slipped out of the way themselvs and being by repentance recovered they learne to restore others with the spirit of meeknesse as the Apostle speakes A man humbledby experience of sinne in himselfe will soone relent at the fall of others Those often times prove the most excellent instruments in the Church who have formerly beene overtaken with some grosse sinne by meanes where of they have ever after beene much abased in their owne eyes We see David Paul and Peter fell grievously but being afterwards raised againe and finding comfort themselves they were a great meanes of strengthning others for he which teacheth out of his owne experience and feeling is the fittest and best teacher of all So it was with Ionah when by casting him into the Sea God had humbled him he was fit to preach repentance to Niniveh This is a most certaine truth that never any of Gods elect fell grievously but he was the better all the dayes of his life for his fall David having beene thorowly humbled for sinne when Shimei his subject cursed him to his face how patiently did hee beare the same So Peter having denied his Master and afterwards recovering himself again we see how zealous he was for his Lord Christ suffered death for him Furthermore not only the sins of Gods children which they themselves commit do work for their best but also the sinnes of others of the Saints with whom they converse and live doe much tend to their good and welfare Do not the fals of David Peter Manasses and Paul comfort the distressed and despairing soules of such as languish and are ready to faint under the burthen of their sins And do not the registry of their sins in Scripture give hope to us that God will be mercifull to our sins also we may not think it is Gods will to set upon perpetuall Record the sinnes of his servants for their shame disgrace and punishment but for our comfort who live and remaine to the end of the world And the faults of the Saints have two excellent uses whereof the one is for comfort the other for instruction The use in regard of comfort is this God hath shewed mercy to David Paul Peter and others sinning grievously against him and repenting of the same Therefore if I also shall sinne and truly repent as they did surely God is where he was as full of mercy and readinesse to forgive now as ever The second use for instruction is this If such excellent and eminent Saints by sinne have fallen grievously how then much more are we poore weak soules subject to fall if wee neglect watchfulnesse over our selves If a weak Christian oft assaulted with tentations should not see the falls slips of Gods worthier servants he would be in a wonderfull desperation and cry out of himselfe saying Alas what shall I doe never was any so assaulted and tempted so cast downe and overcome in temptations as I am and therefore my case is more fearesull and worse than ever was any But when hee considereth the grievous falls of Gods speciall servants how they have stepped aside foulely and yet obtained mercy by their examples hee beginneth to be revived and receive inward comfort wherby it is evident that all sinnes whatsoever of Gods Elect as vile and as loathsome as they are doe by Gods providence and our owne serious repentance turne to their good and the good of those with whom they live The next spirituall Evill is that which followeth after sinne committed viz. Gods desertion or forsaking of us when he seemes to hide his favour from men after they have sinned against him when God manifests himselfe as an enemie to his people this grieves them more than any thing else in the world beside wee see David how hee calls upon God not to rebuke him in his wrath nor forsake him in his displeasure where hee sheweth how grievously he was afflicted with the anger of the Almighty But albeit that God doth seeme sometimes to forsake his servants it is not for their confusion but for their consolation for by this meanes they come to be poore in spirit and wonderfully emptied of themselves And it is very observable that when such as are thorowly wounded and afflicted inwardly come to recover strength and peace againe they often prove the most cōfortable Christians of all others walking with more care to avoid offence all their lives after Christ Jesus himselfe though hee never sinned but onely stood as a surety in our roome to pay the ransome of our debts seemed to be forsaken of God his Father and because hee was thus thus humbled therefore hee was after most highly exalted above all both in heaven and in earth So Iob seemed to be forsaken and doth grievously bemoane his miseries but this was not because hee had sinned against God more grievously than others had done but for the triall of his faith and patience to give him experience of Gods love to him in the crosse that he might cleave the closer to his Maker all his time after Another Evill arising from the guiltinesse of sin is anguish of mind and a wounded spirit which saith Salomon who can beare But for all this griefe for sinne is an happy griefe yea a griefe never to bee grieved for This wound in spirit breedeth afterwards a sound spirit Repentance is good Faith in Christ is good But what doth prepare us to these happy graces Is it not a wounded spirit Who would ever repent of his sinnes and lay hold on Christ for remission of the same if hee were not pricked and pierced in the sence thereof Christ professeth himselfe to bee a Physitian but to whom To the lost Sheepe of Israel He promiseth ease and refreshment but to whom To them that are weary and laden with the burthen of their sinnes The Spirit of the