and the former historicall ones with so propheticall a spirit that they serve most aptly for future use unto all posterity and therefore his book of Psalmes remaineth the only Church musick unto the worlds end unto the Church of Christ A third Use is farther Exhortation Vse 3 that we be most deeply and chiefly troubled for our sinnes the only true trouble-house of the Israel of God untill we get pardon thereof in Christ his merits and victory over them by the power of Gods Spirit This will alleviate all other troubles to thee as being flea-bites hereunto they all will be easily overcome in joy of this once rightly and throughly vanquished and our quietnesse of Conscience issuing hence will be rightly bottomed upon tendernesse of Conscience bringing joy in the Holy Ghost and not on that false bottome of naturall security and senselesnesse in sinne growing up in impudencie of sinne untill at length it quite flag into finall despaire such a seared Conscience breakes forth at last into restlesse wounds and out-cryes of an accusing conscience Get God home to thee within thy Conscience then needeth thy hope for shelter never stirre out of thee but in all troubles whatsoever have this for thy retiring biding place If thither thou darest not whither wilt thou fly how comfortlesse is that mans condition who having no safety abroad dareth not retire having no quiet at home through a brawling wife both at bed and board restlesse yea worse is the trouble that sinne procureth disquieting the Conscience Such ones are like to the Citizens of Ai pursued and thinking to return to their City it was all on fire and so they fell all by the sword Josh 8. not much unlike was the condition of the Benjamites Judg. 20. 40 c. yet worse even as ill as may be is the present condition because we carry this house the retiring place of Conscience about with us where-ever we goe and cannot leave it behinde us and therefore take we heed how we disquiet it with our sins Faber deasciat lignain superficie putrida si auutem sana invenerit intue in aedificium provehit non valdae de superficie putrida laeso solicitus Quid proderit exterius sanum putrefacta medulla conscientiae To which purpose let us be sure to finde out and surprize our sinnes before they find and surprize us if we discover our sinnes first we may kill them if they find us out first they will greatly hazzard our ruine if God shew us not the greater mercy Let our sinnes therefore be our greatest trouble Take Austins expression The Carpenter heweth timber which is rotten on the outside but if he findeth it sound within he squareth it fitting it for building regardlesse of the outward unsound chips if they be burnt in the fire it will nothing availe us to have sound bodies and hollow hearts with corrupted consciences these be the troubles which seize on us that we sink under them Get a good heart and sound conscience and in whatever troubles Istae sunt tribulationes quae invenerunt nos nimis Si sanum sit intus ubicunque alibi passus sit illâ—c confugiet ibi invenerit Deum c. thither thou mayest with Hezekiah retire and appeale to God with comfort who will there meet thee speaking peace however troubles doe dog and pursue thee from place to place otherwise they will drive thee out of thy selfe and make thee thine owne accuser and tormentor haunting thy selfe with perpetuall vexation in every place and at every turne and that so much the more fiercely by how much the more inwardly and secretly and yet even in these extremities God yea God alone is out refuge Te sequitur teque cruciat tanto ardentius quanto interius tamen in his adjutor est Dominus August and present help wherfore find we out our sins and with the helpe of our God rout we them that they destroy not us utterly and make we sure to have our God at peace within us thither to retire When men rush out of a sort against their enemies and make good their sort they may retreat thither safely in all straights but if the enemy breake in upon them by surprize or step in between them and home or pell mell crowd in with them they may repent at leasure if God give them the grace I meane in this our spirituall conflict with sinne wherfore as some have voluntarily bound themselves to their good behaviour thereby to reteine their liberty that their enemy binde them not thereto for then it is very difficult to get loose so let out Christian wisdome teach us to doe Though we are all borne in our sinnes yet take we heed how we live in our sins for then we shall dye in our sins the godly however sinne is in them unto death yet they are not in their sinnes but in Christ Jesus new creatures continually mortifying all their sinfull lusts Oh let it be so with me with thee yea and with thee also whoever thou art as we tender the eternall salvation of our soules Take a fourth Use of Exhortation Vse 4 that we build and rest upon God alone for delivery in all our troubles Isai 26. 