heavenly father and is able our heavenly father and therefore ingaged by these three a Child of God hath assurance of hope and strong Consolation Now the gift intended here is the holy Spirit Matth. 7. it 's said Your heavenly Father gives every good thing I but most sweetly are our prayers Confin'd here to the begging of Gods Spirit whatsoever a Child of God asks it should be things of necessity superfluity that 's not for Children to ask nor a wise father will give it the Spirit of God is necessary bread is not so necessary for life as grace for salvation all necessaries for life and all superfluities are not so much as this absolute necessity of having the Spirit it 's not necessary I should live but it 's necessary I should be sanctified and saved Secondly a Child should ask that which is useful and profitable and of all other gifts the gift of the holy Ghost is most useful it is a gift of the highest nature First it 's the richest that God can bestow one dram of grace one blessed suggestion from the Spirit of truth one blessed motion darted into the heart by the holy Ghost is more worth than all the world All things in this world may be called good but makes them not good that have them St. Austin saith Riches are good if a man have grace to use them so he may do good with them but grace makes good there 's no man can put virtue to an evil imployment grace is alwayes the â—ountain of good it 's the foundation the pledge the assurance it gives all other blessings Solomon when he ask'd the spirit of wisdom God could not deny him any thing riches honours every thing Thirdly if a Child should ask of a father a sign of his love the greatest manifestation of a fathers love the surest sign and richest evidence of Gods love is the gift of the spirit the love of God when it is shed abroad in the heart by the holy Ghost we feel the taste of it rejoyce in the comfort of it it 's a seal of Gods love as St. Bernard saith a dram of Gods grace is a certain token of a determined Election of the assurance of glorification he that asks Gods Spirit loves God and God love him such prayers as these alwayes prevail forgive us our sins encrease our repentance sanctifie our souls purge our consciences subdue our corruptions overcome our temptations Lord what prayers should prevail with thee if such prayers as these prevail not other prayers may hit or miss but prayers for Gods Spirit never returns empty Now for the third the parties those that ask how can we pray for the spirit without the spirit none can say Jesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost it was the the Pelagian errour to say that our prayers must prevent Gods grace the Spirit of God is not the fruit of our prayers but our prayers the fruit of Gods Spirit our desires are wrought by Gods Spirit answers our desires in this case how sweetly St. Austin saith indeed his first grace his preventing grace fore-runs all our prayers I am found of them that sought me not but his Concomitant grace that may be the fruit of our prayers yet all supplies of grace are of Gods Spirit St. Bernard saith it 's the surest sign of grace if we desire grace prayer it 's the breathing of Gods Spirit and there must first be a drawing in of Gods grace before there can be ascending out Matth. 44. there the grace of Gods Spirit the Kingdom of heaven is compared to a treasure found in the field not look'd for there 's preventing grace the touch of the spirit that works upon the heart in the first prevention vers 45. The Kingdom of heaven is likened unto a Merchant that sought pearls and found them here 's first the grace of prevention a treasure found in a field not thought on as St. Austin saith faith is given first as the prime grace then the prayer of faith that is the breath it 's prayer that obtaines supplies of grace the matter of our prayer must be for the supplies of grace prayer encreaseth new supplies Secondly prayer may obtain the sealing up of our adoption the kiss of peace and love that seals up assurance of pardon for sins Thirdly besides the first stock of grace look for assisting grace we can not make good use of grace without the help of grace Fourthly prayer will obtain the spirit of strength and fortitude to encounter against temptation ask thy father this and he will grant it Lastly prayer obtains the spirit of perseverance without the which all holy motions and inspirations are like a wind that passeth away and cometh not again Now I come to the Illation drawn from the argument how much more 't is a proportion with advantage indeed it had been well if the Argument had gon and the Conclusion drawn with some abatement one spark of mercy to so unworthy Children the place of a servant nay the bread of a servant had been too good for so unworthy Children Secondly if the argument had held but so much as in Psal 100. Like as a father pitieth his own children or like pity the Lord teacheth to those that fear him David takes comfort in this but this Scripture offers more grace how much more why here 's full measure shaken pressed down it runs over The third expression in this proportion is if earthly Parents have such provident Care for their Childrens welfare how much more in God though earthly parents be never so wise and provident for their Children yet they may be mistaken or wish things unfit and to the hurt of their Children as old Isaac was mistaken in his blessing the mother of Zebedees Children asked she knew not what but the all-wise God hears all our desires and orders all things graciously for our welfare Secondly Ye men that boast of your power if ye are parents and have any portion to bestow upon your Children how much more God your heavenly father all that earthly