this in his minde can chuse but be astonished who can hold teares in the consideration of so great mercy That God would send his Sonne out of his owne bosome even him who thought it not robbery to be equall with God Phillip 2.6 ver 7. to be made of no reputation and to take upon him the forme of a servant and to be made in the likenesse of men Rather then man should be utterly lost That he I say of infinite majesty with the father and Holy Spirit wanting nothing who created all things whom so many millions of Angles serve and who in a moment of time is able of nothing to create infinit other more excellent then men to worship him should be borne in a stable laid in a mangre that man wretched man the lowest of rationall nature next of kind to the bruite beasts addicted to earthly things void of heavenly uncleane unthankfull rebellious in whom there was nothing worthy of love many things worthy of hatred and punishment Should be freed from everlasting damnation and raigne eternally with God in glory Here is a rare effect and fruit of mercy indeed If a man riding a long the high way should find a poor raged louzy wretch almost dead groveling and wallowing in blood and dirt and beholding this wofull sight should alight from his horse and take up this poore creature carry it upon his back or in his arme to some house and take all possible care for its washing dressing and recovery and in the meane time have his horse stollen by thieves himselfe persuing beaten and wounded should yet rejoice that he hath saved the life of the poore creature would not such a man be noted for a good man a mercifull man Beloved bretheren this is nothing in comparison of what Jesus Christ hath done for us He did lay aside his glory and tooke part with our even with the worst miseries and all in mercy to deliver us from hell and to bring us to glory Stand amazed O ye sons of men If ye did but consider what ignorance of God athisme brutishnes and hellish cruelties are in Christendom and ye must think there is much more out of it ye would conclude that the world is in a most miserable condition being God is righteous And therefore to do as hath beene a little said for the salvation of such must needs proceed from unspeakable mercy even the mercy of a God To this head is to be referred the bitter passion of our blessed Saviour His nakednes and poverty his hunger and thirst his labours and hardships of life his reproaches and persecutions his buffetings and spittings his whipings and prickings of thornes his agony and bloody sweat all kindes of opprobies and dolorous sufferings even unto the accursed death of the crosse And this is the first effect of Gods mercy Christ Incarnation Behold next the revelation of the mind of God by this Lord Jesus Christ so Incarnated Heb. 1.1.2 God who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by by the prophets hath in these last dayes spoken to us by his sonne John 17. ver 3. If to know God the only true God and whom he hath sent Jesus Christ be life eternal which who dares question Then it must be another rare fruit of mercy to ignorant blind sotish brutish mankind to have such a glorious Sunne to shine that people that sit in darknes and in the shadow of death may have their feet guided into the wayes of peace and salvation And truly herein English men have a great share in this mercy that when so many places in the world are without the sound and saving discoveries of the Gospel have such as no nation under heaven doth or ever did goe beyond us scarce any surely very few ever enjoyed the like But that we may be somewhat taken with his effect of mercy let us looke into it somewhat further by the consideration of two things about it First The condition the world was in when Christ came The condition that the world was in when Christ came and then his comming and behaviour for the enlightening thereof For the first the whole world except a very few was ignorant of Christ and of its maker of divine providence and the government of the world of the end of good and evill to wit eternall life and eternal death heaven and hell How few then and yet indeed tooke notice of the soules immortality the evill of sinne both in regard of his wages and work sorrow deformity the worth and beauty of exact walking The devill the Prince of darknesse being the God of this dark world held all as he doth the greatest part to this very day under his government and discipline behold deadly darknes was upon the face of the whole earth incomparably worse then the darknesse that was in Aegypt mentioned Exod. 10.21 All their beauty was deformity their potency wealth and eloquence with which they flourished were of no worth because of no efficacy to the obtaining of eternall life or freedom from hell Now in this misery and blindnes in which the whole world in a manner lay The Lord Jesus moved with mercy and pity came into this dark and blind world dispelled these darknesses with his discovery of the mind of his father He detects errors opens the frauds tyrany of the Devil illuminates the world and shews them the author of all things his power providence mercy justice the reward of good men in graffed into Christ and the punishment everlasting prepared for ungodly men and unbelievers This light shone three yeers and halfe in the person of the son of God in the flesh in diverse townes and villages in the wildernesse in thâ— mountaines in the fields on the land and on the sea of Galilee publiquely and privately in houses and in Synagogues in the Temple and in the streets in all places upon all occasions The excellency