the rage of the fire so that the very garments did not so much as smell of any burning Thus the presence of Christ hach so wonderfully ravished and refreshed the heart of an afficted afflicted Saint that he hath almost forgot his affliction and discovereth not the least soil from it 3. Another Scripture discovery for comfort is to presse and command the life of faith upon Gods promise So that whatsoever the principles of the world and sense do suggest yet faith rectifieth all That finds honey to come out of a dead Lion that can suck honey from a bitter herb when fleshly wisdom and humane reason can go no further yet even then faith can gather sure and firm arguments of comfort David in that great distresse at Ziklag yet is said to encourage himself in his God Paul maketh this the ground of a Christians magnanimity support and joy uuder all tribulations Heb. 11. 1. Because faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen Gods thoughts and our thoughts are wholly different only faith inableth us to know the mind of God and where flesh is ready to say God is casting off and utterly forsaking there faith seeth him drawing near The Disciples in a tempest thought they had seen a Spirit and were affrighted but it was Christ The promise of God and faith applying it do bear up the soul and make it rejoyce in troubles Heb. 6. 18. we have there Gods promise and Gods oath also to confirm it and therefore saith the Apostle We have those two immutable things that we might have strong consolation See there because of Gods promise and that confirmed by an Oath We have a consolation and a strong consolation Strong because the ground of it is strong Gods Word so that it is stronger than mountains it is stronger than Heaven and earth Every creature shall fall to the ground rather than the promise not be made good to thee Again it is a strong consolation because neither the Devils nor his instruments shall be able to overcome it Though therefore thy enemies be strong enemies though thy troubles are strong troubles yet remember here is a strong consolation death it self cannot deprive thee of it if then we walk by faith and not by sense if we live upon these brests of consolation as the Infant doth surely we may then swallow down even deadly and poisonous things yet they shall not do any hurt Because the promise is the same thy heart would alwayes be the fame as the Law is written in thy heart in respect of obedience so let the promise in respect of faith Faith from the Word doth shew carnal reason all the mistakes and false principles it proceedeth upon discovering light in darknesse love in afflictions and life even in death it self Lastly For these bunches of grapes may serve to acquaint you what the Land is eternal glory to be possessed after the troubles vexations and exercises here is able to make the heart to be exceeding glad under all our troubles Thus the Apostle 2 Cor. 4. 16 17. We faint not for this light affliction worketh for us a more exceeding and eternal weight of glory and this is by looking not on the things that are seen but the things that are not seen At another time the godly are commanded to lift up their heads when the day of judgment draweth nigh because their redemption is at hand And 1 Thess 4. 18. after a discourse of our Lords coming and that the godly shall be ever with him they are enjoyned To comfort one another with these things that incomprehensible glory which is provided for us to receive after our sufferings here makes the heart rejoyce while it is in the valley of tears this Haven after our storms this rest after our troubles this Crown after our warfare is that which reviveth the soul and makes it a Naomi while it is a Marah SERM. XL. How God may be said to comfort his children in all their Tribulations though many of them may live very disconsolate 2 COR. 1. 4. Who comforteth us in all our tribulation WE were discussing this third particular in the Text but that one main doubt may present it self the discussing whereof is very usefull in a practical way It is this Seeing Paul speaketh thus generally God comforteth us in all our tribulations doth not this necessarily infer that all the children of God in all straits are full of comfort And if this be so either we must condemn many who in all appearance are the dear children of God for hypocrites and unsound because they have no comfort Yea all divine means have been used and yet they cannot be comforted or else we must question the truth of this Scripture This Text saith God comforteth his in all their tribulations Experience telleth us That many of Gods children are sadly disconsolate or else if their want of comfort be an argument they do not belong to God we shall then passe an uncharitable censure upon those who are every way to be accounted of as precious Saints and that of the first magnitude Let us therefore remove this stumbling block out of the way And First It cannot be denied but that it may be the case not only of a godly person but even an whole Church to be without all comfort that nothing but sorrow and trouble do even devour them all the day long See this true in Jeremiahs Lamentations Chap. 1. 2. Chap. 2. 