fathers enjoy is but borrowed the oyl in the Cruze may fail the oyl in the barrell may be spent all ye have is but borrowed c. Thirdly if ye that are parents have tenderness of affection towards your Children how much more your heavenly father God is full of bounty and mercy ye are evil and evil natured God gives liberally and upbraids not to compare with him the goodness of men is not so much as one dust of sand to the glory of the whole earth like a spark to the whole element of fire Parents what do they give to their Children trifles God gives the best things his Spirit his own flesh God fils the world with his goodness Fourthly men are but Stepfathers of the flesh in respect of God he 's father both of soul and body Ezek. 23. he chargeth c. wordly fathers thou hast taken c. God is our being and the preserver of our being Abraham knows us not Jacob hath forgotten us And Christ said Call no man father upon earth as to compare with God Lastly as the nearest father so the dearest affection the affection of the father or mother are cold and dead in regard of the ardent affection of God towards us Parents they first beget Children and then love them God loves first and then begets us to himself a flowing of nature is parents love but an eternal love is Gods love we had a being in him before we had any in our selves he that planteth the ear shall not be hear and he that planteth the tenderness of Parents to Children shall not he have Compassion nay how full must he needs be of Compassion To shut up all the height and improvement of affection in God must require reciprocation on our parts and it 's set on a three fold proportion First if ye that are Children cast care upon your Parents Be not careful what ye eat or drink or what ye put on for your heavenly Father careth for you The proportion of obedience is the second If reverence be due to the Parents of the flesh how much more to the parents of the spirit how much more reverence and obedience to your heavenly Father The third is the proportion of love If ye give love to earthly fathers how much more to your heavenly Father So you see the sum of the Text is Ye that are evil can give good gifts to your Children how much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him FINIS LEst Obliquie or Malice should assperse the Candor and Integrity of these four Sermons I was desired by the Seller of them to read and censure them Having seriously perused them I find the true Pourtraicture of the late deceas'd yet never to be forgotten most reverend Bishop Brownrigge My censure can extend no farther than the Printers Errors The principal one whereof I find to be in the first Sermon in the first pages being a transposition of the Title Wherefore in stead of Is the Safety of a Nation True Repentance read True Repentance is the Safety of a Nation In short let me advise your charitable minds not to studie how to carp at literal faults but study the matter and you will soon be a sharer with me in the pleasure and profit of reading them This I thought fit to write as to antidote it against the tongues of maliciious and envious persons R. H. M. A.
awaken and stirr them out of their greatest security The Apostles were at leisure to fall into many disputes and never considered the danger of them Christ is fain to double his voice and to lift it up as a Trumpet to awaken them As a man that sees fire break out of his neighbours house and knows that they are all asleep he bounceth and knocks at the door and calls to awaken them out of danger so Christ is vehement and impotunate There is a kind of Lethargy that falls on Christians sometimes that they must be affrighted out off by fearfull compellations The best of Gods Saints have need of these warning pieces to be shot off at their ears not only the wicked that lye benumed in security and are taken by Satan at his pleasure in every temptation but the best of Gods children And our spirituall dangers do no more affect us then the bodily danger of Lot when he was loath to escape and it seemed a fable to his sons when they were told of it therefore Christ is earnest and importunate with them so you see the first thing the person warned Simon The second is the enemy foretold Satan desires to winnow you And here are these two particulars First The enemy himself that is Satan Then secondly the provision and preparation he was to do this mischief he did earnestly desire First Here is our enemie Satan it is one of the names that the Scripture deciphers the enemy of our salvation by some times he is called Diabolus the Accuser somtimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Tempter sometimes Apollyon a destroyer here Satan an enemy and it is a great aggravation of the danger to know the greatnesse of the enemy that besets us he is Satan First A malitious deadly enemy he hunts for the precious soules of men Secondly He is a subtle crafty enemy he knows as John speakes he hath the mistery and depth of temptation Thirdly He is an old inveterate experienced enemy he is beaten to this trade he is excetcised and versed in the art of temptation See the danger of this enemy by three reaches and depths of mischeife that he conveyes in his temptation First This temptation that he sets on Peter by it was an importunate temptation there was great importunity in this temptation to set on Peter and the Apostles There were many discouragements that might have deter'd him from setting on the Apostles the Apostles were not unarmed they lay not naked they were not as a Citty whose wals were broken down open to invasion but there were many things considerable in the Apostles that might have driven him off from his temptation and yet he would assault them First