of this light it contained nothing but what was profitable to salvation for the manner it was plane and familiar that all might be capable of it It was pure and perfect enlightning the understanding reforming the soule excluding sinfullnes and iniquity directing in piety righteousnesse and sobriety composing the whole life and conforming the whole man within and without to the divine will and eternall love of the most holy God This was done by Christ in the flesh his humanity was the instrument made use of in the administration of the Gospel of salvation And therefore nothing can be desired for matter or manner that is wanting this mystery of salvation coming out of so good a hand The very particulars insisted on by Christ in his sermons have in them sublimatie and beauty He commandeth selfe-deniall the renouncing of all the world for his sake a patient taking up of the crosse the love of our enemies The Lords prayer not to be used as a charme but to
be studied as a text Math. 13 3◠readines to forgive earnestnes frequency in prayer and hath left a rule or forme full of heavenly glory and exactnes not to be used as a charm but to be studied as a text Besides to conclude this particular how did he open his mouth in Parables and utter darke sayings which had beene kept secret from the foundation of the world But let us come to a third effect of mercy And that is the giving of this our Saviour to be as it were a Coppy for all good life the very living and walking law of the most high God A compendium of all those morrals that ever were in the mind of God to be done even from everlasting Learne of me saith Christ Would ye live exactly learne of Christ Be zealous as he was zealous The zeal of Gods house did even eat him up John 2.17 And his Disciples remembred that it was written the zeal of thy house hath eaten me up you know it was upon his driving the buyers sellers out of the Temple Be meeke and lowly as he was he bids you learne of him Math. 11.29 We must learne both of these Many pretend to be zealous as Christ was but they have not his meekenes And so some pretend to write after his meekenesse but want zeale But we must looke upon Christ and imitate him in doing the whole will of his Father Demonstration and practice is an excellent way of teaching Now Christ doth not only teach us what to do but he doth it before us There is scarse any particular duty that God requires but we have a president in Christ a sampler to work by As for children that have a precept to honour their parents you know in Christ they have a patterne Luke 2.51 And he went downe with them and came to Nazareth and was subject unto them And so for obedience to magistrates And so for suffring in the cause of truth and religion he was as a lambe dumbe before the shearer And so also for the Church he made no schisme or rent He was circumcised went unto the feasts joyned in publicke worship and did not rent himselfe from the Jewish Church though it laboured under many corruptions And therefore have a care how ye slight any thing that ye see Christ was ready to performe What can ye wish to have a warrant for that ye may not find in this Coppy Modesty Gravity Sobriety Affability circumspection in words and deeds benignity compassion mercy conformity to order devotion humility any thing every thing that is required in the holy law of God We have many vaine talkers whose mouth must be stopped because they are evill doers as well as vaine talkers This is a rare effect of Mercy in God who well knew that our eies are more upon examples then our eares attent to precepts and therefore hath provided a notable one for us Fourthly Another effect of mercy is freedom from sinne divers waies for First though we are not free from being sinners yet we are free and exempted from having the guilt of sinne charg'd upon us O how sweete is this unto such as ly under the sense of sinne And Secondly freed we are by the mercifull hand of God from sinning with a full and free consent of will In this sence is it said 1 John 3.9 Whosoever is borne of God doth not commit sinne It is true also that if any man say he hath no sinne 1 John 1.18 he deceiveth himselfe and the truth is not in him This therefore is to be understood of liking sinne and lying in sinne Peccatum quod repugnat divinae bonitati est summum malum But behold this great mercy of God towards us that whereas sinne which is the greatest evill because it is contrary to Gods goodnes and holines and calleth for eternall sufferings and likewise containeth in it unspeakable deformitie and sinfulnes A just satisfaction is given in the divine person of the Son of God and in mercy also the seeds are sown of another frame of spirit in all that shall be saved Whence comes a fifth effect and gift of mercy to wit Freedome from eternall death and destruction and a rescuing us from the gulfe of that bottomlesse Barathrum a freeing us from fiery Tophet The wages of sinne is death but the gift of God is eternal life of which particular I will speak Rom. 6.23 when I come to it But now behold mercy in delivering us from so great a death Do but believe that what the Scriptures say of hell fire is true and ye must needs say that to be freed from that place or state must needs be an unspeakable yea an inconceivable mercy O when a man can say though I must dy yet I shall not be damned Though the pit of the grave shut her mouth upon me yet the pit of hell is by mercy shut against me what an unspeakable mercy is this Truly Bretheren if to be freed from hellish misery Perpende quid sit esse in illo teterrimo carcere in