THE SAINTS INHERITANCE AND THE VVORLDLINGS PORTION Representing The Glorious condition of a child of God and the Misery of having ones Portion in this World Vnfolding the State of true happiness with the Marks Means and Members thereof By IER BURROUGHS Psal 144.15 Blessed is that People whose God is the Lord. LONDON Printed for Francis Eglesfield at the Marigold in St. Paul's Church-yard 1657. The Authours Epistle to the Reader IT hath been the way of God in speaking to men and drawing their hearts to him to apply himself to them in those things they have skill of and are acquainted with When Christ was revealed to the Wise men that came from the East it was by a Star they were Astronomers and conversed much in the contemplation of the Stars and God speaks to them accordingly When our Saviour called Fishermen to follow him he tells them Hee will make them Fishers of men hee expresseth himself unto them in their own way And it may be the sutablenesse of these subjects may invite some to read this treatise especially it being the desires of many that heard the same and found some work of God upon their hearts by them to have it by them at first I was unwilling to let such sudden things appear so publike but after considering that some way it may be usefull and a little good is worth much of my time and labour who knows what a truth what a hint fitted to the apprehensions of people in their own way may doe therefore here you have it and the Lord prosper it to you Yours in Christ IER BURROUGHS KNow Christian Reader that Part of this Work was perfected by the Authour in his life time But it pleased God to take him away before the rest was finished whereby the Copie was for a time mislayed with some difficulty at length procured which is now published for thy good Bless God for preserving such a Iewell and see thy soul bee inriched by it Let it not be said there was a Prize put into thy hand but thou hadst not a heart to make use of it Remember thou hast an immortall soul and art capable of living in immortall glory therfore be not put off with the things of this life Let not that satisfy thy soul which may stand with the eternall hatred of the great God least while others partake of an Inheritance above thou have a Portion with reprobates belowe Thou mightst have been past reading or hearing of these things and have found by sad experience what it is to be excluded the Saints felicities Imbrace the Opportunity and pass by the escapes of Printing So Farewell THE VVORLDLINGS PORTION 17. Psalm 14. From men of the world who have their portion in this life THis Psalme is Davids moan unto God under Sauls persecution sine dubio Saulum saith Molerus upon it without doubt the Psalmist aymes at Saul in it wherein we have these 4. things First he appeals unto God to judge the uprightnesse of his heart towards Saul Let my sentence come from my presence from Saul and his Courtiers there comes a hard sentence they call me Traytor they call me Rebell but Lord leave me not unto their sentence let my sentence come from thy presence that I know will be another sentence then what cometh from them for thou hast proved me and tried me and findest nothing in me that is the first thing Secondly his prayer to God to keep him in his way his going and his footsteps from sliding Lord whatsoever the wrath of Saul be against me yet let neither that nor any other thing put me out of thy way but keep my heart close unto thee and keep my paths in thy way let not my footsteps so much as slide from thee for Lord they watch at my halting if they can find but the least slip from me they take advantage of it to the utmost and I am a poor weak creature therefore Lord keep me that my footsteps may not slide Thirdly he prayes for deliverance shew thy marveillous loving kindnesse to me O Lord my straights they are marveillous I know not what to do nor whether to turn me but my eyes are towards thee as my straights are marveillous so let thy loving kindnesse be marveillous towards me and keep me as the apple of thy eye O Lord I am but as a dog a vile creature in the eyes of Saul and those about him but blessed be thy name I can look up to thee and know that I am dear unto thee as the apple of thy eye all the Saints of God are dear to God at all times but the persecuted Saints they are the apple of Gods eye if at any time they are dear to God then especially when they are most persecuted they are the apple of his eye and the apple of an eye you know is weak and little able to resist any hurt which makes men the more tender of it the more weak and shiftlesse Gods people are for themselves the Lord is so much the more tender over them And one argument that the Psalmist useth in praying against his enemies is this and a speciall one because they prospered so much in this world they are inclosed in fat and have their hearts desire and thou fillest their bellies with thy hid treasure they leave to their babes they have their portion in this life Lord keep me from them Lastly he doth professe his resolution yet notwithstanding all the dangers he was in to go on in the wayes of God and expects a gratious issue but I saith he will behold thy face in righteousnesse indeed I cannot behold the face of the King without danger there are a great many that run to kill me and I desire his face but though I cannot see his face yet Lord I shall behold thy face I will behold thy face and it shall be in righteousnesse I will still keep on in the wayes of righteousnesse and when I awake for I believe that these troubles will not hold long I shall not sleep a perpetuall sleep but I shall be delivered and satisfied with thy likenesse there shall be the manifestation of thy glory to me that shall satisfy me for all the troubles that I have endured for thy names sake that my soul shall say I have enough this is the summe of this Psalme Now the words read unto you are a description of Davids adversaries implying an argument why he would be delivered from them they are described to be men of this world they were onely those that were adversaries to him and a comfort it must needs be to the Saints of God to see that none are their enemies but wordly persons men of this world who have their portion in this life they have somewhat here and here is all they are like to have Secondly it implies the argument why he would be delivered Lord deliver me from them because they are men of this world who have
