whom Christ prayed shall obtain all the rich and glorious things which he desired Finally Here is the greatest encouragement for our Prayers that can be desired for hereby it is manifest that whatever we can beg of God which is needful for our Happiness here or hereafter it hath been already prayed for on our behalf by Christ Himself who was not who could not be denyed When we pray for our Relatives or others who are given to Christ but do not yet believe that they may have Faith When we pray for Union with the Father and the Son for the comfort improvement and continuance of this Union When we pray for pardon of sin and the purging of guilt by the grand Sacrifice of Expiation when we pray for Holiness the increase and exercise of it when we pray to be kept from the evil of the World which is all in the World we need to fear from the evil of Suffering or whatever may be destructive to our Souls in a word when we pray for Eternal Glory it is evident by the premisses that all these and what else is necessary for these purposes were on the behalf of those that do or shall believe the requests of the great Mediator who was God and Man in one Person and could no more be repulsed than God can deny Himself in a Prayer that was not lyable to the least exception from Justice or Holiness it self that was in all points exactly agreeable unto the Will of God and infinitely acceptable to the Divine Majesty therefore praying for any or all these things expressed or included in this Divine Prayer as we are required we may be as fully perswaded that they will not be denyed us as we may be confident that the requests of our great Advocate Jesus Christ the Righteous will be granted SERMON XXVIII Quest How we should Eye ETERNITY that it may have its due Influence upon us in all we do 2 COR. 4.18 While we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are Temporal but the things which are not seen are Eternal ETernal What a sound doth this word Eternal make in my Ears What workings doth it cause within my Heart What casting about of Thoughts what word is next to be added to it Is it Eternal World Where For this is Temporal Oh! that Eternal World is now by us unseen and as to us is yet to come But yet my trembling Heart is still solicitous to what other word this word Eternal might be prefixed as to my self or those that hear me this day when they and I who through the long sufferance of God are yet in this present and temporal shall be in that Eternal World Shall it be Eternal damnation in that Eternal World How after so many knocking 's of Christ Strivings of the Spirit Tenders of Mercy Wooings of Grace Calls of Ministers Warnings of Conscience Admonitions of Friends Waitings of Patience All which put us into a fair probability of escaping Eternal damnation O dreadful words can more terror be contained can more misery be comprehended in any two words than in Eternal damnation But we in time are Praying Hearing Repenting Believing Conflicting with Devils Mortifying Sin Weaning our Hearts from this World that when we shall go out of time we might find Life or Salvation added to Eternal Eternal Salvation these be words as comfortable as the other were terrible as sweet as they were bitter What then This word Eternal is the horror of Devils the amazement of damned Souls which causeth desperation in all that Hellish Crew for it woundeth like a Dart continually sticking in them that they most certainly know that they are damned to all Eternity Eternal it is the Joy of Angels the Delight of Saints that while they are made happy in the beatifical Vision are filled with perfect Love and Joy they sit and sing all this will be Eternal Eternal this word it is a loud alarm to all that be in time a serious caution to make this our grand concern that when we must go out of time our Eternal Souls might not be doomed down to Eternal Damnation but might obtain Salvation that shall be Eternal of which we have hope and expectation while we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are Eternal The Consideration of these words may be twofold 1. Relative As they are a reason of stedfastness in shaking troubles as a Cordial against fainting under the Cross ver 16. For which cause we faint not but though our outward man perish yet the inward man is renewed day by day v. 17. for our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory 18. While we look c. Not only the experience of present spiritual good in the inward by the pressing afflictions on the outward man in weakning of sin in purging away our dross in weaning us from the World in humbling us for our miscarriages in reducing us from wandring in emptying us of self-conceit in trying our Faith in exercising our Patiance in confirming our Hope in awakening of Conscience in bringing us to examine our Ways in renewing our Repentance in proving our Love in quickning us to Prayer but also the clear and certain prospect of Glory after Affliction of a Weight of Glory after light Affliction of Eternal Glory after short Affliction of a Weight of Glory far more exceeding all our present Sorrows Burdens Calamities than Tongue can express or Pen describe or the Mind of Man conceive being more than Eye hath seen or Ear hath heard or have entred into the Heart of Man must needs be an alleviation of our Sorrows a lightning of our Burdens comfort in our Grief joy in our Groans strength in our Weakness though we are troubled on every side yet not distressed though perplexed yet not in despair though under Afflictions both felt and seen yet we faint not while we keep our Eye fixed upon the Glorious things in the other World that are unseen and Eternal too 2. Absolute As they set before us the mark and scope we should have in our Eye all the while we are in time viz. unseen Eternal things you stand in time but you should look into Eternity you stand tottering upon the very brink of time and when by Death thrust out of time you must into Eternity and if in any case the old Proverb should prevail it should not fail in this to look before you leap The Analysis of the Text breaks it into these parts 1. The Objects that are before us 1. Things seen 2. Things not seen 2. The Act exerted on these Objects Looking expressed 1. Negatively 2. Affirmatively Not at things which are seen The Men of the World stand gazing at these till their
to them that are like to give again do plainly turn Religion into Bartery and may be said to be good Traders but scarce good Christians When men appear for Religion only when and where it is countenanced or while there is something to be got by it Practice in an Employment Custom in a Trade or the favour of men or applause from them they may well be suspected if not of Fancy yet of Design and Hypocrisie But when men will do Duty and keep Gods way though they get nothing by it but frowns or blowes detriment or danger it cannot be reasonably imagined but that they have some better thing in their eye which they look for hereafter and some very Powerful Principle at present within them to support them under difficulties and prompt them to such Duties as are for ought the spectators can discern both unprofitable and hazardous 6. Labour so to carry your selves in the sight of men as to let them see that you are as much set upon gaining Heaven as getting or keeping the World Be as active as busie and shew as much concern for the things of the other life as the things of this Scarce any thing is a greater blemish to Religion or disreputation to them that profess it than their passionate and over-eager pursuit of Temporal things with a coldness and visible indifferency in seeking Eternal when they can rise up early and sit up late and eat the bread of Carefulness spend their time and strength in labouring for the World nay lose the comfort of their Lives by scrambling for the things of this life and in the mean time put God off with some little superficial Service neglect some duties and hurry over others let the croud of business thrust their spiritual work into a corner of their time if not quite out of it the world indeed justle God and Christ and Heaven out of their discourse and conversation which savours of nothing but Trades and Bargains and Adventures and getting Estates and tends to nothing but the promoting a meer Worldly Interest Are these men think their carnal Neighbours in good earnest for Religion when they are so mad upon their business doth their Happiness lie in Heaven when their labour is only for the Earth can their Treasure be above when their hearts are below and their actings plainly shew that they are so can their hope of Eternal Glory be any better than a Fancy who do so little for that Glory and lay out themselves for this World as if there were no other And indeed who can judge otherwise of some men that hears their pretences and yet sees their practice And therefore Christians think with your selves How doth it become you to act if you would perswade others that you have real designs for future happiness What would you do if you did pretend to the hope of some great Estate or enjoyment in the world to convince them that that hope were reasonable and well grounded would you not act at such a rate as to make them acknowledge you were serious would you not make it your great business to attain your great Ends Do the same in the present case let men see that your belief of things to come is as real as of present things by your pursuing them as earnestly and acting as vigorously for them Nay shew a greater concernedness for them and that will be a means to convince men that you believe a greater excellency in them and that they cannot be obtained upon easier terms 7. The more you pretend to the comforts of Christianity the more mortified let your conversation be to the things of the World and pleasures of Sense and your carriage more apparently holy Let it never be said that the Comforts of the Spirit make you give liberty to the Flesh When men see that the more you pretend to spiritual enjoyments the more spiritual you are and the more pleasure you profess to find in Gods wayes the more exactly you walk in them and the less ye dare sin against him they will have little to say against you Those comforts cannot but be real which have so great so good Effects and when men see the effects so real they cannot judge the cause to be less so Whimsies and Fancies do not use to make men grow in Righteousness and Humility and Meekness and Mortification Let men see the respect you bear to all Gods Commands and they will scarce dare to question the comforts you receive from his Promises 8. Labour to make such advances in the way to Heaven as may not only be sensible to your selves but perceivable by others let your profiting appear unto all men 1 Tim. 4.15 Let your paths be as the shining light shining forth more and more Prov. 4.18 Not only grow in Grace and inward Holiness but abound in the fruits of Righteousness A sensibly thriving Religion cannot be thought to be an imaginary one they that observe the progress you make will not be able to question the grounds upon which you go When they see that as you grow older and wiser so you grow better they cannot reasonably imagine that strength of Fancy ever raised you to that height of goodness but rather suppose that you do more good than you did because you see more reason for it and have more lively hopes of being gainers by it 9. Lastly a Heb. 10.23 Be sure to persevere and hold on in the Faith you d profess and the practice of Godliness your Constancy may be a special means to evidence your reality not only to your selves but others When men grow weary of Gods wayes their Courage fails them their Zeal is out of breath it is a sign their Religion was never real but when they act uniformly under the most contrary Providences and among all the Vicissitudes and Changes of humane affairs in Conformity to the Principles they have all along professed and owned the shock of Temptations they meet with cannot justle them out of the way of Holiness nor the Enticements and Courtship of a sometimes fawning World wheedle them into a complyance with it they hope to the end b 1 Pet. 1.13 are not weary of well doing c Gal. 5.9 labour and faint not d Rev. 2.3 bring forth Fruit with patience and persevere to do so serve God as long as they have their being e Psal 104.33 live to him as long as they live at all act by the same Rule aim at the same End while they live and when they come to die in a word when opposition from men temptations from Satan nay frowns from God himself have not discouraged them nor lessened their love to him or activeness for him or diligence in his Service and at last upon reflection they approve of that good course they have now finished and have the same thoughts of God and Holiness they had before the worst of Enemies cannot but as impudently as unreasonably charge
Vasis the Fulness of the Vessel but Plenitudo Fontis the Fulness of the Fountain When the whole World was defaced Noah had the Copy and Emblem of it in the Ark. In God this Ark of Blessedness are all good things virtually to be found Therefore Jacob having God for his Reward could say I have enough or as it is in the Original I have all †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God is all Marrow and Sweetness * Ipse Deus sufficit ad Proemium Aug. He is such an exuberant Reward as exceeds our very Faith r Proemium quod fide non attingitur Aug. If the Queen of Sheba's Heart fainted within her to see all King Solomons Glory what would it have done to have beheld the Astonishing and Magnificent Reward which God bestows upon his Favourites 2. God is Merces adaequata a suitable Reward The Soul being Spiritual must have something Homogeneal and suitable to make it happy and that is God Light is not more suitable to the Eye nor Melody to the Ear than God is to the Soul He pours in Spiritual Blessings Eph. 1.3 He enricheth it with Grace feasts it with his Love crowns it with Heavenly Dignity 3. God is Merces jucunda a Pleasant Reward He is the Quintessence of delight all Beauty and Love To be feeding upon the thoughts of God is delicious Psal 104.34 My Meditation of him shall be sweet 'T is delightfull to the Bee to suck the Flower so by holy musing to suck out some of the sweetness in God carries a secret delight in it To have a Prospect of God only by Faith is Pleasant 1 Pet. 1.8 In whom believing ye rejoyce Then what will the joy of Vision be when we shall have a clear intuitive Sight of him and be laid in the Bosom of Divine Love Is God so sweet a Reward in Affliction 2 Cor. 7.4 I am exceeding joyful in all our Tribulation ſ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Philip Lantgrave of Hesse said That in his Confinement he had the Divine Consolations of the Martyrs Then what a delicious Reward will God be in Heaven This may be better felt than expressed The Godly entering upon their Coelestial Reward are said to enter into the joy of their Lord Mat. 25.21 O Amazing t O Gaudium vincens omne Gaudium extra quod non est Gaudium The Saints enter into Gods own joy They have not only the Joy which God bestows but the joy which God enjoyes 4. God is Merces transcendens a transcendent Reward The Painter going to take the Picture of Helena not being able to draw her Beauty to the Life drew her Face covered with a Vail So when we speak of Gods Excellencies we must draw a Vail He is so supereminent a Reward as we cannot set him forth in all his Oriency and Magnificence Put the whole world in Ballance with him and it is as if you should weigh a Feather with a Mountain of Gold God hath got the Ascendant of all other things he is better than the World better than the Soul better than Heaven He is Causa causati the original Cause of all good things u Quod efficit tale id est magis tale nothing is sweet without him x Quicquid praeter Deum est Dulce non est Aug. he perfumes and Sanctifies our Comforts he turns the Venison into a Blessing 5. God is Merces Infinita an Infinite Reward and being infinite these two things follow 1. This Reward cannot come to us by way of Merit Can we merit God can finite Creatures merit an infinite Reward 2. God being an infinite Reward there can be no Defect or Scantiness in it there is no want in that which is infinite x Quicquid praeter Deum est Dulce non est Aug. Some may ask Is God sufficient for every individual Saint Yes If the Sun which is but a finite Creature disperseth its light to the Universe then much more God who is infinite distributes Glory to the whole number of the Elect. Every individual Christian hath a Propriety in a Community as every Person enjoyes the whole Sun to himself so every Believer possesseth whole God to himself the Lord hath Land enough to give all his Heirs Throw a thousand Buckets into the Sea and there is water enough in the Sea to fill them Though there be Millions of Saints and Angels there is enough in God to fill them God being an infinite Reward though he is continually giving out of his fulness to others yet he hath not the less his Glory is Imparted not Impaired it is a Distribution without a Diminution 6. God is Merces honorifica an honourable Reward Honour is the height of mens Ambition Aristotle calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Alas Worldly Honour is but a pleasant Fancy a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 25.23 y In Infinito non datur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Honour hath oft a speedy burial but to enjoy God is the head of Honour What greater Dignity than to be taken up into Communion with the God of Glory and to possess a Kingdom with him bespangled with Light and seated above all the visible Orbs A great Heir while he is in a Forreign Land may be despised but in his own Countrey he is had in Veneration Here the people of God are as Princes in a disguise 1 John 3.1 but they shall have honour enough in Heaven when they shall be cloathed with white Robes and sit with Christ upon his Throne Rev. 3.21 7. God is Merces aeterna an Everlasting Reward Mortality is the disgrace of all earthly things z Inter Peritura vivimus Seneca They are in their Fruition surfeiting and in their Duration dying they are like the Mettal Glass is made of which when it shines brightest is nearest melting but God is an eternal Reward Eternity cannot be measured by Years Jubilees Ages nor the most slow motion of the eighth Sphere Eternity makes Glory weighty Psal 48.14 This God is our God for ever and ever A Christian cannot say I have an Estate in the World and I shall have it for ever but he may say I have God and I shall have him for ever O ye Saints of God your praying and repenting is but for a while but your Reward is for ever As long as God is God he will be rewarding you Hos 2. 19. I will betroth thee to me for ever b Adsciscam mihi in sponsam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Corn. Lap. God Marries himself to his People and this admits of no Divorce Gods Love to his Elect is as unchangable as to Christ Psalm 73.26 My portion for ever This Portion cannot be spent because it is Infinite nor lost because it is Eternal We read of a River of pleasure at Gods Right Hand Psalm 36.8 But may not this River in time be dryed up No for there is a Fountain at the bottom verse 9. With
