a flame Who was it that dwelt in the Bush God was in the Bush And that kept it from consuming though not from burning The good will of this God shall be with thee his love his favour his care I love them that love me Prov. 8. 17. The Lord loveth the Righteous Psal 146. 8. The love of God is the womb of all good Hence sprang the morning Star from the love of God came the Son of God hence came that womb of the morning the blessed Gospel which is so big with glorious grace with light life pardon peace glory immortality from the love of God came the glorious Gospel of God The upper Springs all spiritual and heavenly blessings the nether Springs all earthly and outward blessings do all rise and bubble up out of this Fountain the love of God The pretious things of Heaven the pretious Fruits brought forth by the Sun the pretious Fruits put forth by the Moon the chief things of the antient Mountains the pretious things of the lasting Hills the pretious things of the Earth and the fulness thereof All these flow in with the good will of him that dwelt in the Bush Love is all the Apostle tells us Rom. 13. our love to God is the fulfilling of the Law that is it will bring forth all that to God all that duty and obedience which the Law requires I may tell you that Gods love to us is the fulfilling of the Gospel that is it will powre down all that upon us it will do all that for us which the Gospel promises Look over the whole Gospel read and study every pretious leaf and line of that blessed Book and if there be enough in all that to make thee blessed and to encourage thee on in thy holy course all this is thine Thou hast that love of God with thee which will fulfill the Gospel there shall not one jot or tittle fail thee of all that the Gospel promises The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this Isa 9. 7. 2. The help of God will be with you the Lord will be your helper in the day of your distress Heb. 13. 5 6. He hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee So that we may boldly say The Lord is my helper I will not fear what man can do unto me He hath said I will not leave thee and therefore we may say I will not fear He hath said I will be and therefoâ—e we may boldly say the Lord is my helper He hath said He will not forsake he will helpe and who is he that shall say There is no help for thee in thy God There 's no man whose Case may not be so desperate as to be above all humane help If he should cry out as the Woman to the King of Israel Help O King the King must answer If the Lord do not help thee whence shall I help thee If he should cry out Help O Man of God the Man of God must answer If the Lord do not help thee whence shall I help thee If he cry out Help O my friends my Wit my Policy my Purse all these must answer If the Lord do not help thee whence shall we help thee But what case is there wherein an Help Lord will not do Foolish men count their case desperate when they come to their God help that 's an usuall expression to set forth the extremity and helplesness of any mans case When we see men even lost in any misery and their case even utterly hopeless then to signifie our sense of such mens lost condition we cry out God help that man God help that woman they are lost Creatures I but if men did understand and consider what the help of the Lord is they would see there could be no case so desperate but an Help Lord might recover all 1 Sam. 30. 6. when David was greatly distressed and all was gone he encouraged himself in the Lord his God Consider here two things 1. What his Case then was he was in great distress he had lost all that ever he had his spoils that he had taken were all gone his Corn and his Cattell his Wives and his City were all lost he had not an habitation in all the World he had nothing left him but a poor Army and these were worse than lost they were even ready to fall upon him The people spake of stoning him but he encouraged himself in the Lord his God 2. What the event hereupon was why God help'd him to all he had again vers 19. There was nothing lacking to them neither small nor great neither sons nor daughters neither spoil nor any thing they had taken David recovered all Hence note 1. That a Christian when he hath lost all hath yet a God to go to at last 2. Whilest a Christian hath a God to go to his case is never desperate let him but encourage himself in his God and all will be recovered Sinners triumph not over the poor people of God when they are at their worst when they are brought as low as your Pride and Malice can lay them though they should be stript naked and left destitute of all their comforts though all the World should ride on their backs and tread on their necks yet rejoyce not against them though they fall they shall arise when they are at their worst there 's still help for them in their God 3. The presence of the Lord shall be with them Whither soever they may be scattered they shall not be scattered from their Goâ— That Promise made to Moses Exod. 33. 