House of God He offered willingly thereunto And Secondly Here was a thankful Acknowledgment and Return of what he had received at God's hands And of thine own have we given thee of thine own whether we take it for the matter of the Gift the Store and Treasure it self or Thine own as taking it for the Fountain of the Gift the Affection and Heart from whence it came Both the Gold and the Grace too they were both of them from God And accordingly does David here ingenuously return them again upon him and as I may say roll them to him This is that which we now are to do for our particular look what Talents we have received look what Gifts we are intrusted with look what Actions we have at any time performed not to sacrifice to our own Nets or burn Incense to our own Drag as the Scripture speaks but give the glory of all to the Lord to whom of right it does belong and say with the Prophet David again in Psal 15.1 Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name we give thee praise And this is another rolling or committing of our Works here intended And so much likewise for the second Particular here considerable by us namely the Act conversant about the Object to wit Committing The Third and last is the Terminus Actionis as the point which it is directed unto and that is here expressed to be the Lord El Jehovah This we have handled implicitely already in the former Points but now we shall speak more explicately of it Where we may take notice especially upon what grounds and in what respect he is thus comsant mended unto us First From his Wisdom and Knowledge To the Lord as a wise God who is the Directer and Counseller of his people Men delight in the trusting of their businesses to commit them to persons of skill and understanding Why now such a kind of Person is the Lord as he professes there of himself Prov. 8.14 Counsel and sound wisdom is mine He does so far share in it as that it does properly belong to him and to him alone So 1 Sam. 2.3 The Lord is a God of knowledge and by him actions are weighed Those which have no knowledge or skill in them to commit Actions to them is to put them upon Miscarriage it self But when they are committed to the All-wise God we have security from the Consideration of his Wisdom He can foresee all the events and look into all the turnings of a business and accordingly is able to counsel and advise us in it Secondly As from the Wisdom and Knowledge of God so also from the Strength and Power of God This is another thing considerable in him engaging us to this duty of committing our Works unto him With Him is wisdom and strength Job 12.13 And again Prov. 8.14 I have understanding I have strength Wise men if they be but weak our Purposes and Businesses and Works may fail in their hands for all that But Strength joyned with Wisdom is a further Assurance and Corroboration of us And this is in the Lord our God There is no business which we can commit unto him but he is able strongly to effect it and dispatch it and go through it for us Therefore it is said that the Strength of Israel will not fail And we are bid to take hold of his Strength in regard of the fulness and eminency of it Thirdly His Faithfulness and Truth That is another thing which calls for this also Though men be skilful and likewise able have opportunities added to their wisdom yet in the mean time if they be false and unfaithful there is no trusting them or committing any thing to them But now therefore for our encouragement in this business we have to deal with a faithful God He is faithful that promised And it is the Name whereby he will be known The Faithful c. It was that whereby the Apostle Paul encouraged himself to this Duty which we have now in hand The Considerations of these two last Particulars both together God's Faithfulness with his Power 2 Tim. 1.12 I know whom I have trusted and I am perswaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day I know whom I have trusted that is I know him to be a faithful person and one that will not fail me that must be the resolution of it Among men it is not always so they many times trust they know not whom and they fail in the fastening of it They were confounded because they hoped Job 6.20 But now with God it is far otherwise This is the advantage of trusting in the Lord that he that does it he shall never be confounded And this Hope it is such as makes not ashamed as the Apostle speaks Makes not ashamed that is it is not frustrated to him who is the Subject of it as that which might prove a ground and occasion of Shame unto him as other Hope does Fourthly and Lastly Add to all this his willingness and readiness to undertake it Every one who is fit to be a Trustee in regard of the fore-named Quallifications yet is not always content to be so and to take it upon him Because there may prove to be a great deal of trouble and difficulty in it yea but now the Lord he accepts of the Trust to put it out of question nay he does not only accept but invite it as we may see here in this present place It is that which he calls for at our hands and begs and requires of us by his Spirit in the peace of