3 4. is a full text to this purpose Let no carnall reasonings stave or draw us off from this our repose in God as that is a maine one Objecting that Cities Object Kingdomes Republickes most flourishing have their periods birth growth heigth decay and ruine and none can hinder this fate and destiny as hath been observed and therefore why should we struggle in the businesse Answer hereto is Answer that for as much as this doth generally take us off from our addresse to and securing our selves in Gods all-powerfull wise and good providence Therefore First Conclus 4 Know we that God in vertue of these his attributes disposeth of Kings and Kingdomes bringing downe one and setting up another and doing whatever he pleaseth both in Heaven and in earth Secondly know we likewise that God is not fickle nor humorous lightly loathing old friends nor changing his love but spareth and forbeareth untill our sins so highly provoke him that the honour of all his glorious Attributes Justice Truth Holinesse are so deeply ingaged in the quarrell that he cannot fairly come off but by taking vengeance to the uttermost In as much as even when the cry of Sodome came up to Heaven he will first come downe to the earth to see if their sins were as great as their cry was loud yea and he spared the Canaanites untill their sins were full ripe for judgement Judah's sinnes grew to that height that there was no remedy 2 Chron. 36. 16. Matth. 23. 32. Fill ye up the measure of your Fathers Psal 107. 34. A fruitfull land he turneth into barrennesse for the iniquity of them that dwell therein Thirdly Know we farther that in all these Catastrophe's God still preserveth his Church the City of God
build castles in the aire by creating new troubles to our selves in our distracting feares and jealousies Ps 62. 5 6 7 8. a remarkable text 4. Trust in God perpetually unto and in death it selfe this is proper to the beleever who hath hope in death when as all the worldlings hopes doe perish This made the bloud of the Martyrs such seed to the Church Sanguis martyrum semen ecclesiae that whilst that they who obeyed not the word were wonne without the word vvhilst they beheld the Martyrs resolution coupled with feare of God and so devoid of feare of death this convinced them of a more glorious estate after death and did dispose them to instruction and so occasioned their saving conversion in the interim they rest in perfect blisse free from sinne and sorrow expecting a glorious resurrection and in this regard also likened in Scripture to seed 1 Cor. 15. Isa 26. 4. Trust in the Lord Jehovah for ever for in him is everlasting strength Job 13. 15. Though he kill me yet will I trust in him Let this suffice for the second Proposition Proposition 3 and so passe we unto the third and last The Doctrine is That it is the comfort of Gods Church and children so trusting in him that they shall find God a very yea too too present strong and aboundant helpe in all their troubles whatsoever The proofe and improvement whereof hath in part bin made good in the second point in recompence whereof this third will doe as much for the second point this being the prime demonstrative argument for it as we then shewed so nigh of kin are these two The clearing of this point by Scripture proofe is as the former referred to those generall premised texts For farther clearing hereof I shall first gather up the graduall arguments in our text thus 1. God is our hope refuge and shelter that is our hope makes us sly to him for shelter I so doe many and find small comfort miserable comforters as Iob found his three friends weake props As some in a storme hasten to a tree which so pelteth them with droppings that they leave it and rather expose themselves to the weather Therfore secondly our text addeth And strength that is alsufficient to protect them who make him their shelter I so are many men more able then willing to help as Dives was to relieve Lazarus 3. Therefore our Text addeth a helpe we shall finde him ready and willing I happily in some few small troubles without much cost or trouble Lastly therefore our Text saith in very great and aboundant troubles though we find them too too great and aboundant yet will he beare us through and out of them all So that nothing is desirable in this point in which our Text holdeth not forth comfort It were easie from Scripture to shew you experiments in all particulars which your own observation may supply both in temporall and spirituall troubles as our first point branched them forth but I choose rather to remoove a cavill which maketh battery against this truth the removall whereof will much settle the same Thus Obj. Experience telleth us whatever you say that the godly aer overborne with troubles and sinke and perish under them I shall give you a seven fold answer hereto Answ 1. Know that this third doth not enterfeer vvith the first Proposition That the troubles that befall in this life are common to godly and wicked men and that the godly may die under the pressures thereof death being the period and closure of this life Mat. 10. 