take offence at the dissentions in Christian Religion then you may take offence at dissentions in other things Valens the Emperor objected the same against Christians Nicephorus 11. 45. brings in one Themistius answering that those of the Graecian superstition had as great dissentions amongst them There is dissention amongst Merchants and other Trades you do not say therefore I will not binde my childe to that Trade they dissent amongst themselves If there be profit and accommodations in the Trade men will not be hindred by this plea but joyn with them notwithstanding And so come you and joyn with the Saints though there be some dissentions though there may be some rigid distemper'd hot spirited men that may cause some trouble yet there is not so much union and love in all the world as with them set but aside some and there are a company if you be gracious your soul may take pleasure in and bless God for and therefore away with all such stumbling blocks and reasonings against the Ordinances of God come you thirsting after the Ordinances of God and my soul for yours if you do not finde that sweetness in communion with them as never was found before There are many objections against this way and many are a long time ensnared in them but Isa 57. 13. where God promises the inheritance of his holy Mountain ver 14. he promises to make the way plain to it And Exod. 15. 13. God guides his people in his strength to his holy habitation it must be the strength of God that must carry through all objections all difficulties over all stumbling blocks to Gods habitation Thus much to those that yet are not joyned in that nearness of communion with Gods people which they may be CHAP. XXII Instructions to those who are joyned in communion with Gods people SEcondly if it be such a blessed thing to enjoy communion with Gods people then there are many things that are to be said to those that are joyned in communion First labor to approve to God and your own souls that you are indeed Gods people particularly you are his people in a way of outward profession and to men you do approve your selves so far as we hope you are Gods people but you must approve your selves to God and to your consciences If you be conscious to your selves of any secret filth and yet dare come and deceive the people of God in joyning with them you bring your selves in more danger then you are aware We read Deut. 22. ver 21. that if a damsel having defiled her self before marriage and so deceiving a man he marries with her when this is discovered she is to be stoned to death Uncleanness in such as were single was not by the Law to be punished with death but she must dye although her uncleanness was while she was single because she deceived the man in marrying to him in her defilement So know your filth in not joyning to Gods people is not so evil and
you must not revile again when you are reviled And so the spirits of Gods servants as St. Paul and the Martyrs when they were reviled they would not give ill language again Again by reviling you come to harden those that reproach you in their sin when they sin and see the same sin in you they think they do not worse then you so they come to be hardned in their sin and you come to be guilty of their sin you turn their sin to be yours because you harden them in theirs Thirdly you by this means stir up more corruption and more sin whereas those that know what sin means and are tender of it they should by all means labor to suppress it and beat it down as when a neighbors house is on fire we will labor what we can to quench it and not to put more fire to it shall we have more care of our neighbors house then of our neighbors soul his heart is on fire and his tongue is on fire and will you bring more fire this is abominable Fourthly you come by this means to adde your sin to his sin What is not God dishonored enough by his reviling but must you adde to Gods dishonor Again fithly here you shew your exceeding folly that you do not apprehend a greater evil in the evil of sin then in the evil of suffering for if we did apprehend the evil of suffering to be less then the evil of sin we would never labor to deliver our selves from the evil of suffering by the evil of sin let a man come and cast dirt in your face the worst that can be in this is an evil of suffering at first till you make your selves guilty but how will you deliver your selves by the evil of sin what ignorance is this Are you acquainted with the ways of God Is this the way to clear your selves by defiling your selves more That filth that comes out of you defiles you more then that which is cast upon you from without Again further another evil that comes from this reviling is this you shew a vile base spirit as if you had no other means to deliver you from an ill name but an ill tongue those that know any excellency that they have in themselves will know that there are a great many other ways to deliver themselves from an ill name rather then an evil tongue But you are put to your shifts you have evil cast upon you and you have no way to deliver your selves from this evil but by your reviling tongue It is a sign there is no excellency in you nothing but baseness in you Seneca says of those that are disorderly affected with reproaches that are cast upon them They shew that there is no wisdom nor no confidence of any excellency in themselves to oppose that evil Again hereby you come to be injurious to your selves you deprive your selves from any help of God to clear your names If you had hearts to commit your selves to God he would provide for you but when you seek to clear your selves this way you put your selves from any care that God should have to provide for you That we read of David Psal 38. 