his Servant Commit thy ways unto the Lord. And he does still ask it upon all turns The spirit helps our infirmities Rom. 8.26 as the Greek word taken from Burthens the present Metaphor in the Text. Now whilst the Lord is so willing to take it upon him how ready should we be therefore to give it him Considering this that he likes it so much the better in us and will take it so much the better at our hands when we put him hereto This is the Argument of the Apostle Peter which he uses to this purpose 1 Pet. 5.7 Casting all your care upon him for he careth for you For he careth for you Why therefore we would think we might spare our selves a labour seeing he cares for us of his own accord what need we care any further to cast it upon him Leave him to his own good nature and it will be done whether we think of it or no. Nay but therefore says the Apostle Let us cast it upon him Because he is so ready to undertake it let not us be wanting of our selves for the putting of him to it Thus we see how the Argument holds also from God's Readiness and Will he is content to take it upon him and so commit we them to him It is an excellent Speech of Tertullian's which he has to this purpose
of Gods servants in this regard who dare not trust him with their lives and the preservation of them notwithstanding so many Gracious Promises and experiences which they have received from him As David he was but just before delivered out of his enemies hands and he presently cryes I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul even so it is with many others besides who as the Apostle speaks through fear of death are all their life-time subject to bondage Heb 2.15 Now for such as these they may be here said from this passage before us though God may bring them to danger yet as he sees cause he will deliver them from it as he did here with this servant David The Lord hath chastened me sore but he hath not given me over to death Secondly Where we partake of this mercy let us acknowlelge it with all thankfulness Thus does David do here we are to take notice not onely of his words but also of his Affection which is signified in them and the Spirit from whence they came from him he utters them with a great deal of feeling and sensibleness of Gods goodness to him And so they are not onely a narration of his present condition but an acknowledgement of Gods favour to himself to an answerable temper and disposition which he does here Express by the words which came from Him He hath not given me over to Death They are not words of Boasting and Vanity and Ostentation and Carnal Rejoyceing but the words of Soberness and Piety and Discretion And there are divers things intended by them First He would make it an Argument for Patience The escaping greater Evils should breed Contentation under less That as God afflicts us below our Deserts so also below our Capacities that he does not afflict us in the utmost Extremity and so to this purpose should we argue and reason with our selves he has taken away my Health but he hath not taken away my Life He hath exercised me in my Body but he has spared my Soul He hath deprived me of Earthly Comforts but he hath not deprived me of Heavenly of the Graces of his Spirit of the assurance of his Love of the Communion with himself of his own blessed and Gracious presence these he hath not denyed me but continued them still in the midst of all other Discouragements Secondly He would hereby silence the false rumours which were to the Contrary and the Insultations of his Enemies from them for their mouthes were full to this purpose and delighted to be so as these which spake according as they would have it as in the place before alledged Psal 41.6.7 And if he come to see me he speaketh Vanity his Heart gathereth Iniquity to it self when he goeth abroad he telleth it all that hate me whisper together against me against me do they devise my hurt This was the Condition of David in regard of his Enemies They Tryumpht before the Victory and pleased themselves both in the thoughts and speeches of his supposed Ruine and Destruction now by this Expression here in the Text he does in an holy and Humble manner signifie their Mistake and Disappointment as if he had said unto them it is not so bad as ye thought it nor so bad as ye hoped it nor so bad as ye talked it I am through Gods goodness alive still for all the surmises The Lord hath Chastened me sore but he hath not given me over to Death Thirdly Which is here namely Considerable David I say would hereby express his Thankfulness to God for this Mercy they are words of Praise and spiritual Rejoyceing as appears by those that follow in the 19 verse of this Psalm Open to me the Gates of Righteousness and I will go into them and will praise the Lord namely for this his Goodness to me This is that which we all should do as we have occasion for it and indeed there 's none of us all but have so one way or other though some more then other either by way of prevention in keeping of Evils from us or by way of recovery in delivering us out of those Evils and especially in these late Distempers which have been so rife