will be long enough ere you of your selves stirre one inch off your own ground If he alter not your intentions sure it is you will intend small good to your selves but please your selves in your drousie dead and senselesse way till yee goe hence and be no more Me thinks you should rouze up your selves and moan your selves to the Lord saying Am I the onely dry barren wretch of all others whom thy Spirit should never blow upon whom no mercies crosses or government of thine should ever affect I see O Lord thy steps wheresoever they goe drop fatnesse and thy fingers drop mirrh upon the handle of the doore Cant. 5.5 where thou knockest But I am still a barren desolate creature without any acquaintance with thee in thy wayes And for the second sort of such as have felt the Lord comming toward them in sundry wayes and that hee hath not left them without witnesse but by his Word his workes by death of wife or husband or by good company or losse of children estate name many privie and secret warnings of their conscience hath checked them or offered them many meanes of good and drawne their hearts thereby but they have shaken them off as a dog doth a blow on the head That sometime in such houses and places as they have dwelt in sometimes in hearing some searching Sermons or by the offer of Christian yoke-fellowes or by other occasions Such as God hath prevented beware of dallying the Lord hath solicited them earnestly to turn and repent howbeit it is with them as with Israel in the wildernesse whose carcasses were scattered therein they have tempted him seen his works but to no purpose for the Lord is vexed with them for their stubbornnesse and their hard and rebellious hearts which will not know God nor come in Oh! beware lest this patience of God which should have drawne you to repentance doe not harden your hearts to utter destruction To both sorts I say this Know it if those whom the Lord means to save he wil be alway busie about them to accommodate all things to their calling and conversion what a wofull case are they in who have all their lives long either seen no finger of his in meaning them good or else escaped his fingers most subtilly and slily as fast as he hath pursued them Doubtlesse for ought can appeare the Lord meanes them no good if they had been sheep belonging to his fold he would never have suffered them to erre and lose themselves so deeply in their lusts but hee would have recalled them But his not suffering the breath of his spirit one whit to stirre in them doubtlesse he meanes they shall nuzzle up themselves in a dead senselesse estate unto perdition Oh! what beds of ease doe you lye upon that you should take one nights rest two nights till you finde your selves out of this misery Secondly this should teach us to adore this great God and onely wise Vse 2 and that because hee hath the key not of the wombe onely and deeps Instruction Adore the wisedome and love of God in his preventing grace Jerem. 10.23 clouds and the grave but of the hearts of the sonnes of men Hee onely can order their courses wayes and intentions to their owne greatest good and his glory It is not in man to order his owne way the heart and purposes of men are their owne but the dispositions thereof are from the Lord as the issues so the preparations to life and death are in his hand It is no priviledge of a Prince over his subjects nor of a parent over his children nor of husband over wife They have authority to over-rule the bodies the outward behaviour and duties of such as are under them But for the secret over-swaying of intentions and turning them from their owne to his way it is onely the Lords prerogative It is with mans intentions as with the body of a man in a ship who walkes upon the hatches from East to West Yet the motion of the ship being contrary carries the man the way of her owne motion neverthelesse This should therefore breed in us singular reverence of God and provoke us to magnifie him both with our prayses and with our prayers With our praises first By praises As the Church in the Psalme having professed that shee had seene goings of God both towards their fathers and themselves Psal 68 24. Deut. 8. in wildernesse and Canaan that he might humble and try all in their heart subjoynes presently The men singers that goe before and the women singers after Psal 123.1 and praise the Lord. If the Lord had not been on my side shouldest thou say in disposing every way for my conversion I had never been brought home But I see that it was the finger of God that when I had run my selfe into desperate company forsaken the counsell of all friends shaped a course to my selfe perhaps to spend my patrimony riotously perhaps to haunt harlots and lewd companions or to travell beyond sea in an humour of discontent to seek my fortunes or to seek the world and implod my self in the dirt and dunghill of covetousnesse or to mâ—â—ch my selfe resolutely with one whom I fancied onely for her out-sidâ—â—ayâ—â—g Give mee her for she pleases me well then did the Lord provide better for mee then I deserved turn mine intentions quite off divert them to serious thoughts of mine estate prepare a good wife a peaceable life in marriage good friends good Ministery and turne mee from the pit I sought a good frame in a blinde corner under an Idoll the Lord tooke him away sent a better and tooke me napping in my hole and brought me home to himselfe Job 33. No good soule that hath tasted these preventions of God can bee silent Sundry passages of preventing providence one prayses God that living in a desolate prophane corner of the Country in the practice of drunkennesse and lewdnesse the Lord sent a friend by providence to the house where he dwelt who by his sober caniage and report of the fruit of the Gospel in other parts brake me off from my sinfull life bred a zeal after God good means by which I was haled out of my dungeon to live under the Ministery in Goshen where I was convinced by the light of truth and converted to God Another comes in and saith O Lord if I had rusht upon such a match lighted upon such a Ministery I had been quite lost thou plantedst me better As Psal 80. the Church blesses God for pulling her from Egypt where she grew as a lilly among thornes into a better soile So should we adore Gods preventing us accommodating and suting occasions crossing lets giving strength to the meanes and overruling purposes as no doubt the woman John 4. going to her kinsfolke and saying Come see a man who hath told me all magnified mercy which finding her in a cursed scornefull
cold We see all come to passe Therefore let us all whom God cals by tongue or by penne looke to the safeguard of Truth and say as those did to David so we to Truth Thou art worth ten thousand of us if we dye wee may be supplied but if thou shouldest miscarry all of us must perish As the life of old Iacob was bound up in Benjamins so ours in Truth As in some former Treatises I have endeavoured to give Section 5 my poore witnesse to the practicall truths of Religion as a most sworne enemy to all Schisme and Novelty so in this I aime more especially to encounter prophanenesse and lukewarmenesse and both to convince the former and rectifie the latter As Sinne lies deeply rooted in the one so even Grace it selfe for lacke of quickning lies dead in the other Those that are not sunke into a prophane way yet may be sunke from a zealous I consider with my selfe that as Treatises doe well for maintaining of truths so Sermons are more peculiar for the suppressing of vicious manners or lukewarm profession In Treatises we speak Gods conclusions in Sermons God seemes to speake his owne so great the oddes is in what way a truth be uttered our owne or Gods As Israel thought herselfe doubly strong having got the Arke into the Campe to fight with the Philistins so in preaching we seem to doe as the Angel who went to heaven in the smoake of Gods sacrifice There is more of God in this method then in any and wee had need use the forciblest corrasives to eat out the dead flesh of vice and the keenest spurres to drive others out of the declining temper of their lukewarme profession and neutrality Moses we know might serve to teach people Truths and Ordinances But when the great worke of scaring rebels and convincing the conscience was to be done God himselfe was faine to descend in his likenesse with terror and smoke and all too little and questionlesse that is the most noble Ordinance which works most upon and most prevailes with the part of man which is noblest and whereby we draw nearest to God the heart I meane and the affections In Gods sacrifices we read not much of the looking upon the braines or offering them up to God by fire but of the heart liver and the inward parts the fat of them as choice was Gods part The reason no doubt was that although the understanding is the guide of the soul yet because the object of it is onely truth But the object of the will and affections is properly good and by embracing and affecting of good we come nearer to God then by meere understanding of truth therefore the word preached most affecting the inner man by drawing perswading convincing quickning and comforting of it must needs have the preeminence of all other Ordinances There is oftentimes in the unregenerate alway a gulfe set betweene the understanding and the affections so that the one never comes at the other but when once affections are truly stirred this gulfe vanisheth and an easie path-way is made in the soule to welcome Gods grace and to expresse it in the life neither seeme we in any other respect to excell those wicked Angels save in the goodnesse of our affections I speake not this as an enemy to knowledge without which the heart is nought but because the wofull age we live in above all other things is most empty and yet most carelesse of