They were in Christs society a great priviledge and it was a great discouragement to Satan to set on Christs seâ—vants those that lived and were in the sanctuary of his society If Satan had set upon strangers those that were out of Christs love as a bird from the nest So is a man that strayes from his places saith Solomon a man that is out of the society of Christ and of good men he lies open to every free booter Satan may take him at his pleasure if Satan take 〈◊〉 man at a Stage-Play he seizeth upon him on his own ground but the Apostles were in the Sanctuary of Christs society yeâ— Satan dares break into Christs family and offer temptations and assaults upon his own servants about his body no society not the whole Church of God 〈◊〉 the society and presence of Christ caâ—deter Satan from assaulting by temptaâ—â—ons so it was in Judas he wonne hiâ— from his Masters company he rook hiâ— from his heeles and carryed him away bâ— temptation as it were in spight of Christ that was the first determent they were in Christs company and family yet Satan sets on them A second discouragement that might have kept him from tempting the Apostles they were in the state of grace in a blessed condition they were regenerate Having sanctifying grace it strengthens us against temptations Grace in the heart of men is as a Garrison that God hath set to keep us from Satan as the Apostle speakes ye are kept by faith to salvation The word signifies so to keep as a Castle is kept by a Garrison God sets a strong Garrison in the heart of a Christian faith and grace beates off Satans assaults notwithstanding the evidence of grace in the hearts and minds of these Apostles it discourageth not Satan but he sets on them The holiest man the greatest Saint nay Christ himselfe Satan dares assault by temptation as Gregory on that place of Job speakes of Leviathan he drinkes â—p whole Rivers the wicked of the world â—ay he thinks to drink up Jordan the Church of God he will try if he can swallow the Saints nothing can discourage him no not grace in the regenerate A third determent that might have kept him and yet he is importunate they were supported with the but resse and strength of promises they had speciall assurance that they should not fall None that are committed to him Father I have kept them all saith Christ and they shall not perish yet Satan in despight of all Gods promises wrastles with his Children and will see if he can beguile them as it was with him he disputed Gods truth hath God said ye shall dye No so he disputes with a faith of a Christian hath God promised that you shall not faile hath he assured you of your perseverance no such matter it is false doctrine he will assure us there is no such ground and priviledge the promises of the Gospell are no discouragement to him Fourthly Here was a new supply of grace that might have discouraged him they had been even now at the Sacrament first the Sacrament of the Passeover there was the blood of the Lamb sprinkled oâ— them to keep them from the destroying Angell yet he durst set on them and then the Sacrament of the Lords supper that great conduit pipe of grace they had received new strength from Christ notwithstanding all these advantages that the Apostles had the malice of Satan is thus great and his opportunity that he sets on them In what case are they that neither live in the society of Christ but in the walk and range of Satan that have not the least part of grace that have no hold upon the promises that have not any strength from the word and Sacraments If he doth thus upon the green Trees Peter and the rest what will become of the dry ones those thâ—t are destitute of all these priviledges That is the first consideration the danger of this enemy of his importunities The second Is the consideration of this temptation and the danger of it that Satan sets upon them we find it was a humane temptation the temptation that Peter and the rest of the Apostles were assaulted with what was it no diabolicall suggestion but save thy selfe preserve thy selfe from
a friend c. v. 5. Kind importunity admits no denyal I have made you my friends saith Christ to his Disciples This is a strong argument and yet a doubting Faith objects that friendship may be broke love may grow cold I but Christ argues from the similitude of a Father friends may prove unkind yet a Father will not grow unnatural to his Childe God is our Father O the bowells of a loving Father that 's far beyond the bosome of a friend What can Infidelity object against this Observe in this discourse three particulars First the proof of the Argument set down in the similitude If ye then being evill know how to give good gifts unto your Children Secondly the Conclusion drawn from the Argument Shall give the holy Spirit to them that ask him Thirdly the Illation or strength of the Argument how much more shall your c. So there are three things to be considered First the proposition of the Similitude Secondly the Conclusion Thirdly the proportion how it holds how much more Let 's come to the Similitude it self and consider first the matter of it secondly the use that Christ makes of this Similitude The Similitude it self lies upon these words Ye that are evill men know how to give good gifts unto your Children Here are three truths supposed by our Saviour First Ye all the sort of you this is your state and condition Ye are evill and sinful The second is this Ye that are evill have some principals of good in you some truths remain in you you know how to doe some things right and good Thirdly you that are evill and sinfull have this principle preserv'd in you you know how to give good gifts to your Children how to love and seek the welfare and good of your