is because thou hast been my Helpe I have had experience of thy goodnesse to me in such and such straits Therefore under the shadow of thy wings I will rejoyce Not onely Trust in thee but Rejoyce as being assured thou wilt help me in time to come Men unmindful of former experiences are still to seek in every fresh difficulty Where Experiences are the Premises Assurance may be the Conclusion David was a man of many choice experiences of Gods goodness to him and hee was a man that was choice of them hee laid them up and made use of them at every need Hee did not only make use of the Experiences themselves but of every thing that came in to it or was a Trophee of it It is a passage not to bee neglected that when hee was forced to fly from Saul comming to Ahimelech the Priest hee desired a weapon of him for his defence and safeguard Hee told him that there was none save onely The Sword of Goliah whom hee had slain and David said there is none like that give it mee 1 Sam. 21.9 This was a Trophee of Gods goodnesse to him It was an Ensign of a former Experience of Gods love to him And there was no better weapon for his defence than such a one as was both an experience and a weapon In carrying this he carried an Experience with him which might Comfort him and incourage him too 2 Corin. 1.10 Saith the Apostle hee hath delivered us from so great a death and doth deliver In whom we trust he will yet deliver us Thus from the former Experiences of Gods goodness to him hee makes out an argument of future deliverances And if we were but thus wise to treasure up former Experiences the former parts of our lives would come in to help the latter And the longer wee live the richer in faith we should be Wee ought indeed to trust God though wee had never Tryed him but when hee helps our faith by former Experiences this should strengthen our Confidence and make us to go unto God as unto a Tryed friend If wee were well read in the History of our Lives wee might have a Bible of our own drawn out of the Experiences of Gods dealings with us and wee should be able to say in any difficulty and distresse I dare trust God in this difficulty I dare adventure on him in this present distress I have tryed him and found him true Hee never failed mee And because hee hath been my help therefore under the shadow of his wings will I rejoyce This is the first part of this Reason God doth wonders to quicken and incourage his Church and People to trust in him and obey him 2 God doth it that the very generations to come might be incouraged to trust in the same God in the like distresses This use the Church made of Former Experiences Psal 22.4 5. Our Fathers trusted in thee they trusted and thou didst deliver them they cryed unto thee and were delivered they trusted in thee and were not confounded And from hence the Church gathers an argument that that God that had delivered others would also deliver them The like you have Isa 51.9 11. Awake awake Put on strength O arm of the Lord Awake as in the Ancient days in the Generations of old Art not thou hee that wounded the Dragon who dryed up the Sea and made the depths a way for the ransomed to pass over As if he had said All those Former Experiences of thy Gracious dealings and wonderfull deliverances of thy Church they are as so many incouragements to us to beleeve thy goodnesse to us And therefore the Psalmist tells us Psal 9.10 They that know thy name will trust in thee And hee gives the reason For thou Lord hast not forsaken them that seek thee Hee doth not say Thou Lord wilt not but thou Lord hast not Gods hath-not is his will-not too The Argument were not good would not hold in men They Have not therefore they Will not Men may change men may alter 1. Either they may repent of former curtesies 2. Or they may resolve to do no more Men wee see shut their hands because they Have opened them and their former curtesies are reasons of future denials But the argument is good here Hee hath-not therefore hee will not forsake his people Hee will bee gracious because hee hath been gracious Gods former dealings towards his Church and people do but publish to the world and inform us what his future behaviour shall bee to his Church and people Hee Hath not therefore he will not God blames the Israelites because hee had done so great works for them And yet they beleeved not 7. Reas God will do wonderfull things for his Church because His love and ingagements do move him unto it There are four loving ingagements of God which move him to do wonderful things for his Church 1. They are his 2. He hath promised 3. His people trust in him 4. They seek unto him 1. God is ingaged to do wonderful things for us Because wee are his We are his people hee is our God wee are his Spouse hee our husband wee are his children hee our father wee his Members hee our head wee are his portion his inheritance c. And this is a great ingagement for God to do great things for us what will not a loving father do for his child what will not a loving Husband do for his wife c. wee stand in the same relations with God He thought nothing too great to suffer for us Hee suffered great things and hee suffered cheerfully hee was in pain till the hour came And do you think hee will think any thing too much to do for you God doth what ever is done in the world And there is nothing that he doth that I may say his heart is more in that he doth with more Complacency and delight than those things he doth for his Church and People His whole heart is in them and therefore doth them cheerfully and doth them fully As you know whatever your heart is in that you do willingly that you do thoroughly c. Indeed there was Nothing to ingage him To make us his People before hee made us his People as Moses saith God chose you not because of thy righteousnesse the uprightness of thy heart for thou art a stif-necked People But because the Lord Loved you c. But there is something to ingage him To do for us now hee hath made us his People because wee are his People this is that that Samuel did comfort the Israelites withall 1 Sam. 12.22 The Lord will not forsake his people for his great Names sake And why what is the reason what is the ingagement why saith hee Because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people 2 A second loving ingagement which causeth God to do wonders for his People is Fidelis Dominus qui se nobis â—ecit debitorem non aliquid
VERA EFFIGIES SAMVELIS BOLTON S.S. THEOL D NVPER COLL C CANTAB MAG Qui Obiit 15 Oct bâ—s 1654 AEtatis 48. Ars vtmam mores animumâ— depâ—â—gere posset Pulâ—nrior in terris 〈◊〉 â—abella foret O 〈…〉 Art could pensâ—â—l ou◠〈◊〉 mind A fairer peice on Earth we should not find G. Faithâ—â—â—â—â—culp THE Dead Saint Speaking TO Saints and Sinners Living In severall TREATISES VIZ. The Sinfulness and greatest evill that is in Sin On 2 Sam. 24.10 Loves of Christ to his Spouse On Cant. 4.9 Nature and Royalties of Faith On John 3.15 Slowness of Heart to Beleeve On John 1.50 Cause Signes and Cure of Hypocrisie with Motives Helps to Sincerity On Isaiah 58.2 Wonderfull Workings of God for his Church and People On Exod. 15.11 Never before Published BY SAMVEL BOLTON D. D. Late Mr. of Christ Colledge in Cambridge Prepared for the Presse â—â— himself during Life Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver mee from the body of this Death Rom. 7.24 But God commended his love towards us in that whilst wee were yet Enemies Christ dyed for us Rom. 5.8 LONDON Printed by Robert Ibbitson for Thomas Parkhurst and are to be sold at his Shop at the three Crowns over against the Great Conduit in Cheapside 1657. TO THE Right Honourable and Right Religious Lord Robert Earle of Warwick Baron of Leez and to the truly Noble and truly vertuous the Lady Elianor Countess of Warwick his most pious Consort E. B. wisheth to your present prosperities the addition of many dayes increase of Grace in this life and the full fruition of Glory in the life to come Right Honourable IT was the purpose of my dear Husband deceased to have presented these his Works unto you Both by an Epistle Dedicatory wherein hee would have spoken his gratitude for your manifold favours And when his wasting weaknesses had rendred him unfit for that intended service hee desired if these manuscripts should bee esteemed worthy of publick view they might come abroad under your Honours Patronage to bee living evidences of his high respect and unfeigned thankfulness This Narrative will I humbly hope make a satisfying Apologie for my presumption in prefixing your noble Names before these his Sermons which are likely to find the same good acceptance from the Presse as some eminently pious and learned upon the perusall of them judge which they received from the Pulpit My prayers are that Your Selves and Your Family may both here and hereafter reap the fruit of all those encouragements which many famous Ministers some dead and others surviving to do service have received from Your Honours favour I humbly crave your acceptance of this Widdows mite of Gratitude for all the expressions of Your respect both to my reverend Husband and worthlesse self Right Honourable I am under many Obligations bound to bee Your Honours humble Servant ELIANOR BOLTON An Epistle to the Reader THE Books of learned and godly Ministers published by others after their death's do for the most part come far short of those Books which they themselves publish in their lives time The children of their brains being herein like unto the children of their bodies who many times live plentifully while their Fathers live but meet with much hardship after their death's It may bee said of the posthumous works of most men in comparison of their first works Printed by themselves as it is of Abishai and Benaiah 2 Sam. 23.19.23 They were very valiant and honourable men but they attained not unto the three first Worthies of David But it fairs far otherwise with this our Reverend Brother hee hath attained a double happiness which few arrive unto These ensuing Sermons were written out in a fair and legible Character and prepared for the Press in his life time and wherein they were defective they have been supplied and made up by an able learned and judicious Friend so that the Reader may assure himself that they are no whit inferior to those other Books which he himself set forth and that these Fatherless children suffer no considerable prejudice by their Authors death The Subjects treated on in this Book are all of them of singular use and benefit Here you have exactly proved That Sin is the greatest of Evils and therefore calls for the greatest sorrow the greatest hatred the greatest care to avoid it and to be rid of it That the heart of Jesus Christ is exceedingly taken with his Church and people and that therfore his people ought to be exceedingly in love with him Here you have the Nature Necessity and Difficulty of Faith learnedly and practically handled and especially the Priviledges and Royalties of it Here also is shewed the Cause and Cure of Hypocrisie And how far a man may go towards Heaven and yet fall short of it The truth is As the rude Satyre in Plutarch who strove to make a dead man stand upright had so much wit as to say Deest aliquid intus there wants a principle within to inable him to stand So may I truly say of him that shall read this Book and not be very well pleased with the matter therein contained Deest aliquid intus hee wants a principle of grace within to cause him to close with such wholesome spiritual and heavenly truths There are other very profitable Treatises of this our Reverend and godly Brother prepared by himself for the Press yet behinde which may happily be brought to light if God shall please to cause this Book to finde acceptance with his people for whose spiritual advantage it is intended And that it may obtain the end for which it is Printed is the Prayer of Thy Servant in the Work of the Ministry ED. CALAMY THE CONTENTS OF Sin the greatest Evil. 2 Sam. 24.10 And now I beseech thee take away the iniquity of thy servant for I have done very foolishly THe occasion of the words p. 1. Parts of the Text. p. 3. Words opened Ibid. The letter of the words speake three Doctrins First Gods servants may commit sin commit iniquity the iniquity of thy servant Ibid. Secondly Fresh sinning must have fresh repentings Ibid. Thirdly There needs fresh pardon for fresh revoltings Ibid. Doctrines handled are two First Sin is and Gods people do apprehend it to bee the greatest Evil in the World Secondly When God threatens to punish sin it is the best way to run to God to take away sin p. 3. First Doctrin p. 4. That sin is the greatest Evil Shewed First By Collation Secondly By Demonstration First By Collation and Comparison First Most of all other evills are but outward Secondly All other evills are but of a temporal nature they have an end this evil is of an eternal nature Thirdly All other evills do not make a man the subject of Gods wrath Fourthly Other evils do but oppose our well being nay only our well being for present Fifthly Other evils are but destructive to a mans self fight but against particulars Sixthly All other evils are