getting good affections Every one thinkes himselfe to be happy in that he knoweth not in that he affecteth beleeveth or loveth whereas in these latter our union and communion with God consists The heart and spirit of the man his bent his frame that is the man and I beleeve that as they say of the materialls of the world they would soone dissolve if the soule of it were taken away so the vast body of Light and Knowledge of many professors will ruine and oppresse herselfe ere long for lack of sutable life spirit and affections This notion seemed to me very forcible to perswade the publishing of these Sermons after some other Treatises formerly set forth But will some say we grant all Sermons are indeed as you say powerfull instruments to stirre the soule bâ—â— what is that to printing and writing You know no peâ—cill can fully reach a living face The Presse cannot comprehend the Pulpit and writing of a Booke is but as the picture of a dead man in comparison of the lively voice To whom I answer Time hath beene when I have beene so farre transported with this thought that I would have preferred the preaching of a Sermon to the printing of a Booke But now I must sing another note and therefore I answer further although the objection in part be true yet consider God hath covered the uncomely parts with greatest honour and although the grace of the Spirit in preaching and giving overtures of lively impression to the heart cannot be equalled by printing yet printing hath also that peculiar use which preaching it selfe reacheth not that is constantly to represent things which while they were in uttering seemed pretious but yet are soon forgotten Luke 1.4 I say to present them alway to the eye and so to hold them there as a naile fastned in a sure place from wanzing and leaking out And moreover when the Preacher shall with diligence and observation both marke wherein God assisted him most and hold himselfe as neare as he can to his expressions somewhat more may be compassed in this kinde then otherwise But however he is a foole who counts not halfe a loafe better then no bread or despiseth the Moon-shine because the Sun is down and I hope that such as were once attentive hearers of these things when they read these Lectures shall in some sort recognize the savour and grace which in hearing they seemed to acknowledge Wherefore to conclude as I for my part thinke it a favour that I may be the overseer of mine owne Bookes which else by audacious and unskilfull adventurers might have beene defaced and also that I may set my base heart on work any way to prevent sloth ease So I shall desire thee good Reader to apply thy self with thy best care and prayers to peruse what God hath herein presented thee withall And if thou pickest any thing out blesse God and pray for me even for Thine in Christ D. Rogers The list of Contents TOuching Gods Soveraignty and Freedome in decreeing Touching the preventing assisting and perfecting grace of God in mans vocation Touching Selfe and Selfe love Touching carnall Reason How farre policy lawfull Touching Gods way in humbling the soule or the condition of the Promise Touching Servants and their duties with Masters a full discourse Touching Faith a discourse thereof at large Touching the due reverence support of the Minister by the people Touching the Promises and Performances of God Their nature and use Touching the effect of Faith and
to clasp closely with his promises 5. Because the Lord promiseth nothing but what hee first purposed to performe 6. Because hee measures his promises not according to our capacity but his owne bounty from page 595. to 598. Gods performing of promâ—ses to bee understood with limitation What those bee Three in number viz. 1. Hee performes them yet not in that very kinde wherein the soule expects 2. In generall promises to the Church the time of performance must bee left to God 3. God performes to his but then they must live uprightly and keep their covenant not else ibid. The Vses 1. Gods people looke more at the good of a performance then the bare performance it selfe 2. We must not taxe Gods administrations 3. They who breake with God must looke that God break with them pag. 598. 599 God must be left to himselfe for the performing of promises without our mixing of our wits and wills therewith pag. 606 Gods faithfulnesse in keeping promise with us must teach us to bee faithfull to others in keeping promise pag. 607 Gods people ought to bee encouraged thankfull and comforted for the Lords faithfull performing of promises Also humbled for their provoking of God to the contrary pag. 618 H. Heathen stories fall short of those rarities and wonders of the Scriptures pag. 4 Husbands and wives must abhorre câ—rnall reason pag. 220 Humblenesse in Gods way a speciall grace pag. 463 Hypocrites who come with their cost and toyle to God rejected pag. 365 Hypocrites and elect ones differ in the issue of their labours pag. 453 True Humility scornes not to learne of the meanest Teachers pag. 460 Humility alway goes before grace pag. 464 Most Hearers abide in unbeliefe because their hearts were never humbled pag. 466 Humbled soules comforted pag. 469 Hypocrites false grounds in breaking of Gods commands discovered 528. The trickes and wayes whereby they defend it ibid. six or seaven of them The 1. By avoyding their realnesse 2. By avoiding conviction 3. By diminishing the extent 4. By opposing one command to another 5. By false plea of examples 6. By adding of new commands of their owne 7. By cavilling against the strictnesse of Gods ibid to page 531. I. Iewes strangely insensible of God in the middest of all his miracles pag. 4 The truest Iudgement of a mans estate is rather what corruption he wants then gifts which he hath or graces he seemes to have pag. 60 Instances of much folly and indiscretion in the dealings of Christians pag. 213 Irresolution in matter of Religion as dangerous as grosse blindnesse pag. 254 Inferiors if gracious are a great convincement to superiors pag. 288 Inferiors being to deale with superiors must consider what their persons will beare pag. 329 Iudge not rashly of Gods administrations either publicke or personall dispensings of grace with difficulty or ease pag. 376 Iudgement of controversall truths to be ascribed to men of most sincerity who these are pag. 414 Inconstancy and disproportion in mens affections and â—ctions argues falshood pag. 435 Inferiors must not withdraw their service from their superiors if God call them to it 461. Perswasions to it ibid. The Ingredients of a promise serving to inable and improve it 483. five or six of them ibid. Iudgements of God upon carnall and wilfull unbeleevers pag. 494 Intention extension of commands what Vide Extent pag. 521. 522 Inferiors must enquire into the lawfulnesse of their superiors commands and not obey implicitly pag. 524 Inferiors must not follow the commands of superiors to break Gods commands 527. especially the command of the Sabbath ibid. Iudgement of God upon hollow-hearted dispensers with his commands pag. 530 Iordens waters though no Type yet a resemblance of Baptisme pag. 592 Indifferency and neutrality of Spirit worse then open prophanenesse 868. and usually it growes to it ibid. Iesuiticall equivocation to be abhorred and upon what grounds pag. 240 L. Letter of the Scripture not to be wrested against the sense for mens private ends pag. 58 Love and honour of Gods Prophets appeares in this that we obey their voyce Reasons of it pag. 397 Lovers of the Minister in the generall yet concealers of their errors corruptions to be reproved pag. 401 Le ts of faith to bee seriously abhorred five or six of them mentioned pag. 502 Lesser light in faith may yet goe with greater assurance pag. 513 The Law how far it 's strengthened or weakned by the Gospel pag. 523 Le ts of close walking with God to be abhorred 550. eight or nine of them named ibid. Limiters and restrainers of promises are to be reproved 580. Sundry instances ibid. All Le ts of performing the promises of God to be studiously shunned 113. What these are 1. Mistaking of performances 2. Carnality and deadnesse of heart 3. Murmuring 4. Some grosse sinne 5. Limiting of God 6. Errour of the wicked 7. Vnobservance 8. Curiosity or censure with others ibid. M. Miracles serve to convince the soule of the truth of God sealed thereby pag. 5 Miracles how farre ceased uncertaine to us and in Gods hand ibid Ministers must be jealous of the least aspersion to Gods glory to their owne persons or of offence to others by their carriage pag. 58 Man very prone to idolize meanes and to set them up in Gods place pag. 68 Ministers must not abuse their parts to case and pampering of the flesh pag. 75 Markes of fleshly wisedome subdued foure or five See pag. 81. 82. 83. Ministers must bee first in Selfe-deniall It is the true Mortmaine pag. 164. 165. Ministers of all others must abandon carnall reason and that in many things mentioned pag. 215 Magistrates must beware of carnall reason pag. 220 Markes of Selfe defeated to teach us to avoid it 1. Shee is coy and queasie upon reproofe 2. Lazie and slothfull to amend 3. Alway in her extremities 4. Partiall pag. 263 Meane silly persons if godly need not thinke themselves contemptible pag. 289 Masters must chuse their servants by this mark of faithfulnesse pag. 310 Masters must bee Fathers to their Servants 315. Reasons of it 1. They have betaken themselves under their protection 2. They are as children to thee in point of fidelity ibid. Wherein this duty stands 1. In preparation 2. In performance Both in sundry Branches 1. See and adore Providence in ruling thy servant for thee 2. Manage thy servant with thy best skill 3. Give his soule her portion as well as his body 4. Feed his eye by thy example 5. Command in the Lord 6. Impose not violence in lawfull things through excesse 7. Conceale not his painfulnesse 8. Defend him from hurt 9. Carry an equall hand among servants 10. Neglect him not at his departure ibid. 320 Ministers must not count the worke of setling the conscience a slight worke 332. Helpes for the enabling the Minister to it ibid. Exhortation to it both by preparation and practice Rules for it in speciall 1. Discerne mixt sorrow from single and separate them and