Children First you that are evill and sinfull This Tincture of evill Christ objects against them It points not at the most godless profanest sinners sinners of the first magnitude as murthering Cain traitorous Judas wicked Absolom we yield these to be wicked men and yet this title reacheth to them also they are not free from this imputation But further the men that Christ speaks too here they are his own Disciples such as put themselves under his Doctrine and Discipline nay more they were men regenerate such as might call God Father as St. Austin saith such as God accounts and ownes to be his owne Children and they owne him their Father nay more men that had made a great progress in Religion men given to Devotion and Prayer Lord teach us how to pray Notwithstanding their dignity of Apostleship the priviledge of their Son-ship their piety and devotion Christ tells them they are evill and sinfull this should put all even the very best to blush and cry out with the Leper in the Law I am unclean I am unclean We are all unclean it should make us take up John's confession If we say that we have no sin there is no truth in us this is not only a strain of humility but a true confession of verity we are all sinners But how far may these men be said to be evill men and sinners First it was not by their natural estate and condition that they were evil as the Manichees unfold this Text for God made all good and very good we came unspotted out of his hands also Original sin was much abated in them and new principles of grace infused so they could not be said to be wicked men he accepts his for Saints and they are washed and cleansed in his sight then how far may the Saints of God be said to be evil men First the best and holiest men may be said to be evil and wicked as in the very best of men are the reliques of much foul Corruption which makes them evil and sinful Original sin though perfectly pardoned yet imperfectly purged purg'd from the death of sin but not from the disease the best of us all have the swadling Clouts of our first Conception in which we were wrapt the defilements of original sin stick close by Adam's fall We were not cast onely into a puddle of mire but upon a heap of stones having so bruised us that this is subject to the very best of us to be styl'd evil and sinful Secondly the best of Gods Saints are lyable to this imputation of evil and sinfull the good that 's wrought in us by regeneration is so weak and feeble by our Corruption the Conflicts that the grace of God finds in us makes all the graces of God imperfect as St. Austin saith of Civil war There are those contrary principles in us that the best of us are liable to this imputation as Daâ—id saith O Lord thine eyes see thee feeble imperfections of grace thy eyes behold the weak beginnings of grace thy eye-lids try the Children of men not when he looks with the eye of Justice but with the eye-lids of his Mercy whereby he connives and winks at us that he may find us unblameable the best of all Gods Saints have those imperfections that makes them cry out We are evil and sinful Thirdly they are evil and sinful our Saviour puts them in Compare with God the very best of Gods Saints are nothing but Corruption if we have sanctification it is by participation from him the stars with-draw their light when his glory appears the view of which made the Saints of God to tremble Woe unto me saith the Prophet Isaiah I am undone And Job saith I have seen the Lord. Thus you have the first truth verified Ye are evil and sinful I come now to the second though by nature ye are sinful and evil and tainted with Corruption yet there are some impressions of equity some principles of common honesty still preserved not onely those that are comparatively but those that are totally evil those that are unsanctified have some rules of honesty engraven upon them some impressions of the image of God that image not wholly defaced concerning truths and rules of morality which nature hath still preserved Nature it self starts back at some abominations in an unregenerate man the Conscience of an unregenerate man checks it self at some horrible impiety In a spiritual sense all moral vertues are but vices as St. Jerom saith all sacred truths are not to be known but by revelation natural endowments are beneficial as one benefit of the remainder of nature is that they which cross not the rules of morality live more innocent For were it not that those principles bare sway in most mens lives common honesty and justice could not be maintained Secondly by nature we can never attain to grace and so by those vertues we cannot prevail with God for Salvation Yet they may for a temporal reward as in the Romans God rewarded moral vertue with victory and prosperity The third benefit it gets they that observe the rules of nature their accompt at the last day shall be far more easie indeed the
