health to a whole Land The Inhabitant of the Land shall not say I am sick the Land shall be free from infectious pestilential and Epidemical Diseases How comes this about The People that dwell therein shall be forgiven their Iniquity Esay 33.24 Oh this is that which sweetens all other Comforts and Contentments as the want of it imbitters all our sweet things What are we the better for House Land Silver and Gold when our Sin is not pardoned when the Curse and Wrath of God hangs over our heads and is ready in this condition to fall upon us and arrest us every moment to draw us to Hell for ever But then Mercies are Mercies indeed when they come to us in the stream of Christ's Blood with a Pardon in their hand Hence Believers are taught to pray Give us this day our dayly Bread and forgive us our sins to shew that our Bread is sweet when it comes with pardoning Mercy God had given David the healing his Diseases and crowned him with loving Kindness and tender Mercies What made it so but forgiving Mercy First he sets down that Who forgiveth all thine Iniquities then follow the other Mercies Psal 103.2 3 4. Pardoning Mercy is Crowning Mercy Yea this fits us for holy Duties Prayer or Sacraments as sin unpardoned makes God hide his face that he will not hear or appear to the Soul It turns Prayer into Sin and Sacraments into Sin So if this be taken away the person is accepted and then all Duties are accepted and God will be seen in them to the Soul and give it communion with himself In a word this fits us for a Suffering state and time How will the sense of Pardon that assures a man he shall never be cast into Hell-fire make him even willingly embrace and submit to a Fiery Trial for Christ's sake It prepares for Death whether natural or violent All must die and as a mans Death is such is his Doom As Death leaves us Judgment findes us Job prayed earnestly for the white Stone of Absolution as it is an excellent preparative for his Dissolution And why dost thou not pardon my sin for now shall I sleep in the dust Job 7.21 As if he had said Lord my great Afflictions seem to hasten on my great change and therefore now especially I beg the pardon of my sin and the sense of it unto my Soul and then I am prepared to sleep in the dust We should not lye down in our Beds much less in our Graves with sin unpardoned If that be taken away no matter how soon we dye Feri Domine feri tantum ignosce mihi peccatum said Luther Smite me Lord smite as thou wilt though by sharp Afflictions or Death all is welcome if sin be forgiven This is that the Lord here promiseth to victorious Christians when he saith He will give them the white Stone 3. Anew name written in the Stone is the third and last of those special Favours promised to Overcomers in the Text. There are some that take it to be an Allusion to that Custome of giving Stones to men with their Names written on them as Tickets shewing them such as should be admitted to those Solemn Feasts held in honour of those that were Victorious in their sacred Games Then the meaning is that Christ will give conquering Christians a privy Mark whereby they may be known and admitted to the Heavenly Banquet of the hidden Manna as welcome Guests And O! how high a Favour is it to carry the Privy-Seal of Heaven about us To have a Token that we shall be taken up to the Marriage-Supper of the Lamb when others shall not taste of those Dainties But most take the new Name here to be Filius Dei an Adopted Son of God and make it an Allusion to that of Isaiah 65.15 God shall call his Servants by another Name A name better than the name of Sons and Daughters For by this they are Called and Translated out of the old family of Sin and Satan to be of the Family of God of the houshold of Faith a Priviledge far excelling the civil Adoption in use among men for he takes many Sons and brings them to Glory a man but one And when he hath done that he cannot communicate his own Likeness to him But God with the new Name gives a new Nature with the Spiritual Adoption conveys a Principle of the Divine Nature 2. Pet. 1.4 If a man adopts it is either because he hath no Son of his own or else because his Son is prodigal and disobedient but God had a Son from all Eternity one who never displeased or disobliged him in thought word or deed So that this new Name giving is an act of free and rich Grace Behold what manner of Love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the Sons of God 1 Joh. 3.1 If men Adopt it is but to some earthly Inheritance But God gives an Inheritance in light incorruptible undefiled that never fadeth away reserved in Heaven for them 1 Pet. 1.4 So that all his Children are Heirs Heirs of God and Joint-heirs with Christ Roman 8.17 Heirs of the Promises Heb. 6.17 Heirs of the Righteousness which is by Faith Heb. 11.7 Heirs of Salvation of the Kingdom of Heaven Heb. 1. ult Jam. 2.5 They have a glorious Liberty called The Liberty of the Sons of God Rom. 8.21 A Liberty from sins Dominion and Pollution from the Covenant and Curse of the Law from the Power of Satan the World and Death They have a gracious Access to God their Father I will arise and go to my Father saies the Prodigal Luk. 15. And his pity in all their Troubles As a Father pities his Children so the Lord pities them that fear him Psal 103.13 They have access with boldness to the Throne of Grace and have his eye his ear his heart and his hand We read of a Child who finding himself not well ran to his Father and cried out My head my head 2 King 4.19 Thus may God's Children go to him and say My head my heart Oh! this ignorant head Father enlighten it Oh this carnal heart Father spiritualize it Oh this dead hard earthly divided heart of mine Father quicken soften make Heavenly and compose it unite my heart to fear thy Name Yea as a Father spares his obedient Son so the Lord will spare his As a man spares his own Son that serves him Malac. 