above them or her selfe above him all is one she examines nothing by the rule of right going to worke but rests in the deed done yea let what objections will come in their way they are at a point and returne to their owne bent thinking that the children of such prayers and duties cannot perish As those Jewes told Christ of the Master of the Synagogue he deserved he should heale his daughter for his good workes sake But if selfe were as she ought she should come in as that man did and tread himselfe in the dirt Master I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roofe so that in themselves they can feele somewhat to trust too though it be nothing but in the Lords promise bee it never so evident they feele nothing Thirdly the motion of Selfe is eager and violent she wants that inward moover of the spirit 3. Her Violence which should act her by the power of a sweet principle from within and put boote in beame as we say securing her of a good and safe issue of her labour For then she would not put forth her selfe so earnestly and violently by her owne strength but calmely and quietly rest her selfe well satisfied in the comfort of that spirit which can effect her desire and subject her owne endeavours and performances to the spirit of grace As the Prophet Esay telleth those Jewes who strove to overcome their enemies by the aide of forraine confederates Esay 30. your strength is to sit still follow not your own violent motion but trust to the Lord and let your streame runne in his runne softly as the waters of Silâ—e so I say to this violent selfe stand still behold the salvation of God and you shall see your enemies all scattered not by your strength or might but by the power of God We know what strife a man useth in his trade who hath no inward principle of skill to enable him in comparison of a skilfull workeman the one is more painfull then the other but the latter hath more ease in his worke And hence it is that selfe hath so continuall a toile to hold correspondence with grace as fast as corruption rebells shee falls to damming and stopping the course of it but the more she dammes up the passage the higher the waters swell and rise so that she must needs give them some way and course at last and grow weary of resistance whereas the poore soule whose heart is humbled and broken feeles the streame and torrent to be turned another way and so she needs not alway resist and dâ—mme it up because it s prevented by a stronger motion And in truth selfe-violence is no better then selfsloth in this respect for she findes as small fruit of her strife as of her ease neither are blessed when she is lazy she is snared with accusation and when she is satagent and busie shee is discouraged with ill successe the Lord aiming at this that so shee may be weary of her selfe There seemes I grant for the present while selfe keepes her motion a great deale of zeale in selfe performances as one said of himselfe that while he praied out of himselfe he praied with far more zeale passion and expression then when hee praied by the spirit of grace and supplication Selfe being very full and free in her owne element but barren and off the hookes if out of it And this violence may appeare further in the frequency and difficulty of selfe-performances for as wee see where there be fewest good and solid dishes of meate at a table there will bee the more slight ones with their covers upon them as if there were some great matter under so is it with Selfe the lesse substance she hath the more shews shadowes the more pompe and ostentation Mâ—tth 23. Mica 6. The Pharisees and those Hypocrites in Micah were fuller of their traditions washings and clensings offerings of costly and excessive services then the faithfull worshippers who rested rather in a little and good viz to walke humbly and righteously with God then in a world of drosse As a drunkard so long as he can use his tongue and his feete thinkes himselfe sober whereas the truly temperate suspects himselfe at every turne so here selfe lookes at her owne motion not how regular and orderly it is As a boy unskilfull in writing when his hand is led delights still to stir it and to move his hand of himselfe and so blurs and blots more then he writes so selfe will be stirring and doing full of her owne spirit in praying fasting hearing and the like no man can be zealous enough to please her Christ himselfe was not good enough for a selfe-pleasing hypocrite The Lord loves no double diligent ones but those who being led by the spirit of selfedeniall and grace rest themselves upon the power of a promise not to be idle but as abhorring to make more haste then good speed Lastly Self if she be defeated of what she would 4. Her disappointment is sore disquieted and unsetled The greater her heat and violence was in motion the deeper is her discontent if crossed Concerning which I shall have more occasion to speake in the next verse Here only it shall bee sufficient to give a touch of it When Selfe is held off and delaied she falls upon God Oh! what a wofull fruit of all my labour is this that God should so long keepe me from my desires and thus long crosse me hence come cavills against God as if he did them wrong thus to disappoint them selfe is querulous Esay 58. Esâ—y 58. Mal. 3. full of tedious accusations and baskings of her selfe much like one that cannot swimme who yet will beat the waters and this comes partly from presumption and partly from bondage as thinking she should deserve better from God and yet feels all ill within whereas a poore soule being beaten off one way yet feeling a support within girds her selfe the more about and looking at the unchangeable faithfulnesse of God interprets his delaies no otherwise then the Syrophoenician did Christs answers not to be cordiall but trying her faith self-deniall O Lord saith she although thou beatest me off Matth. 15. thou meanest not to reject me for that were contrary to thy office to save the scattered ones of Israel Therefore O Lord here I lye at thy feete if thou kick me away and have no pleasure in me I can say nothing doe with me as thou wilt I am not at mine owne but thy dispose and if it seem good to thy wisdome to deferre me I shall thinke it meeter for the time present then to be satisfied since it s ever best for me to be as thou wilt have me knowing it shall be one day as thou hast promised And surely well may I adde this fourth marke to the former for as selfe hath no bounds of humility and modesty when she is pleased with her duties
pride and will in us which hath hitherto borne sway and defiled both minde and members to the obedience thereof as fearing to crosse her and let us at last bee confounded for it If Iob were so how much more need had wee Chap. 42.4 And seeing it hath ever misled us let us crosse it abhorre it and give up our selves to the rule and authority of the Lord Jesus He is our sole King who must rule he will teach us to chuse will and affect love loath feare abhorre nothing but which shall be for our good Be ruled by him and he will destroy Athalia the usurper and set up the true heire and the land shall have rest Otherwise if we finally hold our owne against him he will doe that in wrath which he would have done in love and have his will of us in hell and suffering who could not get it in obeying For every one that contends with him in judgement Esay 54. end he shall most righteously condemne And so much for the coherence Now I come to the words themselves of this thirteenth Verse You may remember beloved the Analyse I gave you of the contents in this Verse and the order thereof First as you know I beganne with the attemptors The first generall head of the verse the attemptors these servants of Naaman in whom I considered First that speciall duty of loyall faithfulnesse to their Masters soule and body and the welfare of both This I call the duty they stood bound unto by vertue of their relation Sutable whereto was his commendation in a due respect and tendernesse towards them as a father towards children Father say they if the Prophet c. The word I grant is generally a tearme of reverence howbeit here the realnesse of their faithfulnesse shews that there was more in it They carried a filiall subjection towards him as to a father of peculiar honor account with them No children could have more faithfully demeaned themselves to their naturall Parent then these servants did to Naaman For why Opening of this ground of the servants fidelity they observing the scope of their Masters journey to bee weighty an object of great expectation to their Master and seeing him now through his distemper to take a course contrary to his owne designes yea thereby being ready to renounce the meanes of his welfare by a meere tetch and pritch against the Prophet What doe they Most faithfully set themselves to procure a redresse of this error as foreseeing it like to be sad and remedilesse except prevented in time And this they do with some earnestnesse seeing the case so to require that is they oppose him in his mood and humors seeke to rectifie them and breed a good opinion of the Prophet in him that so he might obey the message recover the cure and turne from his wilfull purpose of a wrathfull departure This will better appeare if we conceive that which some servants yea the most would have done in this case Surely to demerit their Master to humour him in his base pangs they would have come to him and said Here is a surly fellow indeed a Prophet who sent for our Master and yet that scornes to speake to him lo he hath sent him a flim flam a tale of a tubbe And what Nobleman of worth could brooke it Come Master let us scorne to attend upon him any longer let us set spurres to our horses and let him goe let him keepe his cure to himselfe If they had said so they might surely have beene welcommer to a man of passion then speaking as they did But the Lord whose the work was put more faithfull and wise thoughts into them then so for the attaining of his ends Doctrine Servants must be faithfull to their Masters both for body and soule The point then is this Servants must be loyall and faithfull to their Masters and procure their good both spirituall and outward for conscience sake I am now entring upon a point of morall nature yet of speciall use and importance for the instruction of this condition of people which seeing I am fallen upon though besides my scope of this text yet I will labour to open unto you as God shall give me grace ere I come to those other points more suting to my purpose Marke it then The dutie of servants in speciall is faithfulnesse to their governours of both sexes to whom they belong Every servant should count himself as an Onesimus in name and deed to his Philemon Philem. 