12 13 14 15. is very observable They which seek my hurt saith he speak mischievous things and imagine deceits all the day long but I as a deaf man heard not and again verse 14. I was as a man that heareth not but mark verse 15. In thee O Lord do I hope thou wilt hear The less he heard the more confidence he had in God that he would hear and could the more comfortably commit his cause to him but if he had been too quick to hear himself God would not readily have heard for him and what had he got by that Now by all this you cannot but be convinced in your thoughts that it is a great evil to revile again and you that have been guilty of this let your hearts smite you and know what cause you have to be humbled before the Lord. But is it possible not to revile again Who can but do so when they come and give such ill language so injurious so false Those that have the Spirit of Christ can do otherwise Those that know the evil of sin to be a greater evil then the evil of suffering can do this And those that are wise and will not mischief themselves can do this Can any by reproaches force you to take a knife and cut your selves If they force you to commit sin they force you to worse Certainly you think every man is in bondage consider what miserable bondage men should be in for to be in the power of their enemies when they list to make them to mischief themselves can there be any worse bondage for an enemy to draw any body where he will is not so much but to make me to hurt my self this is a great and a sore bondage indeed Wherefore there is no contending with reproaches this way by reproaching again here the overcomer is the loser When Demosthenes was reproached by one I will not saith he strive with thee in this kinde of fight in which he that is overcome is the better man Fiftly take heed you be not hindred in your way or break off your course when you are reproached what though there be filth cast in the way shall we decline our way though the clouds do arise and darken the light of the Sun does the Sun cease in its course and cease shining because it is darkned no it goes on its course and shines till it breaks forth so you are going on shining in a good conversation some come and cast reproach upon your way and darkens your course What shall you cease No go on and in time you will break through the clouds Was there ever such a fool as to be jeered out of his inheritance A man hath an inheritance worth a thousand pounds a year and a company shall go and scorn him and contemn him and reproach him and he shall be rather willing to part with his inheritance then to be thus jeered Was there ever any such a fool Is not our way of Religion a greater inheritance to us then an inheritance of a thousand pounds a year If you should be moved to go out of your way upon reproaches know that this will be infinite more reproach to you then if all the men of the world did cast reproach upon you this will reproach you to your conscience and that before God and all the Angels and Saints before all Gods people And then besides this will further reproach you before wicked men too you will be the more scorned and vilified I remember a speech of a Heathen Philosopher If any man begin to embrace Philosophy he must be reproached They will say What we shall have a Philosopher of you by and by what pride and conceitedness is this But do
running up and down from one witness to another but a gracious heart hath other ways to help it self it cryes to God most high and looks for help from Heaven God sends forth his mercy and truth to help and there is help indeed Fifthly another help is this if you can but get your hearts quietly and kindely to lament the condition of your reproachers this will be a marvellous means tosweeten the heart and to help to bear reproaches It was the answer of Socrates to one who wondred at his patience towards one who reviled him If we should meet one says he whose body were more unsound then ours should we be angry with him and not rather pity him why then should we not do the like to him whose soul is more diseased then ours The folly of our reproachers should cause us to pity them to be patient towards them and pass by the wrong they do unto us this was one of the arguments that Abigail brought to David to quiet his spirit that was so stirred against Nabal because of that reproach he cast upon him Nabal saith she is his name and folly is with him it is his folly rather pity him it is too low a thing for such a spirit as Davids is to be stirred with it Instead of being troubled with the reproaches that are upon you your spirits should be most troubled for their sin Now there is infinite cause we have to be troubled for their sin more then for any evil that befals us An evil tongue devours and is an abomination and in Prov. 8. 13. God says The froward mouth he hates Now if you have any love you should think thus This poor man what hath he done he hath brought himself under the hatred of God now this should mightily affect the hearts of the godly As he is an abomination to God so he is an abomination to men Prov. 24. 9. The scorner is an abomination to men scornful spirits love to cast shame and ignominy upon others And in Prov. 18. 7. A fools mouth is his destruction and his lips are the snare of his soul we should think he hath but ensnared his own soul and so fall a lamenting of his wretched condition And so in Isa 33. 