very plĕtifully prove at your leisure read these following Isa 61.1 2. Psal 86.5 Jer. 31.2 Gods readines in mercy to mind and meet poor broken spirits will cleerly appeare if you mind consider these things First God doth not onely answer their desires when they come but he gives them a heart to desire power to come * 1 Joh. 2.6.24.1 Joh. 3.7.18 Phil. 2.4 Joh. 6.44 And were not the Father exceeding ready willing to bestow grace and mercy to poore undone Soules he would never give them a heart to seeke for it he it is that provides an eye and an object and both the mouth and the meat Secondly Power to seeke and the matter sought God doth not onely give the poore Creature power to come and a heart to desire but before ever they crave and can speake out their Request their Request is answered The power moving the Prodigall to Returne was of God and when he came to desire his Father ran and fell upon his neck and gave him an answer before he could speake Thirdly And when God doth answer he doth not onely grant a Soule what he doth demand but doth grant much more The Prodigalls Request was to be a Servant he made him a Sonne and if poore broken Spirits doe desire a looke of Love and an Enjoyment of Life they shall have the Inrichments of the Everlasting Love and Eternall Life If they beg peace sutable to what they understand they shall Enjoy a peace that passeth all understanding Phil. the 4. and the 7. Nay Beloved Reckon up what you will or what you can that is sutable to the minde of God the poore wandring Soule in his Returne shall be sure to Enjoy a double and a treble portion beyond what he can aske or thinke Joh. 14.2.1 Cor. 2.9 Isa 64.4 Fourthly Consider in the last place that which sures with the knowledge and experience of all Saints and the Scripture fully holds forth viz. When poore wandring hearts come to beg mercy and grace God never puts them off as having it not ready but he hath it alwayes ready by him Mat. 7.7 8 9 10. For supplyes in that kinde lye alwayes readie by the * Psal 87.7 Psal 84.11 Psal 46.1 Joh. 1.16 Col. 2.3 Father as being made up in him and he made up of them Beloved Consider what hath been here said in these foure things and see if it doth not fully declare the ready Runnings forth of God in mercy to minde and meet poore wandring hearts in their Returnes What can be said more to manifest his Love and sweetnes for he doth not onely answer them that aske but gives them a heart to aske and answers them before they aske and gives them more then they aske and whatsoever they desire it is ready by him to supply them If you aske me the Reasons of the Conclusion they are briefly these First God must needs be swift and ready to run forth in mercy because mercy is not onely of him but it is himselfe and * 1 John 4.16 therefore I forme my Reason thus Every thing doth and must needs runne to accomplish that which is most sutable to its owne nature But to be ready to minde and meet poore wandring hearts is sutable to Gods nature Ergo Second Reason Mercy and grace is not onely one with God but it is the great delight of God * Mich. 7.18 Isa 42.1 he takes much joy and content in shewing favour and in manifesting Love to poore broken and undone Spirits who in their owne eyes appeare as objects no way sutable to Love Third Reason He is not onely one with it secondly delights in it but thirdly he brings much glory to himselfe by it * Psa 50.15 Psal 52.9 Isa 43.7 Rom. 4.2 1 Cor. 1.20 30 31. Psal 51.4 grace appeares Eminently glorious in manifesting it selfe in poore worthlesse and graceles hearts therefore it is Gods way to manifest power in weakness to discover light in darknes to answer unkindness with great kindness and to declare his faithfulness to them who have dealt unfaithfully with him herein God appeares a God and not Man and by it all flesh are and will be forced with great acknowledgement to give glory to him Beloved friends I should now make use of this Conclusion there being many sweet refreshments held out in it to poor weak and worthles Spirits who are a returning to the Father thorough a sence of their own wandrings But I shall speak briefly a word or two of the next words so make use altogether having spoken so largely already to the former words He fell on his necke and kissed him These words are a Metaphoricall Expression but it holds forth aboundance of sweetnes as to the dealings of God with us The word falling implies the great Condescention of God to us the words upon his necke and kissing him holds forth the sweet Love familiaritie and communion with God But to both these wee shall speake very briefly And as to the word falling which as I told you holds forth Gods great Condescention to poor Creatures in his dispencing mercy and grace you may cleerly understand it that if you doe but Consider First what God is and secondly what God does and thirdly to whom he doth it As to God * Psal 95.3 4 5 6. Deut. 33.26.29 Psal 97.9 Dan. 2.47 Job 35.7 8 he is one single Simple and infinite beeing in whom all varieties of glory and good lives from which fountain all good comes unto which glory no addition can be made all stands in need of him but none can give a supply to him he hath all in himselfe and there is nothing out of him any thing but as it is made something by what flowes from him All power Love Life glory and Light lives in him he is over all in all and above all this and