11. usefull in all respects but especially in faithfulnesse That which once the Duke of Medina generall to the King of Spaines his fleet against England in eighty eight spake basely each servant should speake out of conscience For being asked by one what his meaning was to do with the English in case he got the day whether he would not spare the Catholicke party he answered he would neither spare one nor other but make way for his Master A speech of a very wickedly faithfull servant But a good servant must say so I am for my Master that is my scope So their Master fare well though they have an ill word and have small thanke yea sometime by himselfe for flatterers for a time finde more favour then faithfull ones yet they must still bee faithfull Reasons and proofes are these Reason 1 First reason It is an honourable thing to be a servant and bee put in trust by a Master To be trusted by our betters is honourable therefore he must be faithfull else it were more slavish and treacherous When Ioseph was tempted to unfaithfulnesse in a high degree his argument of disswasive best he could use to an heathen was My Master met with me a stranger and boughr me yet hath betrusted me with all he hath he knoweth of nothing of all under mine hand Gen. 39.8.9 he hath forbidden me nothing save thee and shall I play the traytor with him in this No. The trade of a servant in each kind is a stewardship no servant is so silly but is or may be in case to bee trusted with more or lesse that way Now it is required of each steward that hee be faithfull 1 Cor. 3.2 not that all servants are equally betrusted yet none are so ill trusted but if they despise conscience both the life and state of their Master more or lesse may lye at their curtesie As one said of a traitor who so despiseth his owne life may easily be Master of anothers They are supposed faithfull not suspected If they be false what may not they attempt Chastity of wife of daughter welfare and safety of sonne wealth and estate of Master name credit and content of all And should such an one bee faithlesse and not faithfull No verily except one maine sinew of society among men should bee cut in sunder Some servants are I grant more interessed in their Masters then others Merchants Factors
out of Christs Schoole a true servant of Christ faithfull to him out of love for love for reconciliation for pardon for peace for grace will be faithfull for his sake to a Master be he good be he bad why Because the maine fidelity of heart to God will first bind him to the Lord Jesus in what charge soever he betrust him As if the Lord Jesus say to a Minister I have loved thee made thee faithfull and put thee into my service I now will have thee declare thy faithfulnesse to me in feeding my sheepe and lambes Joh. 21. A Minister will doe it for the love hee beares Christ So a wife for the love shee hath found from Christ will be subject a child will bee dutifull so a servant faithfull The influence which this love hath in it carrieth an instinct into the soule for every service let God appoint the worke the love of Christ shall be the compeller to faithfulnesse whether negative not to filch not to be uncleane not to answer againe not to be untrusty or affirmative viz. to be reverend chaste true painfull trusty I say out of the Schoole of Christ this must proceed Hence it was that Ioseph Gen. 39.9 sollicited to unchastenesse with his Mistresse presently had his hand upon this hilt How shall I doe this and sinne against God His Master was absent he might have abused him and he ignorant who hurt him but Ioseph had another tye he had conscience and peace to forfeit hee had another Masters worke to looke at and better wages to lose and therefore this peace ruled him and he durst not for his soule if all pleasure profit ease and rewards in the world had been offered have attempted such unfaithfulnesse Learne yee Masters in whom your greatest strength with servants lies not in your awe feares rewards or punishments all your succours must come from a deeper tye you must be beholding for all the faithfulnesse of servants to their God and their conscience Tye them there and you have them bound for bursting else a wet eele is as easily held by the tail as such servants when they see their opportunity Hence is that triumph of Paul about Onesimus Oh! faith he I have begotten him in my chaines and now I send him backe to thee Philem. 11. no filcher or fugitive but profitable to mee and thee one that now may be trusted This is the first main thing without this I would wish no Master to trust a servant further then he sees him let his shewes be never so great Secondly 2. Grace adds all qualifications to a servant this will produce sundry other qualifications in a servant tending to faithfulnesse Grace only puts wisdome into a servant and gives him a discerning eye to behold God in each ordinance he acknowledges a divinity a finger of providence in the severall relations of the family 1. Wisdome to consider the Lord as the ordainer of all relations for great and weighty ends A common servant makes wash way of his service lookes at his Master for his owne ends lookes at himselfe his abilities But he lookes not so farre as to see God the ordainer of relations For if he did this would infuse other principles as awe feare humility c. For why It is God who hath so ordered it for the good of a Kingdome Common-wealth Church that there should be superiours inferiours some meane ones to be trained for time to come to beare rule others superiours men of ability worldly employments trades dealings offices who also have need of inferiours to be their hands and instruments to act and manage for them those businesses which they cannot performe themselves And not onely so but also it is from God that the one is set over the other to conveigh infuse such skill art and knowledge of trades and services as the inferiour hath not that so by tradition these skills and gifts may be delivered from one to another and from the same God it is that the inferiour and ignorant should subject himselfe to that end with all dexterity diligence and faithfulnesse When once this is understood that it is God and not man who hath devised this course not onely in the greatest government of Princes or Magistrates for they have their servants and officers as he said to Christ Matth. 8.5.6 I my selfe though a Master of an hundred men am under the authority of the Lord President but even of meaner authority of ordinary Tradesmen whether publicke or private ingenuous or manuall civill or ecclesiasticall spirituall or bodily still the same God is the wise orderer and disposer of all Oh! this thought yokes and subdues the soule to a wise holy and subject esteeme of government and a setting it up in the spirit as an inviolable ordinance of God not to be dallied with or prophaned Rom. 1â— 1.2 Prov. 8.15 Matth. 8 As the Apostle saith All authority lesse or more is from God By him Princes rule and by the same Officers obey Masters command doe goe come servants are subject and at their beck Why Because they discerne a Soveraignty in the ordinance in the superiour awing ruling subduing the spirits of inferiours in the other fearing adoring and reverencing God in man Hence David It is the Lord which maketh the people subject to me They rebelled often but the Lord not Davids armes nor Ioabs sword brought them backe to subjection So that he who disobeyes a Prince a Magistrate Minister Master disobeyeth not man but God and ye ought not to obey for terror and punishment Rom. 13.4.5 but for conscience The very brute creature is subjected to sinfull man by this ordinance and that causes the creature to forget his strength swiftnesse and stomacke and to take bit and bridle and to be subject else who should tame Lions Beares Elephants Horses if they knew their strength Even so this sense of divinenesse in mans government causeth the inferiours will to forget it selfe and to be subject to God in man So that now although both Master and servant be Religious both free men in Christ yet that is no occasion to flesh to withdraw duty and to turne inferiority to equality but to acknowledge God in the most loving familiar and curteous governour and if the Master be lewd and a divell to the servant who is godly yet he beholds in him that sacred hand of God who hath bound his spirit to awe and reverence not to a man for vantage but to God for conscience So much for the second Thirdly this produces a marvellous gift in a servant 3. It produces subjâ—ction of spirit in an inferiour still more procuring faithfulnesse and that is subjection of spirit Divine authority creates subjection in the servants spirit and that consists of these two things First selfe-deniall Secondly serviceablenesse In two things 1. Selfe-deniall 2. Serviceablenesse For the first It is not the state of an inferiour which can