14. My presence shall go with thee belongs to all the Israel of God My presence in the Original 't is my face in the Septuagint my self shall go with thee The presence of God is either Generall or Speciall By his generall presence he is every where 1. Per essentiam he fills all things 2. Per Cognitionem he beholds all things 3. Per Sustentationem he upholds all things 4. Per Dominium he governs all things But to let this passe as not so proper to our purpose 2. There is his Speciall or gracious Presence whereby he manifests himself to be with his people 1. In some visible and standing tokens of his presence as in those extraordinary the Pillars of the Cloud and of the Fire and in those ordinary the Ark and the Temple of old and the Ordinances of the Gospel now 2. In some inward influences and irradiations upon the hearts of his people 3. In some visible and signall effects of his presence whereof there are very many There are amongst others these two notable effects of Gods gracious presence which his people by vertue of this Promise may with confidence expect Conduction Covering they shall be Led in their way and they shall be Hid in their way 1. Conduction the Lord will be with them to lead them and guide them in the way that they should go Psal 25. 9
this plague and few understand or are sensible what they herein suffer to be an instrument in this hellish work is an office for a Devill and the suffering of such a plague to them that understand it is an hell above ground This darkness is the very same for kind with the darkness of Hell as the light of the Gospel is the same in kind with the everlasting lighâ— as glory under age so is this thick darkness in specie and in semine the darkness of the pit Oh what an hell of wickedness doth this World then become the Devil is then in his Region is let loose rules the World at pleasure deceives devours destroyes Souls without contradiction takes them captive at his will carries them down by whole shoals to destruction Those that observe what a World there is where the Gospel is not what oaths curses blasphemies belluine lusts then abound what Lions Tygers wild Bulls wild Boars Men then become one to another need not be to seek for an Argument to prove there is an Hell they see an Hell above-ground These dark and dismal seasons are the Devill 's Marts where he may vent his Hellish Wares his snares and temptations his deceits and delusionâ— and every abominable thing by whole sale there 's nothing so false so vile and abominable but he can put it off at pleasure Adultery Drunkenness Witchcraft Sodomy Buggery Blasphemy Idolatry Atheism any thing that Sathan hath offer hee 'l find Customers enough to receive and the truth is the Devil may spare his pains men then need not a Devil to damn them they 'l do it fast enough of their own accords Oh 't were happy if Saints were so busie in improving their Light to hasten them Heaven-wards as Sinners do their Darkness to hurry them to Hell Oh the sad proofs that the World affords of this Dreadful Truth Look into all the dark Corners of the Earth especially there where there hath been Light and see if you find not all this fully proved to your hand Can he then be accounted a Christian whose heart doth not tremble at the Thoughts and the Fears of such a sore Judgment He is both dark and dead indeed to whom such a Mist is not as the first-born of Death or the King of Terrours Christians if ever this should be your case make not light of it and take heed how sad soever it may seem in its first approâ—ch that no Tract of Time do wear off the sence of it Those that are weary of the Gospel that cry out of too much Preaching that are sick of the Light that shines unto them you may know by what hath been said what Judgment to have of them But is it not strange that there should be any such That those that have lived in the Light and seen somthing what difference there is between Light and Darkness should yet love Darkness rather than Light Is it not yet more strange that any that pretend to be set up for Lights should be for Daâ—kness That the Prophets should be against Prophecying That the Pulpits should ring against Preaching Some there are that are not ashamed to tell us that hence come all our mischiefs and miseries to tell us and to stand to it that there 's now in such a Land as this little need of Preaching that it had its use in the first publishing and planting of the Gospel but now that the Gospel is receiv'd and embraced and competenâ—ly understood there 's now little more need of Preaching Praying and Reading may now serve turn I would put in a word or two to such No need of Preaching Why Is the end of Preaching accomplish'd Till the end be attained there 's still need that the means he continued And what was the end of Preaching Was it men's Instruction onely to bring them to the knowledg of Christ to turn them from Darkness to Light Was it not for their Conversion also to turn them from the power of Sathan unto God Yea and their Edification and Building up in Holiness to Salvation Let these following Scriptures be consulted Act. 26. 18. Eph. 4. 11 12 13. the Apostle Peter 2 Pet. 1. 