17. Christ forewarneth thereby to fore-arme us herein And then again know that the first doth not trip up the heels of this third Proposition but that neverthelesse God is our help in and out of them all Answ 2 A second answer is that to uphold the harmony of these tvvo truths and to contain each of them vvithin its bounds we must give a double distinction the former betweene temporall troubles respecting our naturall life and spirituall troubles respecting our supernaturall life the latter distinction is between the matter and the manner of both these kind of troubles The matter is the kind of troubles which we suffer as sicknesse hunger thirst nakednesse death Satans tentations c. the manner is Gods respect unto man troubled and mans respect back again to God both for ground and end why and degrees how fare God orders that they be so troubled According to which distinctions we settle the point in a four fold conclusion First Conclus 1 that however temporall troubles are for matter alike both to Godly and wicked yet for manner they are sanctified to the Godly and not to the wicked The Godly own God the Authour thereof justifie Gods Providence therein arme themselves to beare them as a Fathers chastisements weane themselves from the love of this world that is full of them hate and mortifie sin as the cause of them labour for holinesse as that which destroyeth sin and fitteth them for dissolution and for a better life with longing desire they wait and look for the same And all this makes them more and more to hope in and fly to God for helpe and from hence they learne with David to say Psal 119. 67. Before I was afflicted I went astray but now have I kept thy Word ver 75. Thy judgements are right thou of very faithfulnesse hast caused me to be troubled In all which temporall troubles the delivery is conditionall not absolute namely when how and how farre Gods wisedome seeth best for his glory and his Childrens good A second Conclusion is that the spirituall trouble of sin however it seeme alike in godly and wicked for matter yet for manner it differeth very much The Godly sin of infirmity not of presumption their sins are sudden surprisals and incroachments not contrived before bewailed not boasted in afterward yea and with conflict in the acting them they are captived to them not willingly serving them they be not raigning sinnes in them and therefore not unto death In all which it is generally quite contrary with the wicked and that because these are all flesh and so sinne findeth no opposition in them those consist of flesh and Spirit Gal. 5. 17. which as contraries are in continuall combate Hence the Godly cannot totally or finally sinke under sin because the Spirit cannot be subdued to and conquered by the flesh 1 Joh. 4. 4. Ye are of God little children and have overcome them because greater is he that is in you then he that is in the world A third Conclusion is that for distresse of Conscience leading to despaire however God suffer his children to be shrewdly buffetted by Satan for triall and chastisement yet in as much as despaire is a grievous sinne it cannot totally or finally prevaile over them but they shall recover and Gods grace shall be sufficient for them The fourth and last Conclusion is that however it be with
the Godly in this life yet the end crowneth all as Paul speaketh 2 Tim. 4. 7. I have fought a good sight ver 8. henceforth is layed up for me a crowne of righteousnesse and not to me only but to those also that love his appearing which causeth that his triumphant challenge Rom. 8. 33 34 35. In all which the wickeds condition is quite contrary they sinke without helpe everlastingly under all these troubles But here may some object Object as John 11. 37. Could not he that opened the eyes of the blind have caused that this man should not have dyed So could not God without more adoe have prevented mans fall into sin and misery and so Christs death or at least by his death have perfectly freed his children from all sin and misery the two troublers of his Israel I should have cut short this curious question with Pauls answer Answer O man who art thou that disputest with God but that a fuller satisfactory answer will afford choice heavenly notions Therefore I say doubtlesse his power could if his wisdome had seen it meet so to have ordered it which however we cannot fathome to its bottome Conclus 5 yet five fathoms deepe we may dive First God is of absolute infinite Perfection from all eternity needing no creation nor creature to adde any thing to him Secondly therefore the whole creation was meerly arbitrary yet with some end suitable to his excellency and worthy his undertakings For so every wise man will have a valuable end in his actions much more will Gods infinite wisdome so order it Thirdly therefore this Gods end can be no other but the manifestation of his glory in all his communicative Attributes of Power