and frequent amongst us for this year now last past wherein Death hath come up into our Windows as the Scripture speaks that we should not be given over to it is matter of due praise unto us and to be acknowledged by us And we cannot better nenew the year unto us then by such performances as these are And further stir up others to do so occasionally from our Example which is another thing here intended by David in this Expression he does not onely hereby signify his own Thankfulness but also excite and stir up others to praise God both for him and themselves upon the like occasion as we find him in another place Psal 34.2.3 My Soul shall make her boast of God the humble shall hear thereof and be glad O magnify the Lord with me and let us Exalt his name together But especially as a third Improvement of this point let us be careful to use our lives well which God has given us to his Glory and so give them back to him again who has first given them too us Life it is a Blessing as it used and ordered by us For men to live onely a Natural Life here in the word to Eat and Drink and take their pleasures like brute Beasts Alas what a poor thing is that for men to live onely for such a purpose as this is to fiill up the measure of their Sins and to aggravate their Account at another Day by thinking that they are delivered to commit such and such Abominations this is very sad and Miserable but then is Life indeed when it is improved to Gods Glory The doing of good in our several Opportunities the Furtherance both of our own and others Salvation and laying up in store a good Foundation against the time to come laying hold on Eternal Life Therefore I beseech ye let us be careful especially to look to this and that likewise those which are in the prime of their Years and Health and Strength let them not neglect so Blessed an Opportunity as that is those that are past it let them indeavour to redeem it for time to Come We should labour to find our lives given us and continued to us in Mercy and Love which we may know to be no otherwise then accordingly as we have hearts given us with them for the improvement of them as we may do any other Mercy besides where it has the stamp of Gods love upon it it makes us to serve him better with it and our selves to be really and indeed so much the better for it whereas when it is otherwise it is a fign it is in wrath and to harden us so much the more in Evil There 's none are so bad as those who are bad after Mercies Received both as having
most eager and longing and earnest to be partakers of it And he does not the former for the most part without the latter He does not supply their wants but so as withal he satisfies their desires and relieves the sense of want in God So the Scripture still sets it Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy-laden c. says Christ Mat. 11.28 He fills the hungry c. Now this it may be resolved into two things further by way of Explication First Into a sense of our own misery and wretched condition which we are in by nature And secondly Into an apprehension of the necessity which we have of Christ and consequently a desire after him These two Dispositions of Soul do express to us this spiritual thirst which is here laid before us First A sense of misery thirst it has painfulness in it and grief attendant upon it and so it is with all those who are athirst spiritually they are afflicted with the present state and condition in which they are and mourn under it thus it has been with all those who have been converted and brought home to Christ they have first seen themselves undone without him and have bewailed themselves in their present circumstances Paul and the Jailor and St. Peters Auditors they have been all thus far athirst as their natural estate and condition hath been grievous and irksome unto them and they have complain'd of the wretchedness of it as they still have done and so it is with all others whom Christ does here invite to himself that they would come unto him they have a sense of their misery Secondly An apprehension of the Excellency which is in Christ and a desire after him this is also in this thirst it is in the spiritual thirst as it is also in the natural In natural thirst as there 's the tediousness of drought so there is likewise the longing for water for the quenching and abating of it and so it is here in this spiritual there 's a groaning under the burden of sin and there 's a panting after the Grace of Christ and such as have both of these properties and qualifications in them they are more especially here called upon by him to come unto him Let him that is athirst come And there 's a twofold account which may be given hereof unto us The one is as it is that which is the greatest favour to them and the other is as it is that which is the greatest honour to him First For Christ to invite especially the thirsty it is the greatest favour to the persons themselves which are invited by him as those who do from hence receive the greatest benefit from him where there 's the greatest want and sense of it there 's the greatest courtesie in supplying it And so it is