12 13. told those Christians to whom he wrote that he would and he thought it meet so to do to put them in remembrance as long as he lived and to stir them up to their Duty though says he You know and be established in the present Truth You say you need no more Preaching the Preacher can tell you no more than you know already and might not these have better said it when the Apostle acknowledgeth of them that they did know and more than that were establish'd in those very Truths he meant to continue Preaching to them And yet he tells them it 's meet they be still put in remembrance of them Sure Peter's Authority weighs not so much with these men as his that pretends to sit in Peter's Chair But hath the Gospel indeed done its Work and reached its End Witness the Objectors own cases Let not onely their Lewdness and Impenitency but their Ignorance and Unbelief come in and testifie whether it hath or no. They that have most need themselves are they that say There 's no more need of Preaching There needs no more Argument to stop such Mouthes but the shewing them themselves Or if it should have done its work upon you yet hath it done its work upon all Are there no Unbelievers left Have all men Faith Faith comes by Hearing and how shall they hear without a Preacher If you say they have Bibles to instruct them and their own Consciences to preach to them I answer First for their Bibles two Things 1. Those that are no Friends to the Pulpit are none of the best Friends to the Bible Those that would not that the people should hear care not how little they read the Scriptures And be sure when ever Preaching is let fall the Bible will in a little while be laid aside 2. Understandest thou what thou readest How canst thou without a Guide He knows but little of the Scriptures that doth not understand that they are hard to be understood There are the Apostle tells us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Scriptures Things hard to be understood As there are many 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to all that read so to many that read all are so The Vulgar can as well read the Scriptures without their own Eyes as understand them without the Preacher'â— Lips Till we come to hold that Ignorance is the Mother of Devotion or that Images are Lay-mens Gospell till then let it be granted as necessary that the Preacher's Lips preserve Knowledg 2. For Conscience let the Word at least be pâ—eached so long till it be made manifest in the Consciences of the Hearers That Conscience that hath not been sufficiently preached to will prove an insufficient Preacher Let preaching be conâ—inued till the Word be manifested in the Consciences of all the
thee here will add to the horrour of thine everlasting darkness Every drop of Honey thou hast tasted in Religion will be thy Gall and Worm-wood in the day of thy condemnation Be not more miserable hereafter for that thou hast been less wicked here the remembrance how fair thou wert once for Glory will be one of the sharpest Teeth of thine everlasting Worm 6. Lastly Be all or nothing come up hither or get thee Down to thy lot particularly 1. Be all unto Christ 2. Let Christ be all to thee 3. Let all Christ be accepted and improved by thee 1. Be all unto Christ have none to please but Christ and for Christ hâ—ve nothing to seek but Christ and for Christ resolve against Reserves and limits give up all and keep back nothing say not thus much I can spare and no more hitherto I will go and no farther Divide not thy self thy love thy care thy aims betwixt Christ and any thing else Let thy whole Soul run in one Channel Rest not short of a full resignation and when thou hast resigned repent not 2. Let Christ be all to thee say not I must have an Estate too my Friends too my pleasures and my ease too let Christ be enough and all to thee Father Mother House Lands Portion say concerning all thou hast else Be thou mine Lord and let these go their way 3. Let all of Christ be accepted and improved by thee Divide not thy self and divide not Christ leave not any thing of thy self for any but Christ refuse not any thing of Christ for thy self Think not thy all too much for thee to give nor Christ's all too much for thee to embrace Thy half will not satisfie Christ nor will half of Christ suffice thee Thou must give and have and therefore resolve to give and take all or none Let all Christ be accepted and improved by thee 1. The merit of his blood 2. The light and Authority of his Law 3. The power of his Spirit 1. Accept the merit of his blood renounce thine own and rely on his righteousness as God hath so do thou lay on him all thy iniquities Think not of Sanctification without satisfaction Think not to satisfie in the least by ought that thou canst do let that lie upon him Judge thy self but seek to be justified alone through faith in his blood Say unto the Lord what I owe to thee put it upon his account my Christ must answer for me 2. Accept and submit to the light and authority of his Law Think not he is thy Priest unless he be thy Prophet and thy King If he must answer for thee let him instruct thee and be thou willing to learn of him since he hath bought thee let him govern thee say not of any thing he requires this is too much to do since he said not to thee 't is too much to die Count not thy self a Christian whilest thou art unwilling to receive the utmost light or to submit to the utmost of thy duty say not of any one thing of all that Christ requires This I must have abated and then I will be his 3. Accept and exert the power of his Spirit the Spirit of the Lord is a Spirit of Power The same Argument which the Apostle uses to prove himself a Minister of Christ is necessary to prove thee a Christian 2 Cor 13. 