10. Your breath as fire shall devour you If the breath of any man devours him the breath of revilers and reproachers and slanderers does The Heathens called a reproacher A three tongued man because he hurts three at once he hurts him that he reproaches and him that heard the reproach and himself worst of all do but get power over your hearts to bewail this sin and your reproach will not be so troublesom Trilinguis Gallesius a writer upon Exod. 22. ver 28. observes the exceeding patience of those three Emperors Theodosius Honorius Arcadius towards those who spake evil of them they would have them subject to no punishment for they said If it comes from lightness of spirit it is to be contemned if from madness it is worthy of pity if from injury it is to be pardoned wrongs are to be forgiven Again labor to possess your souls with the reality of the sweet of and the honor there is in the ways of God so no reproach will be grievous to you As it is said of the covetous man when some told him Such and such hiss at thee but says he I care not I rejoyce in what I have at home that I have so much money in my chest So it should be with a gracious heart he should say I have sweet enough in my own heart what need I trouble my self with what others think or say Seventhly labor to satisfie your souls in the glory of God and Christ Though my name be cast out as filth yet the name of God and Christ is blessed and glorious and so shall be for ever let Devils and wicked men do what they can against it It was a good speech of Luther writing to his friend Spalatinus bemoaning his condition to him because of the scorn and contempt he suffered yet comforting himself in this that Christ lived and reigned Luther is accounted even a Devil but Christ lives and reigns he addes his Amen to it Thirdly it is not enough to bear reproaches patiently but we must bear them fruitfully a christian should think he hath not done that which belongs to a christian unless he hath got some good by them a christian should not think it enough to free himself from the scorn of the tongue but he must improve it for good by it First consider what ends God aims at by it and labor to work them upon your selves that you may attain to those ends Secondly labor to draw what good instructions you can from the reproaches of others As namely thus when I hear men reproach and revile O what a deal of evil is there secretly in the heart of man that is not discovered till it have occasion I did not think that such and such could ever have been reproachers if they had not been provoked Again do I see another so vigilant over me to finde me out to reproach me how vigilant should I be over my self to finde out what is in me to humble me Again is there so much evil to be under the stroke of mans tongue what a great evil is it to be under the stroke of Gods justice Lastly to be fruitful that is set upon what duty God calls for at the present surely this is one great general duty that the less credit I see I have in the world let me labor to have the more credit in Heaven I see there is a breach of my name here let me seek to make up my name in Heaven 4. And then they must be born joyfully but we shall speak of that afterwards in the third point that a gracious heart is not onely willing to bear reproach when God calls unto it but in the cause of CHRIST to triumph and rejoyce in his reproaches 5. Lastly we should return good for evil then you come to the top of Christianity This is a sign of great progress in Religion If I be weak saith Ambrose perhaps I may pardon one charging me falsly but if I have profited although not altogether perfect though he flows in upon me with reproaches I hold my peace and answer nothing but if I be perfect I then bless him that reviles me according to that of St. Paul Being reviled we bless If you can do thus if you can heartily pray for your reproachers and desire good to them and be willing to take notice of any good in them to clear up their innocency where there is iust cause if you can be ready to offer any offices of love and respect and kindeness to them and so heap coals of fire upon them this is a great sign of grace you have made a good progress indeed in Gods way Mat. 5. 44
lane and such a craggy mountain though he would be glad they were not yet when he comes at them he is glad because they are signs of the way he must go Straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life Master Bradford made use of that place when he came to the Stake and looked upon his sufferings as an evidence to him that he was in the right way Secondly they are an evidence to him of that difference that God hath made between others and him there was a time when as other men could close with me and agree with me now see what a difference there is they nothing but contemn me and despiseme I might have gone on and have been a scorner and a mocker as they are O the difference that God hath made between me and them that God should call me from them who was as vile as they and suffer them to be reproachers of godliness and make me a sufferer for godliness Jerome writ to Augustine that it was a great sign of glory to him that all Hereticks did hate him Thirdly it is an evidence of the sincerity and the power of his grace and his love that he bears to Christ and this is great riches for a gracious heart says Lord try me Lord prove me he would fain have an opportunity to manifest the truth of his love to Christ all the while I go on in a way of prosperity and have the desire of my heart wherein appears my love to Christ but now when I am called to suffering and to part with much for Christ here is an opportunity to shew I love Christ for himself that my love to him does not depend upon any thing that I gain by him in the world The Apostle says The tryal of your grace he speaks of faith is more precious then silver and gold and not onely your grace is more precious but the tryal of grace is more precious then gold and silver A gracious heart does rejoyce much in evidencing love to Christ as any dear friend rejoyces much in any opportunity of manifesting his love to another friend and the greater the opportunity is the more does he rejoyce And likewise the power of grace is manifested as David said to the King Achish Thou shalt know what thy servant can do and so a gracious heart thinks here is an opportunity to manifest the strength and power that is in grace Fourthly they are an evidence that much good is done that Satans kingdom is shaken in sufferings we see the rage of the Devil and he rages then most when he sends most opposition to his kingdom wherefore those against whom he rages most may have hereby evidence that they were most instrumental against him I rejoyce says Luther That Satan does so rage and blaspheme as often as I do but touch him he took it as an argument that much good was done otherwise the Devil would not have been so vexed he would not have raged so much Fifthly a gracious heart hath an evidence to it self that God will spare him when others shall suffer from his wrath Certainly the more any one is called to suffer in the cause of God and when he findes his heart ready and willing to yield to God in suffering the more evidence may he have to his soul that when others shall be called to suffer from Gods wrath he shall be spared and this is the bottom of the prayer of the Psalmist Psal 89. 