Lord was upon him that he might preach the Gospell to the poore and hee was sent to heale the broken hearted that hee might preach deliverance to the Captives and recovering of sight to the blind and set at liberty them that are bruised Againe divers Christians doe walk very heavily and uncomfortably by reason of inward tentations blasphemous imaginations which oft are suggested enter into their minds but these sinnes which so vex the soules of poore Christians are a meanes of their humiliation causing them to sue more earnestly to God for pardon And these sinfull corruptions doe further serve for a testimony to themselves that they are not under the power of Sathan but live in the Kingdome of grace for if they were captived to the Devill and under his government then would he never molest vex them but suffer them quietly to live and die in their sins but because they are from under his rule and jurisdiction therefore hee perplexeth troubleth them all he can By which it is evident that all sinnes by Gods mercy and our
heathen could say that we are then best in soule when we are weakest in body for then we are most in heavenly resolutions and seeking after God Yea then it appeares what good proficients we have beene in time of health Oh how happy were our conditions if we were as good when wee are well and in health as we usually are when we are sick and ill Even death it self which is the end of all though it be fearefull and irksome to nature yet it is to Gods servants a bed of Downe easing them of all their miseries and putting them in possession of an heavenly kingdome therefore saith Solomon the day of death is better than the day of birth God will be the God of his not only unto death but in death Death is the death of it selfe and not of us it is a disarmed and conquered enemy to all the faithfull for which cause S. Paul desired to be dissolved and to be with Christ which is best of all Death albeit it seemes terrible and dreadfull yet the sting thereof being taken away by the death of Christ it brings everlasting joy along with it and is only as a Groom-Porter to let us in to a stately Pallace Whether tend all the troubles we meet with in this world but only to fit us for a better condition hereafter and to assure the soule that when earth can hold it no longer Heaven shall Yea when friends forsake us and are false unto us God is a sure helpe in time of need he is our refuge from one generation to another do we not see that in the decay of worldly comforts God then manifests himselfe most comfortably to his people doth he not stile himselfe the Comforter of the comfortlesse and the helpe of them that are in distresses and doe not with him the fatherlesse finde mercy if men were more fatherlesse they would find more mercy at Gods hands As Christ makes us al to him so should we make him all in all to our selves If all comforts in the world were dead we have them still in the living Lord. How many friends have we in him alone who rather than we shall want friends can make our enemies our friends Thus it appeares that all miseries are a triall of us to God and to the world what we are they are a cure of sin past and a preparation to endure further crosses they have many excellent uses and ends and all for the best to Gods servants It is good we should be exercised with present crosses to put us in minde of the evils we have done long agoe that so we may repent of them Iosephs brethren being afflicted and imprisoned called to minde how hardly they had dealt with their brother long before It should be our wisdome while we remaine here to consider our warfaring condition how we are daily invironed with enemies and therefore ought to stand continually upon our guard against Satan and the Powers of darknesse and as Pilgrims and Strangers go on in our journey to Heaven not starting at the barking of every Dog nor intangling our selves in worldly things whereby we should be stopped in our way It is for our best not to bee condemned with the world Afflictions serve for this very end to make us more prize God deny the creature with all its excellencies are our crosses great here let us not be daunted but beare them patiently our comfort shall be the greater afterwards It is not only good for us that wee should have crosses but that they should be continued upon us that wee may the better know our selves If all were well with a man wounded and the sore clean healed the plaister would fall off it selfe So were wee thorowly cured of our spirituall wants and in a continuall resistance of every evill way These afflictions which are the plaisters of our soules would soone cease and leave us Furthermore Sathan himselfe and all his instruments when they most set themselves against Gods people and seek their overthrow then are they working their chief good The Devill when hee thought to make an end of Christ by putting him to death even then by that very thing was vanquished himselfe and the Church of God fully ransomed from hell and damnation God suffers many heretiques to be in the world but why not that the truth should be held in darknesse but that it might thereby bee more manifested and knowne It is Sathans continuall trade to seeke his rest in our disquiet When hee sees men will to heaven and that they have good title to it then he followes them with all tentations and discomforts that hee can Hee cannot endure that a creature of meaner rank than himselfe should enjoy a happinesse beyond him but our comfort is that Christ was tempted that hee might succour all poore soules in the like case Wee are kept by his