Warlike care Such an Army of Souldiers make an Host of Saints and if they thus lead a life of Grace the Lord of Hosts will lead them to a life of glory Their reward is in Heaven and they are sure of it the Lord never fails them that fear him but so soon as the Souldiers scabbard falls to the ground the blade is laid up with the Lord Though thou be at a loss for a time thy soul will be safe in Abrahams bosom It is better then to live well then fight well especially for Souldiers whose lives are so very oft in danger Let this threefold Admonition fore-arm them and warn us to lead a good life if ever we mean to enjoy a life everlasting Gods Love MANS LIFE John 3.16 God so loved the World that be c. LOrd inspire me with thy Spirit that my tongue may shew forth thy praise whilest my heart rejoyceth in God my Saviour And since it is not in the heart of man to sathom the depth of thy love O give me leave to admire thy love to him who deserves the utmost of thy vengeance Hadst not thou been a God whose mercy is not to be measured man had never tasted of so much mercy in the midst of his Misery But thus to love us when we had forsaken our first-love This is of the Lords doings and it is marvellous in our eyes Let me lay the guilt of Humane Nature wide ope to the World then the God of Nature will be magnified and the Attribute of his Mercy mightily admired Was not man made little inferior to the Angels The prime piece of Gods Workmanship in the likeness of God did God make man And could a Creature expect an higher favour from his Creator Was he not seated in Paradise an Heaven upon Earth Had he not given unto him Dominion over all the whole Creation And might not his Lordship have Lorded it over all the Creatures He who had all to obey him on Earth was tied onely to obey that one God in Heaven and yet he aspires to be as God A sin so transcendent to turn a Traytor to his Liege-Lord as no mouth dare justifie him no Angel plead for him for in committing this one sin he stood guilty of Ingratitude to his Liege-Lord of Covetousness for aspired to have the Regiment of Angels of Rebellion for rebelled against God and his King As Divines conceive in committing this one sin Adam coagulated all sins not making his Person onely but Humane Nature accessary And thus he dishonored God destroyed himself and corrupted all mankinde And yet rebus sic stantibus instead of punishing God pities instead of confounding God comforts Death was threarned if Adam sinned life is promised after he had sinned not for any foreseen good in man but because God would be so good to man Lust inthrald us Love set us at liberty it was the love of God and therefore of the best sort He so loved as no parallel can equal He loved the World a large extent and gave his Son not a servant his onely Son it s much to have but one and part with that one But why parts God and his Son That some of the sons of men might come to God even as many as believe All then are not at a loss as many shall be saved as lelieve Salvation then is not of works but faith And this Faith myst be in him not in the Jewish Talmud Turkish Alcaron nor Popes Pardons but a Belief in Christ Jesus a belief That as Adam made us guilty of death so that by the death of Christ me shall be freed from the second death and have life here a life of grace bereafter a life of glory here the Inchoation after the Consummation now we live to dye through Christ we dye to live and have a life everlasting What could Adam and all we have expected less what could he and we have more desired we were doomed to dye reprived to live by the Judge of Heaven sentenced to an Eternity of torments by the same Judge our sentence is repealed to a fair possibility of salvation And thus for us to sin against God and God thus to put it up and not onely not to punish with death but to provide for us life life everlasting This may put Humane Wit to a stand Was ever Love like this says the Scripture Can a Woman forget her own Childe The Quaere implies a possibility but a rarity Such forgetfulness may be in us mortals there in none at all in our Maker Being arch enemies to him he befriends us and parts with his own Son to make us his Sons and Daughters yea heirs heirs of God and joynt heirs with Christ Jesus And thus he gives gold for dross and all to make us who are dross to pass for currant coyn in his Kingdom Saith David to Jonathan Thy love to me was wonderful passing the love of women But behold and wonder here is love surpassing mans expression The love of God to man so to love him as to redeem him to send his Son to dye to save man from death and to require no more but to believe to believe His own Son hath paid the ransome with his own life to purchase us a life Everlasting O let my life answer my