here The whole needs not the Physician but the sick And the full stomach it loaths the honey-comb it self And those that are at the well-head they despise the waters which are brought home but to the hungry and thirsty soul such supplies are exceeding sweet Those that are scorched with the fiery beams of the wrath of God against sin and have the flames as it were of hell in their consciences for these to have the water of life as it follows afterwards offered unto them it must needs be a great mercy indeed and so it will be apprehended by all those that shall attend unto it And God delights still so to order his favours as may be with the greatest advantage to those persons upon whom he confers them And this I say in this business it is the greatest mercy to them Secondly It is the greatest honour to himself he gains the greater glory and renown by it and receives the greater thanks and acknowledgment for it We know how it was with Paul a man that thirsted after the Grace of Christ how he blesses and praises Christ for it O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of dath I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord c. Rom. 7.24 25. namely for his delivering of me out of this condition And 1 Tim. 1.12 c. I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who hath enabled me c. Who was before a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious c. And the Grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant c. Now as God delights so to order his favours as may be most for our content and encouragement so he desires likewise so to order them as may be most for his own honour and glory Therefore let us call our selves to an account in this particular and see how it is with us whether or no we have this spiritual thirst in us which is here commended unto us as being that alone which does dispose us and fit us for coming to Christ so as to be accepted of him There 's a great deal of excellency in such a temper as this is to be taken notice of by us First It is a very good argument of Grace already in some manner begun and wrought in us As we use to observe it in corporals where the Patient grows thirsty it is a sign that the Physick hath wrought kindly and that the body is now perfectly purged Even so is it here in Spirituals when a Christian thirsts after Christ it is a sign that those afflictions and troubles of spirit which God has been pleased to exercise him withal as spiritual Physick they have had an effectual operation upon him and have purged corruptions out of him The earnest desire of more Grace is a sign of Grace already obtained and it is a very good advantage to have such a comfortable evidence in our selves That 's one consideration Secondly It makes us capable so much the rather of receiving more this is the proper notion of the Text Let him that is athirst come as who shall be sure not to be sent away dry God will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground Isa 44.3 Such souls as these they do so much the more easily draw and suck in the Grace of God into them and God himself as I said does delight the rather to bestow it upon them Thirdly It makes Grace it self so much the sweeter and better rellishing in the enjoyment as want provokes appetite so appetite increases delight those things which are most remote are most desired and those things which are most desired are most comfortably enjoyed and so it is amongst the rest with Grace an the appurtenances of it Thus how much the more we desire it so much the more we rellish it The consideration of these things should put us so much the rather upon endeavour after this which we now speak of we should not content our selves with an indifferency of spirit in this particular as many do who have now and then some faint kind of wishes and imperfect inclinations towards Grace but no serious and hearty desires
and in all the expressions and accomplishments of either and we shall find him to be very fitly set forth to us by this resemblance in the Text whether as to the steps of the Ladder or to the terms of it The terms of it of Heaven and Earth And the steps of it in the Pasages betwixt either They are such as are very remarkable in Christ in all the works and performances of his Mediatorship from his Conception to his Ascension it self In them all he reach'd from Earth to Heaven as he testifies of himself Joh. 16 28. I came forth from the Father and am come into the World And again I leave the World and go to the Father And so Eph. 4 10. He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all Heavens that he might fill all things It is that which is observable and considerable in every Mistery in his Birth in his Passion in his Ascention and what not There was somewhat of Earth in Each and somewhat of Heaven and he was a Ladder set up betwixt both in the undergoing of them And so much may be spoken of this Ladder here in the Text in the primary and Principal notion of it viz. As it referrs to Christ The Second is the Secundary and Subordinate as it refers to the Church of Christ and every particular part and member of it The Church is