good should draw thine affection to be for them True it is servants are not as children in point of naturalnesse and neerenesse for the child abides in the house for ever but the servant only for a time yet during that time he pleades for fatherhood and regard from thee so farre as is meet Quest But wherein stands this duty of Masters toward them Answ Briefly in these things First in a preparation Secondly in a performance 1. Preparation Behold God in thy servants duty Gen. 35.5 First for the former When thou seest that thy servants heart is subject unto thee and that there is a reall awe and Religious feare of spirit put into him by God for thine advantage and that as it is said of the Nations when Iaacob went to Luz the Lord smites a trembling at the ordinance of government Thy duty is to behold God in this worke to see thine owne basenesse and to say who am I that thou shouldest subject the wills of men unto so sinfull a creature as I am It is not my worth authority or carriage which could claime that esteeme and service which my servants tender unto me It is thou O Lord that subduest my people unto me In me there is nothing but might breed disdaine and despising as well as reverence But thou hast covered my uncomely parts by the honour of thine ordinance Oh! that this might draw my soule in subjection and awe under thee Eph. 3.15 who art the father of whom all the families of the earth are called Oh that I could tremble at thy greatnesse Oh! that as thou hidest from my cretaures their owne strength and parts that they might be wholly under mine authority so I might remember that I am under thee far more absolutely then a creature can be under mine Oh! that I might not feele mine owne parts strength wisdome welfare but feele thy feare upon mine heart as a bridle to awe and to restraine me from any boldnesse or loosenesse before thee Lord I never see awe and feare in my inferiours to me-ward but presently I conceive thou art in it to reflect a greater awe of my heart toward thy selfe For every Kingdome and rule in this world from a King to an housholder is under a greater Oh! let not my servant rise up in judgement and condemne me in that hee could behold that in a sinfull peece of flesh which could subdue him but I could never see that lustre and glory that mercy and love in thee which should draw and subdue my heart to thy selfe and set thee up so therein that my selfe might bee as nothing Psal 73.27 that I might say Whom have I in heaven but thee or in earth like thee By this meditation with praier prepare thy selfe first and then the duty will follow the better 2. Performance 1. Yeeld fatherly respect to thy servant Secondly having thus first given up thy selfe to God give thy selfe also to the duty of fatherly and due respect to thy servants and let not thine heart checke thee for any such wilfull neglect of them as might cause the Lord to punish it in thy selfe Even thy very diet lodging and care of the body must be good Thy horse thou wilt sometimes attend busily and carefully because thou wouldest have him serviceable and loath he should faile thee even so looke what thou wouldest have thy servant toward thy selfe that utter by the managing his spirit and framing of him for thy use The Masters eye makes the fat horse and his care the good servant This generall branch out to thy selfe in these particulars First be sure that as thou thy self lookest daily Tender to him his share in spirituall instruction for the bread of the day from God so tender thou as thy servants steward the demensum or portion due to thy servant daily let him share in thine instruction catechising and information in the Lord with correction and reproofe warnings and admonitions encouragements and promises let him not goe up and downe shifting and gracelesse give him such as the Lord hath given thee with praier for blessing daily and know that this is as meete for him as his daily food or wages better unfed then untaught Trust not thine owne wisdome but carry him in thine armes to God and pray the Lord to wash him shave off his locks and pare his nailes to make him faithfull to lay his hands upon him and blesse him that so thou maiest have a servant of the maker purged and made usefull for himselfe and thee When thou hast him tyed to thee by Gods cords he is safe This whet every day will be no let unto thee Secondly feed him not onely by the eare but by the eye Feed him by the eare and eye too pull not down that in practice by an humorous passionate base and ungracious carriage which thou hast set up in him by teaching for this will make him loath thee and despise it But tender unto him an holy grave and pure example walke before him so that Gods authority may appeare in thee Stand not so much upon thy superiority of fatherhood over him as wisdome and respect unto him Above all as Salomon saith over heare not thy servant when he speakes evill of thee that is let him see that thou art a man who can rule thy passions for thy selfe canst tell that thou hast oft offended God in that kinde This convincingnesse of thy carriage will breed invincible reverence and reflection of obedience toward thee againe See that thy servant despise thee not This will command reverence Contrarily the heart of a servant will suggest thus if thou walke basely what is matter how I serve such a Master What if I filch from him neglect his worke speake evill of him and dishonour him runne away from him It is good enough for him God is just But holy walking awes a servant overpowres his heart shames him makes him blush and puts him to silence This is powerfull not by violence but by perswasion both in sight and behinde thy back Thirdly Looke to thy authority 1. In charges bee carefull both of thy authority in commanding and in practising For the former impose nothing upon thy servant which the Lord hath not warranted thee by his word Bee not so vile as to digest any thing so thou maiest have thy worke and thy will done by him Be thou thy selfe also under authority and be a Master in the Lord. Thou hast enough to answer for thy selfe endanger not his soule also to make thine account more grievous Stretch not thy conscience to pervert his urge him not to breake Sabbaths send him not upon errands that day as if it were loose and might be spared fleece not from God presse him not to make a lye for thee to sweare or forsweare for thy sake and the like carry him not with the to base lewd companies pleasures lusts 2. For practise So for practice Ye
with a love farre above whatsoever a friend an husband a father a guardian can affect the persons of their friends wives children or orphans If the love which they utter bee greater must not the duty of love be so which they owe them So then God will have the people to tender esteem and honour the Minister It s a charge which no time no prescription can alter Reason 2 Secondly as they are thus to embrace him for his very message sake and the honour of his calling So also in respect of the outward service he performeth as man to man Who goeth to warfare upon his owne charge Who can attend the word and the world too Should they that serve at the altar and attend to reading be compelled to forsake their places and play the drudges Plow and sow runnâ— to mill with their sacks and to market with their wallets to get in their owne provision Shall Gods annointed ones upon whose head the oile of the consecration of their God hath beene laid and are separated from men to the use of God and the service of his Church returne to bee common worldlings trade and trafficke in earthly affaires all the weeke long and on the Sabbath with prophane hands attempt holy things Is is not meet that the be borne out of all other charges See Heb. 13.17 that they may closely attend to Gods worke unto which who is sufficient Yes verily Shall shepheards souldiers watchmen Embassadours all need their support for their travell and shall a Minister be left to his owne charge Were it for the Kings honour to send his Embassadour to Venice and there to leave him so destitute of meanes and provision that he should be compelled to turne Merchant or Factor to maintaine himselfe What basenesse were that Should hee worke with his own hands as Paul who therefore made tents because he needed neither study nor provision How dishonourable were it Read that choice Text for this Heb. 15.27 Thirdly the Minister of God his maine worke is the saving of the Reason 3 soules of those that heare him to turne people to the living God 1 Tim ult Act. 26.8 from their Idolls to beget them to God to convert them to travell of them a new till Christ be formed in them to marry them first and after to present them as a pure virgin to the Lord Jesus to beare them upon his shoulders to heale them of their diseases to keepe them from the Wolfe Lion and Beare to comfort them at the heart and to declare unto them their righteousnesse with a thousand such like spirituall offices and can any affection love cost maintenance equall that tender regard of a Minister of the eternall soules of Gods people No verily Nay not so only but they are sacred pledges of the peoples welfare Reason 4 that so long as they abide among them they carry them as under the safe conduct and banner of God The fire shall not burne them nor waters drowne them nor wrath of God consume them While Moses and Aaron were among the Israelites with their mediation betweene God and the people carrying Gods