of broken heart whereof David speakes Psal 51.17 which Sacrifice of a wounded broken heart by the knife of Repentance pleaseth God wondrously well And then 2. A broken heart offering Christ A broken heart that offers Christ to God every day who though hee were offered once for all yet our beleeving in him and daily presenting his Attonement made for us is a new offering of him Christ is Crucified and Sacrificed for thee as oft as thou beleevest in Christ Crucified Now upon all occasions wee manifest our Beleefe in Christ to wash and bathe our selves in his blood who justifieth the ungodly so that upon a fresh sight of sinne with contrition for it hee continually justifieth us Thus when we Beleeve we offer him to God daily a broken heart first and then Christ with a broken heart 3. Our selves And then when wee beleeve in Christ wee offer and sacrifice our selves to God in which respect we must as it were be killed ere we be offered for wee may not offer our selves as we are in our lusts but as mortified and killed by Repentance Then we offer our selves to God as a reasonable and living sacrifice when wee offer our selves wholy unto him wit understanding judgement affections and indeavour as Paul saith of the Macedonians 2 Cor. 8.5 they gave themselves to God first and then their goods In summe it is that Sacrifice Paul speakes of Rom. 12.1 To present our bodies a living Sacrifice holy acceptable unto God c. for a Christian who beleeveth in the Lord Jesus is not his owne but sacrificeth himselfe to him that was Sacrificed for him As Christ is given to us so he that beleeves in Christ gives himselfe backe againe to Christ Hereby a man may know if he be a true Christian and that Christ is his if he yeelds up himselfe to God for Christ died and rose againe saith the Apostle that hee might be Lord both of quick and dead Therefore saith he whether we live or die we are not our owne what wee doe or suffer in the world in all we are Sacrificed so saith a sanctified soule my wit my will my life my good my affections are thine of thee I received them and I resigne all to thee as a Sacrifice Thus the Martyrs to seale the Truth as a Sacrifice yeelded up their blood He that hath not obtained of himselfe so much as to yeeld himselfe to God he knowes not what the Gospell meanes for Christian Religion is not onely to beleeve in Christ for forgivenesse of sinne but the same faith which takes this great benefit renders backe our selves in liew of Thankefullnesse So that whatsoever we have after we Beleeve we give all back againe Lord I have my life my will my wit and all from thee and to thee I returne all backe againe for when I gave my selfe to beleeve in thy deare Sonne I yeelded my selfe and all I have to thee and now having nothing but by thy gift if thou wilt have all I will returne all unto thee againe if thou wilt have my life my goods my liberty thou shalt have them This is the state of a Christian who hath denied himselfe for wee cannot beleeve as we should unlesse wee denie our selves Christianity is not altogether in beleeving this and that but the faith which mooves mee to beleeve Forgivenesse of sinnes carries us also unto God to yeeld all backe againe to him More especially 4. Almes-deeds among the Sacrifices of the New Testament are Almes as Heb. 13.16 To doe good and to communicate forget not for with such Sacrifices God is well pleased 5. The Sacrifice of Praise And among the rest The Sacrifice of Praise which is in the same Chapter ver 15. first hee saith by him that is by Christ let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually that is The fruit of our lips which is but an exposition of this place which because it is especially here intended I will a little inlarge my selfe in The Calves of our lips implies two things Not onely Thankefullnesse to God But glorifying of God in setting out his praise otherwise to thanke God for his goodnesse to us or for what wee hope to receive without glorifying of him is nothing at all worth For in glorifying there are two things 1. A supposition of Excellencie for that cannot be glorified which hath no excellencie in it glory in sublimity hath alway excellencie attending it And 2. The manifestation of this glory Now when all the excellencies of God as they are are discovered and set out his Wisedome Mercy Power Goodnesse All-sufficiencie c. then wee glorifie him To praise God for his favours to us and accordingly to glorifie him is The Calves of our lips but especially to praise him Whence the point is That the yeelding of praise to God is a wondrous acceptable Sacrifice Which is insteed of all the