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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11603	Sermons experimentall: on Psalmes CXVI. & CXVII. Very vsefull for a vvounded spirit. By William Sclater D.D. sometimes rector of Limsham, and vicar of Pitmister, in Summerset-shire. Published by his son William Sclater Mr. of Arts, late fellow of Kings Colledge in Cambridge, now a priest, and preacher of the Gospel in the city of Exeter, in Devon-shire.	Sclater, William, 1575-1626.; Sclater, William, 1609-1661.	1638 (1638)	STC 21844; ESTC S116824	112,358	217

Priscillianists of the ninth that if ever there were times to say as David now are the dayes It is * Psal 119.126 time for thee Lord to lay to thine hand for men have destroyed thy Law Let us be warned to be better informed in our judgements and remember what our Saviour saith Matth. 5.17 He never came to destroy the Law and Prophets and what Paul Rom. 3.31 We do not abrogate the Law by faith Thus understand First From obligation to Laws Ceremoniall and Judiciall particular to Jews we are freed so that now no longer lies bond or any mans conscience simply as from Gods Precept to observe dayes and times and difference of meats and apparell Secondly Yet though that be so we are not freed from obligation to obedience of the Morall Law for that is the Law of nature in all the parts of it given to Adam in innocencie when as yet was no difference betwixt people and people Thirdly But when we say we are free from the Law as the Law is abrogated to us thus we desire Scriptures should be understood First From the Curse of the Law Gal. 3.13 and 5.18 23. Secondly From the Justification of the Law requiring every man to bring unto Gods judgement seat the perfect righteousnesse of the Law of his own personall performance For without the Law is the righteousnesse of God revealed Rom. 3.21 22. Thirdly From the rigour of the Law that promiseth no life nor reward but to the perfect in obedience for our weak services are accepted yea crowned by promise of God in the Gospel Fourthly From exasperating vertue of the Law expressed by Paul Rom. 7.8 see Psal 40. But from obedience of the Law no man is freed Mat. 5.17 18. The second errour reproved is the misapplying and abuse of the Doctrine of Christian liberty even when it seems to be rightly understood as amongst our more intelligent people that will confesse they stand bound to the obedience of the Decalogue and their freedome to be onely from the Curse c. yet may we observe many abuses of Christian liberty First St Paul notes one frequent in his time Rom. 6.1 It seems this That because they were not under the Curse of the Law therefore we may sinne Mention if I see it not rife amongst many of our people I would it were not amongst some professing best mindes that because there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ therefore they take liberty to sinne Rom. 8.1 But where learnt we thus to turn the grace of God into wantonnesse that because Christ hath died to redeem us from the Curse therefore we should sinne against God Me thinks that of Paul should rather be our inference 2 Cor. 5.14 That the love of Christ should constrain us to live to his glory withall therein we should behold the strictnesse and severity of God against sinne which nothing could expiate but the death of the Sonne of God and can we forget what Saint Paul speaks Heb. 10. If we sin wilfully there remains no more sacrifice for sin and how can we be assured that we have share in freedome from the Curse not being freed from the reign of sinne Rom. 6.2 Yea see the qualification of men freed from damnation Rom. 8.1 They are such as walk not after flesh but after Spirit Secondly Saint Iames notes another that from the other part of freedome from Morall Law inferred a lawfull neglect of good works for sith we are justified by faith alone what necessity of good works see Iam. 2. But know we though faith justifie alone yet is not alone Gal. 5.6 though heat of fire warm alone yet is it not without light And are there no uses of good works but onely to justifie us What say you to these Obedience to God Matth. 