much more might be said of the Father But the tongue of Men and Angels are not able to declare it Secondly Consider what he doth in his Dispensing grace and mercy to poore undone hearts in which description many things might be said but briefly thus He is pleased to make * Rom. 5.6.8.10 Gal 4.5 Ezek. 16.5 6. Ephes 2.3 Revel 5.9 10. Joh. 15.15 2 Cor. 5 21 Phil 2.7 8. Slaves Sonnes and to Growne them who in all their Lives endeavour to crosse him And as to Men he appeares to Cloud himselfe to Cloath them and makes them who are Tyrants and Traytors to become Kings Princes and to make them his bosome Companions for whom he is willing to doe all and from whom he will hide nothing and Beloved minde in what way God is pleased to doe it he stoops to the weaknes and low capacity of the Creature and doth communicate things sutable to their capacity and spirit bearing as you may see Mark 4.33 And he never comes but he brings a power to beare aswell as matter to be borne a Capacity receiving as well
God and in necre communion with his loves No more of that Secondly Neglecting society with them that live with God and to live in fellowship with them that are not acquainted with God is a dangerous occasion to cause the people of God to withdraw from their rest * Gen. 42.16 Joseph had never learned to sweare by the life of Pharoah had he not come into Pharoahs family Pro. 1.15 Pro. 6.27 28. and shew me any place of Scripture where any of the people of God did ever withdraw from them that lived with God and imbraced familiarity and society with others but they commonly fell before they returned It is impossible to touch pitch but to be defiled 't is not possible for a man to walk in a corrupt Aire but he must suck in some of the corrupt fumes Deare friends in the close I desire you to mind this not onely as a duty but as a mercy to be often with them that are often * Mal. 3.16 Can. 1.8 Heb. 10.25 Col. 3.16 with God They are not onely Gods factors offering and tendering varieties of discoveries of Light and Love but they are Gods Merchants nay their hearts are Gods Magazines wherein he doth treasure up varieties of the discoveries of his Light Life and Love Truly did people know the worth of the injoying Saints they would not scorn them but rather endeavour to purchase their society Deare friends all I shall say to this is prize them that are precious to God for their society will be profitable to you Thirdly Misapplying the truths of God in Scripture is an occasionary cause many times of a Saints withdrawing from his rest as thus The Scripture clearly discovers that all praying in an outward forme is but prating unlesse it flow from the spirit of God and that is a * Rom. 8.26 1 Cor. 14.15 John 6.44 45. truth worth our owning for if there be a thousand words in our forme of prayer if there be but ten words in that prayer which flow from the spirit that 's prayer and all the rest is nothing Now this truth is falsly applied by two sorts of people and doth cause them to run into evill and withdraw from God First Of those who think all extemporary prayer is to pray by the spirit when alas a man by meer naturall parts and by meer acquired habits may be able to preach and pray in a forme extemporary and yet not be acquainted with the Spirit of God and their runnings from those set formes of worship to those Extemporary performances is a great occasion to boulster many up in blindnes and to cause them to Runne to a Restles Rest Secondly There are a second sort and they are yet further Convinced that all praying is so emptie without the Spirit of God that they will not attempt the forme till the power move them and upon that score neglect the forme of prayer may be weekes moneths yeares Now deare Friends I must speak a word to you relating to these people and then a word or two to them as to you First Be very tender of their persons Secondly Beleeve the truth of this opinion that nothing is prayer but what the Spirit performes for prayer truly and properly Considered is nothing els but the Exchanges of Gods owne Language and it flowes from God as well as it goes to God It s not to alter God but to change us Now the mistakes of these people lyes in the application of this truth Therefore a word or two to them in these particulars following First Deare Friends so many of you as are of that opinion I desire you carefully and candidly to minde what I shall say as to that for I shall desire to say nothing but what my Experience hath discovered to my own heart And therefore in this first particular take notice that I so owne this truth of God viz. that there is no prayer without the Spirit that I cannot but acknowledge all other sayings or speakings to be but emptie and vaine and yet in the second place Consider Secondly Though God doth owne no prayer but what flows from his owne Spirit and wee doe well to owne it so yet it is better for us to waite for the power in the forme then to waite for the power without the forme and as it is our dutie to Conclude the forme when we want the power to be but a dead Carcase so it is something dangerous to neglect waiting upon God for the power in the forme And truly if wee well Considered it there is reason for it For first we know wee oftener finde God or rather God findes us in the forme then out of it Cant. 1.8 Cant. 3.1 2 3 4. Cant 7.12 Secondly It is as good to be implyed in the forme as to imply