Sacrifices of the Old Testament then which the greatest can doe no more nor the least lesse for it is the sacrifice and fruit of the lips But to open it it is not meerely the sacrifice of our lips for the praise wee yeeld to God it must be begotten in the heart Hereupon the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 speech signifieth both Reason and Speech there being one word in the learned language for both Because speech is nothing but that streame which issues from the spring of reason and understanding therefore in Thankesgiving there must not be a lip-labour onely but a Thankesgiving from the lips first begotten in the heart comming from the inward man as Psal 103.1 The Prophet saith Blesse the Lord O my soule and all that is within mee blesse his holy Name Praise must come from a sound judgement of the worth of the thing we praise God for It must come from an affection which desires that God may have the glory by the powers of the whole inward man which is a hard matter to rouze up our selves to praise God with all the powers of our soule all that is within me praise his holy Name There goeth Judgement Resolution of the will strength of affections and all with it And then againe besides this The Calves of our lips carries us to worke The orall Thankesgiving must bee justified by our works and deeds or else our actions will give our tongue the lie that wee praise him with the one but denie him in the other This is a Sollocisme as if one should looke to the earth and cry O ye heavens so when we say God bee praised when yet our life speakes the contrary it is a dishonouring of God So the praise of our lips must be made good and justified by our life actions and conversation this wee must suppose for the full understanding of the words Wee will render from our hearts the Calves of our lips which we must make good in our lives and conversations ever to set forth thy praise in our whole life
Elshady All-sufficient and all other things to be as they are uncertaine that is they are so to day as that they may be otherwise to morrow for that is the nature of the creatures they are in Potentia in a possibility to bee other things then they are God is alway I am alway the same there is not so much as a shadow of changing in him Wherefore when the soule hath attained unto this spirituall eye-sight and wisedome if it be a sinnefull association with Aegypt or Ashur with this Idolater or that he will not meddle and as for other helpes he will not use them further then as subordinate meanes When a man is converted he hath not a double not a devided heart to trust partly to God and partly to the creature If God faile him he hath Ashur and horses enough and association with all round about but a Christian hee will use all helpes as they may stand with the favour of God and are subordinate under him Now for Triall Quest How shall we know whether wee exceed in this confidence in the creature or not Sol. 1 We may know it by adventuring on ill courses and causes thinking to beare them out with Ashur and with Horses but all the mercinary souldiers in the world and all the Horses at home and abroad what can they doe when God is angry Now when there is such confidence in these things as for to outdare God then there is too much trust in them that trust will end in confusion if it be not repented of for that lifts up the heart in the creature and as the Heathen man observes God delights to make great little and little great It is his daily worke to cast downe mountaines and exalt the valleys Those that are great and boast in their greatnesse as if they would command Heaven and Earth God delights to make their greatnesse little and at length nothing and to raise up the day of small things Therefore the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 12.9 if I rejoyce it shall bee in my infirmities in nothing else for God delights to shew strength in weakenesse Sol. 2 By security and resting of the soule in meaner things never seeking to divine and religious helpes when we are supplied with those that are outward For these people when they trusted to Assyria and Aegypt those false supports and sandie foundations they were carelesse of God and therefore must trust in somewhat else Wherefore if we see a man secure and carelesse certainely he trusts too much to uncertaine riches to Ashur to Aegypt to friends or to outward helpes his security bewraies that If a man trust God in the use of the meanes his care will be to keepe God his friend by Repentance and daily exercises of Religion by making conscience of his duty But if he trust the meanes and not God he