belief We do not believe in Christ if we lead not the life of grace Though faith onely justifies alone faith never justifies If I do good works to testifie my Sanctification before men then my belief in Christ will ensure my Justification before God As my faith must justifie me so my works must justifie my faith No man believes in Christ that lives in sin I say not who is sometimes gull'd but every day misled and willingly the effect of faith is an holy life As light attends on the Sun so good works on Faith he that lives well cannot believe ill Thy life ensures me of thy belief thy belief of the love of God yea and that thou art one of those of whom it is said God so loved the World that he c. GODS PRESENCE Patiences Protector Phil. 4. part of verse 5. The Lord is at hand THese words were writ to the Philippians occasioned for that surrounded with sorrow and overcast with care They profess Christ and for it scorn'd by the Jews scoft at by the Gentiles Now lest despair crush them or impatience provoke them this Memento is given them The Lord is at hand One able to support for A Lord No mean one for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Lord nor is he far off for saith S. Paul At hand on thy right hand to comfort not on thy left hand to scourge Our God is in Heaven and our God is here Residentially above Potentially below There is his Palace and here he perambulates and as thou canst not flie from thy shade no more from God The Sun is above and vertually with us and God is in Heaven yet always with men on
nay more since this Son of God sic exananivit semetipsum hath so humbled himselt as to be born of a Virgin that we might be born again and live and with God and in Heaven and for ever doubtless it is high time and opportune time at this set time for no less then Angels to turn Coristers and to say and sing this sacred Song Glory be to God on high Peace upon Earth Goodwil towards man A LESSON FOR Souldiers Luke 3.14 The Souldiers likewise demanded of him saying And what shall we do and he said unto them Do violence to man accuse no man falsly and be content with your wages THese words are occasioned upon a Sermon newly Preached The Preacher is John the Baptist His Hearers are of divers dispositions the effect they are all astonished The Baptist threatens death the people enquire how to save life No sooner saith John The ax is laid to the root of the tree but as soon the people fear to be made fuel for the fire Lo after a Law-Sermon follows a Gospel-Demand We will never seek after Christ till Moses hath found us out It is Moses must lanch the sore before Christ will cure the wound let me welcome then a Boanerges as much as a Barnabas and by this demand rest ensured How Law-preaching makes me sensible of my sins Though the love of God and merits of Christ save yet the justice of God and judgement preached fits me for a Saviour It is true how Christ by his blood hath purchased for us a Kingdom it is as true how the Law is School-master and leads us unto Christ Till I meet with this guide I shall neither have eye to see with nor tongue to enquire for a Saviour After the Law be home applied and powerfully preached presently the whole man seeks every where for a Deliverer Such a Sermon was Peters Acts 2. and then in vers 37. they cry What shall we do Such a Sermon is this of our Baptists and in three companies the cry goes Aud what shall we do O! when the Law preached makes me sensible of my sore then I seek for a plaister He that preaches to the people God is nothing else but all love shall be sure in the end to meet with his justice Sugar plumbs are more destructive to the stomach then sharp sauce and a discreet Cook will send up to the table salt to rellish the fresh dishes Such a Caterer is this of our Saviours he sends up meat and mustard and while threatens the torments of Hell-fire tells the people how to escape the fire of Hell generally in a Sermon particularly in a Catechism And that I note is the people Demand and the Baptist Answers Lo the willinguess of the one and the readiness of the other the Souldiers are alarm'd out of sin and now they are in march for Sion they are awaked out of the bed of carnal security and they cry for the dug of Divine Doctrine That is a gracious forenoon Sermon produces such an afternoon Catechism it assures how the Catechuminists loath not Manna but long for the sincere milk of the Word But that again I call to minde is how the Souldiers propound and the Preacher resolves Thus like new hatch birds they gape till the old one disgorge into them They cry says the Text and is it not high time for them to cry who have made so many so long to cry Well when God in a Sermon speaks home to the Conscience it will make thee ask ere thou be asked an