Ability to revive her dead Brother she believed indeed he should rise at the last day and not before why saith Christ they that shall then rise from the dead shall rise by my Power and if I will raise up the dead then I can as easily do it now The hour is comming in which all that are in their Graves shall hear his Voice and shall come forth they that have done Good unto the Resurrection of Life and they that have done evil unto the Resurrection of Damnation Joh. 5. 28. 29. And I will raise him up at the last day Joh. 6. 54. That there shall be a general Resurrection of the dead at the last day when every Body though now consumed shall be raised up and reunited to the Soul and be brought to the final Judgment is not questioned by those that believe and know the Scriptures The Author of this Resurrection is God as God but the second Person the Lord Jesus is delegated to accomplish this Work which he shall do by his own Voice saith Christ himself by a Shout by the Voice of the Arch-Angel and with the Trump of God saith the Apostle 1 Thes 4. 16. with a great Sound of a Trumpet saith the Evangelist Mat. 24. 31. That is the Lord Jesus shall at that last day by his mighty Voice pronounced by the Arch-Angel cause all the dead both small and great to arise in their same Bodies though chang'd into an immortal State and suitable Capacity to that Condition to which they are intended to receive their Soul and to come to Judgment And is not this a mighty Work to quicken the dead a work peculiarly ascribed to God 2. Cor. 1. 9. For we had the Sentence of Death in our selves that we should not trust in our selves but in God which raiseth the Dead 'T is the work of God and of none but God to raise the dead 'T is a work full of Wonder and Amazement beyond all Principles of created reason to conceive how those Bodies dissolved to dust mingled with other Bodies in the Grave digested into other Natures by Beasts Fishes Fowls that have devoured them should yet return and be separated from other Dust and Natures into the same Individuals is such a Miracle as is only fit matter for Faith not Sense and a firm Foundation for the Believers Hope and Comfort It may be thou seest nothing but Deaths on thy Graces Frames and Capacities thou findest Decayes in thy Soul the Spirit of Life seems to be departed from thee thou canst not pray hear converse with that sweetness and delight as heretofore Comfort thy self Believer He that is the Life is the Resurrection also He that quickned thy Heart when Dead will revive it when decay'd 'T is as easie with him to restore thy Spiritual Frames as to bestow them He that can raise the whole World from their Bodily total Death can easily and will in due time cure thy Soul-dyings also Again This will chear drooping Sion who faints at her Desolations and fears what will become of the destruction on her Interests 'T is lamentable to observing Souls to see how Religion goes down daily Holiness is departed from the Earth The Rod of the wicked lies on the back of the Righteous the wicked are exalted and the Righteous oppressed The House of David waxes weaker and weaker and the House of Saul waxes stronger This is a sad Spectacle yet in this case Relief is to be fetch'd from an Omnipotent Jesus who hath said His dead men shall live who can open his Peoples graves and revive his decay'd Interest and cause a Nation to bring forth in a day and Overturn Overturn Overturn till his Kingdom be established in the Earth CHAP. III. The Humane Nature of Christ distinctly consider'd it 's Reality proved His Personality or the Divine and Humane Nature in one Person shewing what kind of Vnion it is and the glorious Consequents and Advantages thereof WE have a little enquired into the Divine Nature of Christ the Beams of whose Glory but darkly seen yield a wonderful splendor and reviving to a believing Eye In the next place let us consider his Humanity The Nature of Man which the second Person assumes into a Personal Union with himself He is perfect Man as well as God The Woman's Seed Made of a Woman made under the Law Gal. 4. 4. Made of the Seed of David according to the Flesh Rom. 1. 3. For he took not on him the Nature of Angels but the Seed of Abraham Heb. 2. 16. The Children being partakers of flesh and blood he likewise took part of the same ver 14. And was in all things made like to his Brethren ver 17. Called the Son of Man the Man Christ Jesus having the Substante of the Humane Nature though not the Personal Subsistence thereof He did not take the Person of Man into Union with himself for then he would have had two Persons and so have been no true Mediator The Mediator being one 1 Tim. 2. 5. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and Man the Man Christ Jesus But if the Lord Jesus had taken the Person of Man then he would have consisted of two Persons the Divine Subsistence and the Humane and so there would have been two Mediators or Persons mediating which is contrary to Scripture Neither did he take on him the vicious Qualities or Accidents of the Humane Nature being holy harmless separate from Sinners the Holy Spirit overshadowing the Virgin Mary and purging the Humane Nature of all its sinful dregs forming it of the Substance of the Virgin not of his own Essence whence the Holy thing begotten by the Spirit was not God but Man called the Holy Child Jesus purely conceived in the Womb of a Sinner without the least participation of her Sin or vicious Defects of her Nature receiving only the perfect Substance of Man Having the Essential parts of the Body Soul Humane Nature A true and real Body and not a Phantasme and Airy Vehicle as the Marcionites and Hereticks of old held He had Flesh and Bones which a Spirit hath not Luke 24. 39. Handle me and see me for a Spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have This was after his Resurrection when the Disciples doubted that it was an Apparition and not him and even then Christ had a real Body palpable and visible the object of External Senses A Natural and not an Heavenly Body as the Manichees affirm'd from 1 Cor. 15. 47. The first man is of the Earth Earthy the second man is the Lord from Heaven But to this I answer with Zanchy The Apostle doth not speak here of the Essential Body of Christ but of his Heavenly Spiritual Power which he lets out in raising the Dead as in the former verse The first man Adam was made a living Soul the last Adam was made a quickning Spirit He speaks not here of the Nature but of the person of the
Kingdom at all is the reward of all such labours Sixthly 'T is work that will surely end in death Let men work never so hard yet they must dye and be damn'd at last for falling short and this is bondage-work indeed but the Children of God are freed from this work Rom. 7. 6. But now we are delivered from the Law that being dead wherein we are held that we should serve in newness of Spirit and not in oldness of the letter Again As they are freed from bondage-work so are they freed from bondage-wrath The wrath of God is upon all the Children of disobedience all Christless Souls are Children of wrath bound over to an Inheritance of wrath Eph. 5. 6. Chap. 2. 3. Because the Law worketh wrath Rom. 4. 15. It brings all its Servants under wrath under the curse and under death Rom. 6. 23. But from this also are all the Sons of God freed Heb. 2. 14. And destroyed him that had the power of death that is the Devil And not only from the Devil but from the works of the Devil 1 Joh. 3. 8. Rom. 6. 14. Chap. 8. 2. Gal. 3. 13. Again they are free from all yokes of bondage laid on their Consciences by Men. Gal. 5. 1. 1 Cor. 7. 23. Ye are bought with a price be not ye the Servants of Men Do not give up your Faith and Conscience to their Commands obey not them contrary to the Command of Christ Gal. 1. 10 11. if I yet pleased men I should not be the Servant of Christ This is the first part of liberty the Children of God are brought into even a liberty from Servitude Secondly They have a liberty to service in the Worship of God Their service of God is free and ingenuous Service their offerings are free-will Offerings Psa 119. 108. Accept the free-will offerings of my mouth That is those offerings or vows which my mouth hath freely offered The Children of God are a willing people Psa 110. 3. They serve the Lord freely from the heart Rom. 6. 17. They obey from the heart that form of Doctrine deliver'd to them They delight in the Law of God after the inner Man Rom. 7. 22. The strictest Service of God is to them the most desired liberty the Commands of God are no wayes grievous to them that is to their inner Man indeed so far as flesh and Corruption get head they drag heavily to duty when the spring of their motions even their child-like love to God is abated and all the Indispositions of a child of God flow from decaies of love to God and some abatement of the Adoption-Spirit in him The Children of God are never in their Element or as they would be but when their hearts slow out after God and they can run the paths of his Commandements this they pray and labour for Psa 119. 