will be carelesse and weake in good duties dull and slow and out of the Atheisme of his heart cry Tush if God do not helpe me I shall have helpe from friends abroad and be supported with this and that at home Horses and the like all shall be well Let us therefore enter into our owne soules Vse 1 and examine our selves how farre forth we are guilty of this sinne and thinke we come so farre short of Repentance for the ten Tribes here the people of God when they repented say Ashur shall not save us wee will not ride upon Horses he speakes comparatively as trusted in Therefore let us take heed of that boasting vaine-glorious disposition arising from the supply of the creature Saith God Let not the wise man glory in his wisdome Ier. 9.23 neither let the mighty man glory in his might let not the rich man glory in his riches but let him that glorieth glory in this that hee understandeth and knoweth this that I am the Lord which exercise loving kindnesse judgement and righteousnesse in the earth c. Let a man glorie that he knowes God in Christ to bee his God in the Covenant of grace that hee hath the God of all strength the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to be his who hath all other things at his command who is independant and All-sufficient If a man will boast let him goe out of himselfe to God and plant himselfe there and for other things take heed the heart be not lift up with them 1. That boasting is Idolatry Consider what kinde of thing boasting is it is Idolatry for it sets the creature in the place and roome of God And it is also spirituall Adulterie 2. Adultery Iam. 4.4 whereby we fixe our affections upon the creature which should be placed on God as it is in Iames Ye adulterers and adulteresses know ye not tâ—â— the friendship of the world is enmity with God 3. Drunkennesse Habak 2.4 5. 〈◊〉 Habakuk calls it Drunkennesse for it makes the soule drunk with sottishnesse and conceitednesse so as a man in this case is never sober 4. Boasting causeth blindnesse untill God strip him of all And then againe it puts out the eye of the soule it is a kinde of white that marres the sight when a man lookes to Ashur Horses and to outward strength where is God all this while these are as so many clouds that they cannot see God but altogether pore upon the creature he sees so much greatnesse there that God seemes nothing But when a man sees God in his Greatnesse and Almightinesse Job 42.6 then the creature is nothing but untill this be there is a mist and blindnesse in the eye of the soule And when we have seene our guiltinesse this way as who of us in this case may not be confounded and ashamed of relying too much on outward helpes then let us labour to take off our soules from these outward things whether it be strength abroad or at home Which that we may doe we must labour for that Obedience which our Saviour Christ exhorts us unto in selfe-deniall not to trust to our owne devises Mat. 16.24 policie or strength wit will or conceipts that this or that may helpe us nor any thing make it generall For when Conversion is wrought and the heart is turned to God it turnes from the creature onely using it as subordinate to God We see usually men that exalt themselves in confidence either of strength of wit or whatsoever they are successelesse in their issue for God delights to confound them and goe beyond their wit as we have it Isay 30. They thought to goe beyond God with their policie they would have helpe out of Aegypt this and that way O saith the Prophet but for all this God is wise to see through all your devises secretly hereby touching them to the quick as sottish persons who thought by their shallow braines to goe beyond God you thinke Religious courses and the obedience God prescribeth to you to be idle needlesse courses but notwithstanding God is wise he will
with an everlasting former love not beginning at that instant discoverie thereof Vse 1 The Use heereof is first of all against those who measure Gods love and favour by their owne feeling because as God loved them before so hee loves them as well and as dearely still when he hideth his face from them as when hee suffered his loving kindnesse to shine most comfortably upon them Hee loved Christ as dearely when he hanged on the tree in torment of soule and body as hee did when he said This is my beloved sonne Mat. 3.17 in whom I am well pleased yea and when hee received him up into glory The Sunne shineth as cleerely in the darkest day as it doth in the brightest The difference is not in the Sunne but in some clouds which hinder the manifestation of the light thereof So God loveth us as