say Master what shall we do This was the cry of the people of the Publicans and now that they have begun to cry the Souldiers cannot hold their tongues Good example does much prevail with rude and robust natures As the fierce beast by long waking is made tame so our savage dispositions are made pliable by a long and loud peal of Gods judgements sounding in our ears But I much marvel not that these Souldiers are thus terrified and demand What must we do They had hewed down so many with their swords that now afraid to be cut in pieces with the ax Gods judgements When a guilty Conscence hath a weeping eye and a crying tongue for salvation though his sword hath been diâ—d with the blood of innocents yet there is hopes how his soul may be rinsed clean from sin with the blood of our lord Jesus And thus I proceed from the Demand to the Determination from the quid faciemus what shall we do to the quid faciendum Do violence to no man accuse no man falsly and be content with your wages Here are short Lessons but long a taking out little said much implyed In thre lines Souldiers are taught their whole duty to man We will give them three years to take out their Lesson and to do what here they are willed to do But this Tripertite Maudat seems to infer the Souldiers propenseness to the breach of this advice as also That he is a right bred Souldier who squares his life by this Law Model me out such a company and in a fight they will not fear to dye When my life is led according to Gods golden Rule then death is as welcome to me as life I will in special take notice what is the will of God in this time of my earthly Pilgrimage lest my farewel be far worse then my first beginning But come when we carry righteously towards man it is probable we will be religous towards God And it is at this end of Divine Direction that our Baptist starts his discourse Viz. Do violence to no man Viz. Accuse no man falsly Viz. Be content with your wages By this it seems Gods Word gives no warrant to him who hath the longest sword to take the greatest plunder nor yet for him who hath the longest weapon to have too long a tongue nor yet for him who hath marched all day to turn Mntineer next morning A right bred Souldier will rest content with that pay which is allotted for him wil not forge a lye to hurt his neighbour nor yet when the drawn sword is in his hand will harm the innocent Here are three Lessons for Souldiers and the first manacles their hands the second their tongues the third staves them off other mens goods while gives them no more but what they work for and to speak no more but truth he is a gallant Souldier whose hand is tied to good behaviour and Doth violence to no man who can keep his tongue within his teeth and Accuse no man falsly who quiets himself with his means and is Content with his wages Your being Content with your wages asserts how you are no Mutineers and gains you the love of your Leaders Your Accusing no man falsly assures how you have the fear of God and keep his ninth Commandment Your withdrawing your selves from Doing violence to any man shews an heroick spirit and such an one whose religious will over-rules your
earth He is within sight Nam Deus videt God sees within cry for saith he Call on me in trouble and I will hear thee He houses in thy house Know ye not your bodies are the houses of the Holy Ghost A Cordial and may comfort Gods childe a Corrosive and cuts to the quick the sons of Belial God sees thy afflictions and can ease thee He knoweth the impetuous wantonness of the wicked and will punish him But why should I lay on load when God bids Hold off Hands This Scripture is not alledged to terrifie evil livers but to support such as are surround with sorrow Thou livest well and farest ill servest God and art misused by men It is pity that for well-doing thou shouldst be ill intreated This is the course of the World to set light by them who set an high estimate on Gods service The Devil and the sons of Belial both joyn to disjoynt a Saint the wicked with revilings the Devil with temptations The nigher I come to God the closer siege the Devil lays to my soul A daily sinner he seldom assaults No he that is running fast on to Hell needs not be called on to mend his pace but he that is going out of Sodom shall finde many a stop ere he get to Zoar. The approach of Gods Spirit close up to my heart mudles the unclean spirit who vows a return not onely to the house which is empty swept and garnished empty of all Piety swept with the stump worn broom Formality and garnished with the gilt of Hypocrisie but he rages to turn into the Temple of God The heart of the Elect There he hopes for rich plunder Abrahams Jewels Jonathans Purple and Judiths Bravery to surprize a Saints spiritual graces This is