power through faith unto salvation Now the causes why all things doe work together for the best to them that love God are these viz. 1. It is Gods Decree 2. It is Gods manner of working 3. It is Gods blessed Covenant 4. It is the foundation of the covenant Christ Iesus Gods decree and purpose is of bringing all his Elect unto eternall salvation and therefore all things in heaven and earth must conduce to bring his servants unto glory The reason is this God is infinitely wise and infinitely strong provident and good therefore by his infinite wisedome power providence and mercie hee turneth all things to the best for his whatsoever is in heaven earth or hell is ordered by God neither is there any thing without him therefore nothing can hinder his Decree Sathan himselfe with all his instruments yea the worst of creatures all must serve Gods purpose contrary to their natures for the good of his children The Prophet saith God hath commanded salvation and he hath commanded deliverance to Iacob When God hath determined to save any man all things must needs serve him that over-rules all things As it was said of Christ when he stilled the Seas Who is this that the very wind and Seas obey him God commanded the Whale to serve at his beck to save Ionah and it obeyed All creatures in the earth are at his disposing and serve to accomplish his pleasure The second cause why all works together for the best to beleevers Is the manner of God working in things which is by contraries he bringeth light out of darknesse glory out of shame and life out of death Wee fell by pride to hell and destruction and must be restored by humiliation to life and salvation Christ humbled himselfe being God to become man for us and by his death restored us to life When our sinnes had brought us to greatest extremities even then were we nearest to eternal happinesse Therefore saith the Apostle When wee are weak then are we strong in the Lord. When wee are abased then are wee readiest
counsels What Doth the truth vary according to mens judgements must we bring the strait Rule to the crooked Timber for to be measured Shall the judgement of any man be the rule of Gods unerring truth Shall present men interpret it thus and say it is so now And shall others that succeed after say what ever it was then now it is thus and must we beleeve all God forbid This declareth That no man can dispence with Gods Law this written Word is alike in all truth is truth and errour errour whether men think it to be so or no. Reason is reason in Turkes as well as amongst us The light of nature is the light of nature in any Countrey as well as here Principles of nature vary not as Languages doe they are inbred things And if Principles of nature be inviolable and indispensable much more is Divinity Filth is filth wee all confesse opinion ought not to bee the rule of things but the nature of the thing it selfe Therefore what is against nature none can dispence withall God cannot deny himselfe What is naught in one age is naught in another and for ever naught There is no Monarch in the World can dispence with the Law of nature or with the Divine Law of God For the opinion of any man in the World is not the rule which hee may comfortably live by but the undoubted light of Christs written Word I speake this the rather to crosse their base practices who when God cals them to stand for his cause and truth they will bend and bow the sacred truth which is alwayes Yea and Amen to their owne by ends and base respects As if the opinion of any man in the world were the rule of their faith and obedience This is to make God no God Is not right right Is not the Law the Law Is not the Word of Christ a word that alters not but remaines stedfast to all eternity Assure your selves there is a truth of God that we must maintaine to the death not onely in opposing Heresie but resisting of impiety wheresoever we meet it Iohn Baptist was a Martyr when hee stood out against Herod and said Thou must not have thy Brother Philips Wife He would not be meale-mouth'd in reprooving his sinne but cried out against the unlawfulnesse of it though it cost him his life Men ought to suffer for the truth and not for base ends deny the least word of God because it is a divine sparkle from himselfe For all the promises of God in him are yea and in him are Amen This comes in after this manner the word that I preached saith Paul is unvariable because Christ himselfe is alwayes yea and I have preached nothing but Jesus Christ among you my preaching then must needs be a certain and immutable truth There are divers readings of the words but the most materiall is as this Translation and the best Expositors have it All the promises of God in Christ are yea that is they are certaine and constant in him And then they are Amen that is in Christ they are fulfilled In him they are made and in him they are accomplished The whole carriage of the promises are in Christ for his sake they were first given and in him they shall be performed As Christ himselfe was yesterday and to day and the same for ever so are all Gods promises made in him undoubtedly eternally and unchangably true to all posterities Here are divers truths which offer themselves to our consideration First take notice that since the fall of man it hath pleased our good God to establish a Covenant of grace in Jesus Christ and to make him a second Adam by whom we might be restored to a better estate than ever wee had in the first Adam In which happy condition there can be no intercourse betwixt God and man without some promise in his Christ so that God now deales