well when he shineth not in the brightnesse of his countenance upon us as when he doth Iob 42.7 Iob was as much beloved of God in the middest of his miseries as he was afterwards when he came to enjoy the aboundance of his mercies I will love them freely c. The last Point which we gather from hence Observ as a speciall ground of comfort is this That this free love and favour of God is the cause of all other mercies and free favours whereby hee discovereth his love unto us 1. It is the cause of election Rom. 5.11 even so then as this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace So 2. For Vocation when the Apostle had shewed that the Ephesians were saved by Grace Ephe. 5.7 hee adds that in the ages to come hee might shew the exceeding riches of his grace In his kindnesse towards us through Christ Iesus hee afterwards sheweth when this grace began first to have being Ephe. 2.10 For wee are his workemanship created vnto good workes which God hath before ordained that wee should walke therein 3. Forgivenesse of sinnes In whom we have a redemption through his blood even the forgivenesse of sinns Ephe. 1.7 according to the riches of his grace So 4. For the grace of Love Wee love him 1 Joh. 4.19 because he loved us first 5. For Justification and Sanctification It is said that Christ hath loved us Rev. 1.5 why For he hath washed us from our sinnes in his owne blood and Saint Iohn saith He hath made us Kings and Priests unto God and his Father 1. Kings to fight against the world the flesh and the divell 2. Priests to teach instruct reprove and comfort our selves and others by the word of God and then to offer up the sacrifice of a broken heart in prayers and praises All comes from freedome of love 6. So every good Inclination comes hence For it is God which worketh in us Hos 5.14 Phil. 1.13 both to will and to doe of his good pleasure So 7. Every good Worke For we are his workemanship created in Christ Iesus unto good workes which he had before ordained that we should walke therein For by grace ye are saved saith he through faith Ephe. 2.8.10 So 8. For Eternall life the Apostle sheweth It is the gift of God Rom. 6.23 through Iesus Christ our Lord. This should teach us in the first place to bee humbled in that we are so miserable naughty servants doing so little worke nay nothing as we should yet should have so good wages 1 Cor. 4.7 Ephes 2.9 but God loves us freely c. It should rather humble us the more then puffe us up in pride in regard that there was nothing in us which might deserve any thing at Gods hand Vse 2 And hence also it followeth infallibly Ioh. 17.23 24. that if he loved us from everlasting with a free love in a sort as he loved Christ that therefore the effects of his love towards us shall never faile as the Apostle sheweth Rom. 11.29 The gifts and calling of God are without Repentance Faith and Repentance being fruits of his love wrought in us shall hold out therfore the weakenesse of these graces as they shall not hinder our salvation no more should they discourage us or hinder the comfort of our profession Because that Faith and Repentance which wee have is not any worke of ours but the worke of Gods free love in us therefore they shall bee continued and accepted For our Perseverance doth not stand in this that wee have strength in our selves to continue faithfull to God but because he out of his free love continueth faithfull to us and will never faile nor forsake them whom he hath once taken into his everlasting favour on whom hee hath set his everlasting free love as the Apostle speakes of Christ Who also shall confirme you unto the end 1 Cor. 1.8 9. that yee may be blamelesse in the day of our Lord Iesus Christ but upon what ground God is faithfull by whom wee were called unto the fellowship of his Sonne Iesus Christ our Lord. So that if any of the Elect should fall away God should be unfaithfull The case in Perseverance is not how faithfull wee are but how faithfull God is who guides us heere with his Counsell in all things Psal 73.24 and afterwards receiveth us into glory So in another place after the Apostle had prayed Now the very God of Peace Sanctifie you wholy 1 Thess 5.23 24. and I pray God your whole spirit and soule and body bee preserved blamelesse unto the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ What maketh he the ground of this his Prayer Faithfull is hee that calleth you who also will doe it Vse 3 If then wee would have God to manifest his free love to us let us strive to be obedient to his Commandements and stirre up our hearts by all meanes to love him who hath so freely loved us Quest Now how