our selves in that which is as bad or worse which I feare wee often doe when wee omit opportunities in lying at the Pooles mouth waiting for Gods comming in Thirdly Know this that as it is dutie when the Spirit performes it so it is no sinne to imbrace the forme waiting for power so that in the Close wee Conclude that it is no dutie because the Spirit did not performe it I know the sence of that will make Saints lye not lesse but more low before God Fourthly Deare Friends I must needs tell you in the fourth place that though that opinion be true that is no prayer without the Spirit yet know that that truth with many others are true in themselves yet if they are not as well truly apprehended as truth apprehended it is not a truth in power in us and I would have you to take notice that it is a very bad signe when the apprehension of this truth is accompanied with so long a neglect of the forme and power as weekes moneths and yeares For though the truth teaches that the for me without the power is nothing yet that Truth doth not leave the Soule without power long for though it seemes to hide it selfe sometimes for a season it alwayes comes with a double Inlargement and therefore deceive not your selves but the Lord give you power as to apprehend Truth so to apprehend Truth truly and if so the application will never admit of Libertie to Loosnesse but strong Ingagements to walke Close with God I might in this third particular about misapplying of Truth which is an occasion of Causing many to withdraw from God Wee might mention many more besides what we have named as a Christians freedome from the Law of a Christians perfection In him in whom perfection Lives and also that no unfaithfullnesse in the Creature can destroy his union with the Creator These and many more glorious truths which are to be beleeved by us yet if they be not truly apprehended and sutably applyed will be as well in particulars as Christ is in the Generall a stumbling blocke and a Rocke of offence to some as well as a foundation of Salvation
out of the water that doth nothing but gaspe and pant longing for his owne Element without which he cannot live It is just so with that heart which hath ever tasted of Gods Love cannot long Live without those Injoyments though sometimes the best of Saints are apt to withdraw yet when Light and Life appeares Raising up a Remembrance of the former solace it had in Divine Loves O it pants groanes and is Restles till againe it is refreshed with those Injoyments and it will say as Sampson in another Case said Give me her or els I dye At your leisure reade the fifth of the Canticles you shall see where Christ came to the Spouse in the beginning of the Chapter and put in his finger at the hole of the doore that is to say he gave in so much Light so much remembrance of former Loves which did not onely shew her where and what shee was but caused in her a Restlesnes till she found him whom her soule loved and she was so earnest in the pursuit of his society that all the oppositions reproaches and smitings of the watchmen of the Citie could not take her off but she still cryes out and tells the Daughters of Jerusalem that she was sicke of love and she was never at rest till she had found him whom her soule loved Deare Friends Look upon any place of Scripture where any soule did withdraw from God and is now by him made sencible of that withdrawing you will then there finde them very restless till they did returne If you aske me the Reasons for it they are these The first Reason is implyed in the latter End of this verse which is the reason and ground David gives his soule to Returne to God It is because God hath dealt bountifully with him That power of Life and Light that doth convince a soule of his withdrawing from God doth raise up a remembrance and sence of the former sweetnes plenty and bounty he injoyed in God Psal 77. and the 6. It is that which is cleerly seene in the Prodigalls Expressions Luk. 15. where he saith There is enough in my fathers house Deare Friends the sence of this is a conquering and over-coming power and the rather because that Light which presents this remembrance doth exceedingly plead and expostulate with the heart telling it that it was not as now when he lay in his Fathers bosome there he had bread enough he had there smiles without frownes and was alwayes danied upon the knees of his fathers kindness and was fed with marrow and fatnes and then it will ask and demand of the soule saying What dost thou here Deare Friends I am not able to tell you how these lively appearances of Gods precious plenty doth break and wound the soule That heart who ever lived under it can and will say that it is unexpressible how the heart breakes in longing after God and how the sence of his fullnes makes it Restless till it doth Returne The second Reason Why a soule is and must be Restless that is convinced of his withdrawings Is because that Light and Life which is raised up in the heart makes that part which is made sencible of his withdrawings not onely sencible of the fullnes of God but brings him into an union with God Therefore I forme my Reason thus Every thing doth and must be eager in its running to its Center God is the Center of the heart and by the soule that is made sencible he is knowne to be so Therefore it cannot but be earnest in his running to God Streames must returne to the fountaine