Gods Creatures and so far good Seventhly Other evills are used by God as medicines either First To prevent this or Secondly for the cure of this p. 4 5. Doctrines proved by Demonstration 1 That which fighteth against and opposeth the greatest good must needs bee the greatest evil p. 5 6. Secondly That which is universally evil all evil and no good must needs bee the greatest evil but sin is all evil c. p. 6. Thirdly That which is the sole object of Gods hatred must needs bee the greatest evil but sin is c. Fourthly That which separates the soul from the chief good must needs bee the greatest evil p. 7. Fifthly That which is the ground and cause of all other evils must needs bee the greatest evil but sin is c. p. 8. National evils 1. Wars 2. Famine 3. Pestilence personal temporal spiritual eternal p. 8. Sixthly That which is worse than the utmost evil must needs bee the greatest evil but sin is worse than the utmost evils worse than Hell p. 9. Second part of the Doctrin as sin is in it self so In the apprehensions of Gods people sin is the greatest evil and this appears by p. 9. 1. Their sighs for sin 2. By their sufferings to avoid sin they have esteemed sin worse than 1. Poverty 2. Prisons 3. Death 4. Hell it self p. 10. Consectaries or Uses 1. Let us fall down and admire the wisdome and adore the goodness of God who out of the greatest evil could bring the greatest good bee humbled for the fault and blesse God for the remedy p. 11. 2. Hence conclude it is the saddest punishment the fearfullest judgement in the World to bee given up to sin Ibid. 3. See what fooles they are who seek to bee rid of other evils by the admission of sin p. 12. 4. If sin bee the greatest evil what then is sin circumstantiated sin compounded sin made exceeding sinful p. 13. 5. See what fools they are who make a mock of sin who sport with Hell hee who sports with sin sports with Christ with killing Christ and tearing the flesh of Christ p. 14. 6. See the utter impossibility of any thing under Heaven to help us from under the guilt of sin save Jesus Christ only infinite Righteousness is required for one sin no more for a thousand sins no Righteousness proportionable to the evil of sin but Christs p. 15 First Not our own Secondly Nor will the Righteousnesse of the Law Thirdly It is not the Righteousnesse of Angels it must bee infinite wisdome to finde out a way it must bee infinite mercy to pardon infinite power to subdue infinite merit to purge and cleanse infinite grace to destroy sin p. 16 7 See how much wee are bound to Christ who hath born our sins who hath an interest in him p. 17 And secondly who hath so born them that wee shall not bear them Eight Consectary If sin bee the greatest evil it then calls out First For the greatest sorrow though not to the quantity and bulk yet in quality and worth though not in strength yet in length and continuance p. 20 Sorrow proportionable to the measure and greatness of sin p. 21 To the merit and desert of sin p. 22 Secondly It calls for the greatest hatred p. 22 Thirdly for the greatest care to avoid and hee that is careful to avoid will bee acquainted with the falls of others with the weaknesse of his own heart hee is acquainted with the power and policy of Satan with the danger and deceitfulnesse of sin Deceitful in Its Objects Arguments Pretences Excuses Incroaches Promises p. 22 23 Fourthly It calls for the greatest indeavours to bee rid of it this evil if it bee kept makes our good evil where on the contrary if sin bee removed the evil of the evil is taken away Sin is the sting of every affliction Therefore First Let us chuse the greatest evil in the World rather than the least sin Secondly Let us pitty and pray for such as are under the state of sin p. 24 Thirdly Let us admire the greatnesse First Of the patience of God in bearing with sinners And that if you consider Sin is contrary First To Gods works Secondly To Gods Nature Thirdly To Gods Will. p. 25 Secondly Let us admire the greatnesse of Gods mercy in pardoning sin p. 26 Thirdly See what cause wee have to humble our selves that wee have had such slight thoughts of sin Six Glasses wherein sin is presented to show sin is exceeding sinful Look upon it in the 1 Glasse of Nature p. 72 2 Glasse of the Law p. 27 28 3 Glasse of griefs woundings peircings which The Saints have found First In their Admission into the state of Grace Secondly In their relapsings into sin p. 28 4 Look upon sin in Adam p. 28 5 Look upon sin in Christ p. 28 6 In the damnation of the soul p. 29 Use 1. See what need wee have to aggravate sin to the utmost in our confessions p. 29 Six Singular fruits of so doing p. 30 Use 2. If sin bee the greatest evil then it is the greatest mercy in the World to bee rid of it p. 31 That appears in these particulars 1. It is the dearest bought-mercy p. 31 2. It is the purest mercy p. 32 3. It is the freest mercy of all other in two particulars p. 32 33 4. It is an intituling mercy p. 33 5. It is an irrevocable mercy p. 33 34 6. It is an universal mercy the womb of mercy p. 34 Seven Glorious fruits of pardon of sin p. 34 35 First Use Labour above all things to get pardon of sin Five sorts of men who do but dally and trifle with God about pardon of sin p. 36 37 38 The Contents of the Treatise of Christs Love to his Spouse On CANT 4.9 THe Penman of the Canticles who p. 43 Why called the Song of Songs Ibid. Matter contained in the Canticles p. 44 Words of the Text opened p. 45 Doct. 1. The heart of Jesus Christ is exceedingly taken with his Church and People p. 46 In the Prosecution hereof is shewed 1. VVhat is meant by his heart being taken p. 46 47. 2. That the heart of Christ is exceedingly taken Diverse Arguments Because 1. Christs thoughts are upon his Church and People p. 47 2. Christ doth affectionately love them p. 48 3. Christ doth rejoyce over his Church Ibid. 4. Christ doth exceedingly delight in conversing with his Saints p. 48 49 5. Christ thought nothing too dear to do or suffer c. 6. Christ is fully satisfied with the injoyment of his Church p. 49 50 7. Christ is exceeding charie over his Church p. 50 51 Three other Particulars that demonstrate the Doctrin 1. Christ made all things for them p. 52 2. Christ prepared Heaven for them 3. Christ shed his blood for them Reasons why Because they are his First People Secondly Friends Thirdly Children Fourthly Spouse Fifthly Members Sixthly Jewels They are his First By Choice p. 54
fearful in praises doing wonders IN trouble God charges us with two things 1 Faith p. 335 2 Prayer Ibid. In deliverance with two things 1 Thankfulnesse p. 356 2 Obedience Ibid. The words opened Ibid. and p. 357. Doctrin The wonderful God doth do wonderful things for his Church and People The Doctrin proved and illustrated p. 358 1 That God doth great wonders Ibid. 2 That God hath done great wonders and that either p. 359 1 With small means Ibid 2 Without means p. 360 3 By contrary means Ibid. 2 Querie Is the Grounds and Reasons 1 Because he is a wonderful God p. 361 2 To get himself a wonderful name Ibid. 3 As to get so to uphold his great name p. 362 4 Reason God doth wonders for his People that hee might inherit wonderfull praises from his People p. 363. 5 Reason To add torture to the Devill and his Children p. 363. 6 Reason That so our selves and the Generations to come might bee stirred up to trust in him p. 364 365. 7 Reason Because his love and ingagements move him to it 4. Ingagements 1 They are his p. 366 2 He hath promised p. 366 367 3 They trust in him p. 368 4 They seek him ibid. 3 Query VVhat are those wonders God doth for his Church and People p. 369 1 Wonders for their souls p. 369. to 373 2 Wonders for their outward man p. 373 374 375 4 Query When is the time which God takes to do VVonders for his Church 1 When God shall get him most glory of the enemies p. 375. 2 VVhen God shall get most praise from his People p. 375 376 3 When God can â—â—â—â—e Church most good and work the compleatest â—â—â—â—â—erances p. 376 4 VVhen thâ—â—â—emies of the Church are carried with most 〈◊〉 â—nd promise themselves most successe p. 376 377 5 â—â—en Gods people are brought most low â— Two times Gods time Mans time p. 377 378 6 VVhen God holds up a spirit of Prayer p. 378 379 7 VVhen the glory of God is mightily concerned p. 379 5 Query How shall wee know God will work wonders for us if God do not wee shall bee made three wonders to all Nations ibid. 1 Of folly and madnesse 2 Of scorn and hissing 3 Of misery p. 380 Grounds of Fear that God will rather make us a wonder than work a wonder for us first Spiritual grounds 1 Universallity of sin p. 380 2 Impudency of sin p. 381 3 Obstinacy of sin amongst us ibid. Second natural grounds of Fear 1 The opposition of wicked men against indeavours of reformation ibid. 2 The schismes and divisions among us 382. 3 The wilful blindnesse and security among us 4 Missing of opportunities amongst us ibid. Two Grounds of hope first From God 1 From the goodnesse of his nature ibid. 2 Because Gods glory is much concerned p. 383 Two Grounds of Hope from the Church of God the good of most of the reformed Churches in the Christian world doth depend upon the welfare of England ibid. Three Arguments taken from our selves 1 Sins are not National nor untenanced by Law p. 383 384 2 Wee are now in reforming of them p. 384 3 From the beginnings of mercy p. 385 4 The stock of prayers laid up p. 386 5 God hath drawn out the graces of his people ibid. Four Arguments taken from our enemies 1 Their former wickednesse which shall hunt them and finde them out p. 387 2 Their present sinfulnesse ibid. Object God hath given up the godly into the hands of wicked men Four answers to this Objection p. 388 389 Five Arguments to induce us to hope that God will do wonders for us is taken from the consideration of those great things that God hath promised to do for his Church and People in this latter end of the World 389 to 393 Vse of Information To inform us of the greatnesse of our God 1 Of his Power 2 Wisdome 3 Mercy 4 Truth 394 2 It informs us of the happy condition of the Saints 3 How precious the Saints are in the esteem of God 4 That the condition of the Church is many times sad because a wonder must bee expressed for their relief p. 395 5 They must not thereby dispair of help p. 396 6 There is no ground for wicked men to insult p. 397 7 What ingagements lye upon them that God hath done wonders for ibid. 8 Information What grounds there is for us at this time 1 To trust in God 2 To pray to him 3 To hope in him 4 To wait upon him 1 From the Experience of God p. 398 399 2 From the Power of God 399 9 This informs us what is the reason that God lets wicked men bring up their designs to ripenesse because hee can do wonders p. 400 401 Second use of Advice to wicked men p. 401 402 403 Third Use for incouragement of Gods People 1 There is no cause of fear p. 403 Fear is unbeseeming 1 A Christian