when he heard of a dishonour done to the people of Israel the Text saith that his anger did rise within him an excellent pattern for all Governours for all in publick places to be very silent quiet self-denying putting up wrongs in their own cause but to be full of zeal for the publick cause to reserve their spirits for a publick good Many when they are anger'd in their private cause and so full of violence and spend their spirit there so much that they have no spirit at all when it comes to a publick cause Saul went beyond them in this Further Saul was one who was much troubled at the sin of the people against God he had not onely a spirit to vindicate publick wrongs but when he saw the people sin against God his heart was much troubled thereat and grieved for it and being mighty sollicitous and carefull to prevent sin in the people this you shall have in the first of Samuel 14.33 they told Saul there that the people had sinned in eating with bloud upon that Saul shews himself displeased come saith he and do not sin against the Lord rowle a stone hither he would see with his own eyes that they did slay the cattle and they did powre forth the bloud that they might not sin against God in eating bloud this was his care yea he was very diligent to enquire of God what he should do in businesses of great consequence he would not go out till he had first enquired of God Yea more then all this he was a man that had a very reverend esteem of the Prophets of God when Samuel came to him O thou blessed of the Lord saith Saul to him when Samuel shewed unto him what his sin was he câ—me and confessed it before the people saying I have sinned I have sinned against the Lord meerely at the conviction of one Prophet And God seemed to be with Saul very much shewing great respect to him to make him an instrument of much good to Israel he granted unto him as glorious a victory as ever man had in this world for so we may call it and if there be any outward thing in the world might be gather'd as an argument of Gods love such a remarkable victory as he had over his enemies well might the victory you shall find in the first of Samuel 13. where the Philistins were risen up against him and there were 30000 chariots of his adversaries and 6000. horsemen and people as the sand of the Sea for multitude well here was a mighty enemie what had Saul to oppose these you shall find that there were but 600. men with Saul there was of one side 30000. Chariots 6000 horsemen and people as the sand of the Sea without number and Saul had but 600. with him at this time yea and of those 600. there was not any one of them that had a sword but onely Saul and Ionathan for the Philistins were wise enough to disarm all the malignants that they accounted so and would not let so much as a smith be amongst them they would not onely take away their arms but they would look to them to see that they had no armes supplied unto them that was the wisedome of the Philistins yet we find if you read afterwards in the Scripture that God was so far with Saul and blessed him and gave him victory over all these besides all this God blessed Saul with a very gracious child a Godly Son of a sweet nature Ionathan which indeed if any outward argument in the world might be an argument of Gods love that might be Now put all these things together and yet here is the man that hath his portion in this world I now challenge him that hath certain evidence of a mighty work of God upon him in Christ let him shew me greater arguments of Gods love to him then Saul might have done and yet it proved to be Sauls condition to have onely his portion in this world God herein shews that his mercy is his own and that he will let out his mercy as he pleases it is your Fathers pleasure to give you a Kingdom the Father deals out the portion as he pleases unto his children God will let the line of his mercy go thus far to one and there stop and so far to another and there stop and then come in a crosse line again unto him God so disposes of his mercy that there are some that shall have heaven and earth to be their portion there portion is blessed indeed there are some that shall have earth but not heaven and their portion is poor and sad there are others that shall have heaven but not earth and their portion is rich blessed there are others that shall neither have heaven nor earth and their portion you 'l say is miserable indeed Gods mercy is his owne to dispose off as he will we read of Abraham He calleth for Ishmael and Hagar and he gives them a piece of bread a bottle of water and sends them away there is an end of them so Jehoshaphat He gave his other Son saith the Text gifts but the Kingdom he gave to Iehoram so God hath people to whom he gives pieces of bread bottles of water yea some to whom he gives great gifts in this world but he keeps his inheritance for his Isaacs he keeps the Kingdom for Iehoram Esau he had his portion in this world and such a portion as he thought to be a very good portion too Brother saith he I have enough Most rich men go not so far as Esau they have their portion and yet complain of it Esau had his portion and thought he had enough Christs auditours in the 6. of Luke 24. had their portion in this world woe to you here is your consolation saith Christ unto them O dreadfull speech wo to this man wo to such wretches here is their consolation Dives he had his portion in this world Son remember in thy life time thou hadst thy pleasure in thy life time and thou hadst thy good things they were thy good things those things that were measur'd out for thee thou hadst them in thy life time In the handling of this argument I shall divide what I have to say into these 6. particulars that you may every one of you go the more readily along with me first why it is that God will deal out somewhat to wicked men in this world why they shall have any portion at all Secondly that this their portion it is confined to this life and why so Thirdly some Corollaries that you will see will naturally flow from those two Fourthly we shall consider the condition of these men who are such that have their portion in this world and fifthly we shall endeavour to shew unto you who are those men to cull out of the congregation what that man is which is that woman that is like