all by promises with us The reason is this how can poore dust and ashes dare to challenge any thing of the great Majesty of Heaven without a warrant from himselfe How can the Conscience be satisfied Conscience you know is a knowledge together with God How can that rest quiet in any thing but in what it is assured comes from God And therefore for any good I hope for from God it behooves me to have some promise and word of his mouth for it this being his constant course of dispensation to his people While we live in this world we are alwayes under hope We rejoyce in hope of the glory of God Now hope lookes still to the promise whereof some part is unperformed How doth Heaven differ from Earth but in this Heaven is a place all for performances here we have some performances to encourage us but are alwayes under some promise not yet accomplished And therefore the manner of our apprehension of God in this world exceedingly differs from that in Heaven Here it is by faith and hope there it is by vision vision is fit for performance Faith and Hope looke alwayes to a word revealed God therefore rules his Church in this manner for their greater good Alas what can we have from God but by the manifestation of hiis own good will May we look for favour from God for any thing in our selves It is a fond conceit Againe God will have his Church ruled by promises in all ages to exercise the faithfull in prayer and dependance upon him God will see of what credit is amongst men whether they will rely upon his bare promise or no. He might doe us good and give us no promise but he will try his graces in us by arming us against all difficulties and discouragements till the thing promised be performed to us Promises are as it were the stay of the soule in an imperfect condition and so is faith in them untill our hopes shall end in full possession and wee must know that Divine Promises are better than earthly performances Let God give man never so much in the world if hee have not a promise of better things all will come to nothing at the last And therefore God supports the spirits of his servants against all temptations both on the right hand and on the left by sweet promises Hee will have them live by faith which alwayes hath relation to a Promise This is a generall ground then that God now in Christ Jesus hath appointed to governe his Church by way of promises But what is a Promise A Promise is nothing but a manifestation of love an intendment of bestowing some good and removing some evill from us A declaring of a mans free engagement in this kinde is a Promise it alwayes comes from love in the party promising and conveighs goodnesse to the beleeving soule Now what love can there be in God to us since the fall which must not be grounded on a better foundation than our selves If God love us it
to be exalted when we are poore then are we most rich and when we are dead then doe wee live For God worketh all by contraries hee lets men see his greatnesse and his goodnesse that so they may admire his works and give more glory to him he worketh without means and above meanes and against meanes out of misery hee bringeth happinesse and by hell bringeth men to heaven Which as it manifesteth Gods glory to his creatures so it serveth for the confusion of mans pride that hee may discern he is nothing in himselfe but is all that he is in the Lord. The third cause why all things work for the best to them that feare God Is Gods covenant with his Church when once this gracious covenant is made that hee will be their God and they shall be his people that he will bee their Father and Protectour must not all things then needs serve for their good When as God tells Abraham I am thy God All-sufficient only walk before me be thou perfect Doth not this engage him to set his power mercy his wisedome and providence all on work for the happy estate of Abraham When once God by his promise is become our God there is a covenant betwixt us and the creatures yea and the stones in the street that nothing shall wrong us but all conduce to our good The Angels are ours their service is for our protection safety welfare Heaven and earth is ours and all things in them for our behoofe Christ himselfe and together with him all things else are become ours in him we are heires of all What a wondrous comfort is this that God hath put himselfe over to be ours whom to enjoy is to possesse all things and to want is misery unexpressable Had we all the world without God it would prove a curse and no blessing to us whereas if we have nothing and enjoy God we have happinesse it selfe for our portion If we have no better portion here than these things wee are like to have hell for our portion hereafter Let God be in any condition though never so ill yet it is comfortable He is goodnesse it selfe And indeed nothing is so much a Christians as God is his because by his being ours in covenant all other things become ours and therefore they cannot but cooperate for our good When thou art in the fire and water I am with thee saith God And Thou art my Buckler my Glory and Shield therefore I will not be afraid though ten thousand of people shall be set me round about saith David for salvation belongeth unto the Lord. And if God be on our side who can bee against us If God justifie us who shall condemne us Can any thing hurt us when hee is become our loving Father Neither death nor life nor things present nor things to come nor principalities nor powers nor any thing whatsoever can separate us from his love toward us A fourth ground why all things fall out for the best to the Saints