should we manifest our love to God Answ How to manifest our love to God First in loving his Word as Psal 19. Psal 119. Secondly in loving his people 1 Ioh. 5.1 2. Thirdly in longing for and loving his second comming Revel 22.20 Now followeth the Reason of the discoverie of this free love shewed now in time to them For mine Anger is turned away from him Here is the third Branch of Gods answer to their Petition Mine Anger is turned away from him which is included and implied in the former I will heale their backsliding how could hee doe this if he were Angrie No he saith I will love them freely which argues that his anger was appeased God knoweth that variety of words and expressions are all little enough to raise up and comfort a doubting wounded galled soule which when it is touched with a sense of sinne and of his displeasure cannot heare words enough of comfort This God knowes well enough and therefore hee adds expression upon expression I will heale their backsliding I will love them freely for
good 1. To know Gods free grace First labour to know God and his free Grace in Jesus Christ 2 Pet 3.18 Grow in Grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ they goe both together the more we grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and of the Grace of God in him the more grace and rootednesse wee shall have For that which the soule doth cleerely apprehend it fastens upon in that measure it apprehendeth it Cleerenesse in the understanding breeds earnestnesse in the affections and fastnesse too So the more wee grow in knowledg the more we roote our selves in that we know And therefore the Apostle prayes for the Ephesians that they might have the Spirit of Revelation c. That they might know the height breadth depth and length of Gods love that passeth knowledge Ephes 3.14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ of whom the whole family of Heaven and Earth is named that he would grant you according to the riches of his Glory to bee strengthened by his Spirit in the inner-man that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith that ye being rooted and grounded in love in the sense of Gods love to us and so of our love to him againe for we are not rooted in love to God till we be rooted in the sense of Gods love to us that you may bee able to comprehend with all Saints the height and breadth c. 1. Labour to know the Promises And withall labour to know the gratious Promises of Christ for we are knit to him by vertue of his word and Promises which like himselfe are Yea and Amen JEHOVAH yesterday to day the same for ever 2 Cor. 1.20 So al his Promises made in him they are Yea and Amen in themselves firme and firme to us in him They are Yea and Amen that is they are made and performed in Christ in whom they are sure to be performed and thereupon they are firme too God made them who is JEHOVAH and they are made in Christ that is JEHOVAH So God the Father JEHOVAH he promiseth and he makes them good in Christ JEHOVAH who is unchangeable But this is not enough 3. Our hearts must be stablished on that which is firme wee must labour to have our hearts stablished that they may rely firmely on that which is firme For if a thing be never so firme except we rely firmely on it there is no stability or strength from it Now when there is strength in the thing and strength in the soule that strength is impregnable and unconquerable strength In Christ they are Yea and Amen in whom he stablisheth us annoints us seales us and gives us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts How doth God stablish us upon the Promises How God doth stablish us The rest which followeth is an explication of this when he gives us the earnest of the Spirit and seales us to be his in token he meanes to make good the bargaine then we are established But we are never firmely established till we get the assurance of salvation Then as the Promises are Yea and Amen in themselves so we are stablished upon them when we are sealed and have the earnest of the Spirit Let us labour therefore to grow in the knowledge of Gods love in Christ to know the height breadth depth and length of it and to grow in all the gratious Promises which are made in Christ who is Amen himselfe as his Promises are and then when we are sealed and annointed by the Spirit we shall be so stablished that nothing shall moove us Therefore let us use all meanes for the establishing of growth in us the Word and Sacraments especially For as Baptisme admits us into the house of God so by the Sacrament of the Lords Supper the blessed food of the soule wee are strengthened In the use of these