Conscience is seen in the gladness of the Countenance Let the Birds of Paradise sing for joy Shall a Carnal man rejoyce whose hopes lean on earthly Crutches and shall not he rejoyce whose Treasure is laid up in Heaven Be Serious yet Chearful A dejected Melancholy temper as it unfits for Duty especially Praising God so it disparageth Heaven will others think God is such a great Reward when they see Christians hang the wing and go drooping in Religion 'T is a sin as well not to rejoyce as not to repent But how can I be chearful I am reduced to great Straits Object Let God take away what he will from thee Answ he will at last give thee that which is better As Pharaoh said Gen. 45.20 Regard not your Stuff for the good of all the Land of Egypt is yours So I say Regard not your Stuff be not too much troubled at the diminution of these earthly things for the good of all the Land of Heaven is yours In the Fields of Sicily there is a continual Spring and Flowers all the Year long an Emblem of the Jerusalem above where are Flowers of Joy alwayes growing There you shall tread upon Stars be Fellow-commoners with Angels and have Communion with the blessed Trinity Let the Saints then be glad in the Lord in God are Treasures that can never be emptied and Pleasures that can never be ended If God be an exceeding great Reward let such as have hope in Branch 6 him long for Possession Though it should not be irksom to us to stay here to do Service yet we should have an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an holy longing till the Portion comes into our hand l Veni Domine Jesu ut ad te veniam veni dulcedo mea emancipato Animam hanc ut te Marito suo fruaatur Roll. This is a temper becoming a Christian content to live desirous to dye Phil. 1.23.25 Doth not the Bride desire the day of Espousals m In Visione Dei ut primi veri amore Dei ut summi boni consistit Corona Aug. Rev. 22.17 Did we but seriously consider our Condition here We are compassed with a body of Sin we cannot pray without wandring we cannot believe without doubting should not this make us desire to have our Pass to be gone Let us think how happy those Saints above are who are solacing themselves in God while we live far from Court they alwaies behold the smiling face of God while we drink Wormwood they swim in Honey while we are perplexed between Hope and Fear they know their Names are enrolled in the Book of Life while we are tossed upon the unquiet Waves they are gotten to the Haven Did we but know what a Reward God is and what the joy of our Lord means we should need Patience to be content to stay here any longer Let such as have God for their exceeding great Reward be living Organs Branch 7 of Gods praise n Gratias agere possumus referre non possumus Aug. Psal 118.28 Thou art my God and I will praise thee Themistocles thought he was well required by the Graecians for his Valour when they took such notice of him in the Olympicks saying This is Themistocles God counts it Requital enough for all his Love when we are grateful and present him with our Thank-Offering and well may we stand upon Mount Gerizim Blessing and Praising if we consider the Greatness of this Reward that we should be made Heirs of God and that this surpassing Reward is not a Debt but a Legacy and that when many are passed by the Lot of free Grace should fall upon us let this make us ascribe Praise unto the Lord. It is called the Garment of Praise Isa 61.3 The Saints never look so comely as in this Garment Praise is the Work of Heaven Such as shall have Angels Reward should do Angels work The word Praise comes from an Hebrew Râ—dix that signifies to shoot up p 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Godly should send up their Praises as a Volley of shot towards Heaven shall you live with God and partake of his Fulness in Glory break forth into Doxologies and Triumphs long for that time when you shall join in Consort with the Angels those Quiristers of Heaven in sounding forth Hallelujah's to the King of Glory Such as are Monuments of Mercy should be Patterns of Thankfulness 3Vse Consolation Will God himself be his Peoples Reward this may be as Bezar-stone to revive and Comfort them 1. In Case of losses they have lost their Livings and Promotions for Conscience sake but as long as God lives their Reward is not lost Heb. 10.34 I cannot be poor faith Bernard as long as God is rich for his Riches are mine Habet omnia qui habet habentem omnia Whatever we lose for God we shall find again in him We have left all say the Disciples and followed thee Mark 10.28 Alas what had they left a few sorry Boats and Tackling what were these to their Reward they parted with movable goods for the unchangable God All losses are made up in him we may be losers for God we shall not be losers by him 2. It is Comfort in Case of Persecution the Saints Reward will abundantly compensate all their Sufferings Agrippa being laid in Chains for Caius when he came after to the Empire released Agrippa out of Prison and gave him a Chain of Gold bigger than his Iron Chain So God will infinitely remunerate them that suffer for him for their Waters of Marah they shall have the Wine of Paradise The Saints Sufferings are but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for a while 1 Pet. 5.10 their Reward is for ever they are but a while in the Wine-press ever in the Banqueting-house q 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys The Hebrew Word for Glory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies a Weight the weight of Glory should make Affliction light the enjoying of God eternally will cause Christians to forget all their Sorrows One Beam of the Sun of Righteousness will dry up their Tears after Trouble Peace after Labour Rest Then God will be all in all to his People 1 Cor. 15.28 Light to their Eye Manna to their Tast Musick to their Ear Joy to their Heart O then let the Saints be comforted in the midst of their Trials Rom. 8.18 I reckon that the Sufferings off this present time are not Worthy to be compared with the Glory which shall be revealed in us 4 Vse Terror to the Wicked Here is a Gorgons head to affright them They shall have a Reward but vastly different from the Godly the one shall be rewarded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all the Plagues in the Bible are their Reward Prov. 10.29 Destruction shall be to the Workers of Iniquity God is their Rewarder but not their Reward Rom. 6.23 The Wages of sin is Death They who did the Devils work will tremble to
duely on it and then walk worthy of it Now this Love of God I cannot more compendiously declare than by that of the Apostle Ephes 1.3 c. Blessed be God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ c. In which ye are to observe six remarkable things in Gods blessing of us for which we are to bless him 1. That God the Father of Christ is the Author of all our Blessings especially of Spiritual Blessings Election Redemption and all that flow from thence are given us upon the account of Christ by whom God becomes our Father that is by Adoption by which we have the right of Inheritance that is Salvation 2. That by the word Blessings he includes all things pertaining to Salvation because he saith with all spiritual Blessings alluding to Gods Promise made to Abraham in Christ saying In thee shall all the Nationss of the earth he blessed And therefore he will give the consummation of this Blessing at the day of Judgment to his Elect saying Come ye blessed of my Father receive the Kingdom prepared for you i. e. from his Everlasting Love ver 6. 3. That the Father loves and blesseth us that is his Chosen ones and none else Vers 4 5. who declare themselves such by their Faith and Holiness and Love vers 4. 4. That these Blessings are principally Spiritual Blessings such as the Elect only receive in a peculiar and distinguishing way and that under two Considerations 1. They are not carnal Blessings though the Father denyes not these to his Children for which his Child must bless him but here they are called spiritual because chiefly such 2. They are not common spiritual Blessings neither such are temporary Faith Heb. 6. 1 Cor. 13. a great degree of Knowledge even in Spiritual things yea a taste also of the Holy Ghost and the Beginning of a pious Life c. But only saving Grace and Eternal Glory the Fruit of Eternal Election for all other spiritual Blessings follow and flow from that as the true Knowiedge of God a living Faith effectual Calling Justification Sanctification a Christian Life Love to the Saints and Life Eternal this the Apostle calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all Blessing as containing and comprehending all fully and perfectly 5. But there is one thing more to be noted from that word in heavenly places For as carnal Blessings have their Beginning in the Earth and there they end so heavenly Blessings come from Heaven and terminate there in Glory without end Therefore we render it in heavenly places because it notes the Place of it which is Heaven where Christ is exalted in Glory as our Head to communicate and accumulate all spiritual Blessings on his elected and redeemed Members There it 's said Cap. 1.19 to Vers ult in heavenly places in Christ All this is amplified in this first and more particularized in the second where he saith He hath quickned us together Ephes 2.4 5 6. and raised us up together and made us sit together with Christ in heavenly places All this is an high act of Divine Love toward us By which three things here and in Heaven all Grace and Glory is meant and that Saints do partake of them with and by Christ And this leads to a 6. Sixth thing wherein the Love of God to us is declared in the place afore cited Ephes 1.3 4 5. viz. in Christ by which is assigned the material Cause of all Spiritual Blessings namely Christ as Mediator and High-Priest 1. We are blessed in Christ i. e. for Christs sake and upon his account 2. In Christ by the Merits of Christ by his Obedience Passion and Death 3. In Christ as our Head from whom as such all our Blessings flow in our Souls and Bodies therefore is he called the Lord our Righteousness Jer. 23.6 1 Cor. 1.30 That is in the Person of Christ We are raised with him and sit in Heaven with him i. e. We are counted raised and sitting there by his Dignity and Glory as our Head By this Imputation the Papists Justification by Inherent Righteousness is fully confuted Also we have infinite Priviledge and Comfort that the Lord Jesus is made to us his members Righteousness and Holiness which can never be had any other way either within us or without us but in Christ our Head only and there only it is perfect and sure and all this in love For the Father hath demonstrated his love to Christ for this his undertaking and his love to us because he appointed him for us and accepts us in him Ephes 1.3 4 5 6. This is the first Branch of the fifth Use of Studying the Love of God to us in Christ in all the Causes of it and in all the Parts of it For this is a strong Motive to keep us in this Love to understand it and to believe it and to walk up to it 2. The second Branch To understand and practise our Love to the Lord answering his Love to us 1. Understand what Love that is wherewith we are to love the Lord and whereby we keep our selves in his Love to us Matth. 22.36 37. In order unto this ye are to know that the whole Worship of God consists in the Love of God Hence Ambrose saith The Love of God is the form of all Vertue yea the Head and Foundation of all true Religion The end of the Law is Love out of a pure heart a good Conscience 1 Tim. 1.5 and Faith unfeigned There are three things that are in true Love 1. To be affected with a desirable Object upon our knowledge of it to be good 2. To be carryed out strongly in our Desires after it that we may be united with it 3. When we enjoy it to Rejoyce in it and to rest in it as in our End and Center of our Desires This the word signifies in the Original Hebrew and Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To rest greatly in the enjoyment of the thing beloved as Etymologists have it Phavorinus c. So true Love contains in it Affection Desire Joy as the Beginning Progress and End of it and this will be perfect in Heaven and our Perfection and Happiness In this Love outvyes all other Grace 1 Cor. 13. We have an excellent Saying of St. Augustin to this purpose Tom. 4. libro de substantiâ dilectionis Cap. 6. This is then the rest of the Soul when it is fixed by the Love of God as to its desire nor desires any thing or Object besides but having got possession of that which it desires is wholly taken up with the Delight of it and is happy in the secure enjoyment of it Whence we are to learn wherein the true Nature of our Love of God stands that the Heart rest in the enjoyment of what it desires which it can do in nothing else And only our Love to God is true
they may have thereby they will give them up to be an easie prey unto the other Designers And there are two Engines that are applied unto this purpose the one is Ignorance the other is Prophaneness or Sensuality of Life Whenever either of these prevails the Experience intended must necessarily be lost and excluded And the means of their prevailing are want of due Instruction by those who are the Leaders of the People and the encouragement of Sensuality by Impunity and great Examples This is the only formidable Conspiracy against the Profession of the Truth in this Nation without whose Aid all power and force will be frustrate in the Issue And as there is a great appearance in Divine Permission of such a state of things at present amongst us so if they be manag'd by Counsel also and that those ways of Ignorance and Sensuality are countenanced and promoted for this very End that the power of Truth being lost the Profession of it may be given up on easie terms there is nothing but Sovereign Grace that can prevent the Design For the Principle which we have laid down is uncontrollable in Reason and Experience namely That the loss of an Experience of the power of Religion will issue one way or other in the loss of the Truth of Religion and the Profession of it Whence is it that so many corrupt Opinions have made such an Inroad on Protestant Religion and the Profession of it Is it not from hence that many have lost an Experience of the power and efficacy of the Truth and so have parted with it Whence is it that Prophaneness and Sensuality of Life with all manner of corrupt Lusts of the Flesh have grown up unto the shame of Profession Is it not from the same Cause as the Apostle expresly declares it comes by 2 Tim. 4 2 3 4 5. One way or other the loss of Experience of the power of Truth will end in the loss of the profession of it But I proceed unto the Instance which I do design in the Church of Rome for the Religion of it at this day is nothing but a dead Image of the Gospel erected in the loss of an experience of its spiritual power overthrowing its Use with all its Ends being suited to the Taste of men carnal ignorant and superstitious This I shall make evident by all sorts of Instances in things relating to the Person and Offices of Christ the State Order and Worship of the Church with the Graces and Duties of Obedience required in the Gospel And in all my principal Design is to demonstrate what is the only way and means of securing our own Souls any Church or Nation from being insnared with or prevailed against by Popery 1. It is a general Notion of Truth that the Lord Christ in his Person and Grace is to be proposed and represented unto men as the principal Object of their Faith and Love He himself in his divine Person is absolutely invisible unto us and as unto his humane Nature absent from us For the Heavens must receive him until the time of the restitution of all things There must therefore an Image or Representation of him be made unto our Minds or he cannot be the proper Object of our Faith Trust Love and Delight This is done in the Gospel and the preaching of it for therein he is evidently set forth before our eyes as crucified amongst us Gal. 3.1 So also are all the other Concerns of his Person and Offices therein clearly proposed unto us yea this is the principal End of the Gospel namely to make a due Representation of the Person Offices Grace and Glory of Christ unto the Souls of men that they may believe in him and believing have eternal Life John 20.31 Upon this Representation made of Christ and his Glory in the Gospel and the Preaching of it Believers have an Experience of the power and efficacy of the divine Truth contained therein in the way before mentioned as the Apostle declares 2 Cor. 3.18 For we all with open face beholding as in a Glass the Glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Having a Spiritual Light to discern and behold the Glory of Christ as represented in the Glass of the Gospel they have experience of its transfoâ—ming power and efficacy changing them into the likeness of the Image represented unto them that is of Christ himself which is the saving effect of Gospel-power But this Spiritual Light was lost among men through th efficacy of their Darkness and Unbelief they were not able to discover the Glory of Christ as revealed and proposed in the Gospel so as to make him the present Object of their Faith and Love And this Light being lost they could have no experience of the power of Divine Truth concerning him changing them into his Image They could make no affecting discovery of him in the Scripture All things therein were dark and confused or at least seemed an inaccessible Mystery which they could not reduce to practice Hence those who had got the publick conduct of Religion drove the people from Reading the Scripture as that which was of no use but rather dangerous unto them What shall these men then betake themselves unto shall they reject the notion in general that there ought to be such a representation made of Christ unto the minds of men as to inflame their devotion to excite their Faith and stir up their affection to him This cannot be done without an open Renunciation of him and of the Gospel as a Fable Wherefore they will find out another way for it another means unto the same end And this is by making Images of him of wood and stone or Gold and Silver or painting on them Hereby they supposed he would be made present unto his Worshippers That he would be so represented unto them as that they should be immediately stirred up unto the embraces of Faith and Love And herein they found sensible effects unto their great satisfaction For their minds being dark carnal and prone to superstition as are the minds of all men by nature they would see nothing in the Spiritual Representation of him in the Gospel that had any power on them or did in any measure affect them In these Images by the means of sight and imagination they found that which did really work upon their Affections and as they thought did excite them unto the love of Christ And this was the true Original of all the Imagery in the Church of Rome as something of the same nature in general was of all the Image-worship in the World So the Israelites in the wilderness when they made the Golden Calf did it to have a representation of a Deity near unto them in such a visible manner as that their Souls might be affected with it so they expressed themselves Exod 32 1. Wherefore in this State under a loss of