which is the souldier of Christ 2 Religion which is the cause of Christ p. 404 2 There is lesse cause of discouragement p. 405 406 407 Fourth Use To teach three lessons 1 Thankfulnesse p. 407 2 Obedience p. 408 3 Dependence p. 408 409 Two great enemies of Dependence upon God 1 Obliterating the notions of God p. 410 2 Burying the remembrance of his works p. 411 Fifth Use Then it is good being on the Churches side p. 412 Sixth Use Let us fall down and adore this great God who can do wonders Seventh Use Let us carry our selves in such department as is sutable for such as are Expectants that God should do wonders for them p. 413 Eight Use Doth God do wonders for his Church then learn 1 To trust in God unbeleef imprisons God faith sets him at liberty p. 414 2 Bee incouraged to Prayer Faith and Prayer have had a hand in most wonders p. 415 3 Bee incouraged to hope ibid. 4 Bee incouraged to wait p. 416 1 Would you ingage God to do wonders beleeve p. 417 The excellency of Faith in four Particulars Let no difficulty undermine your Faith no nor discouragement put you off from seeking p. 418 Supplication is nothing without Reformation p. 419 420 SUch was his Out-side But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That once within Thou may'st not yet behold For fear of Sin It 's Dan. 12 3. Dazeling Glory Mortal would amaze And make thee Idolize It 's * Sun-bright raies Thy Sin would Crucify what Grace hath Crown'd And Thou with shame It 's Glory quite Confound No Stay a while First Get to Heaven And than Gaze-on And view the In-side of the Man Then Love Adore Admire Triumph And Sing Eternal Hallelu-jahs to thy King That Pious Soul Rev. 19.10 22.9 disclaims thy Worship He Thy Fellow-Saint will worship God with thee But is there left no Tran-script here beneath Of that Fair-Copy Rent from us by Death Yes Turn these Pages Reader Thou wilt see His every-line Breaths Immortality Ferd. Archer SINNE THE GREATEST
and no good must needs be the Greatest Evil in the world But sin is All evil As we say of God There is no Evil in him He is All Good Quodcunque in Deo Deus est So I may say of Sin There is no Good in it It is All Evil Quodcunque in Peccato Peccatum est There is some good in the worst things in the world and some thing in the worst things to make them capable of our choice of them in some cases some good in sickness some good in Death But now there is no good in sin nor can any considerations in the world make sin the Object of our Choice Though you might avoid Death by sin yet because sin is Universally Evil and No good in it you may not make use of sin to avoid Death And therefore you shall read That when the Apostle would speak the worst of sin he could finde no Name worse than its Own to set it out by Rom. 7.13 ad finem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sinful-sin He calls it Sinful-sin Nothing but Sin 3. Demonstration 3. That which is the sole Object of Gods hatred 3. Demonstr Sin the sole object of Gods hatred must needs be the Greatest evil But sin is the sole Object Not onely the Object but the sole Object of Gods hatred He hates nothing but Sin His love runs in divers streams towards all things he hath made But his hatred runs in One Chanel alone and that is Towards Sin If Man were made the Center of all other Evils in the world God could Love him under All if sin were not there And if there be a Confluence of all other Goods Health Beauty Riches Learning c. God hates you if Sin alone be there Gods love cannot be there but his wrath abideth there 4. Demonstration 4. That which separates the soul from the chief good that which divides between the soul and God the chiefest good 4. Demonstr Sin Separates the soul from the chief Good i. God must needs be the Greatest Evil But sin divides betwixt God and the soul Isa 59.2 Your iniquities have Separated betwixt you and your God Betwixt your souls and my Grace your souls and my Comforts your souls and my Blessings It was said of Naaman That he was a Great man an Honorable man a mighty man of War But he was a Leper 2 Kings 5.1 So whatever Ornaments a man hath whatever Gifts Parts Riches Beauty c. yet if he be a Leper though a Learned man a Rich man But a Wicked man that spoils all the rest 5. Demonstration 5. Demonstr Sin is the root of all other evils 5. That which is the ground and cause of all other Evils must needs be the Greatest Evil But sin is the cause of all other Evils Is the Old world drowned with water it is for sin Is Sodome destroyed with fire and turned into an Asphaltite-lake to this day it is for sin Is Jerusalem laid on heaps Sin hath done it Should I enter on this I should finde no end 1. Of National evils 1. Sin is the cause of All National Evils We will name some and but name them 1. Wars 1. Wars Judg. 5.8 They chose new Gods Then was War in the Gates James 4.1 From whence come wars and fightings among you is it not from your lusts 2. Famine 2. Famine Psal 107.34 He turneth a fruitful land into a Desert for the wickedness of them that dwell therein Amos 4.6 Therefore sc for their sins have I given you cleanness of teeth in all your Cities and scarceness of bread in all your places c. 3. Pestilence 3. Pestilence as Davids sin here of Numbring the people Read Deut. 28.21 The Lord shall make the pestilence to cleave to thee till he hath consumed thee from off the land whither thou goest to possess it And as sin is the cause of National so also 2. Of Personal evils 2. Of personal Evils and those are 1. Temporal 2. Spiritual 3. Eternal Sin is the Cause the Meriting the Procuring Cause of all All Evils are but the Births of sin sin is a Big-bellied Evil and all other Evils are but the births of sin 1. On Body Those upon your Bodies Sickness Aches Pains Weaknesses 2. On Soul Those upon your souls Fears Heart-breakings Terrors Horrors If you could rip up sin you would finde all these to lie in the bowels of the least sin Shall I tell you Sin was the first Founder of Hell that which laid the Corner-stone of that Dark Vault for before Sin there was no Hell Nay and it is Sin that Built up Hell and hath fitted Hell with those Treasures and Riches of Wrath Fire and Brimstone Nay and that which still Addes to it and increaseth the Fewel Rom. 2.5 It treasures up wrath against the day of wrath And therefore being an Universal Evil a Catholick Evil the Womb of Evils and Cause of all it must needs be The Greatest Evil. 6. Demonstration 6. That which is worse than the Utmost Evil 6. Demonstr Sin worse that the utmost Evil. must needs be the Greatest Evil But sin is worse than the Utmost Evil. That which is Greater than the Greatest Evil must needs be Exceeding Great Hell is the Utmost Evil but Sin is worse than Hell it self Hell separate from sin is but miserable not sinful A Penal Evil not A Sinful Evil. I say separate Hell from sin though we cannot really separate Hell from sin yet an Intellectual Separation we may make we may in our Understandings abstract Hell from sin And then I say sin is worse than Hell because Hell is but A Penal Evil sin is A Sinful Evil And there is no Penal Evil so bad as A Sinful Evil. There is good in the Punishment the good of Justice But no good in sin And therefore sin in it self is the Greatest Evil. Now we come to the Second which is the Main As sin is in it self so 2. In the Apprehensions of Gods people sin is the Greatest Evil. 1. Their sighs for sin 2. Their sufferings to avoid sin do shew they apprehend sin the Greatest Evil. 1. Their sighs for sin you may look into Davids Penitential Psalms and see what sighs and groans for sin Look into Psalm 51. Why what was the reason of them All the Sufferings all the Evils in the world would not so much have affected him as his sin Paul Rom. 7.24 Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death The Death of his body was nothing to him in comparison of This Body of Death Paul went through many tribulations endured a great deal of sufferings as you may read 2 Cor. 11 23 24 25. at large yet all these Scourges these Prisons and Persecutions did not go so much to his heart as sin even the presence though not the power of sin Though he suffered much yet we do not read that ever he cryed OH
for all And yet he doth for Sin OH miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of sin So Peter Manasseh c. 2. Their sufferings to avoid sin Daniel was content to be thrown into the Den of Lyons the three Children into the Fire Paul and Silas into the Stocks and many of Gods people have chosen to embrace Prisons Stakes Fire and the hottest Persecutions rather than sin Which doth plainly evidence to us They esteemed Sin the Greatest Evil. 1. Greater than Poverty which yet is a great evil Melius est Panem mendicare quam Fidem perdere Better to Beg saith one than to sin Heb. 11.24 to the 28. Moses chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the Pleasures of sin for a season The like of that Christian Moses Galcacius Caracciolus who was a Noble Prince and Marquess who yet that he might not sin left and forsook all he had and betook himself to live meanly with the people of God meerly to enjoy the Ordinances And Musculus a man of excellent Learning and a famous Divine who rather than sin would close with any condition The Story tells us That being driven out of all he had he was content rather than sin to betake himself to a Poor Trade to be a Weaver to get bread to maintain his wife and children Afterwards being cast out of that way the world looking upon it as too good for him he betook himself to work with a Spade in the Common Ditch of the Town to get his living He could down with any condition rather than sin Nay they have not onely apprehended sin a Greater Evil than Poverty But 2. Greater than Prisons greater than Death it self It was the speech of Ambrose Vultis in vincula rapere Vultis in Mortem Voluptas est mihi Will you cast me into Prison will you take away my life All this is desireable to me rather than to sin When Eudoxia the Empress threatned Chrysostome whom she afterward banished He sends to her Go tell her saith he Nil nisi Peccatum timeo I fear nothing in the world but sin 3. Nay they have apprehended sin a Greater evil than Death Basil speaks of a Rich Virgin who being condemned to the fire and sentenced to lose her estate because she would not Worship Idols yet afterward was promised life and restitution of estate if she would She replyed Valeat vita Pereat Pecunia Farewel life let money perish Look through the Ten Bloody Persecutions and our Late Marian-days and you shall finde many instances to this purpose 4. Nay yet further They have not onely apprehended sin a Greater Evil than Death but yet more A Greater Evil than Hell it self It was the speech of Chrysostome Ego sic censeo sic assiduè praedicabo c. I thus think and thus will I ever preach that It is more bitter to sin against Christ than to Suffer the Torments of Hell Anselm saith That if on the one side were presented unto him the Evil of sin and on the other side the Torments of Hell he would rather choose to fall into Hell than to fall into sin At such a distance were their hearts set against sin And nothing more ordinary than such expressions as these from the Saints in temptations in troubles of spirit or in clearing their own hearts Rather slay me Rather Damn me Rather cast me into Hell than let me sin against thee c. But this shall be sufficient to clear the Doctrinal part We come to the Application 1. Consectary 1. If sin be the Greatest Evil in the world 1. Consectary Then let us fall down and admire the Wisdom of God and adore the Goodness of God who out of the Greatest Evil could bring the Greatest Good who makes the Greatest Evil an Occasion of the Greatest Good that ever was wrought Bernard was so taken up with the thoughts of it that he saith Foelix Culpa quae talem meruit Redemptorem Happy fault which occasioned such a Redeemer We should be humbled for the fault bless God for the Remedy and withal admire that wisdom and that goodness which hath taken occasion by mans wickedness