satiates it self at the wells of joy hath bread enough and drink freely and fully yea bread of life and water of life and Christ bids drink abundantly In death our rags are indeed put off but we are not left naked the Saints want for nothing a garment of joy is put on made of Everlasting and surely who would grieve or grudge to be made so gay and adorned so richly with such a feast of sat things and that days without number Blessed be God the Lords children are not at their own finding while they are here but after death what a comfort is it that the poor childe and traveller shall be at home and at the fathers finding Here our fare is with a bit and a knock as I may so express it Our green herbs the father findes us with a great deal of salt and a little suggar many crosses but not many comforts but some the father feeds us with that we might not faint but now when we come home then our father will feed us with all sweets and take away all sours with all comforts and take away all crosses Here the poor believer looks thinly and goes coldly but were we at home our father would free us from cold and hunger It fares with many of the Saints as with the Prodigal you read Luke 15. when he was from his father he fared hard enough but he comforts himself with this that at home there was bread enough So Christians were you but at home there is enough to satiate thy soul to all Eternity Ah but my friend is dead and to pass through death who would not be troubled I Answer Gods people should not be grieved but rather be comforted and for that I shall but say a word that you may be comforted both in the death of friends and against the fears of death 1. Comfort your selves Christians in the fears of such a death as may and will come on you Consider whatsoever others have yet a believer hath no cause to grieve or to be afraid of death for though a man or woman out of Christ dying dyes again a first and second death hath power over every unbeliever and so cause of them of fears but now a childe of God cannot be properly said to dye death to a godly man or woman is but Aliquid Mortis something of death but a transit but an Exodus a going out as Moses to go up unto Deut. 32. Mount Nebo and dye so death to a godly heart is but a going to their rest as a man that puts off his clothes goeth to bed for rest and ease until the morning even so the Saints put off their clothes the incumbrances of this life lying down in the grave until the resurrection 2. What cause of comfort rather then for grieving in the departure of friends by death if they dye as Christians they dye in the Lord and then there is annexed a blessedness to such Rev. 14. 13. Blessed are the dead that dye in the Lord they rest from their labors Who would not take comfort in reading such Scripture expessions but much more as lively occasions in the death of Saints This is the time for Christians not onely to be reading but rolling over Scripture promises for many through death have their greater income as life everlasting And why should the death of any Christian friends to us seem grievous when in the sight of the Lord they are precious Psal 116. 15. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints Christ is precious unto believers 2 Cor. 5. 6. in life and this is a great comfort but that believers should be precious unto Christ in his death is not that as great a comfort why then Christians be not sadded but revived not as sorrowing without hope but joying in your hope and longing for the same fellowship For so long as we are in the body we are absent from the Lord but being absent from the body we are present with the Lord. We crop the flowers but what for not to fling away but to put into our bosoms The Saints are Gods flowers and he gathers them and crops them from the earth by death but it is to put them in his bosom saith David and the Apostle To be present with him and precious to him And is not this a comfort O but I have lost a husband a father Obj. a friend and who can chuse but grieve in the loss of such a comfort Ah but consider thy friend is not lost Ans but he is gone home here he was a stranger and now he is gone to his habitation Non amittuntur sed prâ—mittuntur Friends when they dye are not lost but gone before unto thy father and thy friend John 20. 17. saith Christ unto Mary Touch me not but tell my brethren and say unto them I ascend unto my father and your father and to my God and your God Thus Christians may say Alas this earth was not my friends habitation nor is it mine but he is gone home to his father and my father and what should I do to grieve but rather long to follow to my home and happiness But thou wilt say Were your case as mine Obj. is you would grieve as well as I for I am left a widow and fatherless and friendless alas what shall I do I am a stranger and left destitute and what I shall do with my poor family the Lord knows I Answer The Lord doth and hath promised Ans To be a father to the fatherless and to the widow Psal 68. 5. and to give thee great comfort against such discouragements mark the Text take all distresses and go to God tell him thy wants thy weaknesses thy fears thy cares David goeth unto the Lord presenting his distresses as a praying encouragement saying Lord I am a stranger so say thou Lord I am a widow fatherless friendless what a comfort is it that in my wants I may plead my wants as praying encouragements to a promising God for his gracious supply and this is no less then the example of David he pleads his distressed condition in this earth as a praying encouragement MANS FOLLY IN Determining by present events occasioned for these present times Eccles 7. 14. In the day of prosperity rejoyce but in the day of adversity consider God hath set the one over against the other to the end man should not finde out any thing after him MY purpose is not to dwell upon this Text nor shall I be curious in the search after those several expressions therein for it is not words but matter that is the great requisit in every Sermon And because I finde men and women so ready to be puft up or cast down at this worlds changes I thought it seasonable to pick out a Lesson or two from these words that so God would please to let us have more stable hearts in these unstable times and not be tost too