John 20.17 Go in my Brethren and say to them I ascend to my Father and your Father to my God and your God A power to spirituallize carnal affections Col. losâ— 3â— â— If ye then be risen with Christ seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God set your affectiâ—n on things â—bove and not on things upon the earth Finally a power to conâ—â—rm and establish the soul in Grace for Christ being â—â—ised from the â—ead diâ—th no 〈◊〉 death hath no more dominion oâ—er him and they that are once really quickened by him shall never more become dead in sins and 〈◊〉 passes but shall continue faithful to the death and may confidently expect a joyful resurrection Christ is risen as the first fruits of them that slept 1 Cor. 15.20 Therefore there will be an Harvest at the end of the world when all the bodies of the Saints that were sown in Corruption shall be raised in Incorruption that were sown in dishonour shall be raised in Glory 6. Growing in the Knowledge of Christ implies greater satisfaction aboue his imputed righteousness The Apostle having spoken of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ presently declares his desire to be found in him not having his own Righteousness but that which is through the Faith of him the righteousness which is of God by Faith Phil. 3.9 This righteousness of Christ is called the righteousness of God Because 't is that which God accepts and upon the account of which he justifies the ungodly moreover Christ himself is Jehovah the true God else his obedience and sufferings would not have been sufficient to have been our justifying Righteousness * Cur insane Sophista assâ—ris dilectionâ—m spem alias virtutes scio has esse insignia Dei dona divinitus mandata per Spiritum sanctum in nostris cordibus excitari ali Scio fidem sine his donis non â—xistere Sed nunc nobis quaestio â—st quid cujusque proprium sit Tenes manu varia semina non autem quaero quae cum quibus conjuncta sint Sed quae cujusque propria virtus Hic aperte dic quid faciat sola fides non cum quibus virtutibus sit conjuncta Sola fides apprehendit promissionem credit promittenti deo deo porrigenti admovet manum et accipit hoc proprium soliuâ— fidei opus est Charitas spes patientia habent alias materias circaquas vâ—rsantur habent alios limites intra quos consistunt non enâ—m complectuntur promissionem sed mandata exequuntur Luther Tom. 2. in Gen. p. 57. a. This Righteousness is said to be imputed and imputed by the Lord himself and that without works and this Doctrine was preached in the Old Testament by David as well as in the New by the Apostle Paul Rom. 4.6 Nay as Christ is called the Lord our Righteousness Jer. 23.6 So Jerusalem the Church is called after her Husbands Name the Lord our Righteousness Jer. 33.16 to shew the reality of the imputation of this righteousness and the real and blessed benefits that follow upon it T is by this righteousness applyed by Faith that we are justifyed from all our Transgressions of the Law and from our sins against the Gospel That guilt which we have contracted by our impenitency and unbelief which are sins against the Gospel can be removed out of Gods sight only by the righteousness by the blood and death of his Son All Justification therefore before God whether our sins have been against the first or the second Covenant is purely meerly by this righteousness of Jesus Christ whereof Faith is medium applicationis a means to apply Oh the compleatness and perfection of this Righteousness of Christ there is no need of any addition He is called the Sun of Righteousness and therefore in the business of Justification all other righteousness should vanish as the Stars do at the Sun rising Let Satan rage let Rome deride and reproach this Article of imputed righteousness must stand or the Church will fall And the better Christ is known the more confidently shall we own his righteousness 7. Growing in the Knowledg of Christ implies a more constant and fiducial eying of his Intercession and the pity and compassions of him that intercedes Believers should better know this Friend and Advocate in the Court of Heaven who always appears for them there He presents to his Father what he did and suffered upon Earth and how effectual is this on the Churches behalf Though the head be in Heaven yet he is mindful of his Members on Earth and is ready to plead for them here is the ground of boldness in coming to the Throne of Grace for we have a great high Priest that is passed into the Heavens Jesus the Son of God Heb. 4.14 16. Here is the reason why the Saints Prayers are so mighty and prevalent they are backt with the Intercession of Christ nay 't is upon this that the Apostle concludes believers Salvation to the uttermost Heb. 7.25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever lives to make Intercession for them 8. Growing in the knowledg of Christ implies being better acquainted with his great Power and continual presence with his Church which is so nearly related to Him Behold All Power is given to him both in Heaven and Earth at his Name every knee does bow and every tongue if it will speak truth must confess that Christ is Lord. He is the blessed and only Potentate the King of Kings and Lord of Lords The mightiest Monarchs are more under his Power then their meanest Slaves are under theirs He has all the reprobate Angels in a Chain the Key of Hell is in his hand he commands all there and in Heaven the elect Angels are his Ministers to fulfil his pleasure He is indeed exalted far above all Principality and Power and Might and Dominion and every name that is named not only in this World but also in that which is to come Eph. 1 21. Now this Lord who is so powerful has assured his Church which is his Spouse nay his Body that he will be with her always to the end of the world Mat. 28. ult The Church therefore in spight of Earth and Hell shall last while the world lasts Let fear give way and Faith increase Believers may contemn their proudest adversaries See Zions carriage towards Sennacherib the great King of Assyria Esa 37 22. The Virgin Daughter of Sion hath despised thee and laughed thee to scorn the Daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at ther. 9. Growing in the knowledg of Christ implies a better understanding him as Mediatour of the new Covenant so he is called Heb. 12 23. On this Covenant pardoning mercy renewing grace and eternal glory are promised Earth and Heaven the Creature and the Creator himself by himself are made over to Believers Now you must know that
be without the help of an Omnipotent Spirit which only is able to enlighten our Minds and turn our Hearts from the power of Satan unto God All which supposes the Third Person of the Trinity the Holy Ghost By this 't is very manifest that such is the frame of the Christian Religion such the great Fundamentals thereof that without the supposing the Truth of the Doctrine of the Trinity of Persons in the Godhead the Christian Religion is gone 't is lost And how to comprehend this Mâ—stery is impossible There is no contradiction in this Doctrine nothâ—ng in it contrary to our Reason for 't is not said that Three Gods are One but Three Persons are One One God But how to fathom the Mystery we are at a loss 't is certainly beyond Us. So much concerning the Nature and Persons of the Godhead 3. Those Doctrines that have regard unto the ACTS of God are also very profound and mysterious 1. There are the Immanent Acts of God which do not terminate on any Objects ad extra off from God such as Divine Knowledge and the Decree whether of Election or Reprobation 2. Transient Acts such as terminate on an Object off from God namely the Works of Creation and Providence In my discoursing about the Immanent Acts of God I might be very distinct in considering what is very much insisted on by the School-men with reference to the Knowledge of God and acquaint the Reader with the many Distinctions that are used by that sort of men but if I do so I shall exceed the Bounds allotted me I will therefore pass by the Doctrine of Praescience which whatever may be said of it by some has such difficulties in it as admit not of our Solution and make some search into these profound Doctrines about the Decrees of Election and Reprobation That God has decreed the Salvation of some particular Persons is evident enough to any that will deliberately consult the Word of God and that 't is the Vnchangeable Determination of God That such as die in their Sins shall be eternally damned is as manifest The Eternal Decree of Election is so clearly so fully and distinctly reveal'd in Scripture that few or none presume wholly to deny it and such is the known Nature of Election that 't is not easie to believe the Doctrine of Election but withal we must take in the other of Reprobation for Election is but of some and if but some are taken the other are left they are not chosen they are refused they are reprobated But how this Doctrine of Gods leaving or reprobating any from all Eternity is reconcileable to these other that concern the Glory of Divine Goodness and Righteousness is above us The Sublapsarians have done very much towards the clearing up of this by supposing all in their lapsed estate under the guilt and pollution of Sin and God from all Eternity concern'd for his own Glory to Elect some who by being interested in the Blood of Christ should through the sanctification of the Spirit obtain Salvation with eternal Glory but left others to themselves who continuing in Sin are determined to die Hereby the glorious Grace of God in the eternal purpose of Calling Justifying Sanctifying some and thereby preparing them for Heaven is excellently displayed and the purposing from Eternity to leave others to themselves in their Sins for which after much long-suffering they shall be eternally damned is no way inconsistent with that goodness that is so infinitely extended to the Vessels of Mercy but does most fully illustrate how just and righteous God is in condemning them for their Sins and Transgressions Besides 't is obvious enough that the Decrees are but internal Purposes which have no influence on the thing decreed Decreta nil ponunt in Esse Though there is a certainty of the Event yet neither the Sin nor Destruction of the Reprobate is an Effect of the Decree What is here said towards the clearing up the Difficulties that attend this Doctrine is very well urged by the Synod of Dort and 't is no more than what has great countenance from the Holy Scriptures which suppose all in a laps'd and fallen Estate and therefore represents the Elect as Chosen in Christ Ephes 1.4 and Predestinated unto the Adoption of Children by Jesus Christ Elect according to the Fore-knowledge of God the Father through Sanctification of the Spirit c. 1 Pet. 1.2 All which Expressions seem to suppose the Elect in a fallen estate standing in need both of a Redeemer and Sanctifier even as the Reprobates are said Jude 4. to have been before of Old ordained unto Condemnation which Condemnation does presuppose a Judicial Procedure and the Sentence past against them for their Sin which sufficiently suggests that they were considered to have been in a sinful a fallen state Nevertheless it must be acknowledged That this does not remove the difficulty it only supposes it to be insuperable and therefore to be passed over in silence The great Difficulty is How the Absolute Decree of Reprobation is consistent either with the Goodness or Righteousness of God or those other Methods which are taken for the salvation of all men What of Goodness is there in destinating men to eternal Misery or what of Justice in purposing to punish them for ever without any regard to their Sin even before any evil done or how can the unalterable secret Decree for their damnation accord with the sincerity of God in the many Offers which are made of future Glory 'T is true supposing the consideration of their faln state as antecedent to the Decree 't is goodness enough that any are chosen out of the sinful Mass and it would have been a righteous thing for God to have proceeded against all to a Sentence of Condemnation and seeing Christ has died and thereby satisfied Justice and the Spirit strives and that common Grace which is sufficient to enable men to do more towards their Salvation than they do is offered them and that 't is their Sin which is the only proper cause of their denying due Subjection unto Christ these things seem to be cleared up only the greatest difficulty remains to wit How 't is supposeable that such who came pure out of the hand of God can be considered as fallen without some respect unto the anteceding Decree of God What! is their Fall on the supposition of which depends all the Discoveries of the glorious Perfections of God made unto us in the Scriptures a meer casual hit One would assoon think that this curious and beautiful Fabrick the World was owing only unto the casual concourse of Epicurean Atoms for its being so as that the Glory and Beauty the Wisdom and Harmony that shines forth most illustriously in the Christian Religion should be only the product of Casualty or Chance but if the Fall or Sin of man must be considered to be decreed by that God the Purity and Holiness of whose Nature is infinite
cannot be supposed to be from one infinitely above us wherefore then that the World may see that the Author of Christian Doctrines and Providences is God God has left some Characters and Idea's of himself upon them the which may be observed in every thing that is of God In those very things that are most known unto us if well look'd into we shall find somewhat extraordinary the Reason of which we cannot with any satisfaction fully discover for there is still in them somewhat beyond us We may know that this or the other thing is and what it is but how 't is so or so we know not This is true of things In the Natural World we know that this is and what it is but cannot distinctly shew how it is what it is or how it possibly should be what it is We know we see and what we mean when we say we see but yet if we will not believe that we do see until an Hypothesis be laid down on which without any scruple all the many Phaenomena or difficult Appearances that arise from the consideration how we see be solv'd we shall never believe we do see 'T is true we know that we see by the Eye but how by the Eye is the difficulty The Eye and the Object are at a distance they must be so if we will see by the Eye but how by what Medium are they brought together Is there an emission of somewhat from the Eye or an interception of any thing that may be supposed to pass from the Object to the Organ Whether the one or the other is it Corporeal or Incorporeal Material or Immaterial Not the latter for what is Incorporeal Immaterial cannot convey the Species to the Eye nor what is Corporeal for many other Reasons Whoever will consult the Old and especially the New Philophers may see how much is discoursed on this Subject and how little to satisfaction The like of Hearing ef Motion c. In Philosophy for this very Reason namely Because God has left some Idea's or Footsteps of himself on the things that are made there are variety of Hypotheses but not one that can solve every Phaenomenon or difficult Appearance That of Aristotle is now exploded by most the old Epicurean Dogmata revived by Peter Gassend and the almost forgotten Hypotheses of some others of which we have but some Scraps in Cicero Laertius his Life of the Heathen Philosophers and others improv'd by Des Cartes are all insufficient for the designed End Des Câ—rtes can neither answer what is objected against him by Gassendus nor can Gassendus solve every Difficulty that Cartes has cast in his way This is so manifest as that there is hardly a great Wit but is in one thing or other finding fault with what is urg'd by others as insufficient setting up as he apprehends somewhat more plausible and thus 't will be ad infinitum unless the Learned of the World satisfie themselves with this viz. That in all the Works of God how plain soever there is somewhat of God to be seen in them that is infinitely above us and not to be compreheâ—ded by us If this then be so in the Natural World how much more may we suppose it to be so in the Moral World in which it pleaseth the Lord in a more especial manner to make Discoveries of Himself The Moral Systeme does after a more lively manner contain the Portraicture of the Divine Perfections and therefore in it there must be somewhat that is more above us than in the Natural We know Gospel Doctrines Providences that do transcend our capacity we know what the Doctrines are we know that there is reason enough to conclude that these Doctrines Providences are of God an Additional Argument to confirm us in this Judgment is that they are above us There are the Marks and Signatures of Infinity and Incomprehensibility upon them But shall the very thing that is designed as an Argument to evince that they are of God move us to conclude that they are not of him If there had not been somewhat extraordinary somewhat in these things above us we might doubt concerning their being of God but now there is no place left for such doubtings Besides we must consider that the Doctrines that fill our Minds with various thoughts being clearly revealed in Scripture though not easily understood are still to be embrac'd for 't is their being about the deep things of God that occasion their being so far above us They are about the eternal Counsels and Purposes of the most High the Acts and Operations of him who is incomprehensible the Contrivances of fall'n Mans Salvation in a way consistent with the Glory of every Attribute c. All which are Matters so grand that 't would be impossible for any finite Capacity to comprehend them much more so for such imperfect Worms as our selves The Doctrines being about these deep Points must needs be above us as the Subject Matter about which these Doctrines are be above us The Transcendency then of these Doctrines should afford Satisfaction unto us as it bespeaks them to be of God God utters things like a God when he reveals these profound and Mysterious Doctrines The like may be said of the Providences God acts like himself as well as speaks like himself Yea and God acts like himself in all his Works of Providence as well as in the works of Creation yea in the works of Gubernation as well as in those of Conservation We cannot comprehend how our Beings are conserved for 't is done by God neither can we understand how the World is Govern'd for 't is God that governs ordering all things according to the exactest Rules for his own Glory whence if in the Administration of this Government some Difficulties which transcend our Understandings do occur 't is an Argument that God governs the World like God in infinite Wisdom and therefore in a way much above us and therefore our Minds may be quiet and at rest about these things CONSIDERATION II. The Second Consideration for quieting our Minds is That the Transcendency of these Doctrines and Providences does very much contribute to the exciting and stirring up those Graces in the exercise of which God is glorified in the Salvation of some Whoever will duly observe what may be known of God by the Discoveries that are made of him and what the Make of Man is will find That God when at first he created us had a regard to his own Glory and Mans Salvation in the Exercise of Religion whence 't is God that formed man after his own Image and gave him a Law that may be considered as the Transcript of his own Purity and Holiness and yet such as was suited to those Powers and Faculties which were at first given us Whence 't is that man was no sooner created but a Holy Law was given him and the Promise of Life on his Obedience The Law