either Collectively taken or distributively Collectively in the whole Company of Believers or Distributively in every single and distinct Christian This Ladder it was a Representation in part of Jacob himself and that both Mystically and Personally Mystically as he was a tipe of the whole Church at large And Personally as he was such a man in particular First Wee 'l take it in the first Sense for the Church of God considered at large that is established in Scripture called by the name of Jacob and may very well have the Notion of this Ladder fasten'd upon it for it reaches also from Earth to Heaven in the militant part and the triumphant the body on Earth and the head in Heaven The Church it is Earth as it were removed and transplanted into Heaven Believers they are taken out of the World and they are first sent into that before they are taken into a better place Born first from Below and then Born from Above This is the State and condition of the Church in regard whereof this expression does sute unto it Secondly Take it more restrainedly for every particular Christian and so it agrees with Jacob personally as this Ladder which is here intended in the occasional Scope of it The Lord by this Vision of the Angels of God ascending and descending upon this Ladder and himself standing above it would signify to Jacob his special Providence and care of him in his Journey And so upon this account Jacob must be the Ladder himself in the next and immediate Sense though not in the cheif and Principal And thus indeed also is every true Believer he is one consisting both of Earth and Heaven His Body from Earth his Soul from Heaven his aboad upon Earth his Heart in Heaven His Pilgrimage upon Earth his treasure and his Inheritance in Heaven Heaven and Earth they do devide every Christian And so I have done with the first branch of this Vision here before us and this is the Ladder reaching from Earth to Heaven which is Primarily to be understood of Christ and Secondly to be understood of Christians that is Jacob both Mystically and Personally The Second Branch of this Vision is of the Angels of God ascending and descending upon this Ladder wherein again are two particulars more First The Persons mentioned and Secondly the Motion of those Persons The Persons mentioned they are the Angels of God The Motion of these Persons that is that they ascended and descended Reciprocally First For the Persons themselves These are here exprest to be the Angels of God which they are called upon a threefold Account First From their Creation as made by God Secondly From their Qualification as being made like unto God holy Angels And Thirdly from their Imployment and specially Ministry as being continually in Attendance upon God and standing in his Presence expecting their Commands from him and yeilding all ready and chearful Obedience to him These are the Persons here mention'd Now Secondly For the Motion whereby is attributed and ascribed to these Persons it is of Ascent and Descent reciprocally They ascended and descended upon the Ladder whereby in one word is signified their special attendance upon Christ and the Church and the discharge of their Ministry towards them Wee 'l take them both together and in their order as they lie before us in reference to the Expression above mention'd First Take it of Christ himself And so this ascending and descending of the Angels upon this Ladder it does intimate and declare unto us their special regard and respect to Him which is very eminent in them These Blessed and Glorious Spirits are very remarkable in their observation of Christ It is that which we may take notice of in every Mistery and Passage concerning him how the Angels were still imployed about him and subservient to him upon all occasions whatsoever For his Conception an Angel foretels it to the blessed Virgin Luk. 1 31. Behold thou shalt Conceive in thy Womb and bring forth a Son and shalt call his name Jesus An Angel declares it to Joseph Matth. 1 20. The Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a Dream saying Joseph thou Son of David fear not to take unto thee Mary thy Wife For that which is conceived in her is of the holy Ghost For his Birth an Angel publishes it to the Shepherds with a Glorious Hymn which they Sung saying Glory be to God on High on Earth peace and good will towards Men in Luke 2 14. And when he comes into the World All the Angels of God worship him in Hebr. 1 v. 6. c. In his Temptations in the Wilderness the Angels came and ministred unto him in Matth. 4 11. In his Agony in the Garden an Angel was sent to Comfort him in Luke 22 vers 43. At his Resurrection the Angel roll'd the Stone from the Sepulchre and brought the tidings of it to the Women that sought for Him In his Ascnesion the Angels attended upon him and informed the Desciples concerning him And at his Comming at last to Judgment the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels Thus take him which way you will whether in his State of Abasement and Humiliation or in his State of Advancement and Exaltation do those blessed Creatures still Minister unto him According to either Motion of Christ is the Motion of Angels If Christ be pleased to descend in his State of Abasement the Angels descend with him If Christ again be pleased to ascend in his State of Advancement the Angels they ascend with him Thus do