gifts downe to them and their prayers and sacrifices up to him how safe were they While Noah that Preacher of righteousnesse lived upon earth what waters could hurt it Was it drowned till hee was taken into the Arke They are even the hostages of safety to their people Those that stand in the gap and lye in ambush for them howling betweene porch and altar for them Spare thy people O Lord whom thou hast bought Joel 2. Numb 14.15.16 What shall the heathen say saith Moses if thou bring thy people into the wildernesse to destroy them Such advocates and impleaders are they at the barre of heaven for their welfare They are the Dogs of the great Shepherds flocke to shelter them from the wild beasts of Heresie Schisme Prophanenesse and Atheisme and from vengeance provoked thereby They with their Censors stand between the dead and the living to stay the plague They are the pillars to hold up and hold forth the truth of God and to preserve it incorrupt and unspotted till the comming of Christ They are the Swords and Axes of God to cut downe and destroy the wicked and enemies of the Church that mouth of Christ out of which the sword of two edges proceeds either to defend or destroy They are as Abrahams Iobs Samuels and Daniels great stakes props to uphold the great building and frame of the Church as they said to David Thou art worth tenne thousand of us So are these if they be such as they ought persons pickt out one of a thousand 2 Sâ—m 18.3 And shall not this honour of theirs procure them love and honour at their peoples hands deservedly Yes without question Not as though all they can returne can equall the cost and worth of the Ministers labours Philem. 8. for the worke of conversion deserves the returne of the soule in thanks but to declare the obedience of their heart to him that commands it and the thanks which they inwardly beare and would testifie in a far other kinde if it were in their power Psal 16.2 And lastly that the due which in deed wee owe to God save that our goodnesse cannot reach him may in the descent of it fall upon his Minister whom he hath made his instrument of doing good and his Attorney to receive our acknowledgement The reward is rather an honourable then an equall recompence So for Reasons Proofes Gal 6.6 1 Cor. 7.9 The Scripture is plentifull of proofs for it Let him saith Paul that is taught in the word communicate to him that teacheth him in all good things And the same Apostle purposely handling the point Doth any man plow and sow or plant and not looke to eat of the fruit thereof Doth not the Law meaning the perpetuall equity of it say Thou shalt not muzle the mouth of the oxe which treadeth out the corne And he that serveth at the Altar must live upon the Altar Doth God take care for oxen or saith he it altogether for our sakes Surely for ours that he who soweth in hope should thresh also and bee partaker of it If a man should sow wheat in his field would he not looke at least to reap a crop answerable to rye or barley If we sow spirituall things is it wonder if we receive carnall So also againe he implieth in Rom. 19 15. That they deserve speciall entertainment in a speciall kinde as one who brings news of an inheritance out of a far Country Beautifull are the feet of them that bring glad tidings though dirty and dusty yet deserve washing and annointing How much more they who bring the Gospel to the people of God and say to Zion Thy God raigneth And our Saviour addeth Matth. 10. The labourer is worthy his hire not welcome only but maintenance also He that receiveth you receiveth me and he
mocked It behooves us to hope the best of all whom we cannot convince of the contrary But except this principle be ingrafted first all other shewes will vanish and a false heart must one way or other bewray her selfe This open sincere heart is the best present for a Preacher and that which will doe great things if need be as Naaman was here ready to do It saith to the Minister there is mine heart take that in pawn and the rest will follow But an iron close hollow heart is poison to a Minister The Jesuits begged of King Henry the fourth of France that he would bequeath them his heart in token of his esteeme which they keep in a golden cup in one of their Chappell 's Let us doe so to the Minister of Christ and as I said let not Fryers and Jesuits prevaile more with their votaries for their hearts then faithfull messengers from heaven with their people That which is well for the present among us brethren I commend If the Gospel had not some friends it could not be so well as it is onely take heed that bad times eclipse it not But I speake as I doe because daies of peace are not as daies of trouble among some good hearts of sincerity many are hollow and the best may amend and learne to bee confirmed to doe that they doe upon grounds of conscience And I desire the Lord that without prejudice wee might heare this truth and receive it Aske thine heart whence is it that my affections are so blunt and dead towards Gods Minister The more I am loved the lesse I love 2 Cor. 12.15 What Did his message never pierce my soule Did it never convince me to be a ranke enemy of God by nature That the wrath or favour of the Almighty was my life or death Did it never convince me of this that the Lord Jehovah hath in the bloud of his owne sonne devised offered sealed up a reconciliation and that for me Alas what wonder if the hearth of that Altar be cold whereon Gods fire was never kindled O Lord work the sense of the message of immortality and life in me by the Spirit of grace and then I shall behold the honour and worth of thy Minister with a spirituall eye and that common base judgement of the world shall vanish Then shall his feet be beautifull his face and voice pretious and his love above the love of any earthly object Job 33. Then shall I call him with Elihu one of a thousand For where one Minister cares for reconciliation himselfe or teacheth it to others some others doe not so they have the fleece what care they whether men sinke or swim Oh! Now I see it s a rare grace for a Minister to prise a soule to tremble at the losse of it to value it at the price of the bloud of the eternall God and the losse thereof as the spilling of the heart bloud of Christ Oh Lord Didst thou meane a poore soule so well as to give him a part in this bloud And to send me tidings thereof by the messenger of peace thy Minister sealing up that unto me on earth which in heaven thou hast granted me My goodnesse my thanks cannot reach thee but it shall fall upon thy Minister whose blessed voice thou hast caused to sound in mine eares and to convey thy love into my soule I hope I shall not forget such a Levite all my dayes So much for this Use Fourthly and lastly this point is for Instruction to teach us what duty Vse 4 we owe to God himselfe Instruction If we owe the Minister great things what owe we to God himselfe If to the Minister a poore mortall worm we owe such honour and reverence what then owe wee to God himselfe If we should doe great things for the instrument of our peace who is the messenger onely of glad tidings What then owe we to him that is the fountaine of it and him that sends it from heaven to us What should seeme great unto us for such kindnesse How should wee carry our lives liberties soules and selves in our bosomes ready to lay downe for him What cost what price is so great which should part the Lord and us Gen. 23.15 As Ephron said to Abraham touching the price of Machpelah its worth so many shekels of silver but what is that betweene me and thee So should we say Oh what is my best treasure worth Lord in respect of losing thy love and communion God will have his servants do some singular thing for him Some shreds I doubt not we should beteame him what great thing would we doe for him What vertue goes out of us What streames of our love and affection goe to him from whose springs all proceed unto us What singular thing doe we for him who gave his Sonne to save enemies and his Minister to bring us newes of it Servants who attend royall Benefactors love to seale their loyall love by some undeniable exploit and marke of extraordinary service As those worthies of David would breake through an hoast of enemies to fetch him water 2 Sam. 23.15 so great an hazard that David thought it a present meet for God And all to teach us that he whom great things do become to give deserves the greatest from us even the very neglect of life it self if he aske it When I read of the strange adventures of men for the pleasing of their Lords and Commanders methinks it shames us Christians It s recorded of the souldiers of Charles the fifth who hearing that he desired a way to be made for his army over a certaine broad River then beset with the ships of the enemy They put their swords in their mouthes and drew those ships surprised to the shore and conveied over the army in them What was this but for the pleasing of a mortall man But when as one day the soule shall be summoned before God and demanded by the Judge what singular thing hast thou done to put it out of question what love thou bearest to me What a wofull regret will it be when it can bethink it selfe of nothing save shreds and parings We could beteame that God should straine himselfe to a demonstration of some great thing for us If it were to make the Sunne stand still or goe backe ten degrees to worke some miracle or shew some signe from heaven of love to us that it might appeare how great we are in his bookes And we make small account of small blessings which others share in with us who are lesser then the least But what doe we picke out to resalute him withall How doe we curtall him of his ordinary dues rather Gen. 22.2 as thinking much of that The Lord bad Abraham do a great thing for him even kill his son and he was ready to do it and the Lord said Now I know that thou lovest me indeed But if he should put us to