20 21. The Church there sits in mourning with tears on her cheeks and she hath none to comfort her neither God or man And for a particular person what is clearer than Job whose soul was as full of spiritual botches and sores by sad thoughts as his body was of corporal ones Job 17. 13. When I said my bed shall comfort thou skarest me with dreams c. Job not in his bed a place of rest nor in the night a time of rest can be freed from terrors and fears yea Chap. 9. 27. when he said I will leave off my heavinesse I will comfort my self when he set himself with all holy endeavours to cast off this viper of sorrow yet they did rather increase upon him Yea when he himself cannot remove those mountains of his heart it may be his godly friends may and indeed such spiritual Physicians God doth sometimes blesse for that end But Chap. 21. 34. he telleth them They comfort him in vain none then can deny but there was a time at least when God did not comfort Job in his tribulations We read also of Heman Psal 88. 15. who complaineth That he was distracted with the terrors of the Lord from his youth up he complaineth Gods wrath lay hard upon him that God did afflict him with all his ways yea he prayed he cried and God did hide his face from him So that in all the Psalms there is not a word of comfort no nor of hope or of confidence
of them confess that Paul was peremptorily elected and that we are not to judge of mens ordinary conversion by that which was extraordinary Indeed we grant that many things were wonderfull and extraordinary in Paul's conversion It is not for men now to expect such a Vision and voice from Heaven immediately speaking to them but this we urge That if God could do thus on Paul's heart insuperably and irresistibly working on it making it of unwilling willing and yet not the natural liberty of Paul's will destroyed then God may still demonstrate the same efficacy of grace and yet man in conversion not be turned into a stock or stone as they charge the Orthodox As Paul then had been a sinner above measure so he had also grace exceeding gracious in an overflowing manner to him Therefore how frequently and joyfully doth Paul speak of the riches of grace and Gods unspeakable grace to him alwayes debasing himself as the greatest of sinners and the least of all Saints not worthy to be called an Apostle and magnifying grace alwayes running out like the Sea when he comes to speak of Christ and grace In the third place His serviceableness that was as wonderfull I laboured more than they The Heathens Hercules is not comparable to him To read how much he did and how much he suffered for Christ may make us stand amazed yet still he saith Not I but the grace of God 1 Cor. 15. 10. Chrysostome doth infinitely expatiate upon all occasions in the praise of Paul but Paul himself was like Moses whose face shined gloriously but he did not know it And thus Paul though above all others in doing and suffering for Christ yet accounts of himself as nothing and gives all to the grace of God as none preached more than he did so none wrote more Epistles than he did he took care of all the Churches Thus he who formerly did his utmost to root out the Church of God is now as zealous and active to establish and propagate it So that you see three wonderfull things in Paul his sinne his conversion and his godly life afterwards In the next place let us consider what Reasons there may be why God will choose such great sinners out of their high impieties especially to be Apostles and Officers in the Church of God seeing that the Scripture in those qualifications for an Elder requireth That he be without blame and one of a good report 1 Tim. 3. 5. Therefore in the Apostles who were the chief Officers called by the Ancient Otuli Dei Sedes Christi and Oculi Ecclesiae this was much more to be expected But there are these Reasons may be given First Hereby the power and strength of God is made evident If men of civility only and of ingenuous principles were brought home to Christ it might be thought something of men did promote our salvation but when there is a direct and violent opposition in a mans wayes yet to become converted and obedient this may make us acknowledge with Paul The exceeding greatness of his power to us who believe Ephes 1. 19. And if setting aside some extraordinary circumstances there is the same kind of power seen in every mans conversion that was in Pauls then it 's plain that God doth not onely use moral suasions as Arminians would have it but also efficacious operations So that we may bless God for this president of Paul's conversion we may all by that see what is done in the heart of every man when turned to God We do justly admire the power of God in Creation and in all the wonderfull deliverances the Church hath but the power of God upon mens hearts making them to love and delight in those things which formerly they hated This may make us to sing Psalms in the admiration of Gods great power about the new creation as well as the old creation of the world Secondly As Gods Power is hereby evidenced so also his Wisdom and that in a two-fold respect 1. Converting Paul at that very time when he was in the height of his spirit acting with the greatest violence against Christ. This season was most admirable for hereby it did plainly appear That it was not of Paul