of God's Transcendency are to be seen in them all Whence we have as satisfying an Argument to convince us that the Doctrines of the Gospel are from God and consequently true as that the world was created by him and is now under his Government yea such as believe a Providence and the Scripture to be the Word of God have as much to offer for their Faith as the meer Deist who only belive the Existence of a God has for his for the very same Characters Signatures Impresses and Footsteps of Gods infinite Perfections that are on the things made are in these Doctrines and Providences of which the Transcendency that is in them is an uncontroulable Evidence Why do we believe the World to be made of God but because we see that the things made are so admirably fram'd and order'd that there is somewhat in them incomprehensible by us They are made by One whose Wisdom is infinite and transcends our largest Capacities In like manner those who will look into the Scriptures and consult the Doctrines of the Gospel will find that there are the Impresses of infinite Wisdom in them which could not be unless they had been of God who is infinitely wise whence 't is that by the Transcendency that is in the Doctrines we are engaged to conclude that they are true i. e. we are hereby confirm'd and establish'd in the Truth of the Christian Religion that is discover'd unto us in the Holy Scriptures IMPROVEMENT III. The Third Improvement is this The Transcendency of these Doctrines and Providences prove most excellent Expedients to silence and stop the mouths of the Vngodly for by the Transcendency of some Doctrines and Providences God is carrying on the great End of glorifying his Righteousness in the letting out his Fury and Indignation on the Vessels of Wrath. God who made all things for himself will be Glorified either by or upon the People he has made God will be glorified by some to their Salvation and upon others in their Condemnation And by the Transcendency that is in the Doctrines and Providences both are done For the Transcendency of these Doctrines and Providences as hath been already shewn exciting the Faith and Patience of some does farther their Salvation and as they are stumbling-Blocks in the way of others they occasion the Ruine and Destruction of others These Transcendent Doctrines and Providences must be considered as stumbling-blocks that God puts in their way not that there is any Evil in God's putting them in the way but the Evil is only from the indisposition of the corrupt Heart of man For the clearer understanding which we must consider that there is certainly such a Decree as that of the Election of some particular Persons unto Glory which doth necessarily infer the dereliction of others the leaving them in a state of Sin and Misery Some being Elect according to the fore-knowledge of God the Father shall through the sanctification of the Spirit unto Obedience and the sprinkling of the Blood of Jesus Christ obtain Salvation with Eternal Glory But others there are even ungodly men who turn the Grace of our God into lasciviousness and who were of old ordained unto Condemnation The Salvation of some the Damnation of others is acknowledged by all to be certain as to the Event and that there is no event in time but what was foreknown of God from Eternity is not denied by any that believe God to be God and that these Events cannot be without a Providence of God is most manifest 'T is true God has a greater influence on the Elect than on others for God does not only support their Powers and Faculties and by a Physical Efficience enable them to perform what is Natural in their Moral Actions but moreover God does by his mighty Power in infinite Wisdom sweetly determine the Elect to the doing what is morally good and savingly gracious God does not so much in such Actions as are sinful and vicious the moral Vitiosity or Obliquity that is in a sinful Action is not of God though what is natural in a sinful Action has its Origin and Rise from God yet what is Moral and Vitious is not from God God does not Physically and Invincibly determine any man to what is sinful in any Action the Sinfulness of an Action has no higher Being than a Creature for its Author However though the Sins of the Damned are without a Divine Physical Predetermination yet not without a Divine Providence There is no Event without a Providence of God As all Events are according to the fore-knowledge of God so they are by his Providence The Destruction of Pharaoh in the Red Sea according to the fore-knowledge of God and the hardness of his Heart that was the Cause of his ruine was by Gods Providence This Providence is somewhat more than a meer unconcerned permission and yet much less than a Physical Predetermination it falls short of this latter because God has no Physical influence on the sinfulness of our Actions and 't is more than the former for the Wisdom and Power of God is marvellously exercised in doing very much towards the bringing the Event to pass and that by laying stumbling blocks in the way of the Non-Elect which stumbling blocks in our way may occasion our Sin and Ruine but not cause it so that although the Lord does lay Stones of stumbling in our way which occasions our Sin yet he cannot be said to be the Cause or Author of our Sin No one is the Cause or Author of anothers Sin but he who does either Physically or Morally contribute to the Commission of Sin but though God lays stones of stumbling before the Sinner yet he does not in doing so either morally by perswasions draw or physically by Impression drive him to the Sin The stumbling block is before him and from it the Sinner takes occasion to sin against the Lord. Though such is the infinite Knowledge and Wisdom of God that he foreknows that such a Block in the Sinners way will occasion his Sin and notwithstanding puts it in his way yet he is not therefore the Author of his Sin because God does not hereby either Physically or Morally move the Sinner to the Sin for the Sinner having a Natural power to withstand it 't is his Wilfulness and Sin he does not That God does lay stones of stumbling before us is evident enough to any who will consult the Sacred Scriptures In Ezekiel 3.20 't is said that God doth lay a stumbling block before the man who was externally Righteous and he turns from his Righteousness unto Sin and dies in his Iniquity This will appear more convincingly in the Instances I will give concerning it The Dâ—scoveries that are made of Gods gracious Designs towards us are about such matters as do amuse us whoever will consider what is declared in the Gospel concerning the way to eternal life will find that Jesus Christ though he be God as well as
of the Papists would carry it to advance the Merit of good works if the bearing yea and religious bringing up of children were the cause and means by which Women should be saved what would become of those pious Virgins yea Wives and Widows who have either prov'd barren or through some other defect have brought forth no children It would follow according to this supposition That they would be excluded salvation which yet could not be consistent with what their great School-man * Aquin. sum Theol. 2da 2ae Q. 152.4 asserts in celebrating the praises of Virginity which he extols above Matrimony tho elsewhere he concludes Matrimony to be meritorious and in his Comment on the Text saith Virginitas est excellentior Matrimonio Suppl Q. 41. A. 4. Actus matrimonialis semper â—â—ritorius The Woman shall be saved altho she go by generation i. e. if she marry and be not a Virgin Whereupon he adds This by implying a Repugnancy imports the augmentation of Salvation q. d. by the generation of Children for the Word of God she shall rather or be more saved But be sure however it be difficult to reconcile the Popish Authors with themselves all that come to Heaven are truly of Gods meer grace meritoriously saved by Christ In whom there is no distinction of Sex or condition but all believers male or female are one in him o Gal. 3.28 Col. 3.11 through whom there is no difference of married or unmarried as to justification and Salvation Some in deed learned Protestants * D. N. Knatchbull follow'd by Dr. Hammond do interpret by with relation to Child-bearing as if the Apostle did mean by the bearing or generation of a son the child born i. e. the seed of the woman namely Jesus ‡ Luke 1.35 Gen. 3.15 who should bruise the Serpents head by whom alone Adam and Eve and their posterity should be sav'd if they continue in Faith c. And so to pass by what some of the Ancients ‖ Origen in Mat. Rom. August de Tim. l 12. c. 7 c have written allegorically and less solidly upon the word Theophylact reports some to have understood it of the Virgin Mary whom he would not have it restrained to but rejects that Exposition However some Papists * Tirinus c. would have it understood of her whom they worship ‡ Clarus Bonarscius al. Scribanius as sinless contrary to Scripture and right Reason For then the comfort from this Scripture would have been appropriated to the Virgin Mary and to no other woman But the Apostle speaks in this verse of that which is future and not past as he had constantly done in the forgoing verses which will evince also that the above said Protestants do not fully reach the sense of Paul here when they interpret it of the womans bearing the seed that had been promised and which was the mean foretold and fulfilled for bruising the Serpents head and so for rescuing the woman from that eternal punishment which was justly deserved by her sin However rhey imagine they have a colour for their Opinion from the Context viz. Ver. 12. The woman i. e. Eve being deceived was first guilty of eating the Forbidden Fruit but was rescued from the punishment by the promised seed i. e. by the Messiah born of her to redeem that Nature he assum'd yet not absolutely but on condition of Faith c. and continuing in all these So the advantage should not only accrue to Eve her self but to all her posterity It must be granted as an undoubted truth that Christ is the seed of the Woman meant in the first promise the Son tho not immediately of Eve the Mother of all men o Gen. 3.16.20 he is the Saviour by whom alone salvation to eternal glory is attainable Yet to restrain this child-bearing in my Text only to the bearing of Christ as it is more Novel so it seems too narrow to reach the Apostles meaning sith as one p Zanch. Tom. 3. l. 4. p. 727. notes this state is best accommodated to every faithful Woman as well as Eve and the blessed Virgin continuing constant in the exercise of Faith and Love of Christ to promote her own salvation as anon we shall see the Plural in the next clause doth import and that we may clearly understand the Apostle doth here speak of conjugal conversation he doth expresly name child-bearing not signifying the child born but the act of bearing children as 't is used elsewhere in this very Epistle p 1 Tim. 5.14 and also in prophane Authors ‖ Hippocrat in Epist ad Demag Xenophon 2. There be who render this Particle for as noting the final cause * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 propter Episcopius Scharpius Finis servatae mulieris Wherefore she shall be saved unto this end namely that she may procreate and bear children and consequently if she continue in the holy Exercises following in my Text she shall be eternally sav'd But this conceit so far as I apprehend wants a sufficient ground for the use of this Particle elsewhere in the New Testament in such a contexture with a Genitive case And the Apostle cannot here be easily understood of the end wherefore the woman is sav'd sith he makes salvation it self the end and speaks here of the Graces with which Christian Women are qualified and their Exercises to which they are engaged as incumbent on them to the attaining of that great end which is with a non obstante or notwithstanding oppos'd to the sad consequent of that deception which the woman was first guilty of and so brought her self and posterity to be obnoxious to As for Hensius * In locum his conjecture that child-bearing here notes marriage which he saith for the scarcity of the Greek he would have so called from the principal end of it child-bearing 't is a meer fancy without probable ground being the Apostle useth the same compound word in this Epistle verbally as diverse from marriage tho no doubt bearing and bringing up of children is a very proper and signal Office of a married woman 3. Some would have it rendred from as noting the term from which out of or through which the escape or deliverance is made as 't is said of those in the Ark they were saved from the Deluge out of or through the waters q 1 Pet. 3.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we in our Translation read by the waters and elsewhere r 1 Cor 3.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He shall be sav'd so as by fire i. e. as those from or out of the fire connoting the difficulty of escaping and not being consumed q. d. She shall pass safe from or out of child-bearing and be delivered as a fire-brand out of the burning s Amos 4.11 Yet as a learned man * Dr. Hammond thinks this doth not fully reach the Apostles meaning here because that which
women They are heart-reviving words to every drooping woman and should lead her with Sarah to judg him faithful who hath promised g Heb. 11.11 whereupon she may notwithstanding her state of subjection and sorrows be humbly confident in this great work of serving her Generation according to the will of God in child-bearing of preservation and salvation and God will lay no more upon her than he will enable her to bear and find a way for her escape either by a comfortable sanctified deliverance here or a blessed translation to Heaven to reap in joy what was sown in tears and those but temporary when the joys are eternal Further it doth administer comfort 2. To the Husbands of such good Wives i. e. such as continue in the Graces and Duties before and in their pregnancy or growing big hoping in Gods word that Root and Branch shall do well being under the blessings of the New-Covenant When they cannot but sympathize with their Wives in their sorrows they may chear up in humble confidence that the sting being took out of the punishment their Wives joys shall be encreased by the pains they undergo and that God will deliver them and hear their prayers and they shall glorifie him h John 16.21 Psal 50.15 And if after prayers and tears their dearest consorts should decease and depart from them out of their child-bearing pains Tho this be a most cutting and heavy cross in it self yet comfort may be gathered from it in the issue For indeed that 's the comfort of comforts which affords Life in Death that 's the Honey which is taken out of the dead carcase That supposing the worst which can befall us in temporals gives better security in those things which are eternal The Fruition of God in Glory is the highest end and when we and ours attain that after the serving of our Generation here according to the will of God and thereby glorifying his most sacred Majesty there is matter of geatest consolation and truest joy to holy souls In expectation of which let pious Husbands and gracious Childing Wives in their mutual Offices wait upon God with submission for a sanctified support when they stand in most need of divine aids Then such Hand-maids of the Lord may humbly hope they shall receive help in and under their child-bearing travail and in due time even a temporal deliverance supposing that to be best for them from those pains and perils taking comfort from that gracious word of the Lord by the Prophet tho spoken upon another account i Isa 41.10 with which I shall conclude Fear thou not for I am with thee be not dismaid for I am thy God I will strengthen thee yea I will help thee yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness SERMON XXV Quest How may we best know the worth of the SOUL MATTHEW 16.26 For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole World and lose his own Soul Or what shall a man give in Exchange for his Soul IN the Twenty first verse of this Chapter our Saviour foretels his sufferings together with many considerable Circumstances as the Place where at Jerusalem The Persons from whom the Elders and chief Priests and Scribes The Degree unto which he must suffer not only that he must suffer many things but that he was to suffer unto death and be killed by which enumeration of so many particulars he spake more plainly and preached to them the unwelcome Doctrine of the Cross A Doctrine so strange unto them as they had shewn themselves of a quite contrary Opinion expecting a worldly Kingdom and hoping for considerable advancement in it Peter in the name of the rest therefore cavils at it and enveighs against it and was probably suffered to be tempted himself and to become a Tempter to our Saviour that he might not be exalted above measure for what our Saviour had said ver 17 18. Thou art Peter and upon this Rock I will build my Church But our Blessed Saviour who had overcome the Devils temptations when they came immediately from himself Matth. 4. could not be overcome by them now they are suggested to him by another but shews that he continued his Resolution of suffering the utmost for us by his severe check given unto Peter under a smart compellation Satan This is that very same Apostle who but a few verses before had his Name chang'd from Simon to Peter and presently after here from Peter to Satan to shew how much he and all other differ when mightily assisted by Gods Grace and Spirit from themselves when left to themselves and become as other if not worse than other men And how easily do we slide into sin at unawares and how carefully need we to watch over our very zeal for Christ and Goodness when our very best Affections are subject to so gross mistakes and may deserve such severe reproofs Upon this occasion it was that our Saviour in stead of retracting his former resolves declares that he was not to be alone in them but they should all come to be of his mind and be conformed to his Will Nay that if they would be his Disciples in deed ver 24. If any man will come after me i. e. be in deed my Disciple alluding to the manner and custom of the Eastern Countreys when the Master or Rabbi was wont to go with his Scholers attending after him he must not only forego his Ease and resign his Will but leave his life in these things denying of himself as if his present pleasure or advantage were to be considered no longer of when they stood in opposition to Gods Glory or our Souls good And this is not only or barely asserted but convincingly proved least the Disciples shall cry again this is a hard saying as if ever they had cause to say so they had on this occasion Our Blessed Saviour is willing to abide the Tryal upon this Issue and to have it judged and determin'd by themselves Appealing in the words of the Text to their rational and wise faculties For what is a man profited if he should gain the whole world and lose his own Soul or what shall a man give in exchange for his Soul In which words as to the form of them 1. Our Judgment and Consciences are called upon being we do so often vilifie our Souls and preferr the little things of this world now one thing then another before them to shew cause for our so doing and to bring forth our strong Reasons Of all sorts and ways of arguing this came most home and is closest when we are allowed to be as it were both Judge and Party and yet must condemn our selves This manner of Speech is only used when the case is very plain and obvious And we care not who hear it or determine it Thus God calls upon the Inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah to judge betwixt him and his Vineyard Isa