illis horendis tenebris semotum ab omne luce ab omni creaturorum amoenitate ab omni solatio in summis omnium sensuum cruciatibus in acerrimis illis incendijs ibi torreri ibi ardere idque non unum diem non unum annum non centum annos non mille non centum annorum millia sed infinitos annorum milliones quamdiu stabit orbis quam diu vivet Deus absque ulla spe liberationis absque ulla daberum intermissionem Lessi de div perfect Pag. 118. which is so intollerable so everlasting be a mercy then we must needs see that the Lord our God is a mercifull God The misery we were liable unto is imense and incomprehensible and therefore that mercy must be infinite by which that misery is taken away And this is done to our hand by our mercifull high priest who by the infinite dignitie of his person hath matched that eternitie of our torments which we should have layen under by his once suffring death upon the Cross for us Sixthly Proceede we to the grace of adoption whereby we are become the very sons and daughters of this mercifull God Adoptio est distinctus beneficium à condonatione peccati This is destinct from the former For as when a Prince that hath pardoned a Malefactor and given him his life shall not content himselfe therewith but besides pardoning the injury freeing from the punishment bloting out the infamy shall also take such a one to be his sonne and give him right and power to raign this would tend much to the declaration of his noble mercy So is it with us in this effect of mercy We shall not only be freed from wrath but be taken into Gods family Now to the further consideration of this adoption of sonnes foure things would be looked upon First The state God hath taken us from Secondly The state to
is over all the eggs to warm and cherish and nourish them so Gods mercy is over all his works Dr. Preston of the Simplicity of God p. 54. to cherish and nourish and perfect them that is it is shewed forth upon them all Thirdly When creatures be in destresse and cry in their kind God heares them and relieves them Psalme 147.9 He giveth to the beast his food and to the young Ravens which cry Next for speciall mercies towards men As he hath raised them with other creatures out of nothing so he hath lifted up in the creation humanitie to a supernaturall life And although these two acts of God may more properly be referred to the goodnes of God yet surely his provision made of other creatures for their service and his relieving their miseries with supplies makes it appeare that out of his mercy he is the Saviour of all men though especially of them that beleeve 1 Tim. 4.10 But now for this singular mercies to his Church besides those in which they are in commons with all other men and creatures whereof with a little helpe the reparation of that whole kind may go for one of the common ones God hath shewed his mercy in giving a Saviour to mankinde faith Mr. Perkines Marke I pray to mankind And John 3.16 God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Sonne c I say besides this he shews his mercy to his Church and people in delivering them from the curse and giving them the means of salvation and vouchsafing them secure of remission of sinnes here and life everlasting hereafter But that these mercies of the Lord may not passe so I shall here fasten a while to speak of the reparation of lost man fallen in Adam unto sinne and naturall miseries and liable by this fall to eternall death The raising of them up and the underpropping of them with greater helps then before sure here abundant goodnes and mercy doth shine out very gloriously Here we may by the way speake of those severall kindes of mercy which some have observed to be in God and so we shall next come unto the branches of that mercy which is the great mercy of all towards such of the faln race of Adam as by Christ are raised up to enjoy everlasting life The mercies of God extended in this life may be reduced to five heads There is a five-fold mercy of God The First whereof is rewarding mercy This is when such as do well though they do ill also as who liveth and sinneth not are rewarded Mercy rejoyceth against judgement James 2.13 And God passeth by what is done amisse and rewardeth what is well done He doth good to his servants that feare him and forgetteth not their works of faith and labour of love and actions of obedience but of his mercy rewardeth them Secondly He hath also pardoning mercy As he crowneth with loving kindnesse and tender mercies Psalm 103.4 So he forgiveth iniquities ver the third of the same Psalme This is that mercy which David prayeth for Psal 25.7 Remember not the sinns of my youth nor my transgressions according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodnes sake O Lord. Thirdly God also hath prevaling mercy when he keepeth us from those evills either of sinne or punishment that he seeth we are running into So sometimes when the Lord sees his servants hastening to the committing of sinne which will certainly bring sorrow upon us he hindereth and preventeth the doing of these things And so when wicked men plot to bring misery on the people of God as Haman did concerning the Jews in Ester God hinders it So when more then forty had bound themselves under a curse neither to eate nor drink till they had killed Paul Acts 23. God prevents it by his providence the story is obvious This is Gods preventing mercy to keep us from sinne and so from the punishment due for sinne and from the Conspiracies of evill men Fourthly God sometimes sheweth mercy in delivering his people out of sinne and from afflictions and sorrows lying on