and beames to the body O how restles are these streames which are hindered in their pursuit It must needs be much more with that heart who is brought to know himselfe one with * Jer. 3.23 Cant. 5. Mat. 11.22 God and also sencible that he is withdrawne from God The sence of this onenes and propriety in God was the cause of Davids heart-breakings after God Psal the 63. and the 1. The third Reason That Light and power which makes the soule sencible of its withdrawing from God doth not onely shew its onenes with God and a fullnes in God but also by it shews the emptinesse of all things besides God Take notice it was the Argument the Prodigall used that was that he was in an empty starving Condition truly there is very much of the sweet dealings of God seene in that discovery for God never shews this emptines but by his own fullnes and when he doth it he doth not onely shew the emptines in something but in every thing besides * Jer. 3.23 24. himselfe For he presents all things to be as they are and even those things which sin and the Devill presents pleasant and lovely I meane all the wanton practises and withdrawings from God and all glory pleasures and contents on this side God and God doth doe it in away of sweet pleading with the heart telling it when it was at home in his bosom it had all contents which was not for a moment but for ever and the last would be best and saying to the soule What are all these delights * Isa 41.21 22 23. Ezek. 23.5.22 Loves thou hast spoused with They speake faire but they end foule and if they smile in the day commonly in the night they frowne or if smile in the night in the day they frowne All content ends with the action all profit pleasure and honour ends with the person and place and what was is no more but all things are vanitie and a meere bubble Can all the contents and pleasures procure peace in the day of a storme or make thee well when sicke or give thee life one houre when dead No all things are so empty not onely in themselves but in their remembrance of thee that when thou ceasest it takes its leave as never manifesting more * Psal 37.10.17.20 Psal 34.16 Love Oh! it is not so saith the Lord with me to thy heart What I was I am and shall be for ever and the last will not be the least but the greatest O the sence of this emptines thorough the discovery of Gods fullnes makes the heart exceeding restles till it is seated in that Center Friends I could wish my soule were able to discover how taking and over-coming this kinde of dealing is with a poore broken heart but it is God alone that can make out the fullnes of this to you I shall say no more to the Reasons but speake a word or two to the Uses of this Conclusion The first use is an use of Information to informe us of two things from what we have already spoke from this Conclusion First 'T is to shew you how Restles that heart is to returne to God who is really made sencible of his withdrawings from God It is easier to keepe a streame from the fountaine or a beame from the body then to restraine
the Condition of many Saints but yet in answer to this Beloved friends I would have you Consider these things First Though it is our dutie and with it our Refreshments to lay hold upon and to make applications of Jesus Christ yet our happinesse lyes more in Christs laying hold of us * Joh. 15.16 Jud. 24. 1 John 4.10 Secondly It is Gods way many times to leave his people without the sensitive part of their Comfort and though they do believe and do know and doe see yet they are many times left without power to be sencible they * Hos 11.3 1 Joh. 5.13 see that so in the Close they may be brought off from Living upon their owne knowing and seeing God and made to Live upon Gods knowing and seeing them Thirdly Many times the people of God are hindered in applying Christ and promises because they looke upon them thorough a wrong glasse viz. thorough their owne Righteousnesse and goodnesse and when that seemes dead their eyes grow dimme for there is so much penurious proceedings in the best of Saints that they will not nor dare not touch a promise without holy hands and holy hearts Whereas wee are not to beleeve because we are holy but wee are to beleeve being unholy that wee may be holy I now remember what Mr Hocker said in the same case concerning the hinderance that Christians meet with in applying promises It is with them said he as with a man that goes to take a staffe in his hand if he puts the backe of his hand to the staffe he cannot hold it till he puts it in the palme of his hand so it is with the people of God when they goe to a promise they goe to lay hold on it with the backe side of the hand of faith and that they doe these wayes First When they looke upon themselves as they are in themselves and not looke upon themselves as they are in Christ In themselves they are altogether unworthy In Christ they are worthy In themselves they are blacke in Christ they * Can. 1.8 Eph. 5.27 are comely Secondly So they also doe when they endeavour to goe to Christ thorough a promise and not to a promise thorough Christ wherein they move by their owne strength and that 's their back-side and not by the power of Christ which is properly the hand to Lead them to the heart of all promises He is the summe of every promise and all promises are summed up in him In him we enjoy every one and without him we enjoy never a one If you would know