He praies that the Lord would make his word effectual to cleanse and sanctifie them more and more He would have those who are given to him to be sanctified truly separated from Sin the World and carnal Self truly consecrated and appropriated to himself truly offer'd up and imploy'd for him as those who are wholly his and cannot without Sacriledge be converted to other ends and uses than those that are his 3. He prayes for perseverance that those who are given him may hold out and continue to the end in Faith and Holiness and Union with Him and the Father that they may not fall away to unbelief or profaneness nor be ever separated from him with whom they are once united ver 11. Holy Father keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me c. keep them in all dangers in all assaults in all tryals secure them from Sin from Satan from the World that they may be neither frighted nor enticed from me Through thine own name the name of God is that by which he is known as we are known by our names all those glorious perfections whereby he hath made known himself unto us his Power Wisdom Goodness Faithfulness Sovereignty Allsufficiency c. He would have all the infinite Excellencies and Perfections of God all by which he is called and known engaged for the security of his People that none of them may fall away and be lost Keep them by thy Power by thy Wisdom Goodness Sovereignty Allsufficiency c. Or if we take these words for an argument wherewith he urges this Petition it is of no less force Keep them for thine own names sake for the honour of thine own name so he engages the honour of God for the security of his people that none of them may fall away and that is the greatest the strongest engagement in the World and gives the best security that possibly can be The Lord will do more for his own Names sake than for all the works of his Hands than for all that is in Heaven and Earth besides His Honour is his Interest so that the Interest of God is thereby engaged to secure the Eternal concerns of his People Those men in the World that we are not secure of and can have no confidence in otherwise yet if their Interest do engage them for us we think our selves so far sure of them Interest amongst men is the strongest obligement if they understand it and have but so much respect to themselves as to be true to it Christ by his Prayer engages the Interest of his Father his Name his Honour for the security of his People that they may not fall away and be lost and if we acknowledge him to be God we cannot in the least suspect either that he knows not what his Interest is or that he will not be true to it When it is for his Names sake or his Honour to secure his people it shall certainly be done and this is that which Christ urges in this Petition 4. He prays for Glory ver 22 24. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them It is the Glory of Christ that he is the Son of God his only Son by Eternal Generation and Heir of all things Heb. 1.2 3. Joh. 1.14 Now such a Glory will Christ have for his people something like it though in a way below it he will have them to be Sons and Heirs of God Co-heirs with himself A wonderful Glory indeed and such a degree of it as could never have entred into the Heart of man to expect or believe if the Lord himself had not given assurance of it Rom. 8.17 And if Children then Heirs Heirs of God and joynt-Heirs with Christ All that are given him he will have to be adorn'd with his own title and be accounted and called Sons of God and all that are Sons he will have to be Heirs and joint-Heirs with himself not of some meaner part of his Fathers possession but even of his Kingdom Jam. 2.5 Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in Faith and Heirs of the Kingdom c. being Heirs they have hopes to inherit Tit. 3.7 They have a Title upon this account and so hope but Christ not satisfyed with this prays also that they may have possession ver 24. Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me that they may behold it so as to partake of it this sight will be the highest the happyest enjoyment it will be an enhappying a glorifying sight a sight that will make them who behold it happy perfectly so eternally so The sight of Christs Glory will make them glorious 1 Joh. 3.1 2. Beloved now we are the Sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is We are Sons that is a great Glory indeed but there is a Glory to come which is far greater so great that no expression can fully represent it to us or make it appear to be so much so great as indeed it is but this is the sum of it we shall be like him in Glory for we shall see how glorious he is The sight of our Glorious Redeemer will make us glorious like him When we are in the sight of that Glory wherewith he now shines at the right hand of the Throne of the Majesty on high to which the greatest brightness of the Sun is less than a spark we shall be adorned with his beams and so made glorious A hint hereof we have in what is recorded of Moses who when he was admitted to a nearer converse with God it is said his face shined Exod. 34.29 35. His face was horned as the word imports it appeared in such a form as the raies of the Sun appear to us his face sent forth beams like the Sun there was such a radiant Lustre such a Glory in his face as the weak eyes of mortals could not bear could not look on When we are where Christ is and see him in the brightness of his Glory which is that he prays for the sight of it will transform our Souls from Glory to Glory as the Apostles expression is in reference to that of Moses 2 Cor. 3.18 a Glory will be derived upon our Souls from his Glory and upon our bodies too that Glorious Vision will be a transforming sight and change vile Bodies so that they shall be fashioned like unto his own glorious Body Phil. 3.21 5. He prays for Vnion That they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us This Union is a Mystery a great depth such as I was loath to venture on if it could have been avoided what my shallowness can say of it briefly I shall comprize in
Eyes are dazled with them and their Souls damned for them But at the things which are not seen Men in this World minding another World stand looking at these who have an Eye to see those things that are not seen There is a Mystery in Godliness 3. The Persons exerting this Act upon these Objects We that have the Spirit of God Who have our Eyes opened who consider we are hasting posting out of time into Eternity These things are set before the Men of the World who have Eyes but they do not see 4. The Property of these Objects 1. Things seen are Temporal 2. Things not seen are Eternal 5. The Reason moving Believers to keep a stedfast Eye upon Things unseen and to look off from things seen is the Eternal duration of the one and the short continuance of the other While we look for or because the things that are seen are Temporal not seen Eternal The good things in this World that are seen as Riches Pleasures Honours are things of time and only for time therefore we are not much concerned whether we win or lose them and the bad things in this Life which are seen as Poverty Imprisonment Persecution are at longest but for a short space and therefore we are not much concerned whether we endure them or be freed from them But that which addeth Weight to the things in the other World now not seen by the Men of this VVorld and draws our Eyes towards them and keeps them fixed thereon is the Eternity of them 6. The Influence that this looking upon things not seen hath upon the Beholders of them in keeping them from fainting under any Afflictions while we look c. Three words require a little Explication Looking Temporal Eternal I. While we look 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Verb is used six times in the New Testament and is variously translated 1. To take heed Luk. 11.35 Take heed therefore that the Light in thee be not darkness have a care see to it in this sense it is as if the Apostle had said We take not so much heed nor are we so full of care about these visible transitory things as we are of the Eternal Joys of Heaven and the unseen Happiness of the Saints above 2. To Consider Gal. 6.1 Considering thy self lest thou also be tempted q. d. We seriously consider and weigh in our Minds the Vanity Insufficiency and short Continuance of all visible things both good and bad whether Profit or Poverty Honour or Disgrace and the â—ulness excellency and everlasting Nature of things unseen and therefore prefer these before them 3. To mark observe and take notice of Rom. 16.17 Mark them that cause divisions among you Phil. 3.17 Be followers of me and mark them that walk so as ye have us for an example It is the Observation that Believers make that all seen things are Temporal unseen Eternal which worldly men take no notice of to influence them in what they do 4. To look Phil. 2.4 Look not every one on your own things To look with a diligent Eye as the Archer to the mark whereat he shoots to make a thing our scope and aim and so the Substantive is used Phil. 3.14 I press towards the mark In this respect the sense is the thing that we do aim at in all we do is to get a Title to and hereafter the possession of Eternal things to secure our Everlasting happy state to have treasures not for a while but for ever to have Honour and Glory and Joy not in hasty time but in abiding Eternity Believers are lowly in Heart but they look high the Men of this World are of an haughty Spirit but they aim at low things II. Temporal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Used four times in the New Testament twice concerning temporary Believers Matth. 13.21 but dureth for awhile Mar. 4 17. dureth but for a time Once concerning the pleasure of sin Heb. 11.25 then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season and in the Text comprehensively of all visible things take then a summary account of all that wicked worldly men have and all is but for a while What the richest among them have their grandure dureth but for a time and then is past and gone and hath no more existence What the merriest among them have Pleasures Mirth carnal Delights and Joy and this is but for a season their merry bouts will be quickly over and then succeeds weeping and wailing for ever What the best among them have even their Faith is but for a time and their Hope but for a short time at longest 't is Death shall close their Eyes and then ly down in Everlasting despair that all their comings in whether profits from the World or pleasures from their Sin or supposed happiness from their supposed Graces have their goings out that upon all they have you may write all is temporal They had Riches but they are gone Honours and Pleasure but they are gone Many good things in time but at the end of time all have an end and then when their endless misery comes this will be their doleful tune all our good is past and gone III. Eternal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 alwaies existing all duration even time it self taken metaphysically is nothing else but the permanency of Essence Time External in sensu Physico is but ens rationis or nothing Therefore according to the manner of Beings must be the manner of their Abidings All Beings may be ranked into three sorts whence arise three sorts of Duration 1. Some things have both beginning and end as Beasts and other corruptible Creatures and their duration is time which hath both beginning and end 2. Some things have a beginning and no end as Angels and the Souls of Men and the state of both in the other World and the duration by which these are measured in Philosophy to distinguish it from Time and Eternity strictly taken is called Aeviternity which imports only an Initial defectibility of the things in themselves though by the absolute power of God there might be a period put unto their being once begun but there is no principle of corruption in their own Nature which should cause a cessation of their existing Essence nor is it in the verge of any created Power or second Cause to take that Being from them which was given to them by the first and these things because they have no end are Eternal 3. One only Being hath neither beginning nor end nor can have and that is God and his duration is Eternity properly and most strictly taken which is a duration inferring simple interminability of Essence all at once existing without succession Eternity in the most proper acceptation doth exclude not only actual beginning and end but all possibility of both and denotes indefectibility of Essence a parte ante a parte post existing all at once in one continued immoveable instant without consideration of any thing in it past
or to come though it alwaies was and will be plainly to every capacity might this be thus adapted if you look backwards you cannot think of any one moment wherein God was not if you look forwards you cannot think of any one moment when God shall not be for if there had been one moment when God was not no thing could ever have been neither God nor Creature unless that which is nothing could make it self something which is impossible because Working supposeth Being and a contradiction because it infers the Being of a thing before it was for in order of time or Nature the Cause must be before the Effect Neither can you conceive any one moment beyond which God should cease to be because you cannot imagine any thing in God or distinct from him that should be the cause of his ceasing to be The Object then of Believers looking is the unseen Eternal God as their Happiness objectively considered which is so Eternal as to be without beginning and end and the enjoyment of this unseen Eternal God in the invisible Heavens which fruition being their happiness formally considered hath a beginning but no ending Should I follow the signification of the Greek word as looking at a mark we aim at or an end which we desire to obtain I should limit my Discourse only to unseen Eternal good things but if it be taken in a more extended sense to take heed to mark and diligently consider I might bring in the unseen evils in the World to come and indeed to keep our Eye fixt upon invisible things both good and bad that make Men Eternally miserable or Everlastingly Blessed Would have a powerful influence upon every step we take in our dayly travels to the unseen Eternal World To look at unseen Eternal Evil things that we might not fall into them To look at unseen Eternal Good things that we might not fall short of them Which is the design of the question propounded from this Text viz. How we should Eye ETERNITY that it may have its due influence upon us in all we do Which question will be more distinctly answered by resolving these following questions contained in it Q. 1. Whether there be an Eternity into which all men must enter when they go out of Time That we might not only suppose what too many deny and more doubt of and some are tempted to call into question but have it proved that no man might rationally deny the Eternity of that state in the unseen World for upon this lyes the strength of the reason in the Text why Believers look at things unseen because they are Eternal and the object must be proved before we can rationally urge the exerting of the act upon that object Q. 2. How we should Eye Eternity or look at Eternal things For if they be unseen how shall we see them And if they be to us in this World invisible how shall we look at them Q. 3. What influence will such a sight of and looking at Eternity have upon our Minds Consciences Wills and Affections in all we do Q. 1. Whether there be an Eternity of Happiness that we should look at to obtain and of Misery to escape Doth any question this Look at Mens Conversations see their neglect of God and Christ their frequent yea constant refusals of remedying Grace their leading a sensual flesh-pleasing Life their seldom thoughts of Death and Judgment their carelesness to make preparation for another VVorld their minding only things Temporal and then the question may be who do indeed believe that there is such an Eternal state Yet the real existence and certainty of Eternal things may be evidently manifested by Scripture and by Arguments 1. If you give assent to the Divine Authority of the Scripture you cannot deny the certainty of another World nor the Eternal state of Souls therein though this be now unseen to you Luk. 20.34 Jesus said the Children of this World marry 35. but they that shall be accounted worthy of that World and the Resurrection from the Dead neither marry nor are given in marriage 36. Neither can they dye any more for they are equal to the Angels Is not here plain mention of This and That World and the different state in both In this Men marry and die in that they neither marry nor die yea Christ himself affirms that in That World they cannot die and whatsoever words the Scripture borrows from the best things of this World to help our conceptions of the Glorious state of Holy ones in the other World some word denoting the Eternal duration of it is annexed to them all Is it called a Kingdom It is an Everlasting Kingdom 2 Pet. 1.11 a Crown It is a Crown incorruptible 1 Cor. 9.25 that fadeth not away 1 Pet. 5.4 is it called Glory is it Eternal Glory 1 Pet. 5.10 2 Cor. 4.17 an Inheritance it is incorruptible 1 Pet. 1.4 Eternal Heb. 9.15 an House it is Eternal in the Heavens 2 Cor. 5.1 Salvation it is Eternal Salvation Heb. 5.9 Life it is Eternal Life Matth. 25.46 No less certain is the Eternity of the state of the Damned by the Scriptures adding some note of Everlasting duration to those dreadful things by which their misery is set forth is it by a Furnace of fire Matth. 13.42 by a Lake of fire Rev. 21.8 it is fire Eternal and Unquenchable Matt. 3.12 Matt. 25.41 by a Prison 1 Pet. 3.19 from thence is no coming forth Matth. 5.25 26. by darkness and blackness of darkness it is for ever Jude ver 13. by burning it is Everlasting burning Isa 33.14 by torment Luk. 16.23 the smoak of their torment ascendeth for ever and ever Rev. 14.11 and 20.10 by Damnation it is Eternal Damnation Mar. 3.29 by Destruction it is Everlasting Destruction 2 Thess 1.9 by Punishment it is Everlasting Punishment Matth. 25.46 by the gnawings of the Worm it is such that never dyeth Mar. 9.44.46 48. by wrath that is to come Matt. 3.7 1 Thess 1.10 When it comes it will abide Joh. 3.36 Is any thing more fully and plainly asserted in the Scripture than that the things in the other World now unseen are Eternal things those that enjoy the one in Heaven and those that now feel the other in Hell do not cannot doubt of this and a little while will put all those that are now in time quite out of all doubting of the certainty of the Eternity of the state in the unseen world 2. The Eternity of the unseen things in Heaven and Hell the Everlasting Happy or Everlasting Miserable state after this Life may be evidenced briefly yet clearly by these following Arguments I. God did from Eternity chose some to be fitted in time to partake of happiness to all Eternity Eph. 1.4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the Foundation of the World that we should be holy and being made holy shall be happy in obtaining that Salvation to which he chose us 2