5.16 Eph. 2.10 The glory we bring to God in adorning the Gospel Tit. 2. In stopping the mouthes of aliens 1 Pet. 2. In preparing them to glorifie God 1 Pet. 2. and 3. and is it nothing that by them We make calling and election sure 2 Pet. 1.10 And how shall we assure our selves that we are justified except by our works see Iames 2. And me thinks the glorious reward and crown of righteousnesse which God hath prepared for them that love his appearing 2 Tim. 4.8 should excite us see Mat. 10.20 The third abuse is that of the freedome from rigour of the Law that because God hath promised to accept our endeavours though mixt with many imperfections therefore cry out Quorsum such precisenesse and such striving for perfection as if the Lord had not promised to judge us after the mitigation of the Gospel True it is there is such a promise to spare us Mal. 3.17 yet withall there is a precept to make * Heb. 12.13 strait steps to our feet To walk * Eph. 5.15 accurately To keep our selves * Iam 1.27 unspotted of the world To abstain from the very * 1 Thes 5.22 appearance of evill Secondly He that promised to accept our endeavours required that they should be strenuous and bent to the utmost of our ability Act. 24.16 Phil. 3.12 13 14. and so onely God spares as a father the sonne that serves him Thirdly The imperfections which God hath promised to pardon issue not from presumption or malice but from ignorance and infirmity There are three sundry degrees of actuall sinnes in men First Such as issue from ignorance Psal 19.12 Cleanse me from my secret sinnes Heb. 7. The high Priest offers sacrifice for sinnes of ignorance Secondly From infirmitie or passion Gal. 6.1 1 Ioh. 2. For these were ordained sacrifices of atonement and propitiation Thirdly From presumption Num. 15.30 And he that thus sinnes dies without ransome for he hath in pride of his heart contemned the Commandment of God and what do they lesse that thus presume of Gods mercy and bounty See Deut. 29.19 20. But mark we in the next place the ground of Davids protestation For thou hast loosed my bonds and see whether it be not applicable unto us Besides that freedome from Civill thraldome and from Spirituall bondage under the Law Morall Ceremonial in that sense that hath been explained There is yet a threefold liberty which we in this Church are partakers of and they should be all so many obligations to do service unto God First What say you to this Freedome from thraldome to Idolls and humane Traditions Saint Paul mentions it to Galatians as no small blessing of God Gal. 4.8 9. and Col. 2. If we look back to our forefathers or cast our eye upon other Nations Christian what miserable vassallage live they in under Antichrist the Idolls of wood and stone which he hath erected Besides the many will-worships which he forceth upon the consciences of men more then the Commandments of God from these bonds God hath freed us Secondly Come yet to a more generall favour of God Those of you I mean whom Gods truth hath

thou so regardest him The rather because it is a teaching peculiar to Gods children that though the generalls of Doctrine touching Gods Nature and Will and speciall love to his children be propounded to all mens mindes in the Church yet this experimentall teaching in things that concern life and godlinesse is the priveledge of the chosen Ioh. 6.45 They shall be all taught of God they onely in this manner no men but Gods Elect have that experience of what God hath made severall to his servants There are two kindes or degrees of knowledge One speculative the other practicall or experimentall The speculative standeth in contemplation this had Balaam Numb 23.10 thence grew his passionate wish Oh let my soul die the death of the righteous The all-sufficiencie of the merits of Christ to salvation wicked contemplate so of remission of sins c. but the experimentall knowledge of all these is the privelege of his chosen onely But note we how from particular experience he inferres a generall Rule Will it proceed God tenderly respects the life of David Is he therefore so to all his children Above in the handling of the fifth Verse we had an enquiry How farre generall inferences of duty might be made from particulars and the last Lords-day how farre the same might be made from example Now it is to be enquired How farre generall Doctrines of favour may be made from particular experiments Surely ye shall finde it common in Scriptures from particular actions of God in patience or mercy or power to inferre generall conclusions see 2 Pet. 2.9 He saved Lot Noah therefore knows how to deliver his He had mercy on me repenting therefore will save all penitent sinners 1 Tim. 1.16 With Jews receiving Sacraments he was not pleased 1 Cor. 10.5 therefore may not Christians presume of favour because they enjoy the Sacraments He plagued them for murmuring for idolatry fornication therefore take heed of like sinnes Rom. 11.20 He spared not naturall branches therefore not thee but fear also not being high-minded thine own cutting off likewise Cautions here are these First Be sure thy conclusion be delivered in the word of God then spare not to inferre according to the latitude thereof with God there is no respect of persons A conclusion in the word of God I perceive it saith Saint Peter Act. 10.34 All penitents shall be saved Ezek. 18. that 's confirmed from Saint Pauls experience 1 Tim. 1.16 Precious is the