to declare his own goodness by mans sin to make known and express the infiniteness of his wisdom power mercy justice c. That this should be an occasion to draw out all his Glorious Attributes That he should bring Good out of Evil Life out of Death Heaven out of Hell Good out of sin Cordials out of Poyson Let us never doubt never suspect but God can bring good out of any thing turn the Greatest Evils to the advancement of his Glory and the good of his people who can out of sin and Hell bring good What is it to turn Afflictions Persecutions the Plots and Malice of men What is it to turn Troubles Wars c. to his own Glory and Advancement of his own cause who was able to turn Sin to all this He that can turn the Evil of sin which is Pure Evil and the Greatest Evil can much more turn the Evil of Trouble to the good of his people This made the Apostle say that All things should work together for good to them that love God c. He that hath experience of this needs not to doubt of any thing else That God that can turn Sin can turn Afflictions Crosses Persecutions c. to the good of his Church and people 2. Consectary 2. Hence conclude then That it is the Saddest punishment 2. Consectary the Fearfullest judgement in the world To be given up to sin This is the utmost punishment that God insticteth upon men and therefore the Greatest of all Punishments God doth usually proceed by Degrees in the ways of his judgements first he begins with lesser if lesser will not do then he proceeds to greater he will punish yet Seven times more and still the further he goes the greater are his strokes Now this is the finishing the concluding stroke this is the last punishment and the Greatest of all other To give a man up to the state of sin To say to a man Thou that art filthy be filthy still and thou that art unclean be unclean still This he tells them in Ezek. 24.13 Because I would have washed thee purged thee and thou wouldst not be purged therefore thou shalt not be purged And so he tells the Israelites Because you would have altars to sin therefore altars shall be to you to sin Hos 8.11 Oh! There is no sadder judgement in the world than for a man To be given up to his own hearts lust This sets an Eternal night of Darkness A Meipso me libera Domine saith Augustine Good Lord deliver me from my self You had better be given up to the lusts of men to the malice and cruelties of blood-thirsty men better to be given up to the utmost rage and malice of our bloody Cavaliers and Irish Rebels than to be
for ever Oh! make not that your joy which was Christs sorrow and will be yours eternally if now your joy in sin be not turned to sorrow for sin 6. Consectary 6. If sin be the Greatest evil 6. Consectary Then see the utter impossibility of any thing under heaven to relieve and help us from under the guilt of sin save JESUS CHRIST onely Hast thou committed but one sin thou hast done that which all the Treasures of Righteousness in Heaven and Earth are not able to relieve thee or help thee in save JESUS CHRIST There is as much required for the answering the guilt of one sin as the guilt of a thousand Infinite Righteousness is required for one and no more is required for a thousand And that Righteousness none but Christ alone hath Nothing can relieve us but that which is Adequate in righteousness to the Evil of sin Now there is no righteousness in the world that is proportionable to the Evil of sin but the Righteousness of Christ 1. Our own you know is too short it is called A menstruous rag A rag and therefore cannot cover us Menstruous and therefore though it should cover us yet it would but cover filth with filth as the Prophet speaks Isa 30.1 They cover but not with the covering of my Spirit that they might adde sin to sin that is the sin of their righteousness to the sin of their unrighteousness They cover a blot with a blot adde sin to sin dung to dung 2. Nor will the righteousness of the Law be large enough if it were supposed that a man were able to fulfil all that righteousness and keep the whole Law Present obedience though supposed to be Adequate to the Righteousness of the Law will never answer for former offences and disobediences The Law indeed is strong enough to damn a thousand but cannot save one it can pour Hell and Wrath and Condemnation upon a World of sinners but is not able to pour Grace or to give Justification to one The Apostle tells us Rom. 8.3 4. What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh The same Apostle also tells us Gal. 3.21 If there had been a Law given which could have given life righteousness should have been by the Law The Apostle tells us again Gal. 3.17 The Law was given four hundred and thirty years after the promise to shew we must not work that we may be justified but be justified that we may be able to work If God had intended The Law the instrument of Justification he would have given the Law Four hundred and thirty years before the Promise 3. Nay yet further It is not the righteousness of Angels which yet is a Greater Righteousness than that of the Law inasmuch as the Angels were above Man in Innocency because this also is but a created Righteousness a finite Righteousness and no way proportionable to the evil of sin If it had one sin had not spoiled those glorious Angels of their Goodness at once and made them Devils which that sin doing shews There was more evil in sin than Good or Righteousness in them Well then This shews the utter impossibility of any other under heaven or in heaven to Free us from the Evil of sin but JESUS CHRIST Nothing but Infiniteness can deal with sin It must be Infinite wisdom To finde out a way It must be Infinite mercy To pardon Infinite power To subdue Infinite merit To purge and cleanse And Infinite Grace To destroy sin However you think of sin yet this hath been the Great Enemy which God and Grace have been contending withal ever since the world began And it hath put All-God to it even the Infiniteness of the infinite God to rescue us and to save us out of the Hands and Power of sin His infinite Wisdom Power Mercy Truth Holiness have been all imployed to conquer sin I say so to conquer sin as to save you the sinners The Great design of God in sending Christ into the world his Incarnation Humiliation Death Passion all were about this The conquering and destroying of sin How Great an Enemy was this that God must send out his Son to conquer it He can arm Flyes Lice Frogs the meanest of Creatures to overthrow the Greatest Power and Puissance of the earth but no less than his Son was strong enough to conquer sin You may think of sin as meanly as you will swallow it without fear live in it without sense commit it without remorse yet assure your selves that this you make so slight of required No less than the infinite power of God to conquer the infinite mercy of God to pardon the infinite merit of Christ to answer for it It was that which fetcht the Dearest Blood from the Heart of Christ and will have Thine too if thou gettest not an interest in him 7. Consectary 7. Consectary 7. If sin be the Greatest Evil Then see how much we are bound to CHRIST who hath born your sins who hath born All this evil for you you who have an Interest in him Oh the Love of CHRIST that he should bear sin which is more than all miseries a greater evill than Death than Hell it self is If there were one in the world that were content to be Poor for you to Bear Pains for you to be Sick for you to be Arrested for you to go to Prison for you to Dye for you nay to Bear the Wrath of God for you nay the pains of Hell for you How would you think your selves bound to such an one for doing it Why This hath CHRIST done for you He hath Born sin which is a Greater Evil than all these An evil that hath All these evils in the bowels of it Such as none but Christ was Able to Bear If God laid the least sin upon thee pure sin which none but CHRIST did ever bear here in this world it would crush thee to pieces with the weight of it though all the Pillars of Heaven all the Glorious Angels should contribute their strength to thee to help thee to bear thee up The least sin doth deserve and draw down an infinite wrath which nor thou nor all the Angels in Heaven are able to stand under The Damned bear it in Hell They bear it and cannot bear it They are slain with it but cannot dye Ever consuming never consumed And therefore how much are you bound to CHRâ—ST who hath Born sin a Greater evil than All other Evils and with sin All the Torments and Wrath and Justice due to sin All the world is not able to express that Torment which Christ indured when he did Bear sin when he did sweat drops of blood clods of blood when he wrestled with the justice Grumos Sanguinis did bear the wrath of God when he cryed out My GOD my GOD Why hast thou
hovv should this make us advance Christ admire Christ prize Christ What should indear our hearts more to Christ than this That he hath born our sins and so born them as we shall never hear them if vve have an interest in him 8. Consectary 8. If sin be the Greatest Evil Then it calls out 8. Consectary 1. For the Greatest Sorrow 2. For the Greatest Hatred 3. For the Greatest Care to avoid it 4. For the Greatest Care to be rid of it If sin be the Greatest Evil Then it must have The Greatest Sorrow 1. Sin calls for greatest sorrow No affliction no trouble no evil should be so bitter to us as sin because sin is the Greatest Evil. It is a sad thing to see our hearts tender and sensibly affected with Lesser evils and troubles and yet to be hard and insensible for sin which is the Greatest of evils It would therefore be our wisdom when any other evils be upon us To turn all our sighs tears and sorrows upon sin It is an Aphorism in Physick Erumpens sanguis vená sectâ sistitur If a man bleed vehemently in one place they let him blood in another and so turn the stream of blood another way It should be our wisdom when our souls bleed and our hearts mourn for other evils to turn all those mourning affections upon sin Let them run in the right chanel Those tears must be wept over again which are not shed for sin Sorrow is like Mercuries Influence Good if it be joyned with a Good Bad if it be joyned with a Bad Planet It is not so much the Sorrow as the Ground and Spring of the Sorrow The object of it is to be taken notice of Sorrow was naught iâ— Judas good in Peter it was naught in Saul good in David In the one it was a Sorrow to death in the other a Sorrow to cure the wound of Death In the one worldly in the other â—â—dly Worldly sorrow causeth death And such is all sorrow thâ— hath not sin for the ground grace for the principle God â—â—t the end Where â—â—n is apprehended the Greatest evil it will have the Greatest sorrow Sorrow to exceed all other sorrows 1. Though not ever in quantity and bulk yet in quality and worth A little Gold is worth a great deal of Earth and Rubbish 2. Though not in strength yet in length and continuance Other sorrows are but like a Land-flood for a time occasioned by a Story which when that is over the flood is down This Godly sorrow doth arise from a spring and having a fountain to continue it it is Permanent when the other is gone This is the difference between the Godly and the other Gods people their sorrows which are Spiritual do arise from a spring their worldly from a storm a tempest The wicked their spiritual sorrows arise from a storm some present vvringing of Conscience fear of vvrath and their vvorldly sorrovvs arise from a spring Where sin is apprehended the Greatest Evil there it shall have the Greatest sorrow 1. A sorrow Proportionable to the Measures and Greatness of Sin 2. A sorrow Proportionable to the Merit and Desert of Sin As the merit of sin is infinite so the sorrovv for it must be an infinite sorrovv Infinite I say Non Actu sed Affectu not in the act and expression but in the Desire and Affection of the soul He vvhose Heart and Eyes dry up together vvhose Expression in Tears and Affection of Sorrow do end together though he had wept a sea of Tears he