them for sinne Though he sometimes let them fall into the evill of sinne or punishment yet he is pleased to helpe up and take them out againe This is another mercifull dispensation of God There cannot be greater objects of pity then men and women that go on in sinne God comes and sees such and raiseth some up out of that gulfe in which thousands do yet lye that never met with this mercifull hand of God to help them out In this sence he hath mercy on whom he will have mercy Rom. 9.15 And therefore it is a great mercy of God to give men grace to repent of their sinnes and not to let them ly still in them And doubtles such as the Lord loves he will one way or another fetch them off from their sinfull courses He will do as kind and wise fathers do with their disobedient children he will double and treble his fatherly strokes on us untill he amends us and make us stoop under him and bring us off from our miscarriages God permitted David to fall into a woefull gulfe of sinne but here was his great mercy seene in helping him out again And so for Peter how did he thrice fall most fearfully into that great sinne of denying his master c. But in mercy he was holpen out again he had grace to go forth and weepe bitterly and recovered himselfe a gain in the Church of God in regard of this esteeme and reputation And so also it is true for grievous troubles Psalm 34.19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of them all Fifthly There is exercised by God sparing mercy This the Church prayes for often in Scripture This God promiseth to his people Foure degrees of sparing mercy in God And shews it many and diverse waies Sometimes by not punishing at all somtimes by deferring punishment Sometimes by moderating his corrections and sometimes in the very act of afflicting his people for sinne he shewes a sparing spirit Mal. 3·17 a mercifull disposition manifesting how unwilling he is to do what he doth but that needs he must Ofâ—en God passeth by the sinnes of his people and doth not reckon with them at all for them As a father spareth his Sonne that serveth him even when the day commeth that shall burn as an oven and all the proud and all that do wickedly shall be stubble c. Mal. 4.1 which is to be understood of some generall judgements that are upon the earth then God packs up his jewells and spareth them in that day Here is an allusion to men that have their houses burning who do not regard their lumber their timber stuffe but looke to their chiefe writings coyn and jewels to preserve them So God in common calamities hath a mercifull eye towards and hand over his beloved ones yea sometimes for the sake of them he saveth such
Sublimity for he Reigneth with the highest and most absolute power Also he is great in regard of profundity because he ruleth not only bodies but hearts and ordereth the most inward thoughts and affections of all neither is there any thing so hidden or secret which the rod of his Kingdom and greatness doth not penetrate We may then understand somewhat by this word GREAT of God but must stop our mouths with the close of the Verse Psal 135.3 His greatness is unsearchable or of his greatness there is no search 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Hebrew word doth properly signifie finding out or searching after The Septuagint there is no end of his greatness and so the vulgar latine For therefore is no finding out of the greatness of God because the end thereof neither is nor can be found for in deed it is not there is no end of his greatness And therefore in all predications wherein GOD is the subject we must know that their force is in negation and exclusion As when we say God is a Spirit we mean he is not a body when we say he is a spiritual substance we mean he is not a corporeal substance When we say he is he is a substance we mean he is not an accident For properly a substance God cannot be according to the nature of that Lative word for a substance is that that doth stand under accidents and bear them up which asserted of the essence of God is blasphemy Yet is that word substance often attributed to God but by it we mean essence according to the greek word Ousia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Essence or being but in God properly there is neither substance nor accident Objection But this may seem to deny God to be a living God properly and indeed to aver God to be properly neither just nor merciful nor any thing which he is said to be in scripture Solution For clearing up whereof yee must know that God is most properly Life And he is every thing that he is without a Metaphor for he is all that he is of himself He is truly all that the Scripture teacheth and the Saints conceive him to be but not in that manner or measure as men or Angels conceive of him He is all that we think him to be in our minds according to scipture Attributes and infinitely more As now to speak of this Attribute Life as life is considered in the Creature it is a principle of operation but in God all Attributes are his essence and so is his life Remember what I have said and so I shal come out of these briars that we have not words to set out God by and if there were such a language found out it would be worse then greek to us we should not have the capacity to learn it therfore with all humility let us blesse God for those discoveries of himself he hath been pleased to make and for making our ears blessed to hear and our eyes to see so much of God as we do I have but one question to answer and it is upon occasion of my close of the former discourse If it be so Question that