blood of Saints in Gods sight Psal 72.14 from experience David affirms it And this Rule well arms us against all Enthusiasmes and such like delusions wherein Anabaptists runne to the shipwrack of their souls Secondly Distinguish generall from personall priveleges for such ye shall read many in the word of God Num. 12. If there be a Prophet I will speak to him by dream or vision my servant Moses is not so To be instructed in all things thou mayest expect but to talk with God face to face or to be informed by dream or vision expect not To the Law and to the Testimony Isa 8. And Mal. 2. Priests lips shall preserve knowledge Thirdly Where the favour is generall yet the manner and mean of convayance may be personall for example to be fed in famine is a generall promise Psal 37. but to be fed as Elias by a Raven or as the widow of Sarephath by miraculous multiplying the meal and oyl was their personall privelege Fourthly As in the Modus and mean so in their measure there are that have prerogative in common favours as in knowledge Moses in faith Abraham in patience Iob in zeal David in revelations Paul A measure except according to the promise of God who gives to every one severally as he will 1 Cor. 12.11 Fiftly In application of the generall in other mens experiments to thy self be sure thou bring like qualification It is true God had mercy on Paul repenting therefore he will have mercy on all but repenting c. Slight not therefore thine own or other mens personall experiences they bring great good unto much confirmation to faith concerning the generalls in them we are grown me thinks too wavering That is a true Rule Gal. 6.18 Mercy shall be upon such as upon the Israel of God yet it is upon such as walk after the right Rule That 's a true Rule God will provide thee competencie according to thy state and person if thou keep his wayes precisely yet false weights and false measures we must use else how shall we live That God will finde us a hiding place in the day of his wrath is a true Rule Zeph. 2.3 most plentifully we have seen it experimented to Elias Elisha the Prophets under Iezabel Why doubt we Oh we of little faith and our selves have experimented in many particular perills and deliverances and preservations and provisions that God hath made for us And surely God is rich in mercy to all Rom. 10.12 and with him is no respect of persons His dealings are exemplary Rom. 4.24 1 Tim. 1.16 so we resemble in behaviour Follows now the matter of observation It is enunciated in one simple proposition tending to explicate the esteem God holds of the death of Saints which some interpret of his Saints in death Rather of the death of his Saints I could cloy you with interpretations but Quorsum The like phrase of speech we reade 2 Kings 1.13 14. Psal 72.14 Now whether he means their naturall or violent death inflicted by persecutours may be quaere'd Rather this latter as Psal 72.14 Their blood is precious to this circumstances of the Text invite us First Rarely doth God give way unto it for so finde we the word Precious put for Rare 1 Sam. 3.1 Never but upon speciall cause And this is that we have doctrinally Psal 72.14 He doth redeem their soul from deceit and violence that neither sword nor cruelty prevails to overthrow it Psal 37.32 Wicked watcheth Righteous seeketh to slay him Vers 33. The Lord will not leave him in his hand Plentifull instances we have in Scriptures I could begin with Iacob and so hold on to Eliah Elisha the Three Children Dan. 3. Fires action suspended and Dan. 5. Lions mouthes stopped Besides many extraordinary deliverances of others in latter times wherein the wisdome and power of God hath strangely shewed it self for their deliverance and preservation 2 Tim. 4.18 God delivered Saint Paul out of the mouth of the Lion Saint Peter destined to death by Herod miraculously delivered by an Angel Act. 12 c. Thus understand it First While God hath use of their service upon earth Ioh. 11.7 8 9. Are there not twelve hours in the day Luke 13.32 Go and tell Herod that Fox c. Ioh. 7.30 No man laid hands because his hour was not yet come and 8.20 Secondly Except by their death they may bring more glory to God then by their life Old Polycarpus having served Christ fourscore yeers in life if now to teeth of Lions he