3 4. Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me which to you ward is not weak but is mighty in you Though he was crucified through weakness yet he liveth by the power of God for we also are weak in him but we shall live with him by the power of God Ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me ye put me to prove that I am a Minister of Christ why here 's the proof of it My preaching hath not been weak but mighty in you It hath been followed and attested by the power of Christ which hath wrought mightily in you as weak as we are yet the power of Christ hath been manifested and magnified in us Doest thou seek a proof of thy Christianity why here must be the proof that though thou art weak of thy self yet thou livest in the power of God which is mighty in thee Though thou canst do nothing of thy self yet thou art able to do all things through Christ which strengthens thee Thou sayst thou art willing but thou art weak thou desirest to be and to do what God would have thee but thou canst not perform This may comfort and support thee much under thy failings and miscarriages in some particular duties but if this be thy case in ordinary in the main of thy life that to will is all thou hast thou art not a Christian He that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his And he that hath the Spirit of Christ it is in him as the living power of God actually carrying him on in an holy life Ezek. 36. 27. I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes and ye shall keep my judgments and do them I will not onely command perswade incline you but cause you It shall be done my Spirit shall bring you on and help you through Ye shall keep my Statutes and do them Where ever the Spirit of God hath breathed in the life of Grace there are more than breathings out after a gracious life Sincere grace hath more in it than wishings and wouldings than Attempts and Overtures Life is a power to act Phil. 2. 12 13. Work out your own Salvation for it is God that worketh in you to will and to do Where ever God worketh the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 velle he works also the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 operari Where ever God works in he gives us a power to work out the Works of Christianity Oh rest not till thou find thy self inâ—ued with this power from on high and inabled to go through with thy work They are not thy Attempts but thy Atchievments They are not thy Offers at an Holy Life but thy acting it that must prove thee a Christian He that doth Righteousness is Righteous Be it thus with thee be all to Christ let Christ be all to thee let all Christ be accepted and improved by thee heartily accept the merit of Christ's Righteousness submit to the Light and Authority of his Law get thy self possest with and live in the power of his Spirit Be it thus with thee come up hither and then thou art safe Thy almost is now come to altogether and if I must â—ow leave thee thou wilt be the better able to spare me These things do and the God of Peace shall be with thee Thou art gotten into Sanctuary and now whatever Tossings and Tumblings whatsoever unpleasing or afflicting Changes may be thy Lot in this World thou may'st sing that Requieâ—â— to thy self Return unto thy rest O my Soul for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee Go thy
your God and his Gospel Read over your Priviledges Promises and Hopes feed more on that Bread of Life drink more freely of those Living Springs which are broken forth to you Prove more what Godliness hath in it Get out the sweetness and the pleasure of it none in the World live such a voluptuous Life as he that lives most with God get out the pleasure of Godliness lie more at the Breasts suck harder press the Clusters and the Wine and Milk will come make the most of Religion and you will have enough never blame it for empty or unsatisfactory while there is more to be hâ—d Gad not into other Pastures â—un not from Flower to Flower keep you Home Let not your God find you in another Field If you keep with God the less you have of Creature-vanities the more full will your Contentment be Christian Honour thy God and his Gospel let his Breasts satisfie thee and erre thou always in his Love Let the World read the Gospel-sufficiency in thy Souls pleasure and satisfaction with it alone 5. Let your Conversations answer the supports of the Gospel and its succours Live a patient life Jam. 5. 7. Be patient brethren unto the coming of the Lord. Patience is a Grace suited to our present Gospel state I may call it a Friend that 's born for the day of adversity If you are Christians you have need of Patience and if you have Patience you need no more Jam. 1. 