3.17 If he correct them it is in love and in measure and he will provide for them here Your Heavenly Father knoweth you have need of all these things Matt. 6. Jesus Christ is your Brother he is not ashamed to call you Brethren the Angels are your Guard the King's Son hath the Nobles and Peers of the Realm to wait upon him The Angels are all Ministring Spirits sent forth for their good yea you shall be ever with your Father The Son abides in the house for ever John 8. as that
Father said Luke 15. Son thou art ever with me He that is a Servant to day may be none to morrow but if God be a Father and we his Children by Adoption this relation abides unchangeably he is an everlasting Father and we his Sons and Daughters for ever O what an excellent Priviledge is this new Name here promised To be a Son of God is an old Name for Adam was called the son of God but it was only by Creation The Angels in that sense are also called the Sons of God but to which of all the Angels did ever God say Thou art my Adopted Son This is the new Name here spoken of and is the peculiar Priviledg of true Believers 'T is storied That Alexander the Conquerour was by the flattering Oracle saluted as a Son of Jupiter but the Believer who overcomes the Devil Sin and the World in a more noble Spiritual way is by the true Oracle stiled the Son of God To as many as received him to them gave he Power to become the Sons of God even to them that believe in his Name Joh. 1.12 The Believer is no longer a mere Son of Adam but in the instant of his Believing is united to Christ the natural Son of God and so becomes an Adopted one And this is not an empty Title For they are born of God and are of the Seed-royal of Heaven yea this Adoption is Quaedam Similitudo Filiationis aeterni as a Learned man expresses it a Shadow of the Eternal One. The natural son is the Image of Gods nature the brightness of his Fathers glory and the express Image of his person Heb. 1.2 The adopted Son is the Image of his will of his own will begat he us by the word of truth James 1.18 And this puts a lustre upon Believers beyond what is to be seen upon the Princes and Potentates of the earth All the great swelling names thrown upon them by men is but fumus seculi a little smoke which quickly is scattered but this divine Adoption is radius coeli a beam of heavenly glory which makes them shine in the eyes of the Angels and continues an indelible character upon them You see by these things somewhat of the new name here promised and is this a little matter in any mans account When Sauls servants told David of the purposes the King had to give him one of his Daughters to wife David said Seemeth it a light thing to any of you to be a Kings Son-in-law seeing I am a poor man and lightly esteemed 1 Sam. 18.23 What may Believers then say as to this Divine Adoption Shall it be a light matter to be a Son or Daughter of the most high God the King of Kings That they who may say to corruption Thou art my Father or as 't is said Thy Father was an Amorite and thy Mother a Hittite Ezek. 16. should receive the spirit of Adoption crying Abba Father even to God himself This This is that new Name which is here promised to all that overcome I might here add Reasons of this point The love of God to them his chusing-love is the cause of this The Lord loveth the righteous Psal 146.8 Therefore his secret is with the righteous Prov. 3.32 Delilah could not believe Samson's love was so great to her as he pretended because he told her not that great secret where his strength lay It springs also from the purchase of Christ He bought a peculiar people and purchased for them peculiar favours Their common much more their special Mercies are the price of Blood and what Christ hath purchased God will give out unto them To all which add his engagement by Promise as in the Text And faithful is he that hath promised The Vse follows and briefly Vse 1. See here the great mistake of the men of the world who are ready to think none outgo them in their Enjoyments They exceed in outward things and knowing no better conclude themselves the only Favourites of God And others miserable who want them This Errour proceeds from Ignorance of and Inexperience as to higher things Every one is satisfied with what he apprehends most suitable as the Prodigal with his Husks but having a new Nature must have new Food and began to think of the Bread in his Father's house How much