have their paper offices where transaction between one State and another are kept so the Lord hath his prayer-office where he keeps all the prayers of his Saints that ever were put up to him Revel 8.3 Another Angel came and stood at the Altar having a golden censer and there was given him much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints Where were those prayers of all the Saints that he must take a censer and offer incense with God had them recorded with him and now they were to be offered to him And see what great things follow upon the offering of the prayers of the Saints vers 4. The smoak of the incense which came with the prayers of the Saints ascended up before God out of the Angels hand And the Angel took the censer c. and there were voices and thunderings and lightnings and an earthquake These followed upon the prayers of the Saints It signified the time wherein all should come in remembrance before the Lord as if an Angel were offering yea Christ the Angel of the Covenant hath a time to take the prayers presented long ago and to offer them to God with his own incense They are all recorded in heaven therefore they are not in vain When a petition is taken and put upon record the petitioner petitioneth not in vain his petition is not thrown out God doth take all the petitions of the Saints and recordeth them they are all filed up in heaven Yet further there is no faithfull petition but God puts his fiat to the bottom of it at the instant that it is put up to him There is a decree in heaven issued out for mercy at the very instant that the petition is put up God dealeth not with us in this kind as men do who are counted very gracious if they please to tell us they will consider of our petition no but your petition is presently granted A petitioner when there is time taken to consider of his petition trembles and shakes for fear it should not be granted but the petitions of the Saints of God are granted presently When Daniel had been seeking God at the evening sacrifice an Angel comes to him and tells him that at the beginning of his prayer there was a decree to grant it and that he was sent to him at the beginning of his prayer Dan. 9.23 Psa 56.9 When I cry unto thee then shall mine enemies turn back this I know for God is for me Did not David cry oft and yet his enemies did not turn their backs when he cryed He cryed oft when his enemies prevailed yet he saith When I cried then mine enemies turned back and this I know why for God is for me The meaning must be this that at that instant that he cryed there was a decree in heaven the thing was done He looked on it as done even as certainly as if he had seen it with his eyes This is the reason that the Saints after they have prayed though the thing be not actually done fall to praising and blessing of God We have a notable example in Iehoshaphat of whom we read 2. Chron. 20.3 that being in a great fear bad set himself to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Iudah He did not seek God slightly but set himself to seek the Lord. And what his prayer was ye may see from vers 6. to 12. And Iehoshaphat said O Lord God of our fathers art not thou God in heaven and rulest over all Kingdomes Mark how he pleadeth with God for the Covenant he had made vers 8. Speaking of the Sanctuary they had built for his names sake If when evil commeth upon us as the sword judgement or pestilence or famine we stand before this house and in thy presence for thy name is in this house and cry unto thee in our affliction then thou wilt hear and help He urgeth the promise made to Solomon at the dedication of the Temple For that prayer of Faith which Solomon made and God accepted hath the strength of a promise in it O our God saith he wilt thou not judge them for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us neither know we what to do but our eyes are upon thee Though he profest that his enemies were so many that he knew not what to do and that they had no might to resist them yet after his prayer was done and before the battell began when he had consulted with the people he appointed singers unto the Lord that should praise the beauty of holinesse as they went out before the Army and to say Praise the Lord for his mercie endureth for ever vers 21. Mark he had not yet gotten the victory the battell was not fought yet as soon as he had ended his prayer he praised the Lord for his mercie indureth for ever He made account that the thing was done It was decreed in heaven Therefore surely the people of God are answered when they call upon him Nay it is not onely decreed but ere long God will satisfie his people fill their longing souls with goodnesse Psal 107.9 A time shall come when they shall they say their prayers are heard and that they have enough Yea the Lord giveth more sometimes then his people mention in their prayer they ask temporall blessings and he bestoweth spirituall yea he giveth them himself and that is all in all Surely then the prayers of the Saints are heard and answered But wherein lyeth the efficacy of prayer What makes prayer so powerfull with God One thing is because God delighteth in mercy and in communicating himself to the children of men He taketh more pleasure in doing good then any can in seeking it yea then any can in enjoying it from him Our hearts cannot be so strongly set to seek for any mercy from God as he is to communicate mercy to us Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage he retaineth not his anger for ever because he delighteth in mercy Mic. 7.18 Another thing that rendreth prayer so effectuall is Gods Covenant and promise to his people It was the speech of Alchimedes Give me a place to set my Engine in and I will shake the whole earth Let prayer have a sure foundation to set foot on and it will do mighty things Now the promises are the foundation of prayer whereof we have great abundance Numb 23. You shall find abundance of promises to the Saints of God when Balaam was brought to curse the people But in Deuter. 33. there are admirable promises There is none like unto the God of Iâ—shurun who rideth upon the heaven in thy help and on the skie in his excellency The eternall God is his refuge and underneath are the everlasting armes and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee and shall say destroy them Israel then shall