which Believers are to take notice of against their fears and troubles Our Father by these words Fear thou not for I am with thee engageth first his Word secondly his Power thirdly his Faithfulness and fourthly his Honour God hath laid all these and much more at stake as I may so express it for every Believer to the removing away fears 1. In his special presence his Word is engaged and this the Text holds forth being the Word of God though penned by this Gospel-Prophet Isaiah There is a twofold Word of God the internal and external but both are engaged against a Believers fears and dismayings The internal word is that voyce within us saying This is the way walk in it And this proceeds from the Eternal word of the Father even Jesus Christ himself for so he is called by that divine Evangelist Joh. 1. 1 2 3. And by this Word we have the Law of the Spirit of life freeing us from the Law of sin and death and this the Word of God engages and Jesus Christ by his Spirit makes good Rom. 8. 2. And then if freedom from sin and death who should once make doubt against fears and sorrowings And in the Scriptures how many gracious promises hath the Father given thee on purpose for thy consolation All the comforting promises all the upholding promises all the present promises all the prccious promises are for the support and comfort of every Child of God So that though no holy things must be cast to Dogs yet all the words of Consolation Comfort Joy and Peace they are all to be dealt forth unto a believing soul And therefore as our Saviours words do invite you so let them abide in you Joh. 14. 1. Let not your hearts be troubled Ye believe in God believe also in me For both agree in words of Consolation against all your fears and troubles 2. God by this special presence engageth not only his Word but his Power also and what will not a man of power do that will engage for a friend But what will not the powerful God accomplish for Jacob his friend In case of temptation he saith to Paul My grace is sufficient for thee 2 Cor. 12. 9. And all power is in Grace though all Grace be not in power But both these are in this special presence of God engaging for a fearing Christian And I need go no further then the Text to make it appear that the Lord engageth his power to take off Believers fears Observe when God will set forth his power and greatness to the full he saith no more but thus I am that I am Exod. 3. 14. And thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel I am hath sent me unto you And thus he engageth himself in the Text for the believing soul Fear not I am Be not dismayed I am And as those expressions with thee and thy God do set forth Gods gracious relations so I am his infinite power but both opposing fears and dismayings 3. God by this his special presence engageth his Faithfulness he will assuredly perform the overcoming all thy fears Had the Lord given us but his word of promise it were enough to master fears considering all the words of grace were written for the Saints comfort and the Scripture saith Not one jot or tittle shall fail till all be fulfilled And the reason is because he is faithful that hath promised And let us take heed by our giving way to fears we make not Gods word of none effect for He is faithful that hath promised yea and he is round about us to effect it saying I am with thee fear not I am thy God that is a God in covenant and I will nor suffer thee to be tempted feared affrighted but as I am with thee so I will strengthen yea I will help yea I will uphold It remains only doubting soul that thou shouldst witness with the Saints Heb. 10. 23. that He is faithful that hath promised and doth engage all for thee Hold fast therefore thy profession without wavering for the Lord thy God he is God the faithful God a God that keepeth Covenant and that with thee against distrust and fears Deut. 7 9. 4. And lastly God engageth not only his word his power and his faithfulness against a Believers fears but his Honour is at stake for them and know Believer he will not suffer himself to be foil'd in this for he is very jealous of it whatsoever suffer his Honour shall not Isa 42. 8. I am the Lord that is my name and my honour will I not give to another But a Believers fears and distrusts carry this in the very front even to ecclipse the honour and glory of God but saith the Lord Fear not for I know the drift of all your dismayings if distrusts did only seek your hurt I would not suffer it 1 Col. 10. 14. God is faithful saith the Apostle and will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able Ah saith the soul but what is my ability I am like a broken reed recling to and fro by every wind of temptation Well grant it what if thou art God saith he is thy God and he is with thee and he will deliver thee from all thy fears thou shalt escape and thou shalt glorifie him Nay he saith his own honour will suffer if slavish fears be suffered For though thou art a doubting Christian yet thou art my Child and so many distrusting fears may quickly make up slavish fears which is a dishonour unto my grace which I have given thee and of which I have said it should be sufficient And come what will come my honour shall not suffer nor my grace be clouded Therefore fear thou not for I am with thee and my honour is engaged in this my presence and Fears shall not be master My honour will not I give to any other much less to fears and dismayings which are so much against my honour And thus much for demonstration of these words I am with thee I am thy God To which I have chiefly spoken as they are directed against a Believers fears and dismayings Give me leave now to call forth some of those usual Doubts and Dismayings that are so incident unto Gods children that so the Express by Gods special presence may be made good even not to fear not to be dismayed I shall not speak any thing of the rise of fears knowing that every experienced Christian knoweth that sin was and is the cause of all servile fears Only thus much the Text implies that such there are in Gods own children and these are they that must be removed that so comfort and consolation may be administred CHAP. VI. Endeavoring the removal of spiritual fears and Objections answered as to the nature of fears THere are many sorts of fears yet they all may be comprehended to be Spiritual or Temporal and these again may be Personal Family and National fears And though