32. I will run the way of thy Commandements when thou shalt enlarge my heart So ver 69. I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart Their hearts move naturally after God when in their right temper As the Waters run towards the Sea and the Sun runs his race Their service of God comes from a new Principle even from Faith that works by love and is directed to new and higher ends than all the services of Hypocrites The sense of divine love constrains them to duty that they cannot but chuse the things that please God further than they are bound back by Corruption and Temptation their works are wrought in God from a Principle of life raised and revived by grace They have no mercenary aimes in their Duties to attain any carnal selfish end below God but their Motives are high and heavenly pure and spiritual as the Love of God and care they have to please him They see a beauty in Holiness and a pleasantness in the ways of God and find a sutableness in their hearts to love these though under never sâ— great discouragements and disadvantages aâ— to flesh and blood hence 't is a Child of God cannot cast off God and his Worship though he see nothing of good or comfort coming in by them nor be perswaded to consent to any thing that is sinful though to save his purse person yea life it self All the threatnings of Men or visible dangers in his way can't bring his heart to comply with ungodliness or speak or do any thing against God his people or wayes 2 Cor. 13. 8. We can do nothing against the truth None but a Judas can come with a Band of men and Officers against Christ to apprehend him or his people for owning him Micaiah would speak nothing against the truth though to please a King 1 Kings 22. 17. Nor Jacobs Soul enter into the secret of the wicked in their sinful enterprise A fearful Peter may forsake the professing of Christ for a time but he will not be seen on the side of those that do oppose him no this is far from the true Spirit of Gods Children We read of the Christians in the primitive times that left their preferments rather than they would be seen against Christ people and the whole Legion chose rather to lay down their lives than to oppose their fellow Christians Such shufflings and Compliances are opposed to the Spirit of the true Children of God they can run after God in a Wilderness but cannot be drawn against God by all the World Secondly They have new Rights and Interests Believers being once entred into the Family of God by Christ are presently invested with new and Glorious Rights whicâ— they never had before nor any besides the Chilâ—ren of God have or can ever have which will appear in these fix things First They have a right to the special and blessed presence of God the Father Son and Spirit Psa 140. 13. The upright shall dwell in thy presence The upright that is the faithful the Children of God these shall dwell in thy presence in thy special presence for all Men and Devils are in the general presence of God but the Saints shall be in Gods special presence and not step into it only as strangers may but continue for ever as Sons Joh. 8. 35. The servant abideth not in the house for ever but the Son abideth ever Psa 26. 6. Secondly They have a right to the purchase of Christ to all the fruit of his Obedience and sufferings His blood is theirs with all the procurements of it Isa 53. 5. He was wounded for our Transgressions he was bruised for our Iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and by his stripes we are healed whatever Christ dyed for according to the agreement betwixt the Father and him is the Right of his Children Joh. 17. 9. Thirdly They have right to the Promises 2 Pet. 1. 4. Whereby are given to us exceeding great and precious promises Whereby that is by the knowledge of him as ver 3. Or through Faith in him that is by Jesus Christ we come to have
evil wayes Come and close with Christ O! obey those Counsels he gives you in his Gospel Lastly Shew your high valuation of the Gospel by holding forth a Conversation sutable to it Only let your Conversation be as becometh the Gospel of Christ Phil. 1. 27. As if he should say chiefly this is the main and sum of all O! live worthy of the Gospel First Then is your Conversation as becometh the Gospel when you live as becomes the grace of God discover'd in the Gospel 'T is infinite grace is revealed in it you should walk so as to honour grace you should press after more grace in your Conversations there should be grace in every step of your lives Tit. 2. 1 12. Secondly Then you live sutable to the Gospel when you live up to those great and Glorious things held out in it When the Gospel is opened there are choice Jewels brought forth to sale O most excellent things produc'd by it and you should live up sutable to these There 's the manifold Wisdom of God held forth in the Gospel Eph. 3. 