meanes let us make suite unto God to make good his gratious Promise unto us that wee shall grow as Lillies and take roote as the Cedars in Lebanon Let us know that we ought every day to labour to be more and more rooted do we know what times may befall us We have need to grow every day to grow upward and in breadth and in depth If wee considered what times we may live to it should force us to grow every way especially in humility that roote and mother or graces to grow downeward in that to grow in knowledge and faith untill wee be filled with the fullnesse of God Object A poore Christian ofttimes makes this Objection O I doe not grow therefore I feare my state I am oft shaken therefore this Promise is not fulfilled to me Answ To this I answer Christians may be deceived for they doe grow ofttimes in firmenesse strength and stability though they doe not spread out they may grow in refinednesse that that which comes from them may bee more pure and lesse mixed with naturall corruption Pride Selfe-love and the like This is a temptation that old men are subject too especially in whom the heate of nature decayes who thinke withall that grace decayes But it is not so for ofttimes when grace is carried with the heate of nature it makes a greater shew being helpt by nature The demonstration but not the truth of grace is thus helpt Therfore this clause of the Promise is made good in old Christians they are every day more and more rooted firme stable and judicious and more able in those graces which belong to their place and condition Therefore they should not be discouraged though they be not carried with the streame and tide of nature help'd with that vigour that sometime was in them They grow in judiciousnesse mortifiednesse in heavenly-mindednesse and in ability to give good counsell to others This is well for we grow not in grace one way but divers waies not onely when wee grow in outward demonstration and in many fruits and actions but when wee grow in refinednesse and judiciousnesse as was said then wee are said to grow likewise Yet notwithstanding it should be the indeavour of all to grow what they can in grace when if they grow not so fast as others let them know that there are severall ages in Christ A young Christian cannot be so planted and so deepely rooted as another that is of a greater standing This should not discourage any seeing there are babes in Christ as well as strong men Therefore where there is truth of heart with indeavour to grow better and better and to use all meanes let no man be discouraged Remember alway this for a truth that we may grow and we ought to grow and the children of God ordinarily have growne more and more both in fruitfullnesse and stedfastnesse every way but not with a like growth in measure or time Therefore labour to make use of these Promises and not to favour our selves in an ungrowing
observe by the way There is not the most comfortable refreshing creature in the world Observ but take it in the excesse it hâ—â—mes and annoyes What more c◠〈…〉 if it prevaile and abo◠〈…〉 creature as we see in t◠〈…〉 what more 〈…〉 more cherishing refreshing a◠〈…〉 Sâ—nne yet 〈…〉 world it is best to 〈…〉 with modeâ—â—tion 〈…〉 the firrâ—-trâ—â— Thâ—â— God do◠〈…〉 Mat. 23.37 Mat. 11 2â— God is to 〈◊〉 instead of all the good wee had by Idols we loose nothing by it God will bee as a greene firre tree whence the point is Observ There is a◠〈…〉 provided for Gods people when once they have renounced their Idolatry and sinnefull 〈◊〉 Those who refuse the shelter of Idols God will be a shelter unto them a greene firre-tree unto them another manner of shelter thâ—â— that which Idols or any other creature can give theâ— Every 〈◊〉 will have some shelter shield o◠〈…〉 this or that great man to sheild or shelter himselfe under A rich man he hath râ—ches â—â—â—ther this or that defence every m◠〈…〉 about him will have some shelter and not lye open to all stor◠〈…〉 But the onely true shelter is God himselfe to a Christians all other 〈◊〉 are bâ—â— shadowes that is they are nothing but like Ionas gourd which may shelter for a time bu◠〈…〉 that will eate them out Riches and the favour of men may shelter for a time but there is a worme at the bottome which will roote them out death will consume them and those they depend upon but God is a true shelter to his people an everlasting habitâ—â—ion as it is written Thou art our habitation from generation to generation Psal 9â— 1. we dwell in him as in our Rocke and Castle h◠〈…〉 dwell 〈◊〉 Therefore the onely wise man is thâ—â— Christian For as Noâ—h whe◠〈…〉 came upon the old world and swept them away had an Arke to