Thess 2.13 God hath from the Beginning chosen you to Salvation 1 Thess 5.9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtain Salvation which Salvation doth include absence of all evil and presence of all good and this Salvation being Eternal Heb. 5.9 infers the absence of all evil for ever and the presence of all good for ever and whosoever is delivered from all privative Evils and possessed of all positive Everlasting good and that for ever can not be denyed to be happy for ever II. Christ hath redeemed some to be infallibly brought to Eternal Glory What reason can be given of the Incarnation and Death of the Son of God if there be no Eternal misery for men to be delivered from nor any Eternal happiness to be possessed of For 1. Did Christ dye to deliver his Followers from Poverty and Prisons from Sorrow and Sufferings from Trouble and Tribulation What! and yet his Holy Humble and Sincere people lye under these more than other Men that are wicked and ungodly why was Paul then in stripes and imprisonments in hunger and thirst in cold and nakedness in perils and jeopardy of his Life continually and such as Pilate Faelix and Festus in great worldly prosperity Or can it be imagined that Men persisting in Sin should be more partakers of the fruits of Christs Death than those that forsake their sin repent and turn and follow him 2. Did Christ suffer and dye to purchase only Temporal good things as Riches Honours for his Disciples Were these worth his precious Blood VVhatever Christ dyed for it cost him his most Sacred Blood Was it then for Temporal enjoyments only which Turks and Pagans may and do possess more than Thousands of his true and faithful Followers Did Christ intend the benefits of his Death for these in more especial manner then for such as remain finally impenitent and yet shall such reap the fruit of all his Sufferings and those that believe on him go without them Sober reason doth abhor it and all the Scripture is against it Would Christ have humbled himself to such a contemptible Birth miserable Life lamentable painful shameful Death only for transitory temporal fading Mercies If we consider the variety of his sufferings from God Men and Devils the dignity of the Sufferer I profess I cannot imagine any reason of all Christs undertakings and performances if there be not an Eternal state of Misery in suffering of evil things by his Death that Believers might be delivered from and of Glory in enjoying of good things to be brought unto III. The Spirit of God doth sanctifie some that they might be made meet to be partakers of the Eternal Inheritance of the Saints in light As all are not Godly so all are not Ungodly Though most be as they were born yet many there be that are born again there is a wonderful difference betwixt men and men the Spirit of God infusing a principle of spiritual Life and making some all over new working in them Faith in Christ Holy Fear and Love Patience and Hope longing Desires renewing in them the Holy Image of God is as the earnest and first fruits assuring of them in due time of a plentiful harvest of Everlasting Happiness Faith is in order to Eternal Life and Salvation Joh. 3.16 Love hath the promise of it 1 Cor. 2.9 2 Tim. 4.8 Jam. 1.12 Obedience ends in it Heb. 5.9 Hope waits for it Rom. 8.25 and because their hope shall never make them ashamed Rom. 5.5 therefore there must be such an Eternal-Blessed state they hope for IV. The Souls of all men are immortal though they had a beginning yet shall never cease to be therefore must while they be be in some state and because they be Eternal must be in some Eternal state This Eternal state must be either in the Souls enjoyment of God or in separation from him for the wit of Man cannot find out a third for the Soul continuing to be must be with God or not with God shall enjoy him or not enjoy him for to say he shall and shall not or to say he shall not and yet shall is a contradiction and to say he neither shall nor shall not is as bad if therefore the Soul be Eternal and while it shall be shall perfectly enjoy God it shall be Eternally happy If it shall for ever be and that without God it shall be Eternally miserable because God is the chiefest good the ultimate end and perfection of man The great work in this then is to prove that the Soul is Eternal and shall for ever be For which I offer these things 1. There is nothing within nor without the Soul that can be the cause of its ceasing to be here except God who though he can take away the being of Souls and Angels too yet he hath abundantly assured us that he will not Nothing within it because it is a Spiritual Being and hath no Internal Principle by contrary qualities causing a cessation of its Being and because it is simple and indivisible it is immortal and incorruptible for that which is not compounded of parts cannot be dissolved into parts and where there is no dissolution of a Being there is no corruption or end of it there is no Creature without it that can cause the Soul to cease Matth. 10.28 Not able to kill the Soul Luc. 12.4 Fear not them that kill the Body and after that have no more that they can do if they would kill the Soul they cannot when they have killed the Body they have done their worst their most their all 2. The Soul of man hath not dependance upon the Body as to its Being and Existence It hath certain actings and operations which do not depend upon the Body and if the operations of the Soul be independent from the Body such must the principle be from whence such operations do arise and if it can act without dependance on the Body then it can exist and be without the Body In the Body without dependance on the Body it hath the knowledge of immaterial Beings as God and Adgels which were never seen by the eye of the Body nor can because there must be some proportion between the object and the faculty and the Soul doth know it self wherein it hath no need of the phantasie for when it is intimately present to it self it wanteth not the ministry of the phantasie to its own intellection Besides it can conceive of universals abstracted from its singulars in which it doth not depend upon the phantasie for phantasmata sunt singularium non universalium therefore since it can act in the body without dependance on the Body it can exist without the Body and not dye when the Body doth which yet is more plain and certain from the Scripture which telleth us that the Soul of Lazarus after death was carryed by Angels into Abrahams bosom Luc. 16.22 but they did not carry it dead or alive but alive
Dead quickned and peeping out of their Graves to see why they are raised as if you saw the wicked come forth fearfully amazed with vile and filthy Bodies like Toads from their holes with pale and gastly countenances with trembling hearts and their knees for horrour knocking one against another tearing their hair smiting on their breasts and crying out what is the matter What meant that loud Alarm that thundring Call that awaked us out of the deep sleep of Death Oh! the Lord is come the slighted Christ is come Come how doth he come How cloathed with vengeance with fury in his face and his wrath like fire burns before him because of his Indignation the Heavens melt over our heads and the Earth burns under our feet and all is in flames round about us Oh terrible day such as this we never saw Oh the storms the storms Oh such burning scorching storms we never saw nor felt before We have been sleeping all the night of Death and the morning is come the day doth dawn Dawn Oh it is broad day all about we were wont to wake and go to work and go to sin to swear and lye to drink and take our pleasure but now we wake and must to Hell to Pain and Punishment Now we must go from God to Devils from the only Saviour to Eternal Torments Oh what day is this What day it seems to be rather night than day for it is a day of wrath a day of trouble and distress a day of wastness and desolation a day of darkness and gloominess a day of clouds and thick darkness a day of the trumpet and alarm against us all Impenitent Sinners and to us all it would prove the great Damnation day When our Souls and Bodies by Death were separated it was a sorrowful parting but this is a sorer meeting the Body with doleful groans doth strangely greet its reunited Soul Oh thou cursed Soul must I be tyed to thee again with a faster knot than ever Death did heretofore part thee and me but all the pains of Hell hereafter cannot do it thou wast Commander over me and shouldst have managed thy Government better thou shouldst have used this Tongue to call upon thy Maker thou shouldest have used these Ears to have hearkned to the calls of Christ to the wooings of Grace to the entreaties of Mercy these feet to have carryed thee to the means of Grace these hands to have been Instruments of good they were all at thy command what thou biddest them do they did and whither thou commandest them to go they went Oh that I might have lyen rotten in my Grave for then I had been at rest for though in the Grave I had no pleasure yet there I felt no pain but since I have been again united to this before-damned Soul I feel intolerable punishment and I now perceive it is past doubt that it will be Eternal the Soul will give no better salutations to the Body Oh cursed flesh what alive again Must I be linked to such a loathsome lump worse than any Carrion thou didst rebel against the commands of reason and thy Appetite was pleased and thy Lusts were obeyed and all the time of Life on Earth was spent and fool'd away in feeding clothing and adorning thee and as I was led away and entic'd by thee to live with thee a sensual flesh-pleasing life so formerly sowing to the flesh now of the flesh we reap that Damnation that shall be Eternal For the Judge is come his Throne is set and all the World is summoned to appear the separation is made the Books are opened all on the right hand are acquitted and called to the possession of an Everlasting Kingdom while we are doom'd down to Eternal Torments Lo they are going with their Blessed Glorious Lord unto Eternal Glory and we with cursed Devils like cursed Wretches to Everlasting shame and pain and banishment from God and Christ and Saints and Angels for ever Look thus believingly on these unseen things as if you saw all these and a thousand times more terrible and more joyful transacted now before your eyes 2. Look directly at unseen Eternal things Many do look indirectly at things Eternal but directly at things Temporal pretending things not seen intending things that are seen in praying preaching and professing seem to have an eye to God and Christ and Heaven but they look asquint to their worldly profits credit and applause Should pray that they might see God but it is that they might be seen of Men Mat. 6.5 Mat. 23.14 But this is to look awry contrary to Solomons advise Prov. 4.25 Let thine Eyes look right on and let thine Eye-lids look straight before thee 3. Let unseen Eternal things be the first that you look at Do not first look at Riches Honours Pleasures and please your selves with purposes after that to look after God and Christ and the happiness of Heaven when sickness cometh and Death approacheth and when near the end of time begin to make preparation for Eternity Men spend their days in getting a visible state while the unseen Eternal God and Glorious Saviour and Heavens Happiness is neglected by them but it would make a considering man to tremble to think what a sight these Sinners shall have after Death hath closed their eyes when the separated Soul shall see an angry God a condemning Judge the Gates of Heaven shut against it and its self in Everlasting misery Unseen Eternal things are first in order of duration for the invisible God was when nothing was besides himself and first in order of dignity and should have the priority of our thoughts care and diligent endeavours Matth. 6.33 Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you When we first take care about Eternity the things of time shall be given to us over and above but the Eternal happiness of Heaven shall never be given over and above to those that primarily look at and seek the things of time for amongst men the overplus doth not exceed in worth the things contracted for But this damnable preferring things Temporal and cursed post-poning things Eternal is the setting of God in the room of the Creature and the Creature in the Throne of God as if they would set the Heavens where the Earth doth stand and the Earth where the Heavens are and so subvert the order of things which God hath appointed to be observed in the Nature of things 4. Look heedfully at Eternity All the things that are only for time are toyes and trifles the things for an Eternal World are the grand concerns we should narrowly look to in time the gathering of Riches in time to the getting of Grace and an interest in Christ for the escaping of Damnation and obtaining of Happiness to Eternity is busie Idleness careful Negligence and laborious Sloth If God that inhabiteth Eternity looks narrowly to all our actions done in time
Job 13.27 how narrowly should we look to our own when every one is a step to Everlasting Happiness or Eternal Misery We should look narrowly that we do not walk in the broad way that leads unto the one but in the narrow that will bring us to the other Matth. 7.13 14. 5. Look Earnestly with a longing look at unseen Eternal things Let your Hearts be filled with greatest intense desires after them as one that looks and thinks it long till the desire be accomplished as the Mother of Sisera looked out at a Window and cryed through the Lattice Why is his Chariot so long in coming Why tarry the Wheels of his Chariot Jud. 5.28 Why doth time make no more haste to be gone and flee away that when it is gone and past I might enter into Eternal joyes that never shall be past and gone Why doth the Sun that by its alternate presence and absence is the measure of my nights and dayes make no swifter speed in its diurnal Motion If it be as a Bridegroom coming out of his Chamber and rejoyceth as a strong man to run a race why doth it seem to my longing Soul as in the days of Joshua to stand still If the Sun in the Firmament be so slow let the Sun of Righteousness make more haste and come and lighten my passage to the other Eternal World that I might see him as he is and be more like unto him then at this distance I can be Return Return O Shulamite return return that I might look upon thee Make haste my Beloved and be thou like unto a roe or to a young hart upon the Mountains of spices that my looking for and after thee might be turned into looking upon thee Didst thou say a little while and ye shall see me and again a little while and ye shall not see me Why dearest Lord shall I count that a little while in which I do not see thee hast thou left it upon record yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry Sweetest Saviour to my thirsty panting Soul it seems a great while while thou dost tarry and not come time seems long till I do see thee but when I shall see thee in looking on thy lovely glorious Self Eternity shall not seem long I will mind thee of thy promise surely I come quickly and make it matter of my prayer and in confidence of the performance of thy promise and audience of my Prayer will say Amen even so so quickly come Lord Jesus for according to my earnest expectation and my hope I groan and am travelling in pain until I see thee who to me art now unseen that then I might live by sight and no longer walk by Faith 6. Look though with Earnest yet with Patient expectation at unseen Eternal things He that walketh now by Faith that he shall hereafter live by sight will not make undue untimely haste though what he seeth by Faith in unseen Eternal Joyes and Glory doth fill his Soul with longing desires after them yet hope doth help with Patience to wait for them Rom. 8.25 For the beatifical Vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end of Temporal Life it will be given though it tarry wait for it because it will surely come it will not tarry though it tarry beyond some Moneths or Years that you desire to be there yet it shall not tarry one moment beyond the time that God hath appointed to take you to it therefore in the mean time live by Faith and see in things unseen what can be seen by Faith till things unseen shall clearly and with open face be seen by you 7. Look with a fixed stedfast Eye at unseen Eternal things if you give a glance or cast of the Eye towards things seen and temporal the Eye and Heart too is ready to fix upon them if you would fix your Eye upon Eternity upon God and Christ and the Joyes above Satan Sin the Flesh and World will be diverting of it that now in time comparatively you can but glance upon Eternity If you look that way many Objects will interpose themselves to hinder your sight and to turn your Eyes from things Eternal to things Temporal from God to the Creature from things above to things below But yet if we were full of the Holy Ghost as Stephen was we might look up stedfastly into Heaven as Stephen did and though not with the same Eye yet to the same effect and purpose see the Glory of God and Jesus standing on his right hand Act. 7.55 Though the thoughts are immanent yet in this respect they are too transient that they do no longer dwell upon Eternity But if the Devil and the World find your thoughts tyed to this subject and go about to loosen them say why do ye this for not my Lord but I have need of them Or if you are at any season seasonably got up into the Mount viewing Eternity and they send Messengers to you to come down reply for they think to do you mischief I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down Why should the work cease whilest I leave it and come down to you And though they send more than four times after this sort yet answer them still after the same manner 8. Look unweariedly at unseen Eternal things The Eye might be fixed for a while upon an Object and after a while be weary in looking at it can you look unweariedly at the vanities of this World and will you be so soon tired in beholding the Glorious things in the other World Do you look on things Temporal where seeing is not satisfying and yet are never satisfyed with looking And will you not look on things Eternal where seeing would be such a filling of your heart with satisfactory content that looking would not be tedious to your eye There is so much in God in Christ in all Eternal things in Heaven so much Beauty Glory Fulness that methinks we might stand looking at them night and day without any irksomness at all But alas when the Spirit is willing the Flesh is weak and whilest the Soul must look out of Flesh to see those Glorious things and so clogged with Corruption that is like dust within its Eyes that makes it weep because it can look no longer but yet in time we should endeavour to be more like to them that are already in that Eternity where they look at God and Christ unweariedly and though their looking is not measured by Days or Moneths or Years but by immensurable Eternity yet they shall never be weary of looking at them to all Eternity 9. Look with a joyful pleasant Eye at unseen Eternal things Look till you feel your Heart to leap for joy look till you find your Spirit is reviv'd within you look till the sight of your Eye affect your Heart Is Christ unseen yet not unknown Do not you now see him with