50. Remember Lord the reproach of thy servants how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of the mighty people I read of one Escelus being condemned to be stoned to death and all the people were ready to cast stones at him and his brother came and run in and shewed that he had but one hand and the other hand he had lost for the defence of his countrey and then none would stone him and so the marks of the Lord Jesus are notable marks to safeguard thee in the time of trouble when the Lord goes out in his wrath he will set his mark upon those that he will save and none more notable marks then the reproaches and sufferings they bear for Christ This was Jeremiahs plea before the Lord chap. 15. ver 5. O Lord thou knowest remember me and visit me know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke Lastly it is an evidence of salvation Phil. 1. 28. not that all that suffer shall be saved but a gracious heart that suffers in a gracious Christian maner hath God sealing to him by his spirit in his sufferings his salvation Put these together and we see one cause why we should count the reproaches of Christ great riches yea this is greater riches then the riches of Egypt Secondly the reproaches and sufferings which we endure for Christ are riches of preferment It was a speech of Ignatius when he was to suffer It is better for me to be a Martyr then a Monarch Epist 12. ad Romanos Euseb l. 8. c. 7. To be preferred to honor is counted great riches now there is a preferment of Gods people here these three or four ways Basil upon that famous Martyr Bar-aam says he rejoyced in stripes as in honors he exulted in the severest punishments as if praeclara bravia acceperet First the Saints look upon this as high preferment because it is a testimony that God hath a high esteem of them God does not use to call those that are weak and mean to great sufferings but his servants that are most eminent God will dispose of the conditions of his people suitable to their dispositions therefore he will not call those to the strongest work that are weakest A Captain does not call out his mean Soldiers to a notable enterprize but he calls out his most able couragious Soldiers and the more desperate the enterprize is the more honor the Soldier thinks it to be called out so the greater work God calls one to the more preferment is in it and we have cause to admire that God should deal so with us his poor creatures rather then others as if we were fitter then ' others though we cannot say we are fitter because we are conscious to our selves of so much weakness but God honors us as if it were so Secondly by this we come to be honorable in the eyes of the Churches and the Saints of God nothing makes Gods people more honorable in the eyes of the Saints then when they are called to suffer much for God And so in the Primitive times they esteemed much of the Martyrs even too much Chrysostom speaking of Babylas the Martyr calls him a great man a man to be admired and says if I may call him a man and Tertullian writing to some of the Martyrs says I am not worthy to speak to you he writes that it was a custom of some in those times to creep to the Chains
for righteousness sake I would this foolish world would all rise up against me to reproach me Secondly Gods people have been greedy of them Origen was so earnest to suffer with his father when he was a youth of sixteen years of age that if his mother had not kept his clothes from him he would have run to the place where his father suffered to profess himself a Christian and to have suffered with him And so the story of the poor Woman in the book of Martyrs that made haste to the place where many Christians were to be burned and meeting with the Persecutor says he What need you make such haste to that place there are many to be burned Ah says she that I know and I am afraid all will be done before I come I and my childe would fain suffer with them And many blessed the day of their suffering Alice Drivers expression was That never neckerchief became her so well as that chain did and are you so shy of them what difference is between you and their spirits Again what unthankfulness and dishonor is this to Christ that hath suffered so much for you Christ hath gloried in the sufferings he suffered for you and why should you be afraid of sufferings for him it was a notable speech of an Ancient Acceptable is the reproach of the Cross to him that is not unthankful to him that was crucified upon the Cross And what confusion will it be upon you another day when you shall see those that suffered are so glorified that their sufferings are crowns of such immortal glory O consider what you do deprive not your selves of such glorious riches Fifthly let us labor to get this Christian magnanimity of spirit namely for to glory in all that we suffer for Christ Heathens can be patient in sufferings but Christians must go beyond them and glory in their sufferings You have been bold in suffering for sin if you might have your minde and will now if you may have your minde