of all thy former delights cast them all at Gods feet and thy selfe upon his promise But thou wilt aske me How shall I thus throw my selfe upon it To cast the soule upon the promise whaâ— it is I answer doe these three things First take the due estimate of the promise and that is done by minding pondering familiarizing with it By minding it I meane a marking of it an heeding of it as a thing of no ordinary excellency Count it as thou wouldest the chaire of Estate which thou bowest unto as representing the Kings person So doth the promise it s the chamber of presence in which God discovers himselfe the royall Chaire which carries State in it when thou beholdest it behold in it the Majesty of God Esay 26.10 which no hypocrite can see in it It s hidden from his eye but to a beleever set by God in the clift of the rocke Exod. 34.6 thence to see the glory of God his graciousnesse and to heare all his good proclaimed to such an one the promise is of a most eminent excellency Deut. 32. end full of all the fulnesse of God Slight it not therefore but set thy marke upon it Secondly ponder it as Mary did weigh well the contents of it the blessed consequences of beleeving Take to consideration the worth of the pearle Luke 1.29 and treasure hid in the field as that wise Merchant did Matth. 12.44 It s as the applying of Ebed melecs rags under Ieremies armeholes Jer. 38.11 that he might be drawne out with ease Meditation is an heavenly trading of the soule in her thoughts and affections with Gods matters till the soule clapse with them Psal 119. Thirdly make the promise familiar by this means Draw thine heart to it make it thy familiar friend and counsellor to passe all thy matters for thee and in all thy doubts consult with it and let that give sentence And having received it esteem the words of the mouth of it as Iob did Job 23.12 above thy appointed food powre all into the bosome of it as thou wouldst powre out the symptomes of thy disease into the bosome of thy Physitian or a child all her griefes losses and sorrows into the lap of a tender mother Thou shalt fare better by a promise then they shall doe at their hands This is the first direction Secondly be under the authority and evidence of a promise and be convinced by it that it s thine that all before said of the strength wisdome other properties of a promise do belong to thee as really and are put into it by God that thou mightst have thy part in them See clearly as in a mirror that God intends all to thy selfe and as in the Covenant more generally so in the Seales more particularly As Laban seeing how strangely things went Gen. 24 50. said We can say neither more nor lesse but Gods finger is here it must be a match This is the work of the Spirit of the promise alway assisting it and telling the soule under the Condition Doubtlesse thou art the party whom God means to save Ester 6.6 As Haman said whom should the King mean save me So shalt thou say but much more warrantably If God had not indeed meant me well he would never have so convinced me and set me on ground that I should have nothing to gainsay The Judge on the bench saw not the theefe steale but by the sworne evidences of witnesses he is so convinced in himselfe that he reads sentence without question by this meanes the soule brings out Gods cloake staffe and signet as his pledges left in her hand to assure her of his good meaning toward her Gen. 38.25 Thirdly claspe unto and with the promise cleave unto it to bee rid of all thy annoyances at once Once convinced of the promise and ever fastned to it And this cleaving to it is that worke which immediately causeth the consent and obedience of the soule unto it to cast it self upon the promise open it thus The soule in the act of beleeving is sollicited by Satan and unbeleefe to give over and returne to folly But the promise pressing in perswades her to beleeve and renounce her old distempers The soule in this demurre consults with herselfe thus If I goe backward I perish irrecoverably If I go forward I see difficulty yet hope What then shall I doe Surely I cannot be worse then I am I must dye however in not beleeving but in beleeving I may live Therefore I will cast my self upon the promise and live A man will doe thus naturally though he have no promise Thus did those 9. lepers 2 King 3. only upon an hazard they cast themselves upon the army of the Aramites Why Because they were sure to dye in the City So the poore soule giving herselfe for dead puts her life in her hand and saith worse then dead I cannot be better I may be by a promise Nay if God be true I shall be and therefore I will venture my soule and jeopard all upon Gods faithfulnesse if I perish I perish in the armes of a promise not in Satans clawes and by my unbeleefe In this strife of the soule the Spirit doth lay in such strong weights of perswasion against the disswasives of corruption that the soule finally is overruled and so consents and obeyes to cast herselfe upon the sure bottome of a promise for pardon and life By these directions thou maist helpe thy selfe in this weighty worke but because the heart is dull upon the spurre Motives to Faith let me adde a few motives to quicken thee Let one be this Remember first that this will be the issue of Gods enquiry at his comming to judgement Secondly that by this resigning up the soule to God the greatest honour is done to him which by a mortall creature can be Thirdly that all such in the day of the Lord shall be most glorious Fourthly that the greatest wrath and vengeance shall light upon the heads of unbeleevers Fifthly that this being the rarest grace of all others in the world is therefore worth our chiefest endeavour Of these and the like I purpose God willing to treat of the next Lecture Now for the present having exceeded our ordinary bounds we will desist here Let us pray THE EIGHTEENTH LECTVRE continued upon the 14. VERSE VERSE XIV Then he went downe and washed himselfe seven times in Iorden and his flesh came againe as the flesh of a little child and he was cleane AT the end of the last Exercise Brethren I began to finish the first and maine Branch of Exhortation raised from this act of Faith to cast the soule upon the promise To the which end I added to the directions for the duty certaine motives time giving leave onely to name such as came to minde I have referred the briefe touching of them in severall to this occasion Motive 1 Let the first if
conditions in point of reproving thee impartially then the meanest If he do his duty faithfully turne not away in a fume scare him not with thy lookes change not thine heart to him nor thinke his love lesse towards thee therefore rather rejoice that God hath given thee so faithfull an overseer which few such have the happinesse to injoy much lesse play thy parts with God in this kinde but subject thy selfe to the authority of the promise as humbly as the meanest he hath little to take to upon earth and all thou hast cannot helpe thee without the good will of him that dwelt in the bush God hath chaines for Princes Psal 149.8 Act. 17.11 Deny thy selfe cleave to the bare truth of the promise try it as well as thou wilt as those noble Beraeans did but when thou hast done seeke no other way to heaven save it Heaven lies no more open to a Noble mans performances and merits then a pezants all were digged out of one rocke therefore count it thy Nobility to give God his honour by beleeving and count it more presumptuous to affront him in point of his honour then any mans affronting thee there is but one way for thee and the poorest to heaven cleave to it with an heart as low as the poorest God will count more highly of a great little heart then a small little one and stoope to this point in hand also David never got such interest in Gods affections by his Crowne as by his poverty of spirit Inure thy selfe to take a defeat from God without rage yea unkindnesse An Emperour for his Crowne could stand bare foote at the gate of a base Pope till he released him and shalt thou thinke much to cast thy coronet at the feet of this Emperour Oh! waite even thou at the gates of God unweariedly and although it be long ere he heare thee and although Self in thee would swell yet beat it down wait still till the Lord send thee away with Naamans answer Consider if thou turn away with him from God whither shalt thou go Shall hy wealth and honour save one whom God will not save Or could all Naamans honour at home have healed his leprosie Came not that from another friend And thinke what a sad confusion he had found it if he had humored himselfe in this distemper finally Oh! as tickling as it was now it had stung him after as a serpent and so shall thine doe thee if the Lord prevent it not for thee by counsell as he did for him whereof in the next verse God willing we shall treate more fully Branch 2 And in a word that which I would say in generall to all is this Try your selves well in your selfe-defeats Try thy selfe how the defeating of Selfe worketh with thee whether Satan mixe himselfe with them to enflame corruption and to make sinne out of measure sinfull or whether they come onely from within our selves If it be from Satan stirring up rebellion then the spirit of Grace may neverthelesse be at worke and may prevaile thereby in time to cast out Satan and to subdue the soule to selfe-deniall and patient waiting for why The impression is violent and contrary to that spirit which guideth thee Therefore thou shalt finde it yrkesome to thee unwelcome and wearisome thou wilt not harbour it but reject it and imbrace the defeats of Selfe as Paul did till the Lord satisfie thy desires But if thou feele that this discontent proceed from meere corruption then know that God calls thee to so much the more abhorring of thine owne way and will and to say Note well alas what is the salvation of a poore worme a gnat to that infinite glory which God seekes to himselfe in his owne holy way What if I lose heaven in mine owne way so I may have it in his way yea any way Phil. 3. Yea she shall wish she had Pauls strength to become Anathema so that Gods wisdome might be exalted I say thou hadst need entreat the Lord so farre to reveale unto thee the holinesse the equity of his wise way that in respect thereof thou maist stinke in thine owne nostrills Oh doe so chuse to goe to heaven with the forfeit of thine owne dearest eies hands and feet rather then goe to hell for so would Selfe with them Matth. 