is The foundation of this covenant of God with his Church which is Christ Iesus who by his bloud hath purchased our peace hee being God became man and is the sole Author of all our comfort Without Christ God is a consuming fire but in him a most loving Father and ever well pleased God promiseth in Christ his Sonne to marry his people unto himselfe for ever Yea saith he I will marry thee unto me in righteousnesse and in judgement and in mercie and everlasting cōpassion Now upon this blessed contract made in Christ to his Church what followeth In that day saith the Lord I will heare the heavens and they shall heare the earth and the earth shall heare the Corne and the Wine and the Oyle and they shall heare Israel and I will have mercy upon her that was not pittied And I will say unto them which were not my people thou art my people And they shall say thou art my God Where wee see what is the reason of all their happinesse even this that God will marry them to himselfe So that this marriage worketh all our blisse our conjunction with Christ and reconciliation through his death is the cause of all our comfort in him wee have the adoption of Sonnes Hence it is that we are at peace with God and have freedom from all harmes Christ in his greatest reproach and deepest humiliation had his greatest triumph and exaltation In his death on the Crosse he vanquished Death and entred into eternall life When Christ came into the world and took upon him our nature even then the greatest Monarch in the world Augustus Caesar was at his command whom he so ordered as that by his causing all the world to bee taxed Christ was manifested to be borne at Bethlehem in Iury. How commeth it to passe that death which is fearefull in it selfe cannot hurt us The reason is Death is swallowed up in victory by his death It is Christ that sanctifieth all crosses afflictions and disgraces to the Saints advantage The evill of them all is taken away by him and turned to his peoples good How commeth it to passe that the Law cannot hurt us which pronounceth a curse against every one that abideth not in all things written therein to do them The reason is Christ was made a curse for us he was made under the Law that hee might redeeme us who were under the Law and thus is Christ a meritorious and deserving cause of procuring all good to us and removing all ill from us He doth not only overcome evill for us but also overcommeth evill in us and gives us his Spirit which unites us to himselfe whereby wee have ground to expect good out of every ill as knowing that whatsoever Christ wrought for the good of mankinde he did it for us in particular In Outward favours grace makes us acknowledge all the blessings wee have to be the free gifts of God and invites us to returne the glory to him Gods servants take all occasions and opportunities of doing good by those gifts and abilities wherewith they are endowed When Hester was advanced to great honor Mordechay told her that God had conferred that dignity upon her for his peoples welfare that she might be a means of their safety Whereas on the contrary a proud heart destitute of the Spirit of Christ ascribes all to it selfe waxeth more haughty and growes worse and worse the more good he enjoyes A gratious soule upon the sight of the evill of sin in it selfe is more deeply humbled before God and with S. Paul crieth out of his wretchednesse A heavenly minded man being smitten for his wickednesse laboureth for subjection under the hand of the Almighty and saith I will patiently abide and endure thy correction because thou Lord hast done it When the gracious man is held under the crosse and suffereth bitter things he saith It is good for me that I am afflicted for
and scandall the Saints on earth thirdly we sad the blessed Angels in Heaven and fourthly rejoyce the Devils and damned spirits in Hell putting Darts and deadly weapons into their hands to work our ruine and overthrow nay fifthly wee grieve the good Spirit of God who continually putteth us in minde of better things if wee would hearken to him and by whom wee are sealed up unto the day of redemption sixthly we slacken grace in our hearts and whereas we should grow forward in vertue and holinesse wee weaken the power of godlinesse exceedingly in us seventhly all willing sins do abate our affiance in God and the seeling of his favour towards us yea often times by so sinning many of his deere children have walked heavily without spirituall joy all the dayes of their lives for howsoever in regard the Lord hath elected us wee shall never finally fall away and perish yet wee may want the sweet sence of his favour and remaine afflicted in spirit all our life long And then wee shall know that the griefe and trouble which we here undergoe to avoid sinne and subdue it will be nothing so much as the mischiefe and sosrow That sin once committed and yeelded too will bring on the soule Yea there is no child of God but by experience shall one day feele that howsoever God by his wisedome and mercy can turne every sinne to our good yet it will prove bitter as Wormwood in the end the pleasure will never answer the smart and vexation that attends it The contrition and breaking of thy heart for thy sinnes committed if thou be Gods will more disquiet and trouble thee than possibly it can bee a trouble to resist and forsake sinne Nay oftentimes God doth punish the very want of reverence in his servants to him as also their slacknesse and unfitnesse in good duties so as they may easily discerne hee is offended with them for the same As we may see by the example of the Corinthians