that willed or runned but of Gods good pleasure Hence Ephes 1. Paul speaking of Gods predestination doth over and over again resolve all into his good pleasure and that he doth all things according to the goodnesse of his will What then will become of that vocatio congrua so much boasted of by some as if men were converted because God did fore-see that if they were put into such a condition with such circumstances then they would readily consent to Gods Call But was Paul's conversion accompanied with a vocatio congrua Did God stay till he had a fit bait or snare to catch Paul in Now all was here the clean contrary Paul was never in higher opposition against God never were the doors of his heart more fastened up with iron-barres than at this time and then and never till then doth God convert him That as it is with Gods Church he never helps till all things be desperate therefore he is called The God that raiseth the dead 2 Cor. 1. and he that calleth things that are not as if they were Thus many times it falleth out when men are more treasuring up their sin and adding higher degree of opposition even then God takes off their hearts and thereby the Wisdome of God is the more seen of such crooked timber to make so excellent a building To raise up Lazarus when he is not only dead but buried and rotâ—ing in the grave this makes us astonished at Gods Wisdome And then in a second respect Gods Wisdome is seen Because such fire-brands pluckt out of the fire are fittest to kindle a fire in the hearts of others When we shall be able to say Lo here is a man as prophane as bitter and cruel a scoffer and enemy of all godliness as ever you were He was one of your company you took wicked counsel together you were often drunk or unclean together and now behold what a change is made upon him He prayeth he humbleth himself he cryeth out of his former conversation if he had the whole world given him he would not be such an one as once Certainly when God doth thus it doth wonderfully shame and confound all wicked men What a conviction was this to all other Pharisees when it could be said Behold here Paul a Pharisee one of your own Sect as desperately cruel and malicious as any of you Oh but behold how he is changed he builds up that way he once destroyed Now he counts all those things you dote on so much but dung and dross in comparison of the knowledge of Jesus Christ. 3. In converting of such above all God sheweth the freeness and meer riches of his grace For what can Paul say to justifie himself with Where were
universal and pursueth all that call on Christ That as with Christ there is no bond or free no Jew or Gentile all are one so it is also with the enemies of Gods Church in their persecutions all are one to them Look not then for an Ark when all the people of God shall be in the waters Though an Obadiah may live quietly in Ahabs Court when the Elijahs are sought for to be put to death yet this is not alwayes so and that man who will own Christ upon no other condition but that he may not suffer for him or be persecuted for him that man is unsound and rotten at the very heart Secondly Consider that it is no lesse glorious before men and acceptable unto God to be a companion and an associate with those who do suffer then if we did suffer our selves in our own person This hath been alwayes a very hard task for flesh and blood to own the godly while they are in a suffering condition The Disciples themselves proved cowards and unfaithfull in this temptation for when the Shepherd was smitten all the sheep were scattered When Christ was to be crucified all his Apostles fled from him they dared not own him and when Peter was charged to be one of Christs company He curseth and sweareth he did not know the man he was afraid to own so much as the very knowledge of Christ Indeed the godly women Mary the mother of Christ and others they shewed more grace and courage than the very Apostles that all honour and glory may be given to God alone but as for his Disciples they hid themselves and were afraid to be companions with him Hence the Apostle Heb. 10. 33. exhorting believers To call to mind their enduring of a great fight of afflictions he instanceth wherein partly Whilest ye were made a gazing stock both by reproaches and afflictions and partly whilest ye became companions of them that were so used Here you see to become a companion to those that suffer not to flie from them or forsake them is made a great expression of their love to God Paul also 2 Tim. 1. 16. remembers what Onesiphorus did to him while in bonds he mentioneth it as if he would never have it forgotten any more than that womans box of ointment poured on Christ The Lord give mercy to the house of Onesiphorus Why Because he answered his name indeed He oft refreshed me he sought me out very diligently and was not ashamed of my chain What a glorious character is here given to Onesiphorus He was not persecuted himself but he made himself a companion with those that were Paul complaineth of Demas 2 Tim. 4. 