are all in a state of Unbelief to be pitied who judge good men have no such Priviledges as to be acquainted with God's Secrets more than themselves They measure a good man by themselves and therefore are ready to say in this case as Eliphaz did to Job in another Hast thou heard the Secret of God What knowest thou that we know not What understandest thou that is not in us Is there any secret thing with thee Job 15.8 9 11. Yet Believers do know and understand what worldly men know not For the Secret of the Lord is with them that fear him The Secrets of his Counsel are reserved in his own breast but the Secrets of his Providence are many times revealed to them Surely the Lord will do nothing but he revealeth his Secrets to his Servants the Prophets Amos 3.7 And the Lord himself saith of Abraham Shall I hide from Abraham the thing that I will do Yea the Secrets of his Truth are with Believers for he hath promised his Spirit of Truth shall lead them into all Truth the Secrets of his Love and Grace are with them of which the world knows nothing no more than of the Word of God which the Spirit only can savingly discover which Spirit the world cannot reeeive Joh. 14.16 17. As wicked men have Bread which they eat in secret Prov. 9.17 of which good men desire no knowledg some secret Lust which is as a sweet Morsel under their Tongue as to which good men are ready to say with the Patriarch O my Soul come not thou into their secret or with David Let me not eat of their dainties So they that are truely good have Spiritual Comforts peculiar to themselves which the world knows not of never tasted of Oh pity such and pray if perhaps any may be delivered from their present delusion Vse 2. This Truth and Text is full of Comfort to all true Believers who are victorious in their holy Warfare Set these Divine Refreshments here promis'd against all Discomforts and Discouragements of spirit Are you weak and feeble by the assaults of the enemy here is hidden Manna to strengthen and revive you Are you cast down with the fears of Sins Guilt and Gods Wrath Here is a White-Stone in token of your Election and Absolution which may also relieve against the black coals of Scandal and Reproach with which men are ready to dirty and defile you And if your Names be cast out among men Christ hath given you a new Name that shall be had in everlasting Remembrance when the name of the wicked shall rot And that your Joy may be yet more full from this Text consider
scatters and blots out the Clouds that there is nothing of them to be seen their sins are so done away as not to he remembred any more are as if they had never been As a Table-Book wash it and there is no appearance of any thing written there so hath the Lord removed their Iniquities and having blotted out their sins for his Name 's sake will not blot out their Names for their sins sake So then it remains that none but Christ can blot out their Names for he is the Master of the Rolls and keeps this Book in his own possession and he hath prevented all fears of it by his own solemn Promise in the Text. Object Against this some object these two Scriptures Exod. 32.32 33. Moses said Blot me out of thy Book Whosoever hath sinned against me saies God him will I blot out of my Book especially that Rev. 22.19 It any man shall take away from the words of the Book of this Prophecy God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life Answ As for that place in Exodus some carry it as if Moses desired in the former verse to lose his part in a better Life than is here to be enjoyed even Eternal Life rather than God be thus dishonoured and blasphemed but think it a sinful desire or great zeal at the best with a mixture of corrupt passion in it But others understand it of the Book of Records in which mens names were Registred Princes use to keep such Books in which were set down the Names of those that had done them any special Service Mordecai's name was recorded in such a Book and how he acted to preserve the King's Life Esth 6. And this was much Self-denial in Moses to be willing to have his Name razed out thence for the Peoples good Moses rather desired not to live than that all the people involved in that sin should dye willing to have his Name blotted out of the Church Records than the people come under this great Judgment Like that wish of St. Paul Rom. 9.3 who wished himself accursed from Christ for his Brethren and Kinsmen according to the flesh Some say Such was his Love to his Kindred that if it had been consistent with the Will of God he desired to have redeemed the casting away of the Israelites with the loss of his own Soul for ever But besides that this desire was impossible to be accompliâ—hed it would have been sinful By this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or being Accursed from Christ he means only to be Excommunicated from the Church which is called Christ 1 Cor. 12.12 Which argued a high Affection to his Relations And as to the other place God's taking away their part out of the Book of Life is no more than to manifest they have no part therein and hence we find the Scripture speaking of some Whose Names were not written in