become a prey it is his glory When Paul hath finished his course then time to die Martyr 2 Tim. 4.8 Thirdly Marvellous are the dispensations of providence in this kinde sometimes by peace propagating the Church sometimes by persecution Act. 9.31 Phil. 1.12 Under Dioclesian the Emperour especially this was the course when weekly daily hundreds of Christians were Martyred in so much that the rate of one moneth taken amounted to seventeen thousands yet out of their Ashes sprung up New which made Tertullian say Seme● est sanguis Christianorum I say in our Saviours language Luke 12. Fear not little Flock Though evill dayes approach us and come on fast yet if God have any service for us to do on earth it is not all the spight of the world shall shorten our dayes First A hiding place we shall finde in the day of Gods wrath Secondly Fire shall not burn The Lions shall not devour Daniel while God hath service for him here on earth Some Ebedmelech God will raise up to speak good for Ieremie to the King some one or other Boyling oyl or lead shall not destroy the Evangelist Saint Iohn Marvells Miracles we read in Church-Story of strange deliverances of Saints If these move not yet let us consider First Our hairs are numbred Luke 12. Secondly Are ye not of more value then Sparrows Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints I remember it for this end because perhaps our hearts may be surprized with fears in this wavering condition we live in and our fears may perhaps distract or deject us As they spake Dan. 3. The God we serve is able to deliver us and the Lord will certainly preserve us in life while he hath use of our service upon earth Why are we timorous Oh we of little faith First Meditate seriously the examples of Gods marvellous deliverances of his people in former times Secondly Think of the promise First Either God will keep evils from us Or Secondly Take us from evils Isa 57.1 Or Thirdly Support in or under the evill that the issue may be comfortable 1 Cor. 10.13 2 Cor. 12.9 Secondly As precious things are not parted withall but at a dear rate So certainly it is true dearly they pay for the blood of Saints that spill it Truly said Cyprian There never was bloody persecution raised against the Church but there followed it as an acoluthite some extraordinary remonstrance of Gods vengeance in famine sword pestilence captivity and the like From the time of righteous Abel to Zechary Matt. 23. from that very day to this hath it been verified Cain had his mark as some say terrour and trembling set on him not slain indeed lest the people should forget it but plagued in the posterity their vitious manners brought in the flood upon the world of the ungodly Of Manasseth it is noted He filled Ierusalem with blood from corner to corner himself is carried away captive and repenteth yet to this cause is imputed the seventy yeers captivity in Babylon And our Saviour giving reason of the destruction of Ierusalem Matth. 23. saith They had killed the Prophets and stoned them who were sent unto them Those Civill warres read of in Romane Monarchie began not till persecutions raised against Christians decay of the Empire in the heat of persecution till at length Mahomet first and after him the Turk had seized the more part of the Christian world What should I speak of particular persons There is scarce any noted for notorious in bloody persecutions who is read to have died a dry death or not to have lived in horror of conscience or hardnesse of heart and blasphemy as we read of Herod of Pilate of Iulian c. I spare mention of those endlesse and unsufferable torments reserved for them against the life to come 2 Thes 1.5 Tribulation to them that trouble us for them is reserved the mist of darknesse for ever And do not marvell it For First They cost Christ dear even his own precious blood 1 Corinthians 6.20 1 Peter 1.19 Secondly They were nearly knit to Christ so near as members one to another as the body to the head Ephes 1.22 Ephes 5.30 and by compassion he is tortured when they are tormented Thirdly The malice bent toward Christians in respect of Christianity is bent indeed against Christ himself the head of Christians and certainly they who desire to root Christians out of the earth would if they could pluck Christ out of heaven In a word The cause they suffer for is Christs no marvell if he so tenderly take the shedding of their blood which for his sake they spill For thy sake are we killed Amongst many presages of some great evill coming towards us as First The death of so many Righteous Secondly The ripenesse of sinne Thirdly The unprofitablenesse of our smaller corrections Fourthly Our long Peace and which grows up with it our deadly security Fiftly The melting of our hearts as Rahab speaks Iosh 2. at the noise or rumour of the approaching enemy c. Give me leave to minde you of this as one A principall meritorious cause of all the wrath that hangs over our heads You may call to minde the Tempora Mariana The dayes of Queen Mary How much precious blood of Saints was spilt as water upon the ground which yet was never perhaps expiated by any wrath of God or by any solemn humiliation of the people Lest any say These dayes are past and gone and we have since had gracious Princes who have been Nursing-Fathers