had not yet truly wept for sin Where sorrovv is Godly it hath Affections of mourning vvhen the expression of mourning ceaseth because every drop of tears doth arise from a spring of tears vvithin As every Act of Faith doth arise from a believing disposition an habit of faith vvithin every act of Love from a Principle of love vvithin So every expression of sorrow from an affection of sorrovv in the spirit Hence vve read 1 Sam. 7.6 their sorrovv is exprest by this Metaphor They drew water as out of a vvell and poured it out before the Lord. Their eyes did not empty so fast as their hearts filled Their eyes could not pour it forth so fast as their hearts did yield it up All their Expressions of Mourning did fall short of those Affections of Sorrow vvhich vvere in the heart This is sorrow for sin A sorrow proportioned to the measure to the demerit of sin A sorrow that doth exceed alâ— other sorrovvs though not in quantity yet in quality th ugh not in strength yet in length and continuance 2. Is sin the Greatest Evil 2. Sin calls for the greatest Hatred Then it calls out for the Greatest Hatred Nothing is properly the Object of Hatred but Evil And that not All kind of Evil but sinful Evil Penal Evils are rather the Objects of Fear than of Hatred because these are Improperly Evil. Nothing indeed is evil but vvhat makes us evil anâ— these may be a means to make us good and therefore are not properly evil and so an Object of hatred Sinful evil is properly the object of hatred because this is properly evil and being the Greatest of Evils should therefore have the greatest of our hatred Psal 92.10 You that love the Lord see that you Hate evil It is not enough for you to be angry vvith sin and displeased vvith sin for so a man may be vvith his Friend one vvhom he loves upon some discourtesie Nor is it enough that you should strike sin for so many do to day and imbrace it to morrovv But you must endeavor to kill sin Hatred labors after the Un-being of that it hates Nothing but the destruction and blood of it vvill satisfie the soul that truly hates sin There is a great deal of mistake in men concerning this point I might shevv you the secret deceits of the spirit concerning it in brief and hovv far those come short of hatred of sin 1. A man may fall out with a sinner by whom he hath been drawn into sin and yet not Hate the sin execute the Traytor and yet like the Treason 2. A man may fall out with himself for sin and yet not hate sin When he hath brought some inconvenience to himself by his sin which otherwise he liketh well enough 3. A man may fall out with sin and yet not hate sin Cast away the coal when burnt with the fire that is in it and yet not offended with the blackness of it or the defilement which he getteth by it 3. Sin calls for the greatest care to avoid it 3. If sin be the Greatest Evil Then it calls out for the Greatest Care to avoid it Men are naturally afraid to fall into evil What study vvhat care vvhat endeavors to prevent Evil Did you apprehend sin to be the Greatest of Evils there vvould be no less care to avoid sin You vvould endeavor to walk closely and exactly with God to
Peculiar Pure-Mercy a mercy that came from the Bowels of mercy the Heart of Mercy 3. This is the Freest Mercy of all other Pardon of sin 1. There was nothing to ingage God to do it 2. Nor was there any thing we could do to purchase it All our Prayers our Tears our Services could not purchase the Pardon of one sin If for the Active Part we could do as much and for the Passive part we could suffer as much as all the Saints put together have done from the beginning of the world to this day If we should weep as many Tears as the Sea holds drops if we should humble our selves as many days as the world hath stood minutes from the creation c. All this were Too short to purchase us the Pardon of one sin though vve did all vvithout sin But Alas All that ever vve can do is so far from striking off any Former score that we do but set our selves further in debt thereby So far are we from purchasing a Pardon that we do but increase our Treason Operamur non in justificationem sed ex justificatione we must not work that we may be justified but we are justified that we may work So that it is the Freest-Mercy And therefore in Scripture you read it all attributed to Grace Tit. 3.7 We are justified freely by his Grace Rom. 3.24 Being justified freely by his Grace Rom. 4.5 God justifies the ungodly There is no motive in us All is from God And you shall see it plain one place for two In Isa 43. Verse 23 24 25. Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money nor hast thou made me drink with the fat of thy Sacrifices But thou hast made me serve with thy sins thou hast wearied me with thy iniquities I I am he that putteth away thy iniquities for my own names sake and will not remember thy sins Would a man have expected this this sheweth freeness when not onely no deservings as it is v. 23. and former part of v. 24. Thou hast not c. but contrary deservings Thou hast wearied mee with thine iniquities Oh infinite oh freest mercy God is mercifull only because hee will bee mercifull 4 It is an Intituling Mercy A Mercy that Intitles you to more Good than I am able to express or you able to conceive It is a Mercy that doth interest you in all other Mercies It Intitles you to all the Good on Earth to All the glory of Heaven Nay it is a Mercy-making-Mercy A mercy that makes all other things Mercy to you 1. Good things are mercies Your Riches your Greatness your Possessions your Husbands your Wives Children c. all these things are no Blessings till they be joyned with a Pardon and that makes them all blessings Nay not onely Good things But 2. Evil things are Mercies to you Pardon of sin makes Poverty Afflictions Sickness Death it self a Mercy Like the Unicorns horn it takes away the venome and poyson of every Water Like the Philosophers-stone it turns All into Gold So saith the Apostle All things work together for good unto them that love God A Sanctified-Cross is better than an Unsanctified Comfort A loss in Mercy is better than an enjoyment in Wrath. You are never able to make it good that God doth bestow any thing in mercy till sin be forgiven Guilt of sin upon you doth turn the nature of things and makes those things which are good in themselves evil to you 5. It is an irrevocable-mercy God may give in other mercies and call for them again Indeed other things are rather lent than given Lent Husband Lent Wife c. Hence they are said to be but Talents in our hands and we Stewards of them for a time God may call for them when he pleaseth or we may forfeit them and lose them How often do we forfeit and lose good things because of our unworthy walking in the enjoyment thereof Hos 2.8 9 I will take away my corn in the time thereof my wine and my flax in their season Mine It was Gods And would you know the reason see in the former verse Because they did not acknowledge him as the giver of them but bestowed them on Baal as though he had given them But now this Mercy is an irrevocable Mercy A mercy that God never recals A Mercy God never repents of The gifts and graces of God are without repentance And it is a Mercy never forfeited We may forfeit the sense of a pardon we may forfeit the comfort of a pardon nay we may forfeit the knowledge of a pardon I say you may sin away the sense the comfort the knowledge of a pardon as it was with David But we shall never forfeit a pardon Quod Scripsi Scripsi If all this foreseen could not hinder God from giving out a pardon neither can it make God repent of a pardon when he hath given it Now the Stability of the Mercy is that which addes a great deal of worth to the Mercy As things that are Evil so much more things that are good are heightned from the consideration of the continuance of them the Stability and Lastingness of them Now this is a Stable Mercy Take but one Place Isa 54.8 9 10 For this is as the waters of Noah unto me For as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth So have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee nor rebuke thee Yet further For the mountains shall depart and the hills shall be removed but my kindeness shall never depart from thee nor shall the Covenant of my peace be removed This is the difference betwixt the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace The one is Temporary the other is Eternal It is a Temporary Covenant though an Eternal Rule The other is Eternal and Immutable 6. Pardon of sin is an Universal Mercy the Womb of Mercy a Productive-Mercy all other mercies grow upon this Tree of Forgiveness of sin It is a Tree the Root whereof is in Christ and the Fruit thereof are All good things on Earth and Glory in Heaven There are Seven glorious Fruits of Pardon of sin which I will but name and so come to the Last Use 1. Reconciliation with God 2 Cor. 5.19 Admission into his favour He who before was an Enemy is now become thy Friend for nothing makes God an Enemy but sin And such a Friend he is who will be a Friend in life a friend in Death when all other Friends forsake and a Friend after death 2. Adoption of Children which followeth upon our pardon in justification 3. Access to God as to a Father with childe-like boldness Sin was that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that great Gulf betwixt God and us Sin the Partition-wall betwixt God and us now sin being pardoned this Partition-wall is taken down and there is Access to God and Access with boldness 4. Acceptation of our Services Till sin be pardoned
give away to jealous mis-giving and mistrusting thoughts of God or of themselves Some there are who do nothing but make objections against themselves and Gods dealings with them And a quarrelsome heart is for the most part a troublesome heart You shall see some to whom God hath given evidences of their estate and condition and such as might content them such as they might have Peace in But they will quarrel against them Either their evidences are not so clear as others are not written in so fair and legible characters as others are Or else they want sealing And therefore they will take no comfort in them Thus do many forsake their own mercies breed their own disquiet and are injurious to their own peace When God hath spoken Peace and Peace to their Souls yet they return back again to folly to the folly of Unbeleeving Doubting Questioning of Gods love And no marvel if such do want Peace Men that will forgoe their evidences give up their claim and title to Christ Men whom Satan can make unsay what they know God hath said to their hearts may soon sit down in dumb silence and discouragement If when God hath manifested himself to you hath come and supped with you hath given you the white stone of absolution the Hidden Manna of comfort and consolation those manifest experiments of his love and yet you will joyn Issue with Satan give way to doubts No marvel if you disturb your peace bring insufferable fears and disquiets upon your selves And it were just with God to leave you to the doubts and mis-givings of your own hearts and never to give you a word of Peace more but suffer you to bring your gray hairs with sorrow to the Grave seeing nothing will satisfie you 6. The Reason why Beleevers have no more Peace is Because they seek Peace no more in a way of beleeving They seek it more in the Law than in the Gospel more in Sanctification than in Justification more in the Precept than in the Promise more in working than in beleeving more in their Obedience than in Christ. And therefore no marvel seeing all this is imperfect that they have no more perfection of peace So long as you make the grounds of your peace any thing within your selves or any thing wrought by your selves you will never have fulness of peace There may bee some peace for a time in these things but it is not a full and satisfying peace nor yet a permanent and constant peace It may be gotton to day lost or incumbred to morrow Every imperfection will disturb your peace Every failing will raise