that raised up Jesus from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you That is If God dwell in your hearts by faith all the current of your lives will be to dwell in him by love by hope and by obedience Thus Gal. 4. 6. God hath sent forth his Spirit into our hearts whereby we cry Abba Father Here is the Spirit of Donation and of Grace sent from the Spirit of Power and Glory God hath sent So Joel 2. 28 I will pour forth my Spirit on all flesh Here is the Spirits pouring forth the Spirit namely the fruits of the Spirit which are love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness faith c. which Spirit cooperateth in our hearts through which we have communion in our union I shall cast all that I have to speak at this time from these words into these three Considerations 1. How may a Believer and Christ be said to be one Spirit 2. What Evidences may I have that my soul and Christ are thus in union And then 3. What benefit and income have I by being united unto Christ For so the Text imports it by way of triumph benefit and blessing to that soul which is one Spirit with Christ And in all these three Considerations I am not to speak of the Maximum quod sic or the Minimum quod sic Not of the Degrees of believing knowing that the least grain of faith doth as truly unite to Christ as the Plerophoria faith of assurance though not so strongly First How may a believing soul and Christ be said to be one Spirit I shall demonstrate this in some few and brief particulars 1. This will appear in the life of Christ and the life of a Believer Take a Believer in his birth and progress in this world in his first and in his last and still you will find Christ and Believers walking hand in hand and heart in heart they do not only close together in the final close but through Christ their whole life is a harmony joying and joyning and rejoycing in one another True it is as Musitians may have in their Descant some sharp and flats some rests and pauses yet even they set out the harmony So a Believer may have some withdrawings of divine light Christ may seem to stand behind the wall and to be estranged but no sooner doth Christ call but straight saith the holy soul Draw me and I will run after thee Can. 1. 4. And if the Saint cries I am my Welbeloveds Christ saith presently She is his Can. 2. 16. Likewise as Christ and the soul have an union in life so have they also in death and suffering If they suffer he suffers if he suffers they suffer if Christ dies the Saints die yea count reckon your selves so saith Paul Rom. 6. 11. yet with this difference Christ dyeth for sin the Saints to sin Christus non filius fuit irae sub ira Christ was not a Son of wrath though under wrath But we were both and yet what we had done Christ counts himself had done and stands in our stead So that as Luther saith He was the greatest sinner in the world And he bids the Saints believe that all their sins were laid on him and that not only so but that his righteousness is made ours for so saith the Prophet He is the Lord our Righteousness Jer. 23. 6. And if we be afflicted Christ is afflicted he having the same Isa 63. 9 spirit of sympathizing must needs have the same spirit in suffering Out of this sense if Christ be bound and led to Mount Calvary to suffer for his Saints saith the holy Soul I am not only ready to be bound but to die for the name of the Lord Jesus Act. 21. 13. 2. We are one Spirit with Christ by having communion and interest in all the precious graces of Christ This is the Saints testimony 1 Joh. 4. 13. Hereby know we that we dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us of his Spirit which Spirit is the sweet fruit of all the graces dwelling in our hearts and by which we cry Abba Father And if you would know what this Spirit of Grace is the Apostle tels you in opposing it to the worlds envyings Gal. 5. 21 22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance Be not proud of this thy Spiritual income but be joyfull and be chearfull for against such there is no law Why no law against such Because Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth Rom. 10. 4. So then if we rank up all these graces Love Joy Peace Long-suffering Gentleness c. these being one Spirit with Christ we by being in union with Christ have a communion with all the graces of Christ Thus Christ dwels in us by faith and we are in Christ by faith Christ dwels in us by love and we dwell in Christ by love only We love him because he loved us first So that though we be many members and have diversity of gifts and several operations yet but one spirit one body one hope of our calling one Lord one faith one baptism one God and father of all who is above all and through all and in you all Ephes 4. 4 5 6. Thirdly believers are one spirit with Christ in that they leave all other relations in coming to Christ If any thing oppose tribulation peril sword father mother friends a believer will through thick and thin cross or comforts good report or bad report through all to Christ How is man and wife one flesh by leaving all to be joyned to one another Matth. 19. 5. For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife and they shall be one flesh Thus is it in the spiritual union between Christ and the soul they leave all for Christ And this is but that which Christ hath done for us for he left Glory Father House and Home Phil 2. 5 6 7. Let this minde be in you which was also in Christ Jesus who being in the form of God thought it no robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant yea he was made in the likeness of men and humbled himself and became obedient unto death And what was all this for but that his Saints might be joyned unto him in spirit in righteousness in life in grace in glory Christ left all for us that we might have a union with him so we must leave all other relations and cleave unto Christ alone And therefore let us put the question unto conscience How many of us can part and leave all for Christ if we finde not this resolution within us but we have a cleaving to father and mother to this worlds comforts and enjoyments profess what we will for Christ yet so far