moment and must be tormented for ever What if they have Pleasures and carnal Delights for a season they must be under the heavy wrath of God for ever You might stand and see all their mirth at an end but their sorrow never will have end all their joy is but for a moment as the crackling of Thorns under a pot but their misery will be endless misery Let them laugh a while they shall weep for ever let them rejoyce for a season their mirth shall be turned into heaviness their Temporal rejoycing into Everlasting howling and the Eternity of Joy will be more than a recompence to the afflicted Saints whatsoever their Sufferings for Christ and Conscience be in this World A supposed case might be an help in this Temptation Suppose then that you were poor and full of pain for so long time or rather for so short that you should fall asleep and after you awake should be poor no more nor afflicted any more but have a Life of manly delights afterwards Suppose again another man were compassed about with all manner of accommodations costly Dishes to please his Palate beautiful Objects to delight his Eyes all manner of Musick grateful to his Ears many Servants to attend him all standing bare before him and bowing the knee in Honour to him and all this and much more he were to enjoy as long as he could abstain from sleeping but assoon as he doth fall asleep he should be taken off his Bed and cast into a Furnace of boyling Lead or scalding Pitch I demand which of these two Mens Condition you would choose I know it would be the condition of the former and not the latter this and infinitely beyond this is the case in hand you are afflicted till you fall asleep and then you shall be afflicted no more but live a life of Joy for ever the Wicked prosper till they fall asleep and they cannot long keep open their Eyes but Death will come and close them then the justice of God will arrest them and then Devils will seize upon them and they shall be cast into a Lake of burning Brimstone where they shall have no rest night nor day but the smoak of their Torment shall ascend for ever and ever Exercise your thoughts in this manner and have an Eye unto Eternity and you will more easily and successfully overcome such Temptations to murmuring and discontent from the different dispensations of the Providence of God here in time to good and bad 3. Such eyeing of Eternity would have great influence for the well improvement of our time Time is to be valued in order to Eternity because we go out of time into Eternity and that which should make every Man in time most concerned out of time into Eternity of Misery or Glory Oh! what a pretious thing is Time it is beyond the worth of Gold or Silver because we might do more in time in reference to Eternity than we can do by all our Gold and Silver Jewels are but Toyes in comparison of pretious Time Many are saving of their Money but are prodigal of Time and have more of Time then they know what to do with when others find so much to do that they know not what to do for time to do it in Oh Fools and blind what were an Hundred years to make preparation for Eternity Oh sluggish careless Sots Do you ask how shall we pass away the time Might ye not with more reason ask how shall we prevent hasty time from passing away with such winged motion Or if that cannot be prevented How shall we improve our time that is so fast a posting from us Blind World Do any Men in thee enquire How shall we spend our time It is easily answered in Praying Repenting begging for Grace the pardon of Sin the favour of God and peace with Him and fitness for Eternal Life Had the Damned in Hell the time that once they had and you now have do you think they would ask what they should do to pass away the time Their cry rather is Oh hasty time whither art thou fled Why didst thou move so fast while we sate still Or why in time did we so swiftly run in ways of Sin as if we could not have sinned enough before time was past and gone When we had a God to serve and Souls to save and an Everlasting State to make preparation for we like Fools did say How shall we spend our time But now our time is spent and past and gone and now the question is which never can be answered How shall we spend Eternity which never can be spent no not in enduring Ten Thousand Thousand Millions of Years in pain and punishment for when they are past it is as fresh and as far from ending as it was the first moment it began then Eye Eternity and you cannot but improve your time 4. Such Eyeing of Eternity would make us careful how we die because Death is our passing out of time into Eternity Death is dreadful to the ungodly because it opens the door into Everlasting Misery gainful to all endued with saving Grace because it lets them in to Everlasting Happiness Did you that are yet Christless Impenitent and Unbelieving see whither you are going and where you must within a little time take up your Everlasting Lodgings what fear and trembling would seize upon all your joynts and when by sickness you perceive Death to be approaching you would cry out Oh Death forbear forbear stay thine hand and do not strike for if thou cut me down in this condition I drop into Eternal Misery there is nothing but this single thred of my frail Life between me and endless wo and if this be cut or snapt asunder I sink in to irrecoverable Misery without all hope of ever coming forth Could you but see a Soul the next hour after its separation from the Body what a taking it is in what wo what despair it is filled with would you then live without Christ go to bed without Christ and rise and trade and still remain without an Interest in Christ What mean ye sirs to make no provision for Death that is so near so very near when you are as near to going into an Everlasting World as you are to going out of this Transitory World and your Souls be dragged sooner by Devils into Hell than your Bodies can be carryed by Men unto your Graves Awake arise repent and turn unto the Lord for if you sleep on in sin till you sleep by Death you will be awaked by the flames of Hell and then though you be under the power of Eternal Death you will sleep no more and rest no more for ever And Death is as gainful and desirable to a Gracious Man as it is terrible to the Ungodly for it lets him into unseen Eternal Glory to the sight of Christ unseen to us on Earth How willing would you be to go a Thousand Miles to see
Christ and converse with him if he were on Earth it is better to see this pretious Christ in Eternal Glory it is worth the while to dy to have a view of your Lord-Redeemer in the highest Heavens Oh the wonderful transporting Joyes the Soul is filled with when it first cometh into the unseen but happy World when it hath the first Glorious view of its dearest Lord. Do you think it would desire to return to live in flesh upon Earth again Do you know what you do when you are so loth to dy Do you understand your selves when you are so backward to be taken out of time It is to be loth to go into Everlasting Happiness to go and take possession of unseen Eternal Glory 5. Such an Eyeing of Eternity would make us more patient constant joyful in all our sufferings for Christs sake When we poar upon our seen troubles and do not look at rest after trouble when we see and feel what is inflicted upon us but do not look what is laid up in Heaven for us when we see the rage of men and do not look at the love of God our Hearts and Flesh do fail but if we set unseen Eternal things over against things seen and Temporal it will be strength unto us Against the power of Men which is Temporal set the Power of God which is Eternal and then you will see their power to be weakness Against the Policy of Men which is Temporal set the Wisdom of God which is Eternal and then you will see all their Policy to be Foolishness Against the Hatred of Men which in its effects to you is Temporal set the Love of God which is both in its self and in its effects to you Eternal and you will see their hatred to be no better than raging unreasonable madness Keep your Eye upon the unseen Torments in the other World and you will rather endure Sufferings in this than venture upon Sin and expose your selves to them Keep your Eye upon the unseen Eternal Crown of Glory and it will carry you through Fire and Flames Prisons and Reproaches for the sake of Christ Heb. 11.26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward 27. by Faith he forsook Egypt not fearing the wrath of the King for he endured as seeing him who is invisible 6. This Eyeing of Eternity will be a powerful preservative against the temptations of Men or Devils a Sovereign Antidote against the Poyson of Temptation I see the Invisible God looks at me shall I then yield to the suggestions of the Devil or the sollicitations of men to sin I see there is an Everlasting state of Joy or Torment that I must be shortly in as sure as I am in this place and Satans design is to bring me to that state of Torment and if I follow him I shall be excluded from yonder glorious place from God and Christ and Saints above therefore by the Grace of God I will not yield to this Temptation but strive I will and Watch and Pray I will against the assaults of this deceitful Adversary for why should I be so foolish to lose Eternal Glory for momentary Pleasures and run my Immortal Soul into Eternal pain for short delights I do plainly see what will be the end if I do yield Damnation without end banishment from God without end I do clearly see that Stealing and Murder is not a more ready road to a place of Execution upon Earth than yielding to a tempting Devil is to Everlasting Misery 7. Such Eyeing of Eternity would wean our hearts from the things of time A sight and view of Heavens Glory would darken the Glory of the World as looking at the shining Sun over your Head doth obscure in your Eyes the things under your Feet after a believing view of the invisible God and the Glory of the place above this World would appear as a very Dunghil in your Eyes Phil. 3.7 8. as where we love there we look so the more we look the more we shall love and the more we love the Eternal things that are above the less we shall love the Temporal things that are below 8. Such Eyeing of Eternity would make us more like to God and Jesus Christ it will be a transforming and assimilating look 2 Cor. 3.18 But we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Therefore when we shall see Christ who is now out of sight we shall be perfectly like unto him 1 Joh. 3.2 But we know when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is 9. Such an Eyeing of Eternity would fill our Souls with Holy admirations of the Goodness Grace and Love of God to us When Paul had a sight of such unseen things he was in an Holy Extasie and Divine Rapture 2 Cor. 12.2 3 4. When we consider the Eternal Happiness of Heaven we shall stand as Men amazed that God should prepare such things for such men and bear such Love and shew such Mercy to such as we that are so vile and full of sin and say Lord what am I that might for ever have howled in the lowest Hell that I should hope to praise thee in the highest Heavens Lord what am I that might have been in Everlasting Darkness that there should be prepared for me Everlasting Light and Joy Why me Lord why hast thou designed me and wrought upon my heart and made me in any measure meet to be partaker of such Eternal Glory Oh! the depth of the Riches both of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out Rom. 11.33 How pretious are thy thoughts to me how great is the sum of them Psal 139.17 Oh how great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee Psal 31.19 10. Such an Eyeing of Eternity would have this influence sure upon us to set our selves under a painful skilful serious Ministry It doth much concern you for you are going to an endless Life and Preaching is the appointed means to fit you for an endless happy Life then do you choose the most lively searching powerful Preaching it is for the life of your Souls for the Everlasting life of your Everlasting Souls If you were sick and in danger of Death when your Life lies upon it you would have the advice of an able Physitian that is serious and afraid that he no way become guilty of your Death Would you like that Physitian that seems to be unconcerned and cares not whether you live or dy if he might but have his fee Or that should merrily jest with you when you are sick at Heart and near to Death if you be not
must be damned or saved for ever might understand in things necessary to Salvation what we mean and aim and drive at it hath made me tremble to hear some soar aloft that knowing men might know their parts while the meaner sort are kept from the knowledge of Christ and put their matter in such a dress of words in such a stile so composed that the most stand looking the Preacher in the face and hear a sound but know not what he saith and while he doth pretend to feed them indeed doth starve them and to teach them keepeth them in ignorance Would a Man of any Bowels of compassion go from a Prince to a condemned man and tell him in such Language that he should not understand the conditions upon which the Prince would pardon him and the poor man lose his Life because the proud and haughty Messenger must shew his knack in delivering his message in fine English which the condemned Man could not understand but this is course dealing with a Man in such circumstances that call for pity and compassion Paul had more Parts and Learning but more self-denyal than any of these when he said 1 Cor. 2.1 And I Brethren when I came to you came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God 4. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing Words of mans Wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power 2 Cor. 3.12 Seeing then we have such hope we use great plainness of speech 13. and not as Moses which put a vail over his face that the Children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished Some put a vail upon their words that people of mean Education that yet have Souls that must be damned or saved cannot look into those truths that shall never be abolished but what is this but a cursed preferring their own parts and praise before the Salvation of Eternal Souls and the preaching themselves and not Christ which will not be their praise but shame at the Eternal Judgment when some shall plead they stand there condemned because the Learned Preacher would not stoop to speak to them of Eternal matters in Language that they might have understood 4. This Eyeing of Eternity would stir us up to improve our Interest in God and Men for a continual succession of Men in the Ministerial Function In God by Prayer that the Lord of the Harvest would send forth Labourers into his Harvest In men whether such as have Children of pregnant parts studious and bookish serious in Religion and inclined to this Imployment that they would give them to God and give them Education in order to it which would be the Honour of Parents to have such proceed from their loins that shall be Embassadors to call the blind ungodly World to mind Eternity to escape Everlasting Damnation and obtain Eternal Life or whether they be such as have no Children so qualifyed or disposed yet have riches to be helpful to such as have such Children but not an Estate to bring them up for there is a necessity of a standing continued Ministry Men in all Ages are hasting to Eternity those that were our Ancestors in former Ages are already there and have taken up their Lodgings where they must for ever dwell and we are following after them and what a mercy is it that we have the Gospel preached unto us wherein we have directions how to escape Everlasting Torments and obtain Eternal Joyes in the other Eternal World to which we are a going and those that shall live after us when they have been upon the stage of this World awhile shall follow us and our Fathers into Eternity and give place to those that follow after them thus this World doth often change its Inhabitants What is the Life of Man but a coming into time and a going out into Eternity Oh how needful is it then that while they make their short stay on Earth they should have preaching Ministers to warn them of Eternal Misery and teach them the way to Eternal Glory Those that are now engaged in the work will shortly be all silenced by Death and Dust and how desirable is it that your Children and posterity should see and hear others preaching in their room and the Honourableness of the Office might allure young men to encline unto it is it not an Honour to be an Embassador of the great Eternal God to propound Articles of Everlasting peace between him and Everlasting Souls What is buying and selling Temporal Transitory things in comparison of a calling wherein it is mens work and business to save Souls from Eternal Misery and to bring them to the Eternal Enjoyment of the glorious God Thus in some few particulars we have shewed the Influence that the Eyeing of Eternity will have upon us in what we do Do you so Eye Eternity and the rest here for want of room omitted you shall by experience find out which will be better than knowing of them in the notion only because they are told you The Conclusion of this Discourse shall be some particular uses omitting many that it would afford 1. Is there an Eternal State Such unseen Eternal Joyes and Torments Who then can sufficiently lament the blindness madness and folly of this distracted World and the unreasonableness of those that have Rational and Eternal Souls to see them busily imployed in the matters of time which are only for time in present Honours Pleasures and Profits while they do neglect Everlasting things Everlasting Life and Death is before them Everlasting Joy or Torment is hard at hand and yet poor sinners take no care how to avoid the one or obtain the other Is it not matter of lamentation to see so many Thousands bereaved of the sober serious use of their Understandings That while they use their reason to get the Riches of this World they will not act as rational men to get the joyes of Heaven and to avoid Temporal Calamities yet not to escape Eternal misery Or if they be fallen into present Afflictions they contrive how they may get out of them if they be sick reason tells them they must use the means if they would be well if they be in pain Nature puts them on to seek after a Remedy and yet these same Men neglect all duty and cast away all care concerning Everlasting matters they are for seen pleasures and profits which are passing from them in the enjoyment of them but the unseen Eternal Glory in Heaven they pray not for they think not of Are they unjustly charged Let Conscience speak what thoughts they lye down withal upon their pillow if they wake or sleep fly from them in the silent night what a noise doth the cares of the World make in their Souls With what thoughts do they rise in the Morning of God or of the World Of the things of time or of Eternity Their thoughts are