God is so hidden that he is so above our reach that such clouds and darkness are round about him that he dwelleth in such eye-dazling unapproachable light why then may some say do you spend so many words about such a subject To whom I answer that if we can catch but one jot of what hath been said and make it our own why then Answ we are made forever if but the lest glimmerings of the living God be afforded to you as your God in Christ and yee are all resolved with David That it is good for you to draw near to him and so yee purpose to do and never to depart from him why then I say let men Ps 73 28 and Devils rage and do what they can yee are alive in God not only as Creatures but as new Creatures yee shal be carried as upon eagles wings yee shal lye in the bosome of Life Your life is hid with Christ in God Collos 3 ◠Wonder not then that I have been so forward to expose my self to censure and to speak of things that are not easily understood in any measure Difficilia quae pulchra There is beauty in these difficulties and something I hope wil stick All wil not I hope run over the narrow-mouth'd bottle O draw neer to this living God Take heed lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God They that do so forsake their own mercies Study this Attribute of God spend some time with prayer about it and so much for the Explication as I have been able Come we to the Application First Vses of this Doctrine The first Vse then he is worth the coming unto by those that are yet afar off and worth the keeping and holding fast by such as have him Draw neer to God therefore O yee sinners that are far from him For loe they that are far from thee shal perish saith the Psalmist Psal 73.27 O cast not the law of this living God behind your backs any longer Make not your wil your humors your lusts your Law any more Refuse not the Lord Jesus the Son of the Living God any longer lest he be angry and yee perish in the way Reject not the Ordinances of Life content not your selves with them as dead Ordinances let them be to you the Ordinances of a living God Take heed of a dead faith as all faith is without works Jam 2.17 take heed of worshipping a dead God Such as pretend to believe in God and in works deny him do in effect take away his life their faith is dead their works are dead they have not a lively hope they Worship a dead God Every bodies God is no bodies God A Traditional God every bodies God and that is no bodies God Come to Christ that yee may have God who is life And yee Saints that have him hold him fast and chuse rather to dye a thousand deaths then to forsake the living God Be circumspect take heed saith my Text we are in danger on every side watch over your hearts take heed of an evil heart that is the cause of departing from God If we have good hearts we shal never go away from God it is impossible And then in the next place mark the words that I have read in my Text an evil heart of unbelief What is that makes the heart evil Unbelief this is the cause peoples hearts be evil because they want Faith And if that be a truth that faith which comes by the hearing of the Word is increased daily by it as also by the administration of the Sacraments and prayer Then take heed of throwing away of gospel-Ordinances in these ranting times Perkins 2d principle They that depart from Ordinances depart from God For this
and gnawings of an evill conscience for the evill they have done This death shall be their portion after death and follow some wicked men all the dayes of their life A dreadfull sound is in his ears Job 15.21 And sometimes with Cain they think every one that meeteth them will kill them Gen. 4.14 And so God sets Cain's mark upon them fear of heart and trembling of body A fearfull heart and a shaking body is often the portion of men that live in sin Timor cordis et tremor corporis Pareus If ye compare the 2. of Habacuck 10 11 12. with Job 15. ye shall see this for substance that when men live in sin they provoke God either to take away their lives or to make their lives miserable Sometimes God taketh away that which they have ill gotten and driveth them to dwell in desolate cities and houses which no man inhabiteth which are ready to become heaps cursing the stones of the wall and the timber of their houses And if they do leave any thing when they wretchedly dy they leave it with the appurtenances as one wittily said to wit the curse of God to have and to hold to their heirs and children after them And as wicked men abuse this Jewel of great worth life in themselves in their readinesse to destroy it or make it miserable in regard of their bodies and temporall enjoyments so also in regard of their poor souls They live so wickedly so prophanely so disobediently to God and his Word that they provoke God to take away the means of grace from them or to give them up to a mind past feeling and to bring upon them a famine of the Word the greatest of all judgment except a reprobate spirit and mind void of judgment under the Word And Lastly they fall under this reproof and wo that abuse the life of others by oppression when they throw down the right of others and thrust them out of doores to set their own nest on high their Tabernacles are Tabernacles of bribery Job 15.34 and their houses are full of blood which the earth shall not cover Et vae vae vae illis qui causa sunt quod ecclesiae sine ministris et verbo relinquuntur Luther but it shall ly as a record upon the file to be brought forth against them at the last day And some abuse life grossely by murther of which crying sin I think it not needful to speak