up a new and fresh storm breed a new quarrel in the soul Hee that would have peace must seek it in the God of Peace in the Prince of Peace in Christ himself in whom hee said Joh. 16.33 Wee should have Peace When there 's a storm in your selves there 's peace in him when there 's no peace in you in regard of your imperfections and failings there 's yet peace in Christ who is a perfect Saviour The Sacrifice is imperfect but the Priest is perfect Tenth Royalty 10 Faith is an Heart-inabling-Grace 10. Royalty of Faith It s an Heart-inabling-Grace It is such a Grace as inables a man 1. To do 2. To suffer A Beleeving Christian is a strong Christian He is strong for any service It is said By Faith Abraham obeyed God Faith did inable him to obey And it was a great act of Obedience as you may read scil The offering of his Son his only Son the Son of his love If it had been an adopted Son only and not his Natural or if his Natural and but one among many the trial had not been so great But hee was his own and only Son and the Son of his old age and therefore like to have no more the Son of the promise not an Ismael but an Isaac a Son long expected now exceedingly rejoyced in hee was the Son of his Love Now to part with such a Son was a great tryal But here was not all the tryal If hee had but parted with him in the way of Nature by a natural death this had not been so much but to part with him in way of Sacrifice wherein hee was to bee cut in peeces nay and hee himself must bee the Butcher of this Son of his Love must imbrue his own hands in the blood of this Son This was a great tryal yet here was seen the power of Faith tht it inabled him to obey Hee did not consult with Flesh and Blood did not dispute but obey By Faith hee obeyed Faith it is an Heart-inabling-Grace It will inable you to pray yea and to pray to purpose to wrestle with God Beleeving-prayers are wrestling prayers wherein the Soul wrestles with God by strength of his Promise his Covenant his Truth his Christ It inables you to hear and to hear with profit when Faith doth incorporate it self with the Word it will be profitable Faithful hearing is ever fruitful hearing It will inable you to receive the Sacrament and to receive with comfort Faith is the Organ whereby wee feed on Christ receive Christ Faith is the instrument that conveyes Christ the Conduit-pipe A beleeving Receiver is a blessed Receiver It will inable you to bring forth much fruit To bee fruitful in Obedience It plants us into a fruitfull stock and how can wee bee barren Plants It draws life and nourishment from Christ A faithfull Christian is a fruitfull Christian Men of a good Beleef are men of a good Life That soul that hath yeelded obedience to the Promise in a way of beleeving is ready to subject it self to every Precept in a way of Obedience Faith doth inable a man to contend with lusts with the strongest corruptions The sons of Zerviah which else would bee too hard for us It inables us to combate with Satan It is our shield whereby wee resist it is our weapon whereby wee conquer It sets Christ against Satan by whom wee over-overcome as the word is Wee are more than Conquerors It inables us to overcome the World This is our Victory whereby wee overcome the World even our Faith Whereas unbeleef doth slay and disable the heart both from doing and suffering An unbeleeving heart is an impotent heart The state of unbeleef is a state of impotency and disability to the performance of any thing that is good There is a total and universal impotency in an unbeleeving heart Hee cannot pray hear receive Faith on the contrary doth inable and strengthen the soul to all Obedience It inables a man to yeeld A willing Obedience cheerfull Obedience voluntary Obedience a constant a fruitful an universal Obedience It will inable a man to do his duty Towards God Towards others Towards himself It inables a man to walk through the duties of all relations faithfully The Husband to the Wife the Wife to the Husband The Parents to the Childe The Child to the
calls it And of all terribles the most terrible as the Philosopher speaks Unbeleef doth slay the heart with fears A man that knows not what shall become of his soul to all eternity no marvel if hee bee afraid to dye When a man shall lye upon his death bed and knows not whither hee shall go Quo vadam nescio As it was said of Aristotle I go I know not whither Or when a man shall look upon death and Hell behinde it upon the Pale Horse and Hell behinde as wee have it Rev. 6. no marvel if hee bee afraid to dye But when by Faith wee can look upon God a Father Christ a Saviour and can say God is my God Christ is my Christ Heaven is my Inheritance Glory is my portion no marvel then if death bee not terrible no marvel then if hee bee ready to meet death and say with Simeon Lord now lettest thou thy Servant depart in Peace Or with Paul sigh out Cupio dissolvi I desire to bee dissolved and to bee with Christ Men that have not assurance of a better life it is no wonder if they bee loath to leave this they know not where to mend themselves Earth in Possession is better than Heaven in Reversion But when God hath given a man the assurance of a better life when a man hath his hope in his hand his evidences sealed Oh! then death is not terrible There will bee a willing Resignation of the soul into Gods hands I'ts true in some case Hee that beleeves maketh not haste but here the more wee beleeve the more haste wee make to bee with God 4. Faith Stablisheth the heart against the Fear of Hell Faith knows who was in pretium as well as in premium and beholds Christ not only in Premium to intitle us to Heaven but in pretium as the price of our Redemption to free us from Hel. As by his Active Obedience hee answered Gods commanding and remunerative Justice So by his Passive Obedience hee answered Gods condemning and vindictive Justice freeing us from that wrath and misery which otherwise wee should unavoidably have fallen into 5. Faith doth establish the heart against the Fear of Judgement There shall bee no condemnation to such as are in Christ Jesus such as are Beleevers The Judge is our Advocate our Saviour Hee to whom wee are to answer hath answered for us Hee to whom wee are to give satisfaction hath satisfied for us Hee is our Redeemer who hath laid down his life for us Faith knows Christ will bee All in All to the soul not only in life to preserve it but in death to comfort and in Judgement to absolve thee and save thee 2. Faith doth establish the heart against falling 1. Against Total Apostacy 2. Against Final Apostacy 1. Against Total There is not a Total Apostacy Though the Saints fall sadly yet not Totally 1. A Child of God may lose all the comforts of spiritual life yet not spiritual life it self Hee may bring himself into such a sad condition by sin that hee may sin away all the comforts of this life Thus David Psal 51. Restore to mee the joy of thy Salvation Hee had not lost life but the comforts of it and desires they may bee restored A man may out-live the comforts of life this is a sad thing to out-live comforts here but Faith at least layeth the grounds of those comforts that are endless 2. A man may lose all the Vigorous and Powerful Operations of Grace and Life yet not life it self It may bee with a Child of God as with a man in a dead Swoon though there bee life in him yet the operations of life are but little discerned It 's not with him as it was wont to bee Hee thinks to go out as sometimes Sampson in prayer c. but his strength is gone from him as his was But his life is hid with Christ in God as the Apostle hath it Col. 3.3 3. A man may lose some measures and degrees of spiritual life yet not life it self Hee may suffer a great decay in his Faith a great abatement in his Love and Zeal c. and yet life is not lost Thus it was with the Church of Ephesus Rev. 2.5 Remember from whence thou art fallen and repent and do thy first Works Wee are not to think that the Church was fallen from Grace but only from some measures and degrees of Grace And concerning the same Church Rev. 2.4 when it is said Shee had lost her first love it is not meant that shee had lost the Grace of Charity you see the fruits of it in the second and third verses But shee had lost the degrees It was not extinguished but cooled only The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies not that shee did altogether Amittere lose it but somewhat Remittere remit and abate of the fervency of it As one saith of Peter Motum fuit i◠co spiritualis vitae robu◠non amotum con cussum non excussum Gratiam fidei remisit Actum intermisit Habitum non amisit The strength of spiritual life was moved in him but not removed shaken 't was but not shaken off Hee remitted the Grace of Faith intermitted the act of Faith but lost not the Habit. Isa 6.13 Hee shall bee like an Oak whose substance is in him when it casts its leaves so the Holy seed shall bee the substance thereof Like to that is that of 1 Joh. 3.9 Whosoever is born of God sinneth not for his seed remaineth in him neither can hee sin because hee is born of God It may bee with him as 't was with Nebuchadnezzar The Tree may bee hewn down but the stump is bound with a bond of Iron 2 Faith establisheth the heart against final Apostacy Though they fall foulely yet not finally They have the Prayer and Intercession of Christ the Power of Christ the Merit of Christ the Promise of Christ Faith produceth all these Wee are said to bee established by Faith to live by Faith to stand by Faith to bee preserved by Faith as with a guard 1 Pet. 1.5 Wee are kept by the Power of God through Faith unto salvation By Faith wee are said to subdue the flesh to have victory over the World to quench the fiery darts of Satan to bee saved by Faith c. Indeed all ages give reports to us of many who have been eminent in Profession and yet have come to nought Some fallen from Grace to basenesse some fallen from Grace to bitternesse some from Grace to vitiousness some from Grace to malitiousness But these were never true Beleevers A Star fallen is not a Star Stella caden◠non est Stella They went out from us because they were not of us for had they been of us they would have continued with us 1 Joh. 2.19 It is the evil heart of Unbelief that causeth them to depart from the living God Heb 3.12 Where there is true Faith