and will for Gods glory in suffering in a good way why should you not suffer Mark the expressions that we have of Job Did I fear a great multitude or did the contempt of families terrifie me that I kept silence and went not out of the door O that one would hear me behold my desire is that the Almighty would answer me and that mine adversary had written a book let them say what they can against me write a book against me Surely I would take it upon my shoulder and binde it as a crown to me Thus it should be with the people of God they should take their reproaches as an ensign of honor This indeed is truly in a spiritual sense to tread upon the Asp and the Adder that when the Asp and Adder and the old Serpent does spit out her venomous poyson a gracious heart should tread upon them There are three things that will put a spirit of suffering and so a holy magnanimity into us All the arguments in the world will not do it unless we have a suffering spirit and these three things will put a suffering spirit in us First if you had a full satisfaction of your own spirits in the cause of God you maintain and the ways of God you walk from your own experience you have in them if you take upon you the profession of Religion by the reports of others and be carried by the example of others that will not do it but if in your own experiences you finde that sweet and onely satisfying content in the truths and ways of God this will do it It was a notable resolution of Luther My purpose is not says he to maintain my life or name in respect what men say or can say of me for my maners but my purpose is to maintain the cause of God let whosoever will tear my life and name in this regard Propositum est mihi neque vitam neque mores tueri sed solam causam lacerent mores meos quicunque velint Luth. ad Nicolaū Hansman Secondly if you get your hearts inflamed with love to Christ Love delights in opportunities of expressing it self and it hath never such a full opportunity of expressing the strength and heat of it as in suffering much for the Beloved Thirdly if you have an eye of faith and can behold God the Father and Christ and the blessed Angels looking upon you when you are in your sufferings By the eye of faith look up to heaven and see God looking upon you and saying Here is a servant of mine is called to suffer for me now you shall see his behavior and Christ and the Angels looking upon you to see your behavior and this will do it not onely make you patient but glory in them Sixthly if there be so much glory and such riches in suffering Hence we have an Use of abundance of comfort and encouragement to them that are willing to endure reproaches for Christ There are five or six branches of consolation to Gods people in this Use First are you willing to suffer reproaches and to glory in them I remember a notable speech of Gulielmus Parisiensis O happy pallat that can taste such delicates O it is a blessed thing that God hath given you such a taste Again know if you glory in your sufferings for God God will glory in doing for you None shall glory in suffering for him but he will count it his glory to be doing for them Thirdly if you glory in your sufferings for Christ God will count it his glory to uphold you in his sufferings Fourthly do you glory in the low condition you are put into for Christ certainly God will own your souls and glory in you when you are in the lowest condition when your souls shall be in adversity God will know you then Fifthly can you glory in a suffering Christ when Christ comes in glory he will own you when he shall be glorified his glory shall be yours Those that are ashamed of me I will be ashamed of them says Christ before my Father and the Angels But those that glory in Christ Christ shall be their glory Lastly now you glory in Christs sufferings you shall glory in his praises Seventhly if so be that Gods people account themselves so enriched by sufferings and reproaches let us take heed we do not despise any that do suffer for Christ that we have not low esteem of them because of their sufferings God hath high esteem of them when they suffer and they themselves see cause to glory in their condition and are you that are standers by ashamed of them and do you disesteem of them for their sufferings while the Saints of God flourish in the world they are esteemed of by many carnal hearts but let them suffer any thing and be disgraced and they withdraw themselves from them they are despised as
a lamp in the snuff but who do despise those that are ready to fall into trouble those that are in ease When a lamp is bright and shining every one esteems it but when it comes to be in the snuff men despise it and so in outward prosperity many do esteem of them but when they come into trouble then they slight them O let not those that are like to fall into trouble be despised by you I pray what service do you for God that you should despise them such a one as suffers in the cause of God does more service for God then you have done in all your lives and God hath more honor by him and will you despise him and look with an evil eye upon such a one behold him look upon him see whether the presence of God be not more with him then ever see whether the glory of God does not appear more upon him then ever and will you despise him It is said God will not withdraw himself from the righteous however others do withdraw themselves that is let the righteous be inany condition though in the poorest meanest condition God withdraws not himself from him and shall you withdraw your hearts from him you should embrace them and the more they suffer for God the more you should delight in them and be in their company the more and not be shy of their company and ashamed to own them In Rev. 1. 