18.8 Say thus I would wash seventy seven times in thy Jorden to crosse my selfe Lord rather then turne from washing seven times to crosse thy command I would with Paul attaine to the resurrection of the dead by any means whatsoever rather then faile of it through good report and bad through as many disasters as Paul chose to passe rather then he would not fulfill his Apostleship would I â—huse to goe rather then lose my desire through poverty losse of friends shipwracke persecutions hunger stoning nakednesse yea Self and all though defeated of her hopes And so much shall suffice for this verse use doctrine and time Let us pray c. THE TENTH LECTVRE upon the thirteenth Verse following VERSE XIII And his servants came neere and said unto him Father if the Prophet had bidden thee doe some great thing wouldest not thou have done it How much more then when he saith unto thee Wash and be clean VERSE 14. Then he went downe to Iorden and dipped himselfe seven times c. YOU may remember beloved that in our entrance upon this Scripture we devided it into foure parts 2 Kings Elisha's message Naamans entertainment of it Transition to the 13. verse The servants attempt And the issue thereof both immediate consequent Two of these are already finished through Gods providence The other two remaine At this time therefore by the same assistance I am to proceed to the third generall viz. The attempt of the servants of Naaman for these the Lord chose to use for the rectifying and restoring of their distempered Master rather then the Prophet through the prejudice of Naaman and how the Lord inspired them with wisdome to give an onset at this dead lift upon their Master to disswade him from doing that which he rashly purposed to wit to depart without his cure And this attempt of theirs is set before our eies in this thirteenth verse The method and parts of it two 1. The coherence 2. The matter in 3. things wherein two generalls are to be noted First how this verse hangs upon the former Secondly the substance of matter contained in it For the former I passe it by till I enter upon it presently For the latter it consists in three points First we have the persons attempting the servants of Naaman Secondly the attempt it selfe Thirdly the inducements which they use to perswade him In the persons observe two things First the relative duty wherein each is bound to other I meane they to him and he to them Secondly their wise and religious carriage towards him as one out of the way and that
in three things First in their reverence Secondly their mercy and tendernesse Thirdly thir seasonablenesse The attempt it selfe followeth wherein with their advising him to obey they secretly taxe his selfe-love The third generall containes the inducements whereby they perswade as first the easinesse to obey the second from his love and respect to the Prophet the third from the Prophets integrity the fourth from comparison of the greater to the lesse All the which points what they containe in them we shall God willing as they come to hand propound open and enlarge so farre as our weaknesse through his grace shall permit us 1. Point of coherence handled Not to repeat any thing then of former things let us come to the first of the two generalls that is the coherence In which two particulars are contained The former is how different Naamans case is in this verse from that wherein the former presents him to us The point will better arise when we have opened it Opening of the point as the text affords it For hitherto especially in the two verses before we have seen Naaman very unhappy in his proceeding First in his wrong assaying of the King of Israel Secondly in his bootlesse attendance at the doore of Elisha Thirdly In his rejecting the message wherein both the way and the successe of his cure was tendred unto him In speciall we have seene the prejudice of his owne heart preventing all taste and liking of the message Then we have seene his carnall shifts wherein he hath taken pleasure for the confirming of himselfe in his error Lastly we have seene him fall to play the foole and mad man wallowing in his bloud and foaming out his owne shame in pride and rage All which laid together present unto us a man wholly wedded to himselfe and foole-hardy to get out of those armes of mercy which had offered themselves to him for better ends then he would acknowledge fighting and struggling against that good which yet himselfe pretended to seeke And now who is there that lookes with no other then a mans eie beholding Naaman in this pickle and misery but would be ready to passe sentence upon him and give him as gone who is there that seeing one deadly sicke tumbling in his bed without ease and throwing the potion in the Physitians face or against the walles would not say this man is but a dead man he is past cure Even so is it here with Naaman If God were as man or as willing to turne away in a rage from man as man is from God how should he chuse but perish But here is the wonder Naamans cavilling against mercy provokes mercy to so much the more pitty his winding and wrestling with Gods armes to get out drawes these armes closer together to enclose him in them If God were as man then were man forlorne And now between cup and lip in this narrow necke of despaire mercy comes in and disputes for him who disputed against it selfe saying poore wretch whither wouldest thou goe from this mercy offered thee I see better then thou that to yeeld to thy will were to leave thee to sorrow but when all is done mercy must heale thee and therefore call thy selfe to better consideration Let all thy rebellions become as so many shamings and tamings of thee for thy folly humble thy selfe so much the more deeply by how much the more thou hast disguised thy selfe and let thy sinne be thy sorrow Lo here I reach out cords unto thee of perswasion made of many twists the counsell of thy servants about thee whom I have made wiser then thy selfe that thou mightest come a little lower in thine own sight and at last become a fool that thou mightest be wise And to conclude I have put strength into their counsell and perswasion into their arguments and authority into their obedience Lay hold therefore of this my strength make peace and recover health and cure of soule and body from the disease of the one and distemper of the other and goe to Jorden wash and be cleane This mercifull assistance the Lord through this verse holds forth to Naaman And what comes all this unto Surely to this issue That looke whom the Lord hath once cast love upon according to his good pleasure and the purpose of calling home the same Lord will so fasten upon and hold close to himselfe whatsoever outward discouragements inward oppositions and resistances come in the way to hinder it till by the irresistible might of his power he have brought them on shore past all danger Let the first point then be this whom God hath begunne with in preventing Doct. 1 grace he will proceed with by assisting grace Whom God hath graciously prevented he will also assist powerfully to proceed till the worke of grace be perfected Let us see some texts and some reasons of it and so come to the use First for reasons in a word the maine is that God knoweth who are his by their names And hee will not lose his owne worke he will adde to that which he hath done rather then undoe it by detracting from it All his workes are perfect hee leaves nothing by halfes that were to dishonour himself Goe no further then Naamans example here God had already prevented him and brought him fairely towards both cure and conversion Now if he had left him in the briars of his owne difficulties and suffered the prevention to come to nothing what a crossing should this have beene to his ends He who prevents that he might assist will not faile of his purpose Moses tells the Lord Deut. 9.28 that if he ceased now to goe with his people the heathens would blaspheme his name and say It was because he could not bring him through the vast wildernesse and so the glory of his prevention had been lost God then having foreknowledge power wisdome and faithfulnesse enough to serve his own glorious ends how absurd were it to think that any thing could crosse them either from without or from within no enemy no danger shall hinder the assistance of grace from that soule which hath beene prevented once thereby Other reasons will appeare in the answer of a question by and by Briefly then for Scriptures Compare first Exod. 5.21 with 6.1 Proofes of the Doctrine Exod. 5.21 and 12.31 The Lord meant the deliverance of Israel both outward and spirituall by the hand of Moses He had already and long prevented them by the glad tidings thereof and the expectation of it But so it fell out that in the attempt thereof matters went very crosse and awry as appeares by the text for notwithstanding the oft assayes of Pharaoh yet he held them off with delayes and the plagues being staid the bondage continued his heart hardned more and he would not let them goe Nay more those very instruments in whom next to God their confidence was Moses and Aaron rather occasioned their greater misery