who comming unpreparedly to the Lords Supper for this very cause were so punished that some of them were sick and some weake and some were struck by Death Davids numbring of the people Hezekias shewing of his treasures to the Princes of Babell howsoever by some they may be thought small sinnes yet God scourged them for the same very sharply And it is good that Gods servants should a little know what it is to offend their Maker for if they will bee so negligent and carelesse in walking with him it is fit they should reape the fruit of their owne devices It causeth much relapsing and backsliding from God when men have never truly smarted for their sinne Having had knocks in our own wayes it establisheth us in Gods wayes For we love to wander from our selves and bite strangers at home till God by one crosse or other brings us to himselfe and then wee think of returning to him Nay it is better for them a thousand fold that God should so schoole them then that they should be let alone and so goe on without controulement from sin to sin till they come to desperation Howsoever therefore that God can and will turn the sinnes of his servants to their best advantage yet better it were for them they had never sinned at all Doe wee not think that David wished hee had never fallen into that sin of Adultery And would not Peter have bin glad that hee had never denied his Master The sin of David cost him many a cry for pardon Mercy Lord mercy against thee have I sinned forgive mee this haynous crime And it cost Peter many a bitter salt teare too Howsoever both David and Peter after their recovery by repentance were the better for it to their dying day As for all such as persist in sinne that God may turne all things to their best Let them know that all things shall work together for their bane and utter destruction for ever which I now come to shew First of all God himselfe and his blessed Angels are at enmity with them And therfore 2 All the creatures both in heaven and earth are against them In Pharaohs tenne Plagues wee see the creatures were all readie to execute the pleasure of the Almighty against him And the Beares out of the Forrest were armed by God to devour those scoffing children This is one part of the burthen under which the creatures of God do groane that they serve God against wicked men and are his Armies to punish the rebellious world 3. Even the good gifts of God are turned to the bane of the wicked Absoloms glory his goodly long locks were his halter to hang him up by Achitophels wit and policie brought him to that fearefull end of being his own hangman Hamans honor what good did it to him but only brought him to greater shame his greatnesse made him swell in pride and his pride had a suddaine fall What became of Herods high mind in taking to himselfe the glory of God which when foolish people ascribed it to him was hee not presently smitten so as the wormes consumed him and hee dyed a lothsome death What became of Dives his riches did not his abuse thereof plunge him deeper into hell Wicked men though they abound in this world yet not being in covenant with God they have nothing with a blessing The wicked are but as traytors before God And oft it is seene that great Traytors who are by the Prince kept in prison are nourished very liberally untill their time of Execution come So it is with all gracelesse persons how ever for the present they have great allowances yet as Traytors in the conclusion they shall have an hard account to make unto God for all those things they have sinfully enjoyed And not only so but they abuse the very truth of God as shall appeare in divers particulars First for the comfortable doctrine of justification by faith alone they pervert the same to their owne destruction saying Wee are justified by faith only what need wee then care for doing of good works Alas they profit us nothing to our salvation Therefore it is to no end to strive to do good Againe for the Doctrine of Christian liberty God having given us lawfull recreations and plentifull use of his creatures they turne all into licentiousnesse and in stead of moderate refreshment they make a daily occupation of sports and games In stead of a lawfull use of the creatures they runne into all excesse of ryot in meat drink apparell buildings and delights And for the Doctrine of mortality how do wicked men abuse it saying Let us eat drink and bee merry for to morrow wee shall die that which should put thē in mind of spending of their time well encreaseth their sin Whereas the long suffering of God should lead men to repentance the wicked by means of Gods patience runne more securely on in sinne treasuring up to themselves
and prophanenesse and yet for all this say they love God Is it possible that the love of God and the love of sinne shold ever stand together Proceed wee now to some reasons and directions for the attaining of this grace And first let us not rest in an inferiour degree of this affection but rise up therin and labour that it may have full assent There are degrees of assent as when we love God because we love our selves a naturall man may doe so but this is not enough for if wee love God for our selves we make our selves our God Where the heart is truly set upon God it delights in him only for himselfe and takes comfort in no condition further than he sees God in it He never affected Christ in truth that is more taken with the benefits and priviledges that come by him than with the excellency of his person What friend will bee content that a man should only love him because he doth him good We must love