10. Treasures of wonderful wisdom are opened in the Gospel O live up to these mysteries O Christians let your lives be exact for you have curious eyes to look upon you labour to hold forth much wisdom and much light in your Conversations In the Gospel is held forth the mystery of Godliness 1 Tim. 3. 16. Great is the mystery of godliness O what mysteries are here God Manifested in the flesh God and yet cloath'd in flesh Condemn'd for sin and yet justified in the Spirit seen of Angels Preached to the Geutiles the worst of Sinners in the World Now live sutable to the mysteries of Godliness Again the Gospel opens the glorious priviledges of Saints of every saved Soul O wonderful priviledges That Enemies should be reconciled and strangers made nigh that Rebels should be adopted Sons and Daughters made the Children of God by Christ Rom. 8. 16 17. O what a glorious priviledge is this Believing Souls are brought into by the Gospel to a state of Adoption Gal. 4. 6. A state of glorious liberty Eph. 5. 1. Gal. 5. 1. O live up to these glorious priviledges You are Children of the light walk as Children of the light Eph. 5. 8. The Gospel shews you the the things freely given of God the infinite love of God the wonderful Salvation-Grace of God O then you live sutable to the Gospel when you live up to those great and glorious things held forth in it Thirdly Then are your lives according to the Gospel when they are suted to the Rules of the Gospel look what the Gospel commands and requires that you do Gal. 6. 16. Math. 28. 20. Now the Gospel requires not only Bodily but Spiritual worship to worship God in the Spirit It requires not only external duties but internal holiness It calls for Obedience flowing from love and labours springing from faith well principled duties when you endeavour the greatest strickness in your lives That 's sutable to the Gospel Fourthly Then is your Conversation as becomes the Gospel when it is Subordinate to the ends of it One end of the Gospel is to exalt the praise of the glory of grace Eph. 1. 12. To make you vessels of Mercy for the glory of Mercy O Christians live so as you may most advance the glory of grace live self-denyingly and humbly exclude boasting then you live as becomes the Gospel Another great end of the Gospel is the sanctification of saved Souls to make Souls holy 2. Cor. 7. 1. Then you live as becometh the Gospel when you carry on Gospel holiness inward Holiness outward Holiness 1 Thes 4. 3. The Salvation of Souls that 's another great end of the Gospel that the Promise may be sure to all the seed 2 Thes 2. 10. That he that believes in Christ may have Everlasting Life O then live as you may be saved you must tread upon the World you have so much doted upon you must account all things loss and dung for Christ if ever you be saved O Christians labour then to hold forth a Conversation sutable to the Gospel So much for the first Inference Secondly If such great and unsearchable treasures are opened and tendered to Sinners in the Gospel O then how great is their sin that oppose and persecute the Preaching of it O this is a black sin indeed this activity comes from the Spirit of darkness O 't is a dreadful thing to oppose resist and persecute the Ministery of the Gospel For such do all they can to hinder the tenders of unsearchable Riches to the World they labour to keep the World poor to hinder the Salvation of Souls And is not this sad work Again such as oppose and persecute the Gospel are of the cursed brood and off-spring of the Pharisees who do shut up the Kingdom of God and neither enter in themselves nor suffer them that are entring to go in So do those that do oppose and persecute the Gospel and would put out the light of the Gospel they are the Children of the Devil the first-born of Hell they do their Fathers work Joh. 8. 41 44. They that hate the light are the Children of the Devil their deeds are evil Joh. 3. 20. They carry the Devils mark upon their forehead wherever they go up and down to say there goes the Devils Children there goes an Heir of Hell Again They are Soul murtherers they do hunt Souls and shed the blood of Souls Ezek. 13. 30. As well as they that hinder the Gospel of Life as they that bring in false Doctrines and feed persons with Lies and occasion death They that starve mens Souls as well as they that poyson them both are Soul murtherers They sight against Christ in Heaven They go up and down with drawn Swords pointed against Christ in Heaven O bloody wretches that have murthered Christ on Earth and now would kill him in Heaven too Acts. 9. 4. Saul Saul Why persecutest thou me O Souls 't is a fearful thing to oppose and persecute the Ministery of the Gospel for all the blood of all the Saints from the beginning of the world to this day shall be upon their heads Math. 23. 