Where speaking of the Devils The Angels that kept not their first Estate it is said that they are reserved in Everlasting Chains under Darkness unto the Judgment of the great Day So then they shall be silent in Darkness is as much as they shall be Continued in Darkness and does denote the Immoveableness and Irrecoverableness of their miserable Condition being such as from which they shall never be freed or delivered which Exposition is sutable to that of Moses in his song speaking of the Enemies of the Church to wit the Egyptians Exod. 15.16 Fear and Dread shall fall upon them by the greatness of thine Arme they shall be still as a Stone In the Hebrew it is ijdhmou that is they shall be silent Tacuerint tanquam lapis fuerint the Chalde Paraphrast Thus we see how as the Wicked are in Darkness So in what sense also they are said to be silent in it Now to joyn them both together they are such as doe very fitly agree to such kind of persons Both Darkness and also silence in it are very sutable to wicked men First the Darkness of Condition answerable to the darkness of sin Wicked men they abhorre the light because their deeds are evil They delight in works of darkness and now that light is come into the world yet they love darkness rather then light as it is in the Gospel Joh. 3.19 And therefore it is very sitting that Darkness should be inflicted upon them That their punishment may be answerable to their disposition Seing they delight in darkness there 's good reason that they should have enough of it and so they have sit in darkness and in the shadow of death Secondly Silence in evil answerable to silence from good Wicked men they care not to speak any thing which may be to the Honour of God They are silent as to prayers and praises and good speeches which should come from them They have a driness and barreness and dumbness and speechlesness here and accordingly they are made silent as to affliction and the sad effects and consequences which that does cause and occasion to them They are silent in Darkness There 's one thing more which we have not yet mention'd which yet may be very proper and pertinent to the scope of the place and that is the wicked's uncertainty and want of due advice and resolution what to doe in those conditions of perplexity in which they are They shall be silent as to the giving of Counsel either to others or else to themselves as being non-plust and at a stand from that dubiousness and ambiguity of affairs which are upon them This is a sense which will very wellhold and it is a case which does oftentimes fall out that whereas the Saints and servants of God He keeps their feet for them And gives light to them that sit in Darkness and the shaddow of Death yea and also guides their feet in the way of peace as it is in Luk. 1.79 The wicked on the otherside they shall reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man and be at their wits end as the Scripture sometimes expresses it they shall not see their way before them nor yet know what course is best to be taken by them That 's the second Branch here considerable to wit the state of the wicked in opposition and contradistinction to the Godly and so the first General part of the Text which is the condition of two ranks of persons good and bad He shall keep the feet of the Saints But the wicked shall be silent in Darkness The second General is the Reason or Account which is given of both That we have in the last words For by strength shall no man prevail This refers to both precedent clauses of the former General in the conditions both of good and bad therefore doe's God keep the feet of His Saints because there 's no strength prevailing without Him And therefore again shall the wicked also be silent in darkness because there 's no strength prevailing against him so it holds strong as a very good reason in either reference We begin with the first viz. As it refers to the first clause He shall keep the feet of His Saints That is by taking it exclusively He and He alone There 's no man prevails without God by any strength which is in Himself And therefore our old Translation expresses it so By his own strength shall no man prevail This is true according to the Notion and Acceptation of strength in the full latitude and extent of it whatever strength there 's of a man 's own it is such as whereby He shall be never able to prevail unless he have another and better strength joyn'd together with it Wee 'l reduce it briefly to three Heads First The strength of Body and Humane power with the appurtenances thereof Secondly The strength of Parts and the improvements of wit and understanding The strength of Grace in the meer purpose of it First I say not by the strength of Body and Humane Power with the Appurtenances thereof there 's no man shall prevail by this not by strength of outward force and arms and such helps as these These have a strength in them