now To conclude this use Wo to such as endeavour to drive a way from poore people the word of God and Ministers therof they are guilty of abusing life in regard of others in a very high measure the blood of poore souls that dy and perish for want thereof will be required at their hands and also at the hands of such wretched formalists clawbacks of the Ministry as do not do their utmost in sincerity for the salvation of poor soules We now come to an other Use Is it so that life is an attribute of God and such a jewell as hath been shewed Vse 3 then it must needs follow that it is a worthy thing to be instruments of preserving life and of saving people from death and destruction Theâ—â—herefore are worthy of honour that have been the preserved of our temporal lives but especially such are worthy of 〈◊〉 honour whom God makes instruments of working and preserving spiriual life As in 1. Tim. 3.1 This is a true saying 1 Tim. 5.17.18 if any man desire the office of a Bishop he desireth a good work or a worthy work And a promise of great reward is made to such as turn many to righteousnesse to wit to shine as the starres for ever and ever Dan 23 1 Pet. 5.4 and when the chief shepheard shall appear such shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away which may be matter of comfort to them in their calling O to preserve men from hell it is a worthy an honourable work to be instruments of converting and bringing souls to the Lord to live with him for ever the life of glory is a work that calls for great respect to the workmen and how they have it let God judge 4. Vse Fourthly We are now come to a Use of exhortation that we be all carefull of life of our own life and of the life one of another of bodily life and of the life of the soule for such a life and death too there is as may be gathered out of Mat. 10.28 And fear not them which kill the body and are not able to kill the soule but rather fear him which is able to destroy both body and soule in hell ye see mention there of killing and destroying the soule as well as the body Now in the prosecution of this use of exhortation I shall lay before you some motives and considerations As first Gods example who hath Provided many good things for the preservation of life as Food Raiment Physick and shall we be carelesse of that which God hath been so careful about This cannot but be construed high contempt of this jewell of Life But now let us be like God who hath so provided for the preservation of life so let us for the lives of our selves and others And for the life of the soul what a deal of pains and trouble hath God and his Son Jesus been at to redeem it from Hell and Death God about this sent his only Son into the World to dy a most shamefull and painfull death He hath suffered many of his choice and eminent servants to endure exquisite torments that souls might be saved from death And therefore let this prevaile let us be herein like unto God do all that we can to preserve life and to save souls Let us be rich in good works of this nature that is in saving life and give comfort to those that have none For otherwise we shall not shew our selves to be like to God And the cry of the dying will enter into his eares Secondly consider the necessity of this work of saving life The body without life stinketh now God may have glory by its living The dead go downe to the pit of silence The grave cannot praise thee saith Hezekiah death cannot celebrate thee They that go downe into the pit cannot hope for thy truth The living the living he shall praise thee Isa 38.18.19 If we do not what we can to preserve life we do as it were bereave God of that honour which he might have in our life and in the lives of others We have a proverb make much of your selves good folks be scarce This hath some place here if it could be thought and spoken with holy gravity and seriousnes and in the fear of the Lord. Ye that fear God make much of your selves and one another do what ye can to preserve life and to make your own and each others life comfortable that God may have the more glory by
others For by living to Gods glory we shall gaine to our selves glory and be matter of good example worthy the imitation of others And this is praise worthy to give good examples It is commanded Math. 5.16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good workes and glorifie your father which is in heaven And 1 Pet. 2.12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles that where as they speak against you as evill doers they may by your good works which they shall behold glorifie God in the day of visitation And as it is profitable to others so also to our selves abundantly For as ye sow so shall ye reap if yee sow to righteousnes your name shall be spoken of with honour when ye are dead and gone The righteous shall be honorable both in their lives and in their death And therefore while we live let us live to the glory of God that so it may befall us that we may have honour in life a sweet name after death and that we may be good examples to them amongst whom we live that they also may glorifie God when God shall visit their soules in mercy Then will they with David blesse the Lord that gave us a life and blesse us and our good examples as he did the Lord that sent her 1 Sam 25. and her and her good councell But how should a man live to Gods glory may some say Quest Answ I Answer in the performance of these three particular duties First He that would live to Gods glory must shun all manner of sin and sinfull wayes he must forsake those contrary courses that tend to Gods