Nursing-Mothers to the Church as was King JAMES and Queen ELIZABETH both of most blessed memory It is true but so had Ierusalem after Manasseh Iosiah that peerlesse King of Iudah there was none like him before or after yet God remembred the sinne of Manasseh and therefore sent Nebuchadnezzar a wicked Idolater to carry them away captive Oh that we could think of it and lay to heart this amongst all our other sinnes Blood defiles the land the blood of Innocents the blood of Martyrs is precious in Gods eyes we must by our sm●rt know the price of it Oh sirs that amongst all our other sinnes this might be matter of our humiliation peradventure yet the Lord would return and have mercy upon us I confesse we have many sinnes of our own personall committing but this sinne of our fathers how do we not tremble at If that be it that the sonne smarts not for the father except he resemble in the fathers sinne True indeed in eternall not so in temporall judgements that made Daniel confesse the sinne● of his fathers Dan. 9. and the Lord threaten to visit the sinnes of the fathers upon the children Exod. 20. It serves me thinks for caution to all the brood of Cain amongst us whose hands indeed are restrained but hearts boyl with malice against Gods people for Christianity-sake And I am perswaded there are amongst us who if times would serve for it would

as willingly carry a faggot to our burning as they now shoot out their arrows even bitter words I beseech you pray God to give you better hearts ye have heard that their blood is precious in Gods sight it will cost you dear honour or stupidity of conscience and in the end everlasting torment Secondly Remember who said He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye Zech. 2.8 Thirdly How strict the charge is Touch not mine Anointed and do my Prophets no harm Psal 105.15 Fourthly Set before your eyes the example of Gods wrath on former persecutours People Nations Kings Monarchies God hath not spared for this sinne Take we heed lest he spare not us Nay be sure he will not spare us if we have hand or least stroke in their persecution in their blood Not us of all people for clearly hath the light of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ shined long amongst us that we cannot as missed forefathers pretend ignorance they had been nursed in Popish superstition we in the true faith of Jesus Christ if we so farre fall away as to imbrue our selves in the blood of Gods Saints for us is reserved the blacknesse of darknesse for ever Consider what I say and the Lord give you understanding in all things Thirdly Precious that is highly he esteems it as men do things that are most precious as their costliest jewels As if there were not vertue in all the whole roll of Christian vertues so great as this to suffer death for the Name of Christ Apoc. 12. They loved not their lives unto death Heb. 12 Ye have not yet resisted unto bloed in striving against sinne Phil. 1.29 To you it is given not onely to beleeve but to suffer for the name of Christ as if therein were Munus I say not in genere necessarii but in genere boni I am sure magni Hence the Apostles joy in it as in their glory Act. 5. ult and Paul when he would preferre himself before other Apostles 2 Cor. 11.22 23 c. useth this same Argument Ancients talk of Aureola Martyrum The crown of righteousnesse is reserved for all that love Christs appearing but there is a Coronet upon that Crown for them who suffer death for the Name-sake of Christ Tears are put into a bottle made varnish to our clarity and glorious splendour no drop of blood but wins us a river of glory effusion of it the whole Ocean as it were of beatitude It checks our cowardize Oh we 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we cowards dastards so timorous in declining our glorry Why are our spirits so dejected as to begin already to halt twixt two opinions or to resolve of neuterality or joyning to the prevailing side First Know there were sometimes who were ambitious of it Sum ego Christianus Secondly Christ promiseth to own us if we confesse him Luk. 9.26 Thirdly Protests to deny us if we deny him Mat. 10.22 Fourthly martyrdom is necessary in Casu Absolutely alwayes Quoad paeparationem animi Mat. 10.38 39. Fiftly weight of glory promised to light momentany afflictions 2 Cor. 4.17 Sixtly A cloud of witnesses yea our Saviour himself gone before us Heb. 12.12 c. What if the Lord select us from amongst his Army of Militants to be his Champions to take up or cast down the Gauntlet in the quarrell to his Kingdome First He hath promised to support 1 Cor. 10.13 Secondly Given us no Armour for the back Eph. 6. but thunders wo to the back-slider Heb. 10.38 Thirdly Honors with conformity to Prophets to Christ in suffering Mat 5 12. Fourthly We are