and such an one as one would think to be very prevalent but it is not this simply consider'd which carries the business And the Scripture does accordingly so set it and represent it unto us Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts Zech. 4.6 It is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel So Eccles 9.11 The race is not to the swift nor the battel to the strong And Psal 44.3 They got not the land in possession by their own sword neither did their own arm save them but thy right hand and thine arms and the light of thy countenance because thou hadst a favour to them There 's the resolution of all not into man's strength so much as into God's There are divers instances and examples of those which have had little or no strength of their own and yet have much prevailed again their are instances of those which have not prevailed where they have had strength in great abundance And the Lord delights to have it so that so His own strength and power and glory may the more appear and that all Nations and People and Persons may acknowledge him in the Government of the world who is the Blessed and onely Potentate the King of Kings and Lord of Lord's as the Apostle Paul declares him in 1 Tim. 6.15 Therefore As the Prophet Jeremy makes Application of it to our hand Let not the strong man glory in his strength Jer. 9.23 We see hence what little cause we have to put our confidence in man or to make flesh our arm as the same Prophet likewise intimates and pronounces a curse upon such persons as are guilty of so doing Jer. 17.5 Ther 's not the Greatest Humane strength which of it self
which know not what it is to have they know not what it is to want nor to be deprived of that which they might have And this is the great difference betwixt the children of God and others when we speak of such things as these to carnal persons which never knew what these things meant we seem to speak very riddles and mysteries and fables to them The greatest part of people in the world are not troubled with such a thing as this is Gods strangenesse and hiding his face from them because they never yet were acquainted with his presence and familiarity and drawing near unto them but those which are acquainted with the one are affected with the other Those which know what it is to injoy God and to have him comfortably shining upon them they quickly feel what it is to want him and to have him hide his face from them This should therefore teach us still to keep our selves in such a State of Soul as that God may take delight in us and be continually pleased to impart himself unto us in the most comfortable expressions of his love and favour towards us we should resign and submit our selves to the blessed guidance of his holy Spirit and let him be all in all to us be affraid of doing any thing which may offend so sweet a friend and companion as he is especially that I may still drive it to the season in such times as these are wherein if ever God's countenance were precious now it is when is there more sweetness in friends and the mutuall injoyment of one another then there is in sad conditions Friends are then friends indeed and the delight which they have one in another is doubled to them Beloved when God hides his face from us in the greatest outward Prosperity that the World can possibly cast upon us we are but in a very ill-case when 't is so with us but what is it then when other things shall be taken away to to have trouble from without and trouble from within to this is sad to purpose when Boys shall fall out with one another and their Father frown upon them to this is c. Secondly This hiding of God's face may be taken in a more rigorous Construction not onely for the withdrawing of his Countenance but likewise for the Manifestation of his wrath this is terrible as to an whole Nation so likewise to a man also This is that which some of Gods dearest servants have sometimes been exrcised withal God has not onely carryed himself as a stranger but moreover as an enemy to them Thus he did to David when he complain'd of the broken bones Psal 51.8 And thus he did to Heman when he complain'd of Gods terrours upon him Psal 88.15 And thus he did to Job when he complain'd of the arrowes of the Almighty in Job 6. ver 4. When God hides his face in this manner who then can behold him indeed This is a resemblance of Hell upon earth when God expresses himself thus to any soul as sometimes he does In such a case as this is none can help but God himself It is not all the outward comforts in the world which are able to give a man comfort in such a condition No nor spiritual comforts neither any further then it pleases God to concurr with them and breath upon them not the Word not the Sacraments not Ministers not Christian Friends Nothing can support that soul which lyes under the wrath of the Almighty but onely the hand that wounded it Indeed we are to use the means but not to rest and rely on them There is the tongue of the Learned to speak a word in due season to the weary soul and God hath honoured his servants in Ministery to be Ambassadors of peace and reconcilement in such