9. you see how St. John does boast in his tribulation he does not say I John that am an Evangelist who am an Apostle who have revelations revealed unto me but I John who am also your brother and companion in tribulation This he rejoyces in that there is a company of Gods people that I may joyn with in tribulation for Christ And so it is spoken of the honor of those Christians in Heb. 10. 33. that they were companions of those that were reproached and persecuted It is therefore well taken at Gods hand when any of Gods people are in trouble that others are willing to be their companions and not to despise them but to embrace them And Constantine the Emperor when he came to Pagnutius that had lost his eye for Christ he embraced him and kissed that eye Eighthly if Gods people do so glory in their sufferings Hence there is discouragement to all wicked men to meddle with them certainly they will get nothing by it You think if they will not do thus and thus you will make them do it Alas you are infinitely deceived what will you do to make them do it you will reproach them and cast disgrace upon them and take away their estates and hunt them up and down This is that which they glory in and they count their riches you enrich them by this And therefore if there be any policy in you leave off this way for when are the people of God more setled in the way of godliness and against the way of Antichrist then when they are persecuted Nazianzen in his Oration upon Basil tells of a famous contestation that Basil had with Modestus the Emperors Lieutenant What saith Modestus what do we seem to be to you Nothing says Basil What do you not fear our power Why should I fear what will it do what shall I suffer What shall you suffer saith he in indignation then he reckons up a company of scaring things Losses of goods Banishment Tortures Death then says Basil if you have any thing else threaten it for these things are nothing How is that says he Basil answers for loss of goods I have nothing but a few torn cloathes and a few books for Banishment I account the whole earth mine for Death that will be a benefit to me you will send me sooner to God to whom I live and to whom I hasten and a little after he saith Fire Sword Prison Famine are all a pleasure they are delightful to me We read likewise of a notable speech of this Lieutenant to the Emperor Julian While they suffer they deride us saith he and the torments are more fearful to them that stand by then to the tormented Gulielmus Parisiensis in his Tractate de moribus brings in the patience of the Saints triumphing over Persecutors saying The Emperors and Kings and Princes of the world are but Cooks to prepare dainties for me in whose rage appears my glory the magnificence and sublimity of those who are mine and those that seem to dominier in the world do serve in my kitchin to prepare food for me And Tertullian speaking of the patience of Job and the Devils coming to strike him says The Devil with his own hands did but make a crown for Job And says he here is the glory and magnanimity and sublimity of patience that it does glory in those things that the world think to get them off from the ways of godliness by Hereticks says Cyprian do arm us when they think by their threatnings to terrifie us Do you think reproaches from you will take off their hearts from all the good they had experience of Gods ways you know not their hearts In Jeremy 23. 7. says God They think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbor as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal because a company of base Hypocrites are taken from the ways of godliness and from the profession of truth by scorns and reproaches the men of the world think to get Gods people to forget his Name but they are infinitely mistaken although you prevail with hypocrites do not think to prevail in like maner with gracious hearts The answer of Basil to Modestus that Nazianzen in his former Oration mentions is very remarkable When Modestus heard his bold answers says he to him Never any man answered me thus thus boldly as you do It may be says Basil you never had to deal with a Bishop before So although perhaps others who make shews of Religion yet not well grounded will yield to you yet if you meet with a true gracious heart you shall finde another maner of power there to resist whatsoever you can do Do what you can those who are truly godly will be above you in whatsoever sufferings they endure from you It was a notable speech I have read of one Cyrus Theodorus to the former Modestus concerning Basil O Modestus Basil is above you you are but a poor Pismire to him though you roar as a Lyon Luther likewise reports of Vincentius that he laughed at those that slew him saying that to Christians tortures and deaths were as sports and he gloryed when he went upon hot burning coals as if he trod upon Roses Ninthly If we are to glory so much in the sufferings we endure for Christ then certainly we are to glory in the sufferings that Christ hath indured for us if there be riches in our sufferings for Christ what riches are in
and Jesus Christ it seeing that the bottom and ground of all this glorious recompence of reward is in the free and eternal love of God in Jesus Christ that did work about this before the foundation of the world was laid this does mightily enflame the heart with love to God and therefore it wishes as that Martyr did O that I had as many lives as I have hairs on my head to lay down for Christ And it is sorry that it hath no other opportunity to testifie its love to God the soul says I have but this little time to testifie my love to God and I can but testifie little in doing O what a happiness is it that that which I want of testifying my love in doing I have it in testifying my love in suffering Shall a dog that hath but a few crums or bones from his Master be willing to venture his life in defence of his Master and shall not a gracious heart that expects not crums and bones but Crowns and unconceiveable glory in Heaven be willing to