35. O 't is a sad thing to lye under the blood of one person but to have all the blood of all the Saints in the world to lye upon the head of a poor Creature O what will that Soul do That Soul will go to Hell with a vengeance and lye tumbling under the wrath of God to all Eternity Thus much of the Second Inference CHAP. XXIV Shewing the poor and lamentable State of all Christless Souls IF there are such vast and unsearchable treasures in Christ tendered to sinners in the Gospel Hence see then the poor and lamentable state of all those Souls that are without Christ O they are very beggerly Souls that are Christless Souls As they that are far from the Sun must needs be far from
grow no nor the Winter of Temptation or divine desertion Bodies have their growing times so have Souls Believer thy growing time may be yet to come if thou art Christs Thirdly Souls may grow though slowly and invisibly to themselves and others Believers have sometimes a vail on their Eyes and cannot discern their flourishing and sometimes the smalnesse of Grace renders it indiscernable to others There may be a growing downward in Faith and Humility those radical Graces that strengthen the Souls adherence to Christ though there be no growing upwards in fruitfulnesse for Christ There is a growing in internal longings and secret desires after more of God and in higher valuations of Jesus Christ though not in such sensible enjoyments of him As the truth of Grace lies beyond the view of Men so doth many times the growth of grace to a Mans self and to others Fourthly The People of God shall at last have their growth in grace further'd by their present decays in Grace As the sicknesse of Children though it makes them languish for a time yet it helps on their growth when 't is over so the Winter season promotes the growth of Trees and herbs when the Summer comes Fourthly The Lord Jesus hath Purchased for his people Perfection in Grace also This is intended by his death that they may be made perfect in one Joh. 17. 23. This he presseth them to Mat. 5. 48. Be ye perfect as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect And what he exhorts them to he prepares and hath redeem'd them to For this end he gives them Ordinances that they may come to a perfect Man to the fulnesse of the measure of the stature of Jesus Christ Eph. 4. 12 13. Heb. 10. 14. This perfection of grace is nothing else but glory 1 Cor. 13. 10. When that which is perfect is come then that which is in part shall be done away And this Christ hath purchas'd for Believers Joh. 10. 28. Quest If Christ hath Purchased perfection in Holinesse Then what 's the reason the professing people of Christ are so imperfectly Holy never a day since the Gospel of more light and lesse life of more profession and less Power of Holiness Whence comes this so Answ First These are the last daies yea the latter part of the last daies and the Iast daies are daies of great unholinesse and little grace O the Catalogue of sins the Scripture gives us that will abound at that time 2 Tim. 3. 1. In the last daies Perillous times shall come for Men shall be lovers of themselves Having a form of Godlinesse but denying the Power thereof Christ himself shews us the complexion of the last times Mat. 24. 12. Then Iniquity shall abound and the love of many wax cold The daies before the Coming of Christ to avenge his Elect are daies of little Grace When the Son of Man comes shall he find Faith on the Earth Luke 18. 8. Secondly Because of the abundance of Hypocrites that get under a profession and crowd in amongst Saints In the last times the greatest number of Men are formalists as you have heard 2. Tim. 3. 5. Half at least of Virgin Professors will at the coming of Christ be found foolish and abundance of tares among the Wheat and Goats among the Sheep will be discovered when Christ comes to Judgment and this hinders the holinesse of professours when a great number among them are rotten and Carnal unsound Persons amongst the sincere hinder their thriving in Grace by their Examples and ensnaring Company these as Gangreens do eat away all holiness and as dead bodies become contagious if the living touch the dead they are unclean Hag. 2. 13. Can a man touch Pitch and not be defiled Thirdly Because 't is the hour and power of darkness Luke 22. 53. 't is a time of great temptation to Gods people Satan is come down with great wrath Rev. 12. 