4. Let Patience have her perfect work that you may be entire lacking nothing Patience is a submitting sedate and calm frame of spirit whereby a Christian from Gospel grounds is born up under all his Troubles and born througâ— all his Duties Betwixt Patience and Contentedness there is this difference Contentedness is the quiet of the heart and its satisfaction with its smallest portion of good things Patience is the quiet of the heart under the greatest pressure of evill things A patient spirit is a submitting spirit It 's heartily content that God should have his Will With whatsoever God is pleased it will not be displeased It 's the Lord let him do whatsoever seems good in his Eyes What seems good in God's eyes shall not seem evil in mine It is a Calm and quiet spirit It will not strive nor cry nor lift up its voice in the street it can mourn but it does not murmur it can feel but it will not fret at the hand of God A patient person is ever composmentis has the command and government of his spirit keeps it sober and in due order doth not rave and rage Impatience is a kind of frenzy such persons are besides themselves In our patience we possess and by our impatience we lose our Souls we lose the rule and government of them the peace and the use of them An impatient man is besides himself both as a Man and as a Christian 1. He is besides himself as a Man Impatience turns Reason out of doors and for the Affections they are all in an uproar and will know no command or government 2. He is besides himself as a Christian turned quite out of course Duties Comforts Experiences Hopes all are laid aside Keep you quiet keep the peace in your heart and you keep your heart In this calmness and quietness it bears up under troubles Patience hath Fortitude in it it neither frets nor faints under all its â—urâ—hens Christians must bear and patient Christians can bear any thing that comes on them The proper exercise of patience is enduring he endures not that suffers only but that can bear what he suffers It bears through its Duties The passion of a patient person doth not hinder his action He holds his course keeps on his way whatever load he hath in his back He runs with patience the race which is set before him he is not discouraged nor diverted from his holy course by any suffering it costs him And indeed Christian Patience stands not in a bare forced quiet in a biting in or keeping down our fretting aestuations from venting themselves in word or carriage or in a sullen silence or stupidity but in the maintaining such a tranquillity of spirit under all we suffer as that we can still both enjoy and serve the Lord. He is a patient Christian that is as much a Christian in a storm as in a calm that can pray believe love bless God follow God and keep his way when he smites as when he smiles Lastly in all this a Christian is upheld and carried on from Gospel grounds 'T is not a naturall hardiness apathy 't is not the spirit of a man that does sustain his infirmities 't is upon the everlasting Gospel that he stands There are three Things especially that bear him through His viewing The Hand of the Lord. The End of the Lord. The Help of the Lord. 1. He sees the Hand of the Lord in all that befalls him Whence was Davids patience Psal 39. 9. I was dumb I opened not my mouth because thou Lord didst it Whence was Elie's patience 1 Sam. 3. It is the Lord let him do what seems him good Whence was Job's patience Job 1. 21. The Lord hath given the Lord hath taken away blessed be the Name of the Lord. By the way Note That a godly man is not only patient under his afflictions but thankful He is not only thankful for Mercies but for Chastisements 'T is not only the Lord hath given blessed be his Name the Lord hath built me up the Lord hath filled me the Lord hath hedged me blessed be his Name but also the Lord hath taken away the Lord hath humbled me broken me undone me left me naked left me nothing blessed be the Name of the Lord. This by the way 2. He sees the End of the Lord that God intends his good by all that comes upon him He knowes that all things and therefore this which is upon him whatever it be shall work to him for good 3. He feels the Help of the Lord. When the hand of the Lord is upon him he feels also the hand of the Lord under him underneath the everlasting arms Deut. 32. 27. The Gospel as it hath allotted him many Tribulations so it hath allowed him mighty Supports A mighty God who is the rock of ages Isa 26. a merciful high Priest who being tempted himself is able also to succour those that are tempted Heb. 2. 18. pretious Promises 2 Pet. 1. gracious experiences Rom. 5. 4. patience worketh experience This last support experience hath all the rest in it Experience is the whole Gospel proved A patient experienced Christian hath proved all things what they are hath proved the World and what it is and the worst it can do hath proved the Word and what there is in it hath proved what God is what Christ is what grace and peace and a good Conscience are Tribulation often takes away God and his Gospel and we never so well prove what God