10. That he had forsaken him for he was now in hands and to answer before Nero who was known to be nothing but clay and blood mingled together whose cruelty would extend to all abettors and well-wishers If any did but sigh in his time it was a capital crime This fear made Demas as it did all his other friends vers 16. forsake Paul they had not faith and courage enough to venture for him and therefore it 's said He did love the present world he loved his life and liberty too much though some think this was but a temptation in Demas and that he did return to Paul again By this we see how hard a thing it is to own those that are godly in their extremities John 19. 38 39. It is noted both of Joseph of Arimathea and of Nicodemus both Disciples of Christ but secretly for fear of the Jewes yet when Christ was crucified they shewed their boldnesse and courage about Christs body when he was dead And Matth 25. at that terrible day of Judgement judicial processe against sinnes of omission will be for neglect in this I was in prison and ye visited me not When Christ and his cause are discountenanced in the world then unlesse a man have a sincere and upright heart he will curse with Peter and swear That he knoweth not the men These things laid as a foundation let us consider why such sympathizing with and partaking of others afflictions doth interest in eternal glory And First This Reason is evident Because hereby we plainly demonstrate that our Faith in Christ and acknowledging of him is upon divine and spiritual grounds that we do not know Christ and the Christian faith after the flesh Matth. 13. This discovered the thorny ground not to be true and right soil because in time of temptation when the scorching Sun did arise then all the hopefull fruit began to wither This apostatizing from Christ in time of such temptations is so great a matter that we are constantly to pray for the grace and assistance of God therein that we be not left to our selves For Peter being forsaken in some measure only how dreadfull was his fall And for this end it is that God suffereth persecutions and troubles to accompany the profession of his truth that so it may be known who are sound and who hypocrites If thou art but chaff this winnowing will drive thee away They are but a very few that acknowledge Christ upon spiritual and enduring grounds So that though the world rage though enemies be furious and bloudy yet they stand like Mount Sion that cannot be moved Many become Christians as some did Jewes in Mardochees time for fear and because the State favoured the Jewes Outward restraint maketh many take the title of Christians but they live the life of Heathens because the pleasures of sinne are present and affect the sense Orant quia timent peccant quia volunt They pray and performe outward religious duties because they are afraid but they sinne because their will and pleasure inclineth thereunto Now these drossie Christians when they are brought to the fire they presently melt away It cannot be denied but that men may suffer much for a while at least and yet at last deny Christ as we have sad instances in Ecclesiastical History but many times such with that famous Cranmer did prove the more couragious and took an holy revenge upon themselves This accompanying Christ in his dangers hath a notable promise Luke 22. 28. Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations therefore I appoint unto you a Kingdome that ye may eat and drinke with me and sit on thrones judging Israel Even as Christ manifested his pure love to us that in the midst of all the agonies and miseries he grapled with from God and men yet he did not give over our cause but compleated our redemption for us If so be Solomon did so much favour Abiathar though he deserved death that he told him he would not put him to death though guilty because he had been afflicted in all wherein his father was afflicted 1 Kin. 2. 26. How much more will Christ say thus to such who have not been driven from him by great afflictions Secondly Such communion in afflictions must needs interest in
the Gospel when they cannot have Christ and their Mammon any longer when their Dagon and Ark will consist no longer together then you shall see all that poison vomited at the mouth which before lay close up in the heart then they will desire no Ministry no Gospel rather than be deprived of their gain SERM. LX. A further Discovery of such who take up Religion meerly from carnal motives and worldly respects 2 COR. 1. 8. Of our trouble which came to us in Asia THe word of God purely preached with the faithfull Ministers thereof meet with no greater opposition in the world then from such who regard Religion no further than it maketh for their carnal interests This truth hath been in part opened and because every Christian unregenerated doth upon some false and carnal motive or other take up the profession of Christ whereby when he is put to the denial of that earthly respect he can then no longer hold but breaketh out in opposition to the pure wayes of Christ Therefore it is very usefull to give further Characters of such who regard Religion only upon inferiour and worldly respects And First Such are led with corrupt respects and in time of temptation will prove adversaries to the Ministers of the Gospel who are not of a ready and prepared spirit to take up the Crosse and to follow Christ in whatsoever condition he shall command such who are Christs Disciples onely in the Summer time while there are Halcyon dayes and times of plenty and encouragement to be a Christian These when they are urged to part with all to suffer and to be undone for Christ then they turn into any thing they will oppose and contradict that way which once they did imbrace and admire yea they will become persecutours of such instruments of Gods glory which once they did honour and all this ariseth from the earthly and carnal heart which made them at first look to Gods wayes Phil. 3. 