our selves and all other things in and for God Moses and Paul rejoyced to honour the Lord though themselves were accurfed and deprived of happinesse and if wee could so love Christ as not to desire heaven it selfe if Christ were not there This were truly to affect him for indeed if Christ were not there heaven should not be heaven unto us Wee must love our happinesse no further than we can have with it Gods good leave and liking Againe we shall know our love to God whether it be sincere or no by our abstaining from sinne If wee avoid evill for feare of punishment or hope of reward only our love is unsound but when we so love God that wee will not doe any thing contrary to his spirit it is a speciall signe Such a man if there were no hell to punish him nor place of blisse to receive him yet would not breake with God upon any termes For the meanes to attaine this love we must in the first place labour for an humble empty soule Blessed are the poore in Spirit saith Christ for such only apprehend their misery without Christ and their need of him which occasions an holy rejoycing in the Lord and unfained love to him What is the reason that some are so ravished with the favours of the Almighty Is it not for that they were so formerly stung with the sight and feeling of their sinnes the more loving Christian ever the more humble Christian. Mark it when you will and you shall find this disposition manifest in every true convert they are daily humbling themselves for the least offence A second direction is to tast of the love of God in Christ. When the beams of his favour once shine into our hearts we cannot but reflect upon him againe We love him saith the Apostle because he loved us first Mary therefore loved much because shee had experience of Gods love in forgiving her many sinnes When a broken humble soule truly savoureth the goodnesse of the Lord it cannot but be enflamed with desire after him A Christian after hee hath had a taste of the love of God hath another manner of judgement of justification than before Taste and see saith David how good and gracious the Lord is A man that rellishes the sweetnesse of a thing can better judge of it than hee which never tasted it A third direction is to see what motives and reasons wee have from the love of God in Christ to exercise our understanding this way Wee know heat commeth from light and there is a sympathie betweene the braine and the heart the braine must make a report to the heart before that can bee enflamed with affection therefore seriously search into the grounds of thy affection The first ground is goodnesse in God God is goodnesse it self in whom all good is involved if therefore wee love other things for the goodnesse which wee see in them Why doe wee not love God in whom is all goodnesse All other things are but sparks of that fire and drops of that Sea seest thou any good in the creature remember there is much more in the Creator leave therefore the streames and goe to the well-head of comfort Another reason of love is our affinity with God our Father and friend who is unto us in all degrees of neerenesse both our head and our husband were not the Sonne ours what fellowship could we have with the Father having such a Mediator with God that is bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh why should we feare to go unto him He hath taken upon him these comfortable relations of Shepheard and Brother to possesse us of his acquaintance with our infirmities and readinesse to releeve us For shall others by his grace fulfill what hee calls them unto and not he that out of his love hath taken upon him these relations so throughly founded upon his Fathers assignment and his owne voluntary undertaking How doth the tender Mother sympathize in the anguish of her child notwithstanding all its froward aversenesse and shall we think there is more bowells in our selves than in God can there be more sweetnesse in the streame than in the spring If the well of consolation be alwayes open and the fountaine of living water bee never shut up let us teach our hearts to suck and draw comfort from these rivers of refreshing What a shame is it that men should hunger at such a feast Consider likewise the benefits which wee have bestowed upon us and the end why God vouchsafes us so much favour Benefits win love even from bruit creatures therfore wee are worse than beasts if we love not God for his benefits The Oxe knowes his owner and the Asse his Masters Crib what are wee indeed but an heap of Gods benefits All our faculties of soule and body are the blessings of God Whatsoever wee have or hope to have is from him Our breath life and being subsists in God who hath promised that heaven and earth men and Devils crosses and blessings sinne and death all shall be turned by his over-ruling power to our good Consider what now we are what a happy condition God hath made us capable of hereafter Is it a small matter that wee should be regarded above the Angels that fell And that he who knew no sin should be made sinne for us nay become a curse to free us from the curse It was strange that the three Children being cast into the hot fiery Furnace should not burne So likewise it is a wonder that Christians being in the midst of the flame of Gods love should be so cold and dead hearted it is not only the guilt of sin that we are freed from but the unsupportable vengeance of the Almighty due for the same and is this a small matter If we regard the manner of bestowing his benefits it will much advance Gods goodnesse towards us and raise up our spirits to love him againe Doth not