you would not bee so injurious to him as to hinder him of the fruit of it every one would bee ready to cry out of such an act of injustice Why thou art Christs reward hee shed his bloud laid down his life for this end for this purpose And by thy standing out thou dost what is in thee to rob Christ of this his reward the fruit of his death and therefore what a provocation is it Reas 3. Because this temper keeps a man in an unserviceable condition both to God and man And this must needs bee very offensive to God It was one great end that God sent Christ into the World for that wee might bee able to do him service it was the end of our Creation and of our redemption too that being redeemed out of the hands of our enemies wee should serve him Luk. 1.74 75. Though our service was not the impulsive cause of Gods redeeming us though it was not the motive which did perswade and prevail with God to send Christ into the World to redeem us yet this was an end one main end which God aimed at in sending Christ into the World that wee might bee able to serve him without fear c. Christ did not discharge us from the debt of sin to free us from the debt of service but therefore did hee pay the one that wee might bee able to return the other As the Apostle Rom. 8.12 where having shewed that wee are justified and our sins pardoned hee concludes therefore Brethren wee are debters not to the flesh c. Christ hath broken the bands of subjection to others that wee might take upon us the yoak of service to him Christ freed us from the curse of the Law that wee might yeeld obedience to the Commands of the Law from the penalties that wee might obey the Precepts from the Law as a Covenant that we might walk in obedience to the Law as a Rule Plane dicimus decessisse legem quod onera c. That as the Law was given with Evangelical purposes so it might now bee kept of us with Evangelical principles So that this was one main end that God aimed at in our redemption that wee might bee able to do him service Now therefore that which crosseth this great end which God aimed at and keeps us in an unserviceable condition to God must needs bee very offensive to God But that unbeleeving doth It makes you utterly unserviceable to God There is a twofold unbeleef 1. Reigning 2. Remaining unbeleef For the first where Unâ—eâ—ieâ— reigns that man is altogether dead and no more able to do a peece of service to God than a dead man to perform actions of life As Christ saith Joh. 15.5 without mee yee can do nothing And for the second remaining Unbelief so far as Unbelief remainâ— so far it â—cts so far as it prevails so far are you wounded disabled â—or serâ—ice Though there bee not a total and universal impotency as â—n the former yet there is a partial disabilâ—ty and this is more or lesse according to the workings and prevailings of Unbeleef in you It is said of Abraham Heb. 11.8 That by Faith Abraham obeyed God And it was a high act of obedience It is Faith which doth inable us to obey and quicken us in obedience 1. It begets Soul-inabling-Principles such Principles as are suitable to the command and thing commanded 2. Faith supplies a man with Soul-inabling-strength from Christ Wee have not only inherent but assistant strength not only operative but cooperative c. from Christ and Faith furnisheth us with it 3. Faith doth furnish a man with Soul-inabling-considerations 1. From God 2. From the work 3. From the rewards c. 2. It inables the soul to suffer 1. It puts the soul into a suffering frame 2. It doth furnish the soul with suffering resolutions Faith cloatheth the soul with strong resolutions as in the three Children Dan. 3. 3. Faith begets suffering graces Courage magnanimity patience humility self-denyal contempt of the World high prizings of Christ 4. Faith layes in suffering strength strength from God from the Promise c. 5. It propounds to the soul suffering rewards for these light afflictions which are but for a moment work c. 2 Cor. 4.17 All which I might insist large upon to shew you how Faith doth inable the soul c. So Unbeleef it keeps the soul in an unserviceable condition Hee that doth not yeeld obedience to the promise in a way of beleeving cannot yeeld subjection to the Precept in a way of obeying men of a bad beleef can never bee men of a good life Hence wee read that Faith and Obedience and Unbeleef and Disobedience are expressed by the same name Rom. 15.31 which shews how near they are together If you bee once beleevers you will then bee obedient and while you continue in Unbeleef you must needs bee disobedient It is observeable that God gave the Law four hundred and thirty yeaâ—s after the Pâ—omiâ—e as the Apostle saith Gal. 3.17 which shews that Faith in the Promise must bee the spring of all our obedience to the Precept When God gave the Law see what a preface there is to obedience I am the Lord thy God As if hee had said here is that which must inable you to obedience After Adams fall God doth not then give him any new commands hee puts him not to work again but now to beleeve hee gave the Promise then and not the Law to shew that now hee must have a new Principle of working before hee could work hee must now beleeve that hee might bee able to do Many men think they can do God better service by doubting than by beleeving by standing off than by comming in But alas Satan deludes thee if hee get between thee and the Promise if hee keep thee off from Christ hee will either dishearten thee from obedience or hee will discourage and disable thee in thy obedience Faith is the spring of action the rise of all obedience without Christ wee can do nothing and without Faith wee must needs bee without Christ for Faith gives the soul union and communion with him it implants us into Christ and then and not till then wee bring forth fruit It is said of Abraham Heb. 11.8 That by Faith Abraham obeyed God and you know it was a high act of Obedience the sacrificing of his Son and so is the sacrificing of our sins It is Faith alone that doth inable the soul to do to suffer Wee now come to the Application wherein I shall bee brief because most of it I shall refer to the second Doctrin Use 1. If so then see how Satan doth delude their souls whom hee perswades not to beleeve is a vertue is a thing pleasing unto God Are there not many who as Jonah said hee did well to bee angry So they say they do well not to beleeve they do well to stand out c. You shall hear some make it a
matter of conscience not to beleeve they ought not to beleeve should such sinful creatures such vile wretches so polluted c. Should they beleeve this were to presume to sin against Gods Justice in the closes with his Mercy this were to give holy things to dogs c. Satan presents sin And some there are so witty as to object against all that can be brought as if they took a pride to argue themselves into a condition of misery setting the pride of their own carnal reasonings against the riches and freeness of the mercy of God if you bring a promise to them when cast down for sin and indeavour to fasten a promise on them they can tell you that this is not the meaning of the Promise or certainly this Promise doth not belong to mee Alas will they say all this is but lost labour you might as well caâ—â—y a cordial to a dead man as bring a Promise to them it is a â—â—uâ—tless thing if upon examination wee shall discover some spots oâ— a Child in them some undoubted evidences of one whom God â—peaks mercy unto Yet they will tell you all these are false all â—â—â—se are in Hypocrisy It s true if these things were in truth 〈◊〉 I could then conceive some hopes of mercy but I know â—â—ey are all in Hypocrisie they are all unsound and counterfeit c. Ergo no Mercy Thus doth many a poor soul take pains to reason himself into misery and side with Satan and take part with the corruptions and unbeleevings of his own heart against himself And what will bee the end of it sure it will breed bitterness in the latter end for the present it is thy sin and for the future it will bee thy misery either it will cause God to withdraw himself from thee as hee tells them Deut. 32.20 Or cause thee to withdraw thy self from God As the Apostle speaketh Heb. 3.12 Take heed least there bee in you an evil heart of Unbeleef in departing from the living God Hee that withdraws himself from the Promise cannot long keep close to the Precept hee that keeps at a distance from Mercy will not long walk in the wayes of duty When the workings of natural conscience are done when fears are allayed when troubles are blown over then will all service bee done too if not yet the continuance of troubles and fears will make you cast of all and say there is no hope or will discourage your hearts in your walking that your life will bee little better than a martyrdome with continual racks and troubles It was before thy sin not to beleeve but now it will bee thy misery before thou wouldest not now thou canst not Thou soughtest arguments before to keep thee off from the Promise and thou wilt now seek as many arguments against such arguments which might bring thee over to the Promise And this miserable unbeleef is the fruit of sinful unbeleef This disability to come to the Promise is the punishment of thy former slowness to come to the Promise And this temper you shall see in many who have reasoned themselves down do finde it now a harder work to reason themselves up again Who have put themselves into a greater incapacity to close with the Promise by those wayes which they have thought to bee helpful to them It is easier to give entertainment to carnal reasonings to the suggestions of Satan and the objections of our own fleshy hearts than to get rid of them again Many have given willing entertainment to these at first who would more gladly bee rid of them afterward if they could But the continuance of them is a fruit of your entertainment of them If you will entertain doubts and fears and set up your own carnâ—l reasonings against the Promise then you shall have doubts and feaâ—s and caâ—nâ—l reasonings when you would not to keep you from the Promise As God said in another case Hos 8.11 Because you have made many Altars to sin thâ—râ—fore Altars shall bee unto you to sin So here because you have set up your carnal reasonings and your unbeleeving thoughts against the Promise to hinder you from closing with the Promise therefore carnal reasonings c. shall bee a hinderance c. Thus is miserable Unbeleef a fruit of sinful Unbeleef which the more miserable the lesse sinful the more seen the more sorrowed for the more lamented and mourned for the lesse sinful while it was your sin it was not seen it was not sorrowed for and now it is c. and the more misery the lesse your sin in Gods account Carnal reasonings were before your pride now your grief you sought them before you would bee rid of them now they were your delight before now they are your trouble your misery which is something But they had not now continued to bee your misery if they had not before been entertained as your sin c. This is the fruit of slowness of heart to beleeve Use 2. Is of Exhortation If so then three things 1. Bee convinced of the greatness of the sin 2. Bee humbled for it 3. Bee quickened to beleeve 1. Bee yee convinced of the greatnesse of the sin it is a sin whereby you wrong God gratifie Satan wrong your own souls 1. You wrong God in it you obscure his glory you limit his power you contemn his wisdome you give a lye to his truth you abuse his love you sleight and reject all the precious and peerlesse thoughts of his Mercy and Grace I told you not long since that God was more severe against Unbeleef than any sin because Unbeleef was most severe to God No sin was more cruel to God God hath no greater enemy in the World than Unbeleef It is an enemy to whatever is most dear and precious unto God Therefore is hee such an enemy to Unbeleef if any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him Heb. 10.38 2. You gratifie Satan I beleeve thou wouldst not willingly if thou knew it gratifie Satan for a World I tell thee in thy standing off thou dost not only gratifie him but thou canst do Satan no greater a pleasure no greater a courtesy in the World In this Satan hath all his desire of thee that which hee desires is to make void all the great things of God that which hee desires is to make the death of Christ in vain to make the bloud of Christ to bee shed in vain to make the great counsel of God the great things of his wisdome and mercy to no purpose in the World And by this standing off thou dost what lyes in thee to answer his desire and therefore this must needs glad him Besides Satan knows full well if hee do not wound thy Faith thy Faith will wound him break the head of the Serpent and therefore it is that which hee laboureth after in all his temptations if hee cannot keep thee from beleeving yet to wound and weaken thy Faith that thou