save himselfe in so have all Gods children a house to get over their heads in the worst times which is Gods blessed protection in whom they are safe Let us thinke often of these things what a blessed thing it iâ— to bee in the stâ—te of a Christian that hath alwayâ— a certaine and sure protection 〈…〉 God And what is fearefull thing is 〈…〉 Achitopheâ—â— of this world to be as Caâ—â—â— Iudas or Saul who are shrewd in counsell and pollicy and yet when conscience is awakened by the storme of Gods w◠〈…〉 whilst he who is above conscience and should be a shelter to them frownes upon them what a pittifull st◠〈…〉 wickedest man in the world â—hough h◠〈…〉 dependance partâ—â— and strength from 〈◊〉 help◠〈…〉 Godâ— wrath comes he is as a nâ—â—ked man to the midst of a storme 〈◊〉 know◠〈…〉 therefore let 〈…〉 to have God for our shelter if â—e would not be like these miserable polititians and worldlings Now from this that the shadow is comfortable in those hot couâ—â—lyes where the Sunne is directly over their 〈◊〉 comes these sweet phrases in the Psalmes and other Scriptures Thou shalt keepe me under the shadow of thy wings Cant 2.3 as the apple-tree aâ—â—â—â—st the trees of the forrest so 〈…〉 downe under 〈◊〉 shadow with great delight 〈…〉 Church speakes of Christ I sate under his shadow with great delight and his 〈◊〉 was sweâ—â— to my taste The like you have in many places in the Psalmes I will name one or two more pregnant the◠〈…〉 to helpe our memories and to breed a deeper impression of so comfortable 〈…〉 people He that dwelleth in the 〈◊〉 place of the most High that is God shall abid◠〈…〉 shadoâ— of the Almighty Psal 91.1 H◠〈…〉 himselfe He shall cover me with his feathers under his wings will I â—esâ— hi◠〈◊〉 shall bâ— my buckler thou shalt no◠〈…〉 the pestilence that walketh in the 〈◊〉 a thâ—â—sand shall fall c. So that we see how God doth that to our soules and conditions that the firre-tree which in Gods good creâ—â—â—re doth to the body in the time of storme 〈◊〉 heate that is hee do◠〈…〉 shadow of his wi◠〈…〉 comfortable and gratiouâ— God unt◠〈…〉 you see is a cleere truth y◠〈…〉 so comfortable wee will i◠〈…〉 God speakes Isa 4.45 The Lord will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion and upon her assembly a cloud and smoake by day and the shining of a flame of fire by night for upon all the glory shall be a defence See what a comfortable shadow God is he saith he will create if they want the comfort of the firre-tree and such like shadowes he sayes God will create that is make them of nothing hee will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion where his children dwell and upon their assemblies a cloud and a smoake by day that is when they are annoyed by the Sunne God will create a cloude to keep the rage and the scorching heate of the Sunne from them and then a shining flame of fire by night because in the night wee need light for upon all the glory shall be a defence that is upon all the glorious Saints of God they are Glory 1 Pet. 4.14 for there is a Spirit of glory put into them The people of God in whom God will glorifie himselfe are glorious and shall bee further glorified and they shall in the meane time have a defence by day and by night from all dangers whatsoever Thus it is cleare that God will be a shadow to his people as the fir-tree which is an allusion to that grand passage of his providence in conducting the children of Israel out of Aegypt where God to guide them provided a cloud by day Exo. 14.20 and a pillar of fire by night the same pillar which was lightsome to the Israelites was darke to the Aegyptians which cloud and pillar of fire continued God conducting them till they came into the land of Canaan Hee shadowed them by day with a cloud and lightned and heated them by a pillar of fire at night thus conducting them till they came to Canaan So we passing through the wildernesse of this world till wee come unto our celestiall Canaan Heaven God will be a clouds by his gratious speciall providence to keepe all ill whatsoever from us and a pillar of fire to lighten and direct us till wee come to our heavenly Canaan where he will be all in all Revr 7.16 when we shall need neither Sunne nor Moone nor have any thing to annoy us There the noone-day shall not burne us with heate of the Sunne nor the fire by night when we are in Heaven there shall be no annoyance of the creature there shall be no more want of light because we shal have al light refreshing there for ever and ever For as it is written then all teares all sorrow and cause of sorrow shal be for ever wiped away an allusion wherunto we have comfortably set downe Psal 121.