the Lambs Book of Life from the Foundation of the world Rev. 13.8 God will declare them to be such as were not Predestinated from all Eternity to be saved by the Death of Christ Some there are not written in this Book but none written there shall be blotted out That 's the Second Particular 3. Rea. Christ will confess the names of Overcomers before his Father and before his Angels as if he had said I will own and acknowledg him as he hath owned and acknowledged me They have confessed him before men and he hath promised to confess such before his Father Mat. 10.32 The meaning is that Christ will publickly own them in the great Day of Judgment and will openly profess their well-tried Faith and other victorious Graces and they shall be found to Honour Praise and Glory at his appearing 1 Pet. 1.7 Then he will avouch them to be his Children saying Father Behold I and the Children which thou hast given me Isa 8.18 Esther though advanced to Honour with the King own'd her Relation to Mordecai and told him what he was unto her Esth 8.1 Joseph though advanced to great Dignity and a chief Favourite in Pharaoh's Court yet owned and confessed his poor Relations even before the King and his Courtiers Gen. 47. Even so will Christ at that day own his victorious Servants and Soldiers before the King of Kings and all those glorious Courtiers of Heaven the holy Angels A taste of this he gave when he was here on Earth When some told him his Relations stood without desiring to speak with him he pointed to his Disciples and said Behold my Mother and my Brethren For whosoever doth the Will of my Father which is in Heaven the same is my Mother and Sister and Brother Mat. 12.49 50. Here he freely owns and confesses his Spiritual Kindred and prefers them before his bare natural Relations So we find him making a report of their excellency who were his Disciples unto God his Father saying I have manifested thy Name to the men whom thou gavest me out of the world and they have kept thy word Joh. 17.6 Here he makes an honourable mention of their laying up his words in their hearts and keeping to it in their lives And though as yet they were but weak yet he doth notably commend their good beginnings to his Father What will he do then at last when they shall have perfectly overcome We find it recorded of John the Baptist that he confessed and denied not but confessed I am not the Christ and after owned him and pointed at him saying Behold the Lamb of God vers 29. John is plain and bold ingenuous and constant in his testimony of Christ renonuncing the honour due to his Master and confessing and declaring Christ in the dignity and excellency of his Office shewing them how he was to execute the same for their good and benefit which was by Suffering and therefore points him out as the substance of the Passover and daily Sacrifices who by the Merit and Vertue of his Death takes away the sin of his own both Jews and Gentiles And did John lose by this his resolute Confession No not even here for Christ did as freely confess and make an honourable mention of him For saith he among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist Mat. 11.11 Because he was Christ's immediate Forerunner now the nearer to Christ the more excellent He prefers him not only before all the Prophets but all others that were born before him This is but the beginning of what Confession shall be more fully made of the Names of all that overcome in the great day of the Lords coming to Judgment The Vses follow Vse 1. See hence the miserable estate of all who overcome not but are fatally and finally overcome in their warring against these enemies of our Salvation They have neither part nor lot in these precious Promises yea the quite contrary things will be their Portion Instead of being clothed in white raiment in token of Purity Dignity
be Baptized to come to the Lord's Table to be able to give an account of the Lord's Prayer Creed and Ten Commandments to such I may say as Christ did to the Pharisees These things you ought to have done but not leave the other undone God did appoint these things that men should have a Form of Godliness but we must not take the Skin for the Body nor the Shadow for Substance For in Christ Jesus neither Circumcision avails any thing nor uncircumcision but a new creature Galat 6.15 Think not to say within your selves We have Abraham to our Father Do not think that because you are educated in the Protestant Religion under the means of Grace that therefore you are born of God If any shall ask How shall I discern my new Birth I answer 1. If your greatest work be to get the old Adam dissolved in your hearts to get a proud heart to stoop and the old Nature changed this is to obtain the whole in some sense 2. If this Heart ascribe all to God and nothing to our selves we are God's Workmanship what is Paul what is Apollo but Ministers by whom ye believed 1 Cor. 3. It was God in the Ordinance that did the work They that cry up men and means and forget to magnifie the Free Grace of God shew it is not right 3. It makes us of a compassionate Temper to them that are out of the way of God Be gentle and meek unto all men for we our selves also were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived serving divers Lusts and Pleasures Tit. 3.2 3. 