been so great but it was to part with his Isaac a Child of many prayers and of many promises and in whom his heart delighted 6. And again if hee had been to part with him in the ordinary way of nature by natural death the tryal not so great but hee was to part with him in a Sacrifice wherein hee was to bee mangled and cut in peeces 7. But yet had another been the executioner of his child it had been some mitigation But Abraham himself must bee his executioner hee must do this sad act And not to do it among his friends who perhaps might have stept in and comforted him in this tryal but hee was to go three dayes journey to an unknown place and there hee was to take away the life of him hee loved so dearly Yet herein Abraham obeyed Gods command and therin shewed his sincerity When the Precept of tryal might seem to contradict the Precept of Obedience when his dutiful Obedience to the one might seem to speak his undutifulness to the other yet herein hee declared his sincerity Whereupon God tells him now I know thou loves mee when now thou hast made it known now thou hast discovered thy sincerity seeing thou hast not with-held thy only son Gen. 22.12 here was sincerity now I know thou fearest God The like I might instance in Job in David in Mordecai they had their discovering times times of tryal So that God doth still single out some special times wherein hee discovers the sincerity of his own people And if you would bee ever able to clear your sincerities read the carriage of your hearts at these special times One quarter of an hour may give a man surer evidence of his sincerity or hypocrisy than all the time of his life besides There are five special times wherein you may have the advantage Read your spirits in times of if you bee careful to read your own spirits to clear the sincerity of your hearts 1. In times of darkness and temptation 1. Darkness Read the actings and goings out of your spirits at such times an unsound spirit will now fall from God desist in his duty strike sail But the sound spirit hee will hold closer to God Cujus faciem timer ejus faciem invocaâ— and follow him when hee seems to forsake him Hee will go on to love him although hee bee not able to clear whether ever hee shall bee beloved of him Hee will repent of sin though hee bee not able to evidence whether ever God will pardon sin Hee will go on to obey and serve God though hee bee not able to determine whether ever God will reward his obedience or no. Such like dispositions do now break forth in a sincere heart in the times of greatest darkness which in times of clearer manifestation have no occasion to shew themselves And these are the most undoubtedst evidences of your sincerity which perhaps you shall ever meet withall in your lives As wicked men do discover their greatest corruptions in their highest advancements so Gods people do discover and exert and put forth the highest acts of grace in their lowest and meanest conditions As the Sun shews greatest glory when it is lowest when setting So c. As Christ set out the greatest acts of divinity in his lowest abasements then hee sealed up the beams of the Sun rent rocks graves open the earth trembles c. So the Saints c. This is that the Psalmist saith unto the upright there ariseth light in darkness Where the heart is unsound it is dark in the greatest light so on the contrary there is light in the greatest darkness Hypocrisy is like painted windows which let in no light sincerity is like windows of Glass Times of manifestation 2. See how your hearts and spirits work towards God and towards sin in times of light and clearer manifestations of God Where the heart is unsound comfort doth him no good hee will do something in a storm then perhaps pray c. but hee will do nothing in a calm Comforts make him more careless more loose more remiss in his Christian way Where on the contrary hee who hath a sound spirit as hee is carried strongly towards God when hee with-holds his manifestations so if God do but let in a beam of his Countenance into his soul hee rejoyceth more in it than in a World Nay and these comforts do quicken him to further duty hee cannot lye at anchor but hee must launch out into the deep and lay out himself his parts his abilities c. I have sometimes told you that quickness and comfort may bee separated a man may have comfort without quickness hee may have joy without life But quickening was never separated from comfort A man cannot have joy but there will bee life c. Affections are like tinder and Comfort like sparks not a spark of comfort can fall upon the heart but the whole soul is set a fire and carried strongly on after God Comforts from God ever lead the soul to communion with God Of outward distress 3. See how your spirits do work towards God in times of outward distress and calamities upon you 1 An unsound spirit hee is for the most part proud and impatient under Gods hand and ready to think God doth him wrong in afflicting him But where the spirit is sincere hee is humble hee is patient hee layes his mouth in the dust kisseth the rod and accepteth of the punishment of his iniquity as you see the phrase Levit. 26.41 Example in Aaron 2. Again an unsound spirit hee roars under the lashes Flagella dolent quare flagellantur non dolent cryes under the affliction never complains of the sin As you see Jer. 30.15 Why cryest thou c. But where the heart is sincere no evil troubles him so much as the evil of sin You see it in David when plagued 3. Again an unsound spirit hee desires to have the stroke removed not to have his heart amended The other desires rather the amending of his heart than the removal of the stroke Saith Bernard I had rather God should better my heart than remove his hand rather continue my strokes Malim erudiri quam â—ruâ— than my sins You see this in Job when Gods hand was on him Job 34.32 That which I see not teach thou mee and if I have done iniquity I will do it no more as if hee had said Lord I know not the particular cause of this distress what it is thou aims at what I see not teach thou c. 4. A fourth time Of Prosperity wherein to read your hearts is in times of prosperity An unsound spirit grows worse by mercy mercy deadens sâ—â—â—â—ens his heart Isa 26.10 Let favour bee shewed c. Hazael professed much when hee was low but no sooner advanceâ— but mark then how hee acted against God his Church and people indeavouring to make his raising their ruine So
instance you see here it was the practise of Moses The former Chapter tells you of his Dangers and Fears The Egyptians pursued him vers 8 9 10. Together with Moses behaviour and demeanour in these straits vers 13 14 15. Where first you see his Faith vers 13 14. And the 15th verse implies his Prayer Though wee read of none expressed yet there is one implied The Lord said unto Moses wherefore cryest thou unto mee speak unto the Children of Israel that they go forward By which is implied that Moses his spirit did mightily wrestle with God in Prayer although wee read not of any words hee there uttered And in this Chapter you may read of his praises for that great deliverance which God had wrought for them No sooner was hee come to shoar but hee singeth forth the praises of God both for their own deliverance and the enemies destruction So that these words that I have read unto you they are a part of a Psalm of Thanksgiving for the glorious and wonderful deliverance of the Children of Israel from the host of Pharaoh The summe of all you shall see in the 9 10 11. verses where you may read these three things 1. Mans purposing 2. Gods disposing 3. The Churches retribution 1. Mans purposing in vers 9. which was bloody enough 1. The Enemy said I will pursue 2. I will overtake 3. I will divide the spoil 4. My lust shall be satisfied upon them 5. I will draw my sword 6. My hand shall destroy them Here was a bloody purpose and all was done in their thoughts 2 Wee have God disposing in the next vers Thou didst blow with thy wind the sea covered them and they sank as lead in the mighty waters And then 3 Here is The Churches Retribution set down in a way of Admiration of God excellencies Who is like unto thee O Lord among the Gods Who is like unto thee glorious in Holinesse fearful in Praises Doing wonders Here is the Church Riding in Tryumph in a majestick solemnity admiring of God and triumphing in him as she doth still in all her songs of praises for Deliverances See Judg. 5. and 1 Sam. 2. at the beginning and most elegantly in Isa 25.9 Lo this is our God we have waited for him and he will save us This is the Lord we have waited for him and wee will bee glad and rejoyce in his salvation Wee will hold you no longer in the Preface that which I shall commend unto you from the words is this Doct. The Wonderfull God doth do wonderfull things for his Church and people Hee doth not only do wonders simply but great wonders Psal 136.4 nay mighty wonders Dan. 4.3 Amazing astonishing wonders for his Church and people In the prosecution of this doctrin wee will go through these five things We will shew you 1 The truth of it That God doth do wonders 2 The ground and reason why God doth such wonders 3 What those wonders are which God doth 4 When is the time that God doth these wonders 5 Whether God will do a wonder for us 1. Quere 1 For the first of these That God doth do great wonders for his Church even such things as are above our thoughts above our hopes above our expectations above our reason to conceive above our faith to beleeve The whole Scriptures are but the Annals or the records of the wonders which God hath done for his Church and people You can all tell me what wonders God did for his people in Egypt The Psalmist tells you so Psal 78.12 Marvellous things did hee for them in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt And you know what wonders hee did for them at the Red-sea when there was nothing but death before them death behind them they were surrounded with death Yet then God unbared his arm and caused the Red-sea to divide it self Vehiculum Sepulchrum which became a passage to the one and a grave to the other And wonders hee did for them in the wilderness Not a day without a wonder Every day was the Birth of a wonder Hee gave them bread from heaven he gave them water out of the rock Read the 78 Psalm at your leasure and the 9. chap. of Nehemiah and in them you shall see a little Chronicle of the great wonders which God hath done for his Church and people But to the Doctrin That God doth do wonders for his Church and people 1 God hath wonderfully disappointed great plots and desperate counsels and designs against them Wee will give you an instance of this in Hamans time Haman had a desperate plot for the ruine of the Church and people of God you may read it in the 3d. of Esther 8 9 10. to the end In brief it was this To overthrow and put to death all the Jews upon pretence that they kept not the Kings laws Here was their plot The disappointment of it you shall read in the 6. 7 8. Chapters The means whereby this design was broken was but small and therefore the greater was the wonder the more visible was the hand of God The breaking of the Kings sleep was the breaking of this design as you read Elish 6. beginning The King could not sleep well what then Could hee not lye still in his bed No he must have a book and that book the book of Chronicles and that Book must bee opened where accidentally though surely guided by Providence hee opens and reads that passage recorded concerning Mordecai where was registred his faithfullnesse in discovering and disappointing of a murther intended against the King Wherupon God set this act of faithfulness so close upon the Kings heart that hee could not rest till Mordecai was rewarded for it And this reward must be Hamans ruine his advancement Hamans abasement And this was the rise of Hamans disappointment The like you have Dan. 6.4 5. There was a great design the Nobles had against Daniel They saw Daniel was faithfull to the King and they could find no way to insnare him unlesse it were in something that concerned the law of his God And therein if they could find any thing in his obedience to God that might render him disobedient to the King they should then have their desire of him And therefore their Plot was this To make a Decree that who ever should ask any Petition either of God or man for the space of thâ—â—â—y dayes save only of the King he was to be thrown into the den of Lyons Well the Plot took according to the Desire of their hearts for notwithstanding this decree Daniel made his Prayers and supplications to his God three times a day as you see in the 10 11. verses Upon this they go and tell the King Hast not thou O King made a Decree that none should ask any Petition of God or man save of thee c. Here is one Daniel of the Captivity who regards not thee O King nor the decree thou hast