venture life for God in the cause of God Ninthly there is a great deal of power in having respect to the recompence of reward to carry on a soul in suffering because according to the things that are apprehended there is the like impression left upon the spirit As a gracious heart apprehending holy things is made holy and apprehending spiritual things is made spiritual and apprehending great things is made great thee is a holy gracious magnanimity put into the heart A man that is lift up on high upon a high Tower or a high Mountain he looks upon things below as little things The apprehension of this glory lifts the soul on high and puts an impression of greatness and glory upon the heart and so causeth an heroical spirit in the heart to look upon all things below as small as the Martyrs though they were weak spirits by nature even women and children yet apprehending such great things they had heroical magnanimious spirits and looked upon their sufferings as small things because they had an impression of the object they beheld left upon their spirits and in some measure were made like it Lastly there is a mighty deal of power in looking to the recompence of reward to help in sufferings because it hath much power to cleanse the heart every one that hath this hope purgeth himself 1 Iohn 3. And hence the Christians in the Primitive times fering Those that write the stories of Egypt report that there is no country in which there are more venemous Creatures then in Egypt and also they write there is no Country hath so many Antidotes to help against poyson so godliness brings with it many troubles and sufferings but then godliness hath much in it to help against troubles and sufferings Thirdly hence we come to see the reason why so many are overcome in a way of suffering and do yield and so basely Apostatize rather then they will go on in a way of suffering for God they have not an eye to look up to Heaven and to see all the glory that is revealed they do not know within themselves that there are such things as it is said of those in Heb. 10. 34. They knew within themselves what they had in Heaven they look upon these things as conceits and imaginations In Phil. 3. 18. the Apostle speaks of some that were enemies to the Cross of Christ but what were they They were men that minded earthly things but says the Apostle Our conversation is in Heaven What was the reason that Demas forsook Paul It was for this present world he was not acquainted with the powers of the world to come and therefore he forsook Paul rather then he would suffer in the cause of God with Paul Certainly those that fall off in the time of suffering are such as never had a taste of the powers to come or have lost it this dew of Heaven hath not faln upon their hearts to moisten them and therefore every suffering does scorch up the root If the root be kept moist though scorching heat come it does not dry up the plant but it is green and flouwere so able to suffer because they had their hearts so purged by faith Acts 15. 9. Take a man that was strong if he have many ill humors in his body all his strength is gone but if the Phisitian gives him something to purge out his ill humors though hee have no Cordials given him to strengthen him yet he is strong and he is able to endure and to do more then before So those spirits that are full of distempered humors that are unsound they can bear nothing undergo no difficulty but when there is any thing to purge the heart and make it clean then it is able to do or suffer more sin lies rotting at the heart and by rotting does weaken a rotten rag hath no strength to bear any thing so those that have old sins lie rotting they can bear nothing The spirit of power and of a sound minde is put together 2 Tim. 1. 7. now the hope of this glorious reward purges the heart and makes it sound and so carries it on in power Now put all these together and no marvel that Moses by having an eye to the recompence of reward could suffer so much many are afraid of suffering hard things in the cause of Christ but you see what will enable you to endure all Now I should apply this in many particulars First If there be such power in this to help to suffering then surely there is power in this to help to service you that know what these things mean be ashamed to complain of any difficulty in any service Secondly hence we see cause much to bless God that reveals such things to us to carry us through sufferings though godliness brings much suffering yet it brings that which will strengthen against sufrishing still It is the dew of Heaven the hope of the glory of Heaven that keeps our root moist and so we shall hold out in the time of suffering It is given as the cause of the seed in the stony ground not come to perfection Luke 8. 6. Because it wanted moisture many froward people in Religion prove like the stony ground they have not moisture this dew of Heaven lies not at their hearts And the reason why many do not hold out is because they want the Anchor of hope In a tempest if there be not an Anchor well fastened the ship will be carried upon the rocks or the sands Now Hope is the Anchor that must hold the soul in all affliction if that hold let storms and winds be never so loud yet the heart will be kept from being split upon the rocks and swallowed up in the sands but many have but a paper Anchor a conceited hope not a strong hope fastned upon the infallibility of God in his word and promises and