18. Paul did with tears and even weeping speak of such Who were enemies to the crosse of Christ who minded earthly things So that by Pauls example we see it is a thing to be bitterly monrned about when we see men hopefully professing the true way of Christ and then when adversity and persecution doth arise they presently can change and turn their faith again They can withstand and contradict what once they pleaded for and all because they are resolved to save themselves They think Gain is godlinesse Such an one as this is an object greatly to be pitied and mourned over he loveth his ease his liberty his advantages more than Christ and so is no wayes fit to be his Disciple And for this reason it is our Saviour doth so oft-ten plainly and in Parables urge all to consider upon what termes they take up the profession of his name he foretelleth them of all the hardship and difficulties they must encounter with that so they may not prove enemies at last who in the beginning seem'd to be friends Wonder not then to see this fall out often in the Christian Church that those who were once friends and went with us unto the house of God afterwards to become like so many Hazaels to those who fear God Alas their earthly advantage and the present world hath made them change their opinions and affections They never at first did own Christ upon sincere and pure motives and therefore not being able to suffer for Christ they set against him and this alwayes falleth out that he who is an Apostate from the true profession of Christ doth become a cruel and bloudy enemy of that way he once walked in Omnis Apostata est osor sui ordinis All Apostate persons whether in Doctrine or Practice are implacable adversaries to truth and holinesse This hath been experimentally proved in all ages and one reason is because hereby they would be revenged upon those from whom they have departed for their guilty conscience telleth them they have justly incurred the censure of the godly They have lost their repute and esteem their good name is blasted and this maketh them study all opposition and malignity that may be Look then to thy motives at first to those termes thou didst professe Christ at the beginning if it was any humane or false motive if it was not such an entire and enduring principle that will not make thee stand upon a Rock immovable Let any winds or tempests arise as great a friend and as forward a well-wisher as now thou seemest to be for good things Had we a propheticall discerning we might with the Prophet look stedfastly upon thee as he did on Hazael and weep to think what enmity and mischief thou mayest create to such as fear God This man taketh up the old Rule Ama tanquam osurus He loveth this way of Christ so as thinking his outward advantages may sometimes or other make him hate it Secondly Such regard Religion only in a carnal way Who though they may acknowledge some principles of the Christian Religion yet at the same time maintain some damnable or heretical Doctrines that doe overthrow the very foundation Such as these take up Religion with carnal motives and so in time become cruel enemies to the faithfull Guides that are in Gods Church Wonder not that I make an Heretick to regard Religion after the flesh for Galat. 5. 20. Heresies are reckoned a fruit of the flesh Insomuch that Austin made it an ingredient into the definition of an Heretick that he either beget or propagate false opinions Alicujus temporalis commodi causâ for some temporal advantage And although we cannot say thus of all because God in just judgement doth deliver up some who receive not the truth in the love of it to efficacy of errour to strong delusions that they should believe a lie 1 Thess 2. 10 11. yet this very delusion upon their judgement this errour and blindness upon their mind is of the flesh For you must know that the flesh or to be carnal doth not in the Scripture signifie the pollution upon the sensitive and bodily part only but also upon the intellectual and rational It 's a fleshly mind as well as fleshly affections Thus all such who though they do retain some principles of the Christian faith doe yet believe other damnable Doctrines these are Religions only in a carnal respect and thereupon when occasion serveth do manifest the rancour and malice that is in their heart against the truths of Christ Ecclesiastical History informeth us of the bloody cruelty which the Arrians exercised against the Orthodox when they had power in their hands The Paganish persecutions were not much superiour to the Heretical Yea as it is said amongst brethren discord is the more vehement and flaming than any other So it is amongst those that pretend to be of the same Church of God So that we ought to walk humbly and to pray earnestly unto God to keep our hearts to