what a promise is I shall discover my thoughts in this generall Tearme that includes all A promise is the declaration of Gods good will Christ is the principall declarer and he is also the thing declared and so he is the summe of promises and in that sence promises are summed up in him Thirdly We are said to goe with the back-side of the hand to a promise when we so looke upon corruption in us that we dare not apply promises of Life but as we see sinne dye and doe not Indeavour to apply promises that sin which is alive may dye And therefore deare Friends in the Close of this Remember two or three things that Experience hath and Experience will Confirme to all beleevers First None applyes Christ till Christ layes hold on him 1 Joh. 4.19 Secondly That no heart brings any holinesse to Christ but what they first had from a promise in Christ Thirdly It is not Gods way for us to conquer sinne and then beleeve but to Conquer sinne through beleeving 1 John 5.4 Fourthly If the apprehensions of sin getting some strength doth occasion a Saint by feare to weaken faith that gives not lesse but more strength to sinne but it is Christs way to kill sinne through beleeving Therefore beloved Friends Let me beg of you to be very serious in weighing the worth of Gods tenders and also the way of Gods tenders And know this As it is dangerous for men under the notion of beleeving free grace to give way to sinne so it is dangerous to stay from beleeving grace till wee Conquer sinne Pray take notice that God brings fullnesse to emptinesse and Light to Darknesse and Life to Death and goodnesse to * Matth. 11 28. Rom. 5.6 Isa 40.29 unworthinesse Therefore there is no Soule so emptie and so poore and so unworthy and so sinfull but there is enough in Christ to answer all And deare Friends take heed that you doe not penuriously stand out and say you will make your selves fit before you come to Christ That kinde of humilitie is great pride And you endeavour to doe that which is endlesse and easelesse Therefore Consider as the promise and your need of a promise so consider the way how to apply a promise and doe not endeavour to take hold of the staffe with the backe of your hand but the palme And for that End seriously minde what hath been said And the Lord give us to understand the truth as it is in Jesus but I shall say no more in answer to this objection nor to the Text at this time Though there are many other uses might be made of it but I shall onely at this time Conclude with the words in the Conclusion Which is That sinne to a Saint-like sencible heart is an unsupportable Burthen The restlesse Resolution of a Soule to returne to God who is Son-like sencible of his withdrawing Withdrawings from God are dangerous DEare friends I told you before that my desire was to discover to you three things First How unsupportable sin is to a heart that is made sencible Secondly How restlesse a heart is that is sencible of his withdrawings from God till he doth returne to God Of the first I have already spoke I am now to enter upon the second and of that I shall desire to speak sutable to what God hath made known in me and that Scripture which I desire to speake it from is Psalme the 116. and the 7. verse Returne unto thy rest O my soule for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee IN which words you may consider in generall two things 1. An Exhortation 2. The Reason and foundation The Exhortation in these words Returne unto thy rest O my soule The Reason and foundation in these words For the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee In the Exhortation we may consider severall things First The party exhorting that 's David Secondly the party exhorted that 's his soule O my soule Thirdly The Exhortation it selfe Returne In which Exhortation there is something implyed besides what is exprest The thing implied is that his heart had withdrawn from its rest Fourthly there is the manner of the Exhortation it is an earnest Exhortation Returne oh my soule Besides it is a spirituall Exhortation therefore he calls upon his soule We might now divide the Reason and foundation as we have done the Exhortation and from
who is sencible of his withdrawing from God So also to discover in the third place the sweet Entertainment that the soule finds with God when he is brought home As I desire to declare sutable to what God hath declared to me so I desire to speake it from that Scripture in and by which the Lord was pleased to speake it forth to me by which he did very much refresh and encourage my poore and unworthy Spirit The Text is in these words following A Discovery of the sweet and unexspected Entertainment that wandring hearts meet with in their Returnes to God The Prodigalls Entertainment with his Father discovered Luke the 15. and the 20 verse And he arose and came to his Father but when he was yet a great way off his Father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him BEloved Friends These words doe cleerly and sweetly Anatomise the tendernes of Gods affection as he is a Father and the truth is those hearts that doe by the Spirit of the Lord Really view God in these words as he is presented cannot but as a Sonne be melted and overcome in the sence of the Fathers kindnesse As for the first part of the words Concerning the Prodigalls rising and coming towards his Father I shall not say any thing having spoken at large