the life of Camillus of the Gauls that after they had once a taste of the sweet wine of the grapes that grew in Italy they inquired in what Countrey such sweet wine was and after they understood where the grape of that wine grew they would never be at rest till they got to that Countrey where such sweet and pleasant things grew I have endeavored in the opening of this point to bring unto you some of the Clusters of Canaan and some of that wine which is to be drunk in the Kingdom of Heaven now if you account it to be sweet and good let not your hearts be at rest till you come at that Countrey till you come to enjoy the sweet and good of that Countrey It is reported of one Adrianus who seeing the Martyrs suffer such grievous things in the cause of Christ he asked what was that which caused them to suffer such things and one of them named that Text Eye hath not seen nor ear hath not heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive what is laid up for those that love God and the naming of that Text converted him and had such an effect as made him to profess Religion and so to profess it as to be a Martyr for it You have not onely one Text named but many have been used about this argument let not all be in vain We read in Mark 10. 17. of a yong man that came running and kneeled before Christ and asked him Good Master what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life O that God would move the hearts now of some yong ones that hearing what eternal life means they may now come running to get part in it that that activity and vigor of their youth may be exercised and spent about this What may I do that I likewise may be partaker of eternal life and of these glorious and blessed truths that are here revealed You that are in a poor condition in the world that have little here here are great things for your hearts to make after here are glorious things that are as obvious for you ac for the greatest in the world you cannot expect to have great matters in the earth but here you may expect to have great matters You that are old likewise though you have not been acquainted with the excellency of the Kingdom of God now bless God that you may yet further know more concerning it If a man come to know more of an inheritance that did befal him or of any outward gain then before he is glad that he lived to that time so bless God that you may know yet more concerning eternal life before this life be at an end What is it that your hearts are set upon There are none but their hearts are set upon some good that they apprehend to be good Now what is that good Certainly there is an eminency of all good contained in this It was a charge of God unto Baruch that we read of in Jer. 45. ult Seekest thou great things for thy self Seek them not for I will bring evil upon all flesh and that which I have planted I will pluck up The argument runs thus Seekest thou great things for thy self in any outward matter do not seek them for I am about to bring evil upon my people the time of publique calamity is coming and doest thou seek great things for thy self But when we are about this argument the glory of the Kingdom of God Doest thou seek great things for thy self We cannot say Seek them not God would have his people seek glorious things for themselves seek them to the utmost that possibly you can So follow these things as not to be satisfied with any thing under these God would have his servants to be of such spirits as though content with the least mercies they do enjoy to acknowledge themselves unworthy of them yet not to be satisfied with the greatest things in the world for their portion What will a reprobates portion serve you Certainly the glory of the world if you had it all it were but the portion of a reprobate What will a Dogs portion satisfie you All the things of the world are but Dogs meat so the Apostle calls them in Phil. 3. I account all things in the world as dross and dung or dogs meat and will this satisfie you Is there nothing else for you to seek after First seek the Kingdom of God says Christ and the righteousness of it let that be your first endeavor Strive to enter into the strait gate though it be never so strait yet if it be the way unto life and unto these things strive to enter We have not spoken more then that is real It is a saying of one Neither Christ nor Heaven can be hyperbolized that is there cannot be more said of the excellency of Christ and of Heaven then it is in its self and therefore do not think any thing that hath been spoken is an hyperbole but a real expression of some little glimpse of the glory of the recompence of reward It may be some of your hearts when you hear much of the wrath of God against sin and the dreadfulness of Gods displeasure your hearts are ready to rise and belk and these are hard things and hard sayings and who can bear them but now you have not heard so much concerning that but you have heard of the goodness of God and of the glory of God and of the riches of the grace of God and of the wonderful thoughts that God hath for the everlasting good of mankinde how do your hearts work now Shall your hearts stir when you hear Gods wrath and when you hear of Gods grace shall not your hearts stir then If God does intend good to any soul he will cause that soul to see into the reality and excellency of these things and that all things should be neglected in comparison in seeking after these Consider that God hath given unto you natures capable of these glorious things God might have made you worms or bruit beasts and there would have been an end of you presently you had not been any way capable of these things but God hath made you of such a nature such creatures as ye are capable of the highest excellency that ever any creature that God made was capable of and therefore being of such a nature of such a large extent it concerns you to seek after those things which might fill it they are not little things that can fill large capacities now mans nature an immortal soul is of a large capacity and when the time shall come that God shall discover to any soul what it was capable of how infinitely will it be confounded in it self when it shall know what poor things it sought after and minded Men live here in the world as though they were capable of no other happiness but meat and drink and clothes and