sober Wisdom and the Devils cannot deny it and all Damned Souls in Hell and all the Wicked upon Earth as fast as they go down to them and feel what now they do not believe and fear shall not deny it to be Wisdom in them that escaped that and got to a better place in the Eternal World 10. In Eternity there will be no mixture In the other World there is all pure Love or all pure Wrath all Sweet or all Bitter without all Pain or without all Ease without all Misery or without all Happiness not partly at Ease and partly in Pain partly Happy and partly Miserable but all the one or the other This Life is a middle place betwixt Heaven and Hell and here we partake of some good and some Evil No Judgment on this side Hell upon the worst of Men but there is some Mercy mixed with it for it is Mercy they are yet on this side Hell and no Condition on this side Heaven but there is some Evil mixed with it for till we get to Heaven we shall have sin in us In Heaven all are good in Hell all are bad on Earth some good but more bad In Hell Misery without mixture of Mercy or of Hope they have no Mercy and that is bad and they can hope for none and that is worse while they be in time they are pityed God doth pity them and Christ doth pity them and good Men doth pity them their Friends and Relations do pity them pray for them and weep over them but when time is past all pity will be past and they in Misery without pity to all Eternity Rev. 14.10 The same shall drink of the Wine of the Wrath of God which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the Holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11. and the smoak of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever and they have no rest day nor night No! then for the Lords sake for your Souls sake as upon my knees I beseech you if you have any dread of God any fear of Hell any desire of Heaven any care whither you must go take no rest night nor day in time till you have secured your Everlasting happy state that you might have Everlasting rest night and Day in Eternity or that you might pass into that Eternity where it is alwayes day and no night and not into that where it shall be alwaies night and never day Sirs what say ye What are ye resolved upon to sin still or to repent that ye have already sinned and by the Grace of God to sin so no more To work in time for things of time or in time to prepare for Eternity Will ye obey my message or will ye not Speak in time or I will not say hold your peace for ever but repent in time or ye shall cry and roar for ever The time of this Sermon is out and the time of your Life will be quickly out and I am afraid I shall leave some of you as unfit for Eternity as I found you and my heart doth tremble least Death should find you as I shall leave you and the Justice of God and the Devils of Hell should find you as Death shall leave you and then vengeance shall never leave you and the Burning Flames Tormenting Devils and the Gnawing Worm shall never leave you Will ye then work it upon your Hearts that ye came into Time unfit to go into Eternity that in time ye have made your selves more unfit that the only remedy is the Lord Jesus Christ that in the fulness of time did dye that Sinners might not be damned for ever that this Crucifyed Christ will not save you from Eternal Misery nor take you to Eternal Glory except ye do perform the Conditions of the Gospel without which his Death puts no Man into an actual state of Happiness ye must Repent and be Converted ye must take him for your Saviour and your Lord ye must be Holy sincerely Hate Sin universally love Christ superlatively or else the Saviour will not save you Mercy it self will not save you from Everlasting Misery Ye must persevere in all this to the end of your time and then ye shall be Happy in Eternity to Eternity Otherwise ye shall not give audience Sirs otherwise ye shall not be Happy Happy no ye shall be Miserable If the loss of God and Christ and Heaven will make you Miserable for ever ye shall be Miserable for ever If the pains of Hell the company of Devils the stingings of Conscience the terrors of Darkness total final despair of having any end of your damned condition will make you miserable ye shall be miserable If all that God can lay upon you if all that Devils can torment you with if all that Conscience can for ever accuse you for if all that is in Hell can make you miserable except you repent in time and believe on Christ in time and be sanctifyed in time ye shall be miserable for ever O my God! be thou my Witness of this Doctrine All ye that fear God that hear me this day bear me witness that I have published this in the Ears of all that hear me Thou Conscience that art in that Man that is yet going on in Sin and posting with speed to Eternal Misery bear me witness now and at the day of Judgment that I told him what must be done upon him in him and by him if he would escape Eternal Torments If he will not hearken nor obey while he is in time Conscience I bespeak thy witness against him and that thou bring thy Accusation against him and upbraid him to the Confusion of his face among all the Devils in Hell and all that shall be damned with him that he was told he could not keep his sins and be kept out of that place when he dyed he could not reject Christ and finally refuse him and be saved for ever Sinner carest thou not wilt thou still on Good God! must we end thus Must I come down without hopes of his Repenting and he dye with foolish hopes of being saved and after Death be cast into that Eternity where the Worm dyeth not and the Fire is not quenched But in those Endless Flames shall cry out and roar oh cursed Caitif what did I mean all the while I was in time to neglect preparation for Eternity Oh miserable Wretch this is a doleful dreadful state and still the more because it is Eternal Wo is me that I cannot dye nor cease to be Oh that God would cut me off Oh that Devils could tear me into a Thousand Thousand pieces or that I could use such violence to my self that I might be no longer what I am nor where I am But alas I wish in vain and all these desires are in vain for though the union of my Soul and Body in
Death where note 1. His Submission to the will of the Father He puts himself into his Fathers hands and Subjects himself to his pleasure 2. His design the Fathers glory Glorify thy Name He doth not say simply let my Agony and Death come but Glorify c. q. d. This being the means of thy Glory which thou hast fixt upon here I am do to me as seemeth good in thy Sight Hence observe First The best way to quiet and compose our Spirits in time of distress is the Prayer of Faith Wrastle with God and you Conquer your own Tumultuatings 1. Sam. 1.10 11 18. Secondly That Soul will be heard who forgets or neglects himself in Comparison and Prayeth for the Accomplishment of the Will and Glory of God So doth Christ here and God heard him See Heb. 5.7 Thirdly Our Exemption from suffering may sometimes be inconsistent with the Glory of God Save me from this hour saith Christ but for this cause came I unto this hour Father Glorify thy Name The Ground of the Point lyes in his Correction of his first Petition Fourthly The best and most Effectual means to prepare our selves to meet God either in the way of Mercy or Judgment is to resign our selves to the Soveraign Will of God to be disposed of for his Glory 1. I shall prove the Doctrin 2. Open the Nature of this resigned Frame of Spirit 3. Give some Arguments manifesting that it is our Duty especially in a Day of Distress 4. Apply the whole Before I enter upon the first I lay down this Supposition That believer who is prepared for Affliction is prepared for Salvation that the same qualification fits for both these dispensations I know some are Vessels of Wrath fitted only for Distruction Ro. 9.22 If the Apostle did there Treat of a Moral preparation which I know he doth not then we must Distinguish between Destruction and Affliction and of the fitness of the Vessels of Wrath for that and Saints for this But to decide this matter Our Doctrine and Question speaks of an Holy Gracious Preparation for Sufferings to bear them quietly and benificially not of a judicial Aptitude for Ruin much less an Eternal act of Preterition which is the Apostles meaning there This premised I suppose none will deny him who is holily qualified for Suffering to be in a blessed readiness for comfortable Dispensations and Providences Now that the above mentioned Resignation to the will of God for his Glory Prepareth a Soul both for Mercy or Judgment Suffering or Deliverance appeareth as follows 1. In that we find Holy Men of Old in this Spirit ready for either Dispensation Tribulation or Comfort Adversity or Prosperity Job shall be our First Instance his Resignation is notably expressed Chap. 1.21 Naked came I out of my Mothers Woumb and Naked shall I return Thither The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh Blessed be the Name of the Lord. The good Man upon the first gust of the Storm that beats Terribly upon him falls down at the Feet of God acknowledging his Soveraignity and Adoring his Name Well in this Frame he met with greater Tryals afterward and how did he bear them See James 5.11 Ye have heard of the Patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord that the Lord is very Pitiful and of tender Mercyes In this Spirit he bear Affliction Patiently and received Mercy Plentifully God had two Designs on Job to Try and Bless him and Job's humble Spirit equally quallified him for both Take David for a Second Example By Absaloms Rebellion he was brought to a great Strait that must flye to prevent the Surprize of his Person Now take notice of his Frame 2 Sam. 15.25 26. And the King said unto Zadack carry back the Ark of God into the City If I shall find favour in the Eyes of the Lord he will bring me again and shew me both it and his Habitation But if he say thus I have no delight in thee behold here I am let him do to me as seemeth good unto him David was not without hopes of being Restored to his Throne and yet he had fears of the Contrary but whether God would dispose of him that way or this he Submits to his Pleasure Resigns himself to his Will and this prepared him for Suffering and qualified him for Deliverance Isa 41.2 'T is said that God call'd Abraham to his Foot i. e. to an intire Subjection to his Will He disputed nothing that God revealed refused nothing which he commanded what was this for why to fit him for great Tryalls Mercies Gen. 12.1 2 3 4. Cap. 22.1 2 3 10 16 17 18. this was Pauls Frame Acts 20.22 23 24. 2. That Frame is most fit to meet the Lord in the way of Judgment or Mercy which Christ chose to suffer in and so to enter into Glory In the Text this was his case he was shortly to meet with two Contrary Dispensations He was to bear our Sin and to Conflict with the Wrath of God for it to Suffer the Violence of Hell and the World and to Dye an accursed Death but with all immediately he is to be Glorified at the Right Hand of the Father Both these he had in his Eye in this Chap. v. 23 24. He expected a double Glory upon his Death here by the Propagation of the Gospel in Heaven by the Exaltation of his humane Nature Chap. 17.15 and both these he looked for Heb. 12.2 Well how will he prepare himself for Suffering and Glory even by lying at his Fathers Foot in the Text. And now he can grapple with all his Enemys and now he can wait for his reward Matt. 26.39 42 44. 'T was in this Spirit that he went to meet his betrayer v. 45 46. This all the Evangelists mention for our Example Certainly Christ knew what was the best preparation for Judgment or Mercy and Chose it for himself and was therein our Pattern 3. That 's the best way to meet God in the way of his Judgments or Mercies which himself prescribeth but a Resigned humbled Spirit to his Will and Pleasure is commanded by himself to qualify us for such Dispensations 1 Pet. 5.6 Humble your selves therefore under the mighty hand of God and he shall Exalt you in due time q. d. bear my Afflicting hand and you shall feel my Supporting Exalting hand 4. That 's the best Preparation for Mercy or Judgment which God aimeth at in Afflicting and Rewardeth in Delivering his People and this is a Resigned Frame an Obedient Submiss Subdued Will to the Will of God If he afflict his Children 't is because they are Froward if he Cherrish them t is for the Compliance with his Pleasure Ephram was Smitten for his Stubborness and Comforted for his Obedience Jer. 31.18 19 20. God hath no Contention with us but our Crosness because our Wills Thwart his and our ways contradicts his First we resist his Commanding Will by Disobedience and then his chastizing Will
our selves if any sins lie near our hearts and prove predominant in our conversations The Crimes whereby we have disgusted God must be repented of detested and rejected He that would trust in God and gain the views and comforts of his Face should throughly hate deeply resent and carefully watch against what God can take no pleasure in but hath entred his protest against repent and do thy first Works was grave and sober Counsel Rev. 2.5 Begin then with thy self and end with God and work thy self up to his Will and thou shalt see his Face with Joy Sin will raise Clouds and Storms and cause no small Eclipses of Gods Face where ever it enters is countenanced and prevails An heavenly Mind and Life must be recovered exercised and preserved and practical resolutions must be renewed and kept in their inviolable vigour whither God sensibly smile or not upon us Who ever mourns not over and watches not against what God abhors will find his seeing Gods Face with Joy to be too strange and great a Miracle to be expected from him He that contemns the ways and will of God can look for nothing but to be contemned by him 1 Sam. 2.30 the Laws of Peace and Favour must be kept Sins must be broken off by Righteousness and Repentance or else Gods Face is to be seen no more Direct V. Let him consider well how far God is unchangeably the God of gracious Souls Psal 89.30 34. Levit. 26.40 45. the Tenor of Gods Covenant is to be studied throughly and well understood to prevent extravagant or defective trust 'T is true Gods promises are large and his relation fixt Psal 84.11 Isa 41.10 God will be so far always theirs as to be ever mindful of them and of his Covenant with them to be duly provident for their good so as to prevent all that may truly harm and ruin their resigned Souls and Persons Rom. 8.28 2 Cor. 16.9 to be truly though wisely compassionate towards them in all their dejections and temptations 1 Cor. 10.13 Mich. 7.18 Isa 30.19 41 17. He will neither over-burthen them over-work them nor overlook them and he will be always so far theirs as to exemplifie the Power and Riches of his All-sufficient Grace and Goodness in them Rom. 9.23 2 Thes 1.10 12. God will refine and save their Souls renew their Strength and cloath them with his Righteousness and Salvations and give them such Encouragements and Supports as may be needful for their present State and Work Isa 40.31 2 Cor. 4.16 18. Col. 1.11 12. 1 Thes 5.23 24. Let them but act like gracious Persons and all Grace shall abound towards them and he will see that their Integrity and Uprightness preserve them whilst therein they wait on him Pardoned Sins refined Souls accepted Services Prayers and Persons with great Victories Tryumphs and Salvations at the last Gods Spirit in them his Presence with them and his Eternal Glory for them when time is folded up and reckoned for all these shall joyfully convince them in what respects and to what purposes God is immutably and will be their God Rom 8.31 39. But if they look or hope that God should be so far theirs as to keep them from afflictions and the fiery Tryal or to feast them continually with sensible consolations and clear views of Heaven and of his glorious Face or immediatly to give them what they ask at their discretion or to prevent all manner of perturbations in their Souls and all distempers in their Bodies Brains and Fancies or to redress miraculously what may be cured and relieved otherwise they have no promise for this For where hath God engaged that Grace must do the Work that is consigned to natural means or that Miracles must effect what an establisht Course of ordinary means may bring Men to Even in the sealing Age when Miracles were so multiplied we find that ordinary means were used in their just extent Moses must send for Jethro Cornelius must send for Peter Philip must turn Instructer and Interpreter to the Eunuch Manna must only be continued until the Israelites could Plow and Sow Why then should any one conclude that God hath hid his Face unless unreasonable and extraordinary expectations be accomplished If Parts be weak if Gifts be mean if Memory be frail through disadvantages of Age or Weakness if passionate Fervours be abated through those declensions which are entailed on Mortals by a setled decree must we infer from hence that God hath hid his Face from us and holds us for his Enemies unless he change the ordinary Course of Nature And as to Soul concerns and exercises what if our Spirits be disquieted through the Soul or expectation of sharp Tryals and Distresses What if Satan bluster in our Souls What if strange Suggestions like fiery Darts be cast into us What if we be strongly urged to such imaginations as God himself knows to be odious and ungrateful to us Must we from hence suspect or think that God disclaims us and renounces all his merciful relations and regards to us Hath God engaged any where that our War with Satan shall end before we dye Can militant Christians be discharged from this warfare before they have finished their Course Whilst you resolve and strive you Conquer and God abides your God till you give up the Cause and fall in love with what your God abhors and slights see Heb. 4.14 16. was not the great Jehovah the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ as much in the extremities of his Agonies and Conflicts as either before or after them But he never was so much his God as to excuse him from his bitter Cup and his contest with the Devil and this World The same I may also say of Paul 2 Cor. 12.7 9. Gods Covenant and not your thoughts or hopes must tell how far Direct VI. Let him consider and improve what God affords to help and quicken trust in him Psal 27.9 Rom. 15.4 13. God hath his part and Man hath his to do not that God needs him but because he hath laid him under Law unto himself and suited his remediating Duties to his Faculties and Circumstances Trust is a compounded Act and Duty made use of assent consent and reliance and it respects veracity goodness and fidelity in the object trusted in Let then the gracious Soul look upon God as fit and willing to be trusted in as actually engaged and concerned for him when he is his God and as faithful when thus related and engaged For God both can and will effect all that he undertakes yet he expects that gracious Souls shall fix their deepest thoughts upon what he hath given them to fix and raise their trust upon Idleness doth no good the thinking and industrious and resolved Soul thrives much whilst meer complainers cheat and dispirit themselves and trouble others dishonour God and scandalize and dishearten Men. It is here as it is in Nature God feeds us he