that King of Assyria that gives charge to his two and thirty Captains to sight with none but the King of Israel the soul of a Saint O! the fall of such a star he knows would darken Heaven The Apostacy of one Disciple pleases him more then the debauchedness of many Miscreants And now it is that the siege is laid against the precious sould of a sanctified Saint his out-work is battered with persecution his in-work with temptation The Alarm is taken and it holds on all the Summer of our youth and Winter of our old age it lasts from the cradle to the crutch from our birth till our Death To have such an enemy as the Devil and so long a siege as all our lives and such fierce Assailants as seek the ruine of body and soul and for ever Were not this able to crush in pieces Patience But O Jobs Wife be thou gone I never knew her prove a good wise who gave her husband evil counsel I hate here advice to Curse God I like Jobs resolve Yea though the Lord kill me yet will I trust in him Job knew that the Devil was busie about him yet that God was not far from him This is it will make us take our dough upon our shoulders and march though a Wilderness of stinging Serpents We have a cloud behinde to shade us from our enemies a pillar of fire before to guide on to the promised land of our possession The Lord is he who never leaves us nor forsakes us The presence of God is the prime preserver of Patience in afflictions Let me stand it out my Soveraign Lord is within sight Let me not faint since such a second is present The Lord is present What could I do if he were not here What can I not now he is at hand Not onely sight but overcome Become more then Conquerer yea conquer the Devil that meant to make of me a conquest yea Conquer my self whom the DEVIL could not Conquer I am never a freeman untill a Bondman the more I inslave my flesh in which dwells no good thing ne parum ne minimum quidem no not the least good the more my minde my spirit and heart are at liberty now to bring this to pass hic labor hoc opus Our hands are weak and cannot do this work weakned by Adams sin by our own actual sins How can a weak man stand out against a subtile Serpent How can we hold out the fight sixty years that cannot work sixty hours Can frail man undergo a life-lasting Temptation Is not the thought of this able to turn his Patience into Passion to be ever set on day and night waking sleeping without ceasing or intermitting It is now that the power of God begins to manifest it self I am here and here is God I can do nothing without him he will do nothing without me He works in me I work by the help of him I faint he refreshes The light of his countenance puts life into me But O! the mists of homebred Ignorance and hellish Temptations interpose betwixt me and my God! and now with Mary I am ready to cry out They have taken away my Lord and in depriving me of the presence of God they rob me of my perseverance and patience in afflictions This is my fear yet while I fear the worst I may chance fare the best I will sooner approve of a filial fear then a foward presumption Faith may be overcast never finally eclipsed or if eclipsed it is but for a time A short time and the Sun appears even he who made the Sun and the Moon and the Stars God blessed for ever amen Let us by looking up to God as Israel to the Brazen Serpent cure our Soul-sick patience God he is the Register and Records all our sufferings He carries the scales and weighs out our just allowance no more can be laid upon us then he likes no more will he let be laid upon us then we can bear He is night us and none can wrong us He is with us the General with his Souldiers the Soveraign with his Subjects the Phisitian of Souls with his Soul-sick Patients Let us then have patience yea Let your patient minde be known for God is at hand WHERE UNITY Amity I Pet. 3. part of verse 3. Finally be ye all of one minde love as brethren ST Peter shews a scattered Church the best way how to avoid trouble These new Converts in Pontus Galatia Capadocia Asia and Bythenia have been of several judgements but diversity of Opinions breeds discord in Professors And therefore to avoid Insurrection against the State and Schism in the Church the advice is Be ye all of one minde The Gospel makes ex sua Natura union never division neither is it probable that he will make a good Christian that dissevers from the Congregation This Divine Exhortation gives no license for Liberty of Conscience lest Liberty of Conscience become Licentious Libertinism What the Church decrees that Edict must be obeyed for be sure A Schismatick in Discipline when opportunity serves will be a Rebel against his Soveraign A contemner of Church Government hath always been found a close spurner against Kingly Power And therefore