far above the ordinary rate of his Saints when he culls us out as it were to resist unto shedding of blood Fiftly Let us not forget it is the condition of our raigning with him Rom. 8.17 2 Tim. 2.12 Sixtly This way went Christ into his Kingdome Luke 24. The disciple must not be above his Master Seventhly He hath begotten us to a lively hope by the resurrection of Iesus Christ 1 Pet. 1.3 and he first arising up hath given us a pledge of our resurrection to immortality Now the good Lord affect our hearts with these things that we may all rest assured of protection so long as God hath use of our service in life and couragiously resolve to glorifie him in our death if he shall call us to suffer for his Name to the shedding of blood knowing that our blood is precious in his sight and that a drop of it is not shed but wins us a River of blessednes But may we not think it meant of death naturall of Saints Certainly it is true their death is precious understand death in the childe of God is not a meer passion there is action vertuous action in it death of impious men is meerly passive as of brutes and not without resistance and sluggish reluctation and that I say not onely of Nature but of Will too Reasons of it are First This life they know the other they know not Secondly Have no assurance of better state in the life to come Thirdly Soul in passage sees terrour of Judge and knowing no share they have in the mediation of Christ would live alwayes that they might sinne alwayes Now in the death of Gods Saints there is action vertuous action the complement of all vertuous qualities Therefore St Peter calls it The laying down of the Tabernacle St Paul His departure Giving up the ghost Commending the soul unto God In which last act of a Christian is the perfection of Christian vertues First No faith like this Though he kill me when he killeth me I trust in him Iob 13.15 Secondly No love like this To love the present fruition of Christ Thirdly No hope like this Even when we are dying to expect life when the body is falling to expect Resurrection Fourthly No obedience like this willing to consent to the will of God in dying and herein to say Thy will be fulfilled and I am content to do it Psal 40.8 This makes even the Naturall death of Gods Saints precious in his sight VERSE XVI Oh Lord Truly I am thy servant I am thy servant and the sonne of thine handmaid Thou hast loosed my bonds TO discern Connexion in matter of Devotion is difficult the motions thereof being for the most part affectionate Howbeit here is no difficulty There is before mention of the favours God had done him here is the use of the favour Therefore I am thy servant And it contains a Protestation or acknowledgement of his obligations to so gracious a God as had rescued him from the jaws of death wherein note we First The occasion Secondly The matter of the Protestation amplified by the grounds of it Thirdly The vowed expression of it Vers 17. So see how favours of God work upon a gracious dispotion forcing after a sort not onely to acknowledgement of obligation but to tendering of service unto God see 2 Cor. 5.14 15. Isa 6.8 Lo here I am

of like nature First Of Donatists in Saint Austins dayes whose doctrine was That God had no Church but in Afrique and that in the party of Donatus Secondly Exactly ye shall observe the same errour revived by Papists and Brownists Papists labouring for an enclosure of the Church to their Rome thereto alledge that which specially thwarts it the Title of Catholique for if Catholique then not Romane no more then Jewish that tearm being devised by Ancients especially to distinguish the Church Christian from that of the Jews And if to all Nations then not to Africa onely or to the part of Donatus for all Nations must praise God for his mercy and therefore no necessity for any man to submit himself to Donatus or Browne or Saint Peter himself though it be true out of the Church is no salvation yet out of this or that Church is salvation except Christ be not the Saviour of his whole Bodie But those things which the Lord so long ago foretold to our fathers by the Prophets he hath fulfilled to us their children making us who once were Aliens and Strangers from the Covenants of Promise * Eph. 2.12 13. nigh to himself by the blood of Christ To this end tended that gift of Tongues Act. 2. The memory whereof we this day Celebrate For in that so many Nations heard the Apostles speak in their own tongues the manifold works of God it serves to shew that God meant now to verifie his Promise to us I say onely as * Rom. 15.11 Paul Let us Gentiles praise God for his Mercy VERSE II. For his mercifull kindnesse is great towards me IN these words we have the ground of Davids thanksgiving and praysing God First Gods Mercy Secondly The