dishonour you must know what God can not abide and lay that aside Pro. 8.13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evill pride and arrogancy and the evill way and the froward mouth do I hate saith wisedome there Now would you glorify God then hate evill lay aside your pride and let not arrogancy come out of your mouth and so Prov. 14.16 A wiseman feareth and departeth from evill evill courses must be forsaken yea evill men that worke wickednesse for both read Psal 141.4 Incline not my heart saith David to any evill thing to practice wicked workes with men that worke iniquity and let me not eat of their dainties both evill workes and evill workers must be shunned by such as would live to the glory and honour of the Author of their life Secondly Such must carefully set and settle themselves to the workes of holinesse and righteousnesse every one in his owne particular person dilligently endeavouring to walke holily and uprightly towards God and the world That ye may be blamlesse and harmlesse the sons of God without rebuke in the middest of a crooked and perverse nation among whom ye shine as lights in the world saith the Apostle Paul Phillip 2.15 Thirdly We must labour all that we can so much as lyeth in our power to provoke others to the wayes and workes of godlinesse especially those that are any wayes allyed or related to us either in regard of kindred or acquaintance or any such like respect as in the verse following my text viz. Heb. 3.13 But exhort one another daily while it is called to day lest any of you be hardned through the deceitfullnes of sinne And chap. 10.24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good workes This is a speciall way to glorifie God in our lives to exhort one another to provoke one another to love and to good workes If people instead of provoking God by their sinnes and provoking one another to wrath by speaking and doing such things as they know they cannot beare Would study this commendable kind of provocation we should have a sweet time of it In Isaiah 2.3 it is prophesied that many people should go and say come yee and let us go to the mountain of the Lord c. O that this prophesie might be more and more fulfilled among us In the use of these helpes we may some what live to Gods glory which who so doth God lives in him and he shall live with God for ever Because I live saith Christ Joh 14.19 ye shall live also The third proposition in this attribute is That God in respect of his attribute of life is infinite and incomprehensible This is evident in divers respects Doct. Reas 1 First because Gods life is independant he hath life in himself he received it not from any other The Father hath life in himselfe John 5.26 Whereas the life of creatures depends upon him Deut. 30 20. He is thy life and the length of thy daies saith Moses there And further as ye have heard already out of Acts 17.20 and 25 verses In him we live move and have our being God liveth I say of himself Reas 2 Deus est ita perse vivens ut ipse sit vita sua Zanch. Secondly Because life in God is not a part of God but his whol essence life is but apart of man the bond or tie that kniteth the two essentiall parts viz the body and soul of a man together But it is not so in God 1 John 5.10 this is the true God and eternall life Life and God is all one Reas 3 Thirdly Because God in respect of his life is eternal therefore by an excelency he is termed the living God Dan 6.26 Darius is made to confesse that he is the living God and stedfast for ever And so Nebuchadnezzar before to wit Cap. 4.34 honoureth him that live 1 Thes 1.9 Heb. 9.14 for ever c. And in this regard he is said Only to have immortality 1. Tim. 6.16 He is called a living God to distinguish him from all those other things that are said to live His life being eternall as well as his whole essence and of himselfe These are the three Reasons Vse 1 First Therefore to make some application we may learn that there is no want nor defect hereof to be found in God God hath such a life as ever was and ever will be the same How greatly then do they abuse the Majesty of God who fain God to be like the gods of the heathen A deaf a dumbe idole a thing without life as a senceless creature that understands not the ways and works of men who imagine God to be so confin'd to one place in respect of the powers of life as that he sees not nor knows not what is done afar off Job 22.13.14 And thou saist how doth God know Can he judge through the darke clouds Thick clouds are a covering to him that he seeth not and he walketh in the circuit of heaven Hereupon wicked men are encouraged to go on in their sinfull way Psal 10.13 Condemning God in their hearts c Thinking God ' cannot be present at all times But alwayes they are deceived Jer. 23. â—3 24 Am I a God at hand saith the Lord and not a God a far off Can