Wisdome Providence and the rest and that to the highest Perfection that the most noble Creatures Men and Angels can reach whereby to honour and praise him in all his excellencies because any thing in the creature is too base to be the ultimate and highest end of the Creators actions and to adde any thing to himselfe is impossible Therefore it being nothing within God nor within the creature it remaineth onely to be this relative respect between them in Gods manifestation of his glory and the creatures magnifying him therein Fourthly yet this Gods manifestation of his glory must not be in so easie and obvious a way that the shallow capacitie of the choisest creatures may trace him much lesse out-runne and way-lay him saying This way he must needs come but in such hidden pathes as are past any yea all the creatures finding out untill he be pleased to manifest them Because easinesse and commonnesse strippeth things of admiration exposing them to neglect and contempt Fifthly therefore God to confound the wisdome of the wise propoundeth such contrary and unlikely meanes to produce his ends that by how much the more we think the work impossible before hand by so much the more admirable we may esteeme it afterward by how much the more we slighted it before by so much the more we might adore it afterward In these five Conclusions stands a generall rationall account of Gods actions In particular all his works of wonder and miracles we doe own to speake so much unto us as his leading Israel 40 yeares through the wildernesse Exod. 12. 37 38. Psal 78. 12. c. and Christ his miraculous feeding so many with so few loaves Joh. 6 5. Matth. 15. 32. And are not Gods ordinary works of nature as admirable From one of which a Heathen Philosopher concluded without the light of Scripture that doubtlesse there is one God whose universall all powerfull providence ordereth all things To this effect he reasoned concerning the conception of a child in the wombe who distributeth that little masse of seed into flesh skin and bone rather then all into slesh only or being thus changed who caused it to branch forth into head and members wiith all their distinctions rather then to congeale into a lump of bone inwrapped in flesh and covered over with skinne or yet why two armes and legges and but one body who branched forth the hands into five fingers with all their usefull joynts who distributed the intrals and gave life to all with the faculty of concoction and growth all in a due porportion with a multitude of such like observations All which are so farre from the parents power to dispose of that they are often wholly ignorant thereof untill at hand to bring forth however they cannot choose to have male or female proper faire witty children or other the like of Egges turned into Chickens Acrons into Oakes with such a certain rule that doubtlesse they are from one over-ruling power of God David sweetly meditateth this thing of his own conception Psal 139. 13. to the 16. yet these and the like because they fall out in an ordinary course of nature foreseene in their causes and meanes are not admired yea little considered as is each least miracle so true is it that Familiarity breedeth contempt whereas it is as rare a worke of God to turne water into wine by the ordinary course of nature were it truly considered as by Christ his miracle Oh it s the nature of the Vine to doe it I but who gave it this nature and vertue Oh but it 's common and ordinary so much the more admirable providence that for so long continuance never fainteth nor faileth in his work what is carried with constancy and certainty is most with wisdome and with power I might be large herein but I contract and reduce all to the satisfying our present objection It s true God could if he would have prevented mans fall Christs death his childrens sinne and suffering but then 1. We had not seen the weaknesse of the choisest creatures men and Angels when not supported by God 2. Nor Gods rich love in Christ given a ransome for us nor Gods severe indignation against sin and sinners with the highest pitch of Gods exact justice against reprobates and of his unfathomed free grace towards his elect ones and of his unblemished holinesse that spareth not sinne but must have it punished though in his children by way of chastisement and in his Sonne by way of satisfaction nor the power of the grace of God in his Saints that is stronger then death and so exerciseth them in all the tossings and turnings of this life that all things co-work in the close with best advantage for Gods glory and their eternall Salvation that with admiration looking into these pathes of God we may say with Paul Rom 11. 33. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes past finding out ver 34. 35. For who hath knowne the mind of the Lord c. ver 36. For of him and through him and to him are all things to him be glory for ever Amen This is the end of all Gods glory that man cannot trace his pathes He