4. We shall find an indelible Memory is imprinted upon this work Not that all men can say what was the Time Place Sermon when where and by which this work was done for many are brought up under Godly Parents and free from all scandalous Sins this work steals in upon some such they know not when nor how But they can say Such they were in the times of their Unregeneracy so foolish and ignorant so opposite and averse to what is good so careless and regardless of God and their Souls but now through Grace they see and are ashamed of their former Blindness they are reconciled in some measure both in Judgment and Affections to that and to those that are good They desire to mind chiefly the one thing needful God may sanctifie some even from the Womb but there is something daily to be put away in all that are Regenerate and though they cannot tell the first time yet they can say it is often done they do not turn to God once but more and more they have a great deal to do still 4. There is always going with it a Spirit of Prayer it begins and ends with Abba Father Prayer is the first thing in a Christian and the last thing Because ye are Sons he hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father Galat. 4.6 None of God's Children are still-born Behold he prays saies Christ of Paul Act. 9.11 Let us by such things as those try our Regeneration If we find we are indeed born of God we overcome and Overcomers inherit these Promises Thus much in General More particularly If the War be rightly managed we may be sure we shall prevail and conquer all our Enemies As for instance 1. If all our Faculties in their rank and file do fight against them The Scripture tells us The Stars in their Courses fought against Sisera Judg. 5.20 Do the several Faculties of our Souls in their place and order wage war against Sin In unsound hearts one Faculty fights against a Lust another contends for it Herod's Conscience fought against the motion Herodias made of cutting off John Baptist's Head his Affections ran counter to his Conscience this was no true Spiritual War When both are against it that Soul will be a Conqueror in the end 2. If the War continues Fire and Water will fight when they meet and can never be reconciled the Flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the Flesh and these two are contrary each to other Contraries will ever be contending If our Combat be thus managed it is a good sign God will in due time give us Victory Let such encourge themselves in expectation of it Let none say The Canaanite is still in the Land and who may call himself an Overcomer So long as it does Gravitare lye hard and heavy upon thee as a thing out of its proper place and make thee cry out as Paul O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me thou art an Overcomer in God's account To this purpose the Original word in all these Texts before us is very observable it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not to him that Overcometh as we read it but to him that is Overcoming to him that is Praying Striving Wrestling Fighting against these Enemies to him that is in an Overcoming Posture though the Enemy be not quite out of the field to him shall these great Comforts in the Promises be given by Jesus Christ If there be a Nolle peccatum a bent of heart against Corruption and Temptation thou persuest them to Death and wouldst be glad of an utter extirpation of them then God accepts the Will for the Deed and reckons thee a Conqueror Though the Damsel under the Law was abused yet if she made the utmost resistance she was able and cried out and there was none to help her she was accounted Innocent and Guiltless because she was forced and not free and voluntary in it Whatsoever is born of God Overcometh it 's not said Whosoever but Whatsoever The person may be in particular Battles worsted by the Enemy yet the principle is a Conqueror in the end and will prevail for it never yields but makes implacable Opposition cries out to Heaven for help and is on this account esteemed an Overcomer And therefore though we are still assaulted yet it is that we may be exercised that we may stand upon our Guard and watch and pray continually we must keep our Armour upon us and not be secure for then the Enemy gets advantage against us Our Enemies are like to that famous General Marcellus of whom it is said he was never quiet Nec Victor nec victus neither a Conqueror nor Conquered Let it be enough to know they are and shall be subdued effectually in due time Above all things despair not of Victory when we find them turbulent and rebellious Many Creatures struggle most when dying The Devil rageth most when he is about to be cast out Mark 9.15 16. No Believer so overcomes here as to say He shall meet with no further Assaults Our contendings are not to empty a Pit that is more easily done but to dry up a Spring and Fountain which is very difficult if possible in this case but Corruption will be bubbling and Temptations springing And though a man hath overcome a Fit of Sickness yet