God will no further look upon us then we perfectly aime at his glory in every thing what would become of us had we not a Christ Seeing selfe ends will so mingle themselves with one best performances have we not cause to blesse God for Jesus Christ 't is our duty and let it be our practice to blesse God for Jesus Christ To Summe up all Holy men have holy minds their holy minds are fixed upon God The will word and workes of God and Christ are coppyes before their eies and lastly holy men ayme at Gods glory and not themselves for they are swallowed up in God and know whom they have believed therefore I commend in all these respects God to be eminently and causally holy Now le ts come to make some use and application of this truth Vses of the Attribute of holinesse in God that the Lord our God is holy that holines is an attribute of Gods And first by way of information it teacheth us that holines is not to be contemned nor such as labor after it is not to be set light by nor holy persons despised Wo therefore to those that despise holy persons this must needs be an heynous offence why Sirs what do ye mean Holines is an attribute of God and can that be base or despicable which God takes and makes to be one of his owne attributes one of his names which must not be taken in vaine much lesse not trampled upon Are such to be blamed that desire to be like God to be holy as their father which is in heaven is holy what horrible wickednesse is this to mock at holy people as to twit them with holinesse is to mock at God those that do so are like unto such wretched servants in a house as will dog and misuse a childe in the family because it is like his father whom they yet take wages off and live by and can not live with out little do men think to what a pitch of sinfulnesse their carriage this way doth amount unto though many think it nothing to mock at holy people yet is it a very great sinne And yet what is more in disgrace then holynesse who more despised then pure and holy soules Oh these are your pure folkes these are the holy sect and the like scoffing speeches If a man do but looke towards the wayes of holynes he is streightway had in derision by prophane people How do parents abuse their owne children even among us in this place if they do but looke towards Sion and even weep for mad Alas poore soules Oh that I had but bowells to pitty you as there is cause Do ye know what ye do Let me tell you yee mock at that which must be in your selves or ye shall not see God Heb. 12.14 and holynesse without which no man shall see the Lord yea ye mock at that without which ye cannot serve the Lord. Josh 24 19. Ye cannot serve the Lord for he is an holy God c. Such as despise holynesse cannot serve God so this is the first use If you should have thoughts of indignation against people because they be holy ye would plainly declare that ye are none of Gods servants none of his worshippers and as first I said that ye shall not see his face in mercy so much for that they that labour to be holy are not to be condemned nor holynesse which is an attribute of God contemned Secondly If holinesse be an attribute of God then it further Vse 2 teacheth us that God must needs like of holinesse and delight in holy persons For all Gods attributes are pleasing to him and this being one of them he must needs take pleasure in this This clearly follows where God doth finde but a sparkle of himself he must delight necessarily in it because of his holiness as hath been abundantly manifested in the foregoing part of this discourse he runs with joy to his the workmanship of his own spirit And this is not onely a Use of information but of comfort also exceeding great comfort to those that are taken out of this widâ— world and set into Christ the root of Jesse the root of holinesse The spirit of glory and of God resteth on you saith the Apostle Peter 1 Epist c. 4.14 which may rejoyce under their reproaches for the name of Christ when a soul loves God and is seeking to set up his glory this is matter of great joy because they are partakers of his holinesse O well shall it be with such and happy shall they be Psal 128.2 The Apostles Acts 5.46 Departed from the presence of the Council rejoycing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name And so may all holy ones be their outward condition what it will Vse 3 Thirdly Such as would become acceptable to God must labour to become holy persons for this is that which the Lord calleth for Lev. 11.44 45. and cap. 19.2 Ye shall be holy for I am holy this is that the Lord calleth for from all persons nothing will give him content but this you know the saying likenesse makes love And here it takes place if you will have God to love you you must labour to be like him Nothing will please him but holinesse if you would give the fruit of your body for the sin of your soul yet that will not give him content But ye must be holy the reason is given because the Lord your God is holy Be exhorted therefore to labour for holinesse To move you consider first the excellency of this grace Motives to labour for holines it is of the divine nature it is most excellent The excellency of a thing will make a man to labour for it excellent things are the objects of wise mens desires and labours Now there is nothing so excellent as holinesse for that is to be like God And therefore why do ye spend your money for that which is not bread and for that which will not profit you but is vain and like a shadow Riches get wings and flie away labour therefore for that which when once you have will never forsake you in life or death or judgment And therefore the excellency herof thus considred should never let us be quiet til we have gotten some evidence that we have in some measure attained unto this holines even holines which is one of Gods attributes Secondly consider this too holines is a thing which every man is without There is not so much as one sparkle of holines in any man by nature for we are wholy defiled with sin Ever imagination of the thoughts of mans heart is only evil continually Gen. 6 5. How can man be cleane that is borne of a Woman Job 25.4 the interrogation there is a vehement negation How can that is it cannot be But we are all as an uncleane thing and all our righteousnes are as filthy rags Isaiah 64.6 There is none righteous no not one there is