12. This Chap. is contemporary with the Seals and Trumpets and gives us a repetition of the Churches State under the first and second Persecution this ver holds forth the second persecution under Antichrist when Satan is cast out of the true Church and Believers and comes down among rotten professours to stir them up to persecution and then the Devil hath great wrath especially in the latter part of his Reign when he hath but a little time then by temptation as well as persecution he labours to destroy the Saints holiness Fourthly Gods leaving his people as a punishment of former sins under present Corruptions for their humbling and driving them nearer to himself These may be some Reasons why there is so little holiness but however the time will come when Christ will make up his Jewels and set holiness in the Earth Fourthly This sanctification of Believers is part yea the choicest part of Christs purchased Treasure I have shewn before that Riches import two things 1. Some things that were of worth and value men never seek great heaps of dusâ— or straw as part of their Riches but Silver Gold and Jewels are things of account 2. Abundance and large measures of these excellent things Now sanctification is a thing of wonderful value and an unknown excellency in its nature holiness must needs be excellent because it is a sparkle of Divine Glory 't is part of the Nature and Image of God himself 2 Pet. 1. 4. 'T is the Glory of God Hab. 3. 3. When the Prophet would set forth God in his Glory he gives him the name of the holy one God came from Teman and the holy one from Mount Paran his Glory covered the Heavens The Prophet here speaks and Prophesies of the calling of the Jews by the Gospel after the Ascension of Christ in an allusion to his former giving the Law on Mount Sinai and making them his people by that Covenant So Teman is a place in Idumea Paran in Arabia between Sinai and Seir from whence God gives out his Law and shews out his Glory as you may see Deut. 33. 3. Some take Teman for Jerusalem and then the meaning is thus As God did formerly manifest his Glory by giving out his Law from Mount Sinai and his Holiness in keeping and leading his people through the Wilderness to Canaan and Jerusalem So will he in Gospel-times manifest his Glory in giving the Gospel and calling a People to himself and this Glory of his will most eminently appear in the manifestation of his Holiness So that Holiness is the Glory of God and therefore must needs be most excellent Nay Sanctification is the honour of the Creature Rev. 21. 10 11. The Glory of the latter Church is set forth by its Holiness So Sanctification and Honour are joyned together 1 Thess 4. 4. Holiness is the greatest Treasure for 't is laid up in the choicest Treasury in Heaven the place of Gods Holiness and the Habitation of the Holy Saints and Angels Isa 63. 15. Treasures are not the Possession of every one
these several duties 1 Duty First Be exhorted to Thankfulness to the rich Grace of God for giving such a Treasure and Treasury as Christ is be continually offering up Praises and Thansgivings to God Flames of holy Affection be admiring the Grace of God as the Fountain and Spring of these waters of Life as the deep Mine of those glorious Treasures now to scrue up your Affections and wind up your Hearts to make way for holy Melody admiring triumphing and blessing God for giving Christ consider these following Particulars as motives to this choice duty First Consider what you were without Christ O! Christians look back and see what once you were Eph. 2. 11. Remembring that in times past you were Gentiles in the Flesh The worst of men an idolatrous sort of men Worshippers of Devils you were wild Olives Enemies to God in your minds Col. 1. 21. hateful and hateing one another Tit. 3. 3. Lying in your blood to the loathing of your persons Ezek. 16. 4 5 6. dead in Trespasses and Sins wretched miserable poor blind naked Rev. 3 17. Children of Wrath heirs of Hell born to Wrath Eph. 2. 1 2 3. under the Curse and Condemnation of the whole Law Gal. 3. 10. O lamentable state Obnoxious to Death liable to everlasting Destruction every moment no guard about you open to Devils liable to the pourings out of divine Fury and the openings of the deep Treasures of infinite Vengeance to have no security from the greatest Evils nor capacity ever to be deliver'd out of them obnoxious every minute to a fearful looking of a fiery Wrath and Indignation which shall devour the Adversary Heb. 10. 27. This was once your state Believers you were stubble ready for everlasting Burnings Fuel for that Fire that can never be quenched and Food for the Worm that never dyeth O! sad case indeed and was not freedom and deliverance from such a state a Mercy worth your highest Thanks Had you but lookt into the place of Torment and dipt your Finger into that lake of Fire and Brimstone you would have wonder'd at Redemption-mercy and adored that Grace of God that pluckt you out of it and is not your acknowledgment of preventing Grace as due now as it would have been to an actual deliverance out of these Miseries Secondly Consider what you are by Grace if you are related to Christ you are brands pluckt out of the Fire Zach. 3. 2. Bond-slaves redeemed from the Pit Zach. 9. 11. Condemned Wretches sav'd from Wrath to come 1 Thes 1. 10. Translated from Darkness to Light and from the Power of Satan into the Kindgdom of God Acts 26. 18. Col. 1. 13. Made Sons and Daughters to God called to his Kingdom and Glory 1 Thes 2. 12. Gal. 4. 6. Crown'd and invested with a Right to his Presence and most glorious Priviledges Eph. 2. 18. 19. Under the Eye of God under divine Care infinite Grace is an Undertaker for you 1 Pet. 5. 7. O glorious State Consider further how you lye upon the Heart of God as a Seal and Signet there Cant. 8. 6. Reckoned amongst his Jewels accounted his peculiar Treasure Exod. 19. 5. Mal. 3. 17. Partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light Col. 1. 12. Sitting in heavenly places in Christ Jesus made Vessels â—itted for Mercy fill'd with Mercy devoted to Mercy Rom. 9. 23. And Heirs of Glory Jam. 2. 5. O wonderful wonderful Grace this is matter of Praises to God to all Eternity Time would fail to read over your Inventory and to look through your Treasury 't is Work for an Eternity to do O believe what you cannot see and admire what you cannot know and study out what you yet understand not of your blessed state both privatively and positively consider'd and when you have found out a little of your Happiness then look on those beneath you put your Mercies into the scale with the World's Miseries rate your Redemption-interest with the lot of Christless Souls matter of the same Lump with you think on your Acquaintance Friends Relations Neighbours that have enjoyed the same Gospel-Priviledges with you and yet these are left to their Blindness to perish in the Error of their ways and must down into the deep for ever but you are exalted and lifted up to Glory O! What cause is here for Praises blessings Thansgivings and Hallejuahs to him that sits upon the Throne and to the Lamb for evermore Thirdly Consider the greatness of that Grace which hath made you to differ Ah! Believers Redemption-grace saw nothing more in you than in Judas Demas and those that perish you were of the same Lump cut out of the same piece there was not a Jot of Difference between you and the damned but only the good pleasure of Grace only divine Mercy laid it's hand upon you O that astonishing word because it pleased him to make you his people 1 Sam. 12. 22. It was only the free grace of God that chose Jacob and left Esau Rom. 9. 13. It was not for your sakes Christians that the Lot was cast so well for you No Be it known to you O house of Israel be ashamed and confounded for ever in your own Eyes Ezek. 36. 32. The moving Cause the Wheel within the Wheel that made you adopted and others rejected was only the good Pleasure of his Will Eph. 1. 5. 7. It was from hence God so loved the World out of this Womb sprung all your Mercies it was Height of Grace Length Breadth Depth Love passing Knowledge Eph. 3. 18. 19. O ye heirs of Glory be affected astonished ravished with the sense of this rich grace of God towards you in giving Christ not only for you but to you and revealing him in you and uniting him to you by the Spirit from the same Mass of fallen man to single out some for pardon and leave others for Punishment O wonderful The Sense of this made the Apostle break out in such a holy Extasie Rom. 11. 33. O the Depth of the Riches both of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God O the depth A note of Exclamation and silencing wonder O consider this Love of God to your Souls 't is free Love without any Influences from the Creature full Love without Circumference or Bounds eternal Love without Beginning and without end Fruitful Love abounding in the rich Gifts and Procurements of it O the Gifts and Tokens God sends to you now and O the large store he lays up for ever for you 't is sympathyzing Love full of Bowels delighting Love full of pleasure in you 't is resting Love He will rest over them in his Love 't is immutable Love without Changes giving Love forgiving Love caring Love securing Love returning Love overcoming Love O! where shall I make an end How can you come to the bottom of this Deep wade a little further till you have lost your selves in holy wonder Can you see your brave houses fine Cloaths comfortable Relations and have such high