Measure of it Great My purpose is not to insist on this occasion in the common place of Gods mercy Thus onely for so much as concernes the Sense of the Scripture The mercy of God some call the property or attribute of his Nature inclining him to relieve the misery of his Creature some the Essence of God shewing mercy Trueth is there is no Reall difference twixt his Essence and his Attributes save onely in our manner of conceiving The Trueth of God and his Essence are not two things but in our apprehension no more is his Power Omniscience c. This Mercy of God is of three sorts First Generall towards all Creatures wrapped in misery whereof see Psal 145.9 Secondly Speciall towards men 1 Tim. 4.10 preserving them from many dangers yea relieving their miseries with service of his other Creatures see Matth. 5.45 Thirdly Singular to his Church not onely in giving them means of salvation and deliverance from Curse but to many of them vouchsafing the sense of his choisest favours in remission of sins gifts of the Spirit and life everlasting And hereof speaks the Prophet in this place for these are the benefits which Christ brings to his Church As if there were no mercy of God like unto this The mercy that he shews unto us in Christ and surely consider all other miseries we shall see none like this To be without Christ for the Reasonable Creature Secondly The amplifications it hath in Scripture Thirdly The kinds of mercy in him vouchsafed us For the first Goe over all the miseries of the brute Creatures and compare them with the misery of man without Christ ye shall see they all come short of it The * Psal 34.10 Lions lack and suffer hunger It is true but suppose them pined with hunger yet with their life ends their misery When a man out of Christ hath endured Hunger and Cold and Nakednesse and Fire and Water or what ever man can devise to be most terrible to Flesh yet is it but a Flea-bite to the misery whereto a man out of Christ is subject their * Mar. 9.44 Worme dies not their fire goes not out which made our Saviour say It was better with losse of Lim or Life to go to heaven then enjoying all the pleasures of this life at death to be cast into hell Secondly Look again to the amplifications it hath in Scripture He denied all these to * Heb. 2.16 Angels they fell and no Redeemer He denied these to many men even to so many as had * Psal 147 20. not knowledge of his Laws Thirdly In his very Church though offer be made to all yet actuall performance and taste onely to the Church of the faithfull the first borne whose * Heb. 12.23 names are written in heaven All are not * Rom. 9.6 Israel that are of Israel Thirdly Thinke of the excellency of the blessings First Remission of sinnes see David * Psal ●2 1 2. celebrating and if ever thou have tasted how bitter conscience of sinne is thou wilt taste and acknowledge also how over-gracious the Lord is therein unto thee Secondly Besides the gifts of the Spirit and gracious endowments whereby we are renewed after his Image and that which passeth knowledge the fulnesse of Joy reserved for us at the right hand of God This taxeth that earthly or rather brutish estimate that men set on this prime mercy of God preferring before it the worst of those favors they partake in common with Heathens with Devills with brute Creatures with Hypocrites How many be there even of a brutish disposition in the Church of God who never have thought of Heaven or Hell God or the Devill Let them have meat and drinke and ease to the fill as * 1 Cor. 15.32 Paul and * Isa 28. Isaiah speak it is their Summum bonum and yet the very heathen could say It was the thought of a Beast rather then of a Man And have ye not heard of him who had all these things and yet * Luke 16. afterwards was in Hell in torments or can you forget our Saviour when all is had that the world can afford you in profit or pleasure yet what shall your advantage be when you must loose your * Matt. 16.24 Soul and have ye not heard of them who cry out What hath pride * Wisd 5.8 profited them or what the pompe of Riches availed Go farther to other gifts of God in providence Suppose it be Art Whose is like that of Aristotle Suppose it kingdomes Whose like to that of Assyria or Grecia or Persia or Rome Suppose it wisedome as that of Achitophel the Oracle of Israel Yet what is all this without the * Phil. 3.8 knowledge of Christ save onely to deprive of excuse see Rom. 1 and 1 Cor. 1.21 Go yet farther to the power of Knowledge and Faith and of deep Mysteries in the Gospel the very * Iam. 2.19 Devils herein equall excell us and though we had all Knowledge and Faith What were it without Christ as Saint Paul speaks in the point of Charity 1 Cor. 13.2 Yet farther for I thinke Hypocrites go farther then Devills suppose thou hast morall Honesty as