Heathen shall be all turned into Hell but the Damnation shall be more easie Socrates lesse punish'd than Cato Lastly a man that lives according to the rules of nature keeps within the compass of these principles though not able to reach at Salvation yet their Conversion is more easie it 's more possible to gain him to grace this stock of nature is fit to graff grace and religion on more kindly yet at the best it cannot fructifie and bring forth fruit to eternal life but grace being graffed it will fructifie to Salvation A man within the sphere of morality that lives peaceable sober just and of an humble mind there is more hope of salvation in that man he is not so far from the Kingdom of God as those that sin against nature evil and wicked men have some principles of knowledge ye are evil and yet ye know some good things The third truth is Ye that are evil among the decayes ruines and rubbish of nature yet this truth is preserved ye are tender affected Parents and seek the good of your Children God hath placed this forcible instinct as the bowels of most unnatural men is natural love to their Children In the first original God did create us all one flesh and one blood men were not created apart as Angels one independant from another but all one blood one root and the sap of all this is natural affection it 's this that glues and holds all the world together it keeps the world in being without which all would fall asunder this tender and kindly affection of parents to Children it 's the Conveyance of all nurture Thus Wisdom in the Proverbs takes upon it the place of a Father O my son keep the instructions of thy father and what my son c. How forcible are these perswasions to piety and vertue Thirdly this is a spur to labour and industry what 's that that keeps the world in action not all for the belly but keep something for the Babes it 's that that quickens industry this is the plummet that turns the great Wheel of all the world that makes perpetual motion of labour to leave something behind for Children Fourthly the sweetness as that it takes off the harshness of all the toyl and care incident to parents the care in bringing forth the care in bringing up they account it no labour or a labour much sweetned by this tender affection St. Austin saith that the labour of loving and tender parents to their Children is either no labour or sweet labour Lastly this tender affection is a provocation to piety Salvin urgeth it Dost thou love thy Children be religious and pious those that are pious claim a blessing to their Children and the want of this affection is a sign of a reprobate mind Want of this natural affection Rom. 1. also Tim. 2. you may see what it is if natural affection be wanting it signifies some great mischief And so much for the first Now I come to the second and that 's the use and improvement that Christ makes of it he cloaths himself with this affection this similitude of a loving Father to Children he useth this language of love to us conveyes these thoughts in the sweetest expressions that we may feel the sweetness of the love of God in the sweetest expressions Take it in three manifestations First as to himself the most careful resemblance compares himself to a watchman he that watcheth over Israel neither sleepeth nor slumbereth Wouldest thou conceive his Care to feed and provide for thee he compares himself to a Sheepherd that feeds his Sheep Wouldest thou conceive his Tenderness he presents himself as a Hen that gathers her chickens under her wings Mat. 23. And as a Hen bears up her wings c. Deut. 32. or as the Eagle St. Bernard saith all of these are sweet resemblances of his tender Care Secondly as he takes to himself the sweetest resemblances so the most loving relations a friend is a sweet relation a brother a sweet relation Abraham believed and he was accounted a friend of God a father is a tender relation I will be thy Father a husband is a sweet relation I have married thee to my self And because all these relations fall short he joyns all together he that doth the will of my Father is my Father my Mother my Brother c. and in the Canticles Open unto me my love my dove my undefiled Thirdly he cloaths himself with the tender affection of love as in St. John Pity that is a tender and melting affection the Lord is exceeding pitiful as in S. James he hath a fellow-feeling of our sorrows as in the Prophet Esay he assumes that he is void of passion nay he hath bowels of Compassion there 's the rowling and turning and yearning of his bowels So we have seen the first main particular of the text Ye that are evil and sinfull I come now to the second the Conclusion drawn from this Argument Your heavenly father knows how to give the holy spirit to them that ask him Fathers upon earth provide gifts and portions for their Children but here 's the gift of the holy spirit Here are three particulars Considerable First the Donor your heavenly Father Secondly the gift the holy Spirit Thirdly the qualification of those that receive it they must ask First your heavenly father he is the Donor look upon it as a hint of incouragement heavenly father here 's but three words in all First a father it 's a word of much kindness and affection it argues his forwardness and propensity to help us Secondly heavenly father it argues his allsufficiency God father of heaven Lord of heaven and earth he 's abundantly able to supply our necessity Thirdly your heavenly father it s a word of ingagement Ye may believe your father this word gives us our right and portion that in humble confidence we may lay Claim to his goodness here 's alinck of love father heavenly father your heavenly father these three put together prevents three doubts that faith may object when a Christian is to pray First the doubt of the poor Leper Matt. 8. Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean O never question his willingness for he is a father and what will not a loving father do for his Child The second doubt that faith may object is the doubt of the poor man for his son Lord if thou canst c. He needs not question his power he is a heavenly father he hath al-sufficiency The third doubt is that in Mark 4. Lord dost thou not care if we perish c. never question that for he is your heavenly father this it is that makes up a full comfort without these infidelity would be ready to cast off all hope and give over all prayer to God as thinking God will neither do good nor can or else objects there 's no ingagement Put these three together he 's a father and is willing a