what is there included in our former discourses I shall onely speak to the unexpected Entertainment the poore Prodigall found with the Father and that is implyed in these words But when he was yet a great way off his Father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell upon his neeke and kissed him All which doth wonderfully manifest the full free and tender kindnesse of God to unkinde Greatures Before we come to speake of the Entertainment it selfe wee might speake something of the party Entertained And as to him we might say something of his resolution to come his preamble in coming his apprehensions about his coming and how much his Entertainment did Extend all All which you may see in the dependance of these words on the foregoing verses but I shall passe over that and onely summe up all in this generall Conclusion which wee shall observe from the words as they have dependance upon the former verses Doct. That soule which is brought home to the Father through a sence of his owne wandrings meets with unexpected Entertainment with the Father when he comes If you reade the former verses you will not finde the Prodigall expecting to meet the Father before he came to the Father And for the Father to runne when he onely went And for the Father to fall upon his necke before he fell downe before his Father Nay his Father kissed him before he could confesse how unworthy he was of a kisse truly the very thoughts of this is a Cordiall sufficient to put Life to a dying Spirit and doth exceedingly advance the glory of Gods grace and Love Especially if you see how God by this Love doth not onely give unexpected Entertainment and so in that went beyond the apprehensions of the Prodigall but he did also prevent the Prodigall in his practise for the poore wandring heart being sencible of his wandrings and what a breach by it he apprehended he had made in his Interest in his Father he now resolved to doe that which all poore Soules in the like Condition doth endeavour to doe in their returning to God to prompt their expectation of their Entertainment with God they resolve to doe and say something to make way for their Entertainment As the Prodigall here in these words I will arise and goe to my Father and will say I have sinned against heaven and against thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Sonne make me as one of thy hired servants Poore soules when they have these preparations and resolutions they have some hopes that God by it may be wrought upon to manifest Love againe Dearely Beloved that God may shew you the emptines of this foundation see how God goes beyond the poore Prodigall Before ever he said any thing the Father saved him and when he did but come the Father did runne and before he ever performed his resolutions his Father transcendently answered his expectation and desires falling on him and kissed him before he fell downe in the presence of his Father Beloved the Father is God and not man he moves all but is mov'd by none preparations are wrought by him but they are no Causes moving and procuring Entertainment with him * Job 32.6 7. Psal 16.2 Effects of his Love cannot be the Cause this would all Prodigalls say in their Returnes if they were sencible what God is and they will be drawne to acknowledge it from their Injoyment of the unexpected Entertainment with the Father Poore David when he had sinned against God said He would confesse his sinne but saith he when I said I would confesse God forgave Psal 32. and the 5. So that when he did onely Resolve to confesse before it was done God did actually forgive The very same you may see in Ephraim Ierem. 31.18 19 verses he there bemones himselfe being ashamed and confounded thorough a sence of his owne unsutablenes crying out to be turned to God as knowing himselfe undone without him but see in the 20 verse what a transcendant and unexpected Entertainment he found with God Exprest in these words Ephraim my deare Sonne is he a pleasant Childe for since I spake against him I doe earnestly remember him still therefore my Bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. O what sweet soule melting Expressions are these It was an Entertainment far beyond Ephraims Expectation and as Ephraim so all poore soules who have strangely wandred from the Father and are ashamed in their Returnes to beg Entertainment even in the lowest degree They undoubtedly shall be sweetly Entertained beyond what they doe or can expect If you aske me the reasons why wandring hearts in their Returnes finde Entertainment beyond their Expectation The reasons are these First Because Gods thoughts are not our thoughts Esay 55. the 8 and 9. but as the heavens are above the Earth so are his thoughts above ours in relation to the dispensation of mercy to undone soules The confirmation of which truth is Gods intent in that Chapter and those Verses Alas the poore heart that is wounded in the sence of his owne sins and desires nothing more then Entertainment if it were but to look upon God at the doore and to be owned by him though he did not sit at the Table with him and had but asmile though not kisses and lookes of Love though no Imbraces Though as a Servant yet he would thinke himselfe happy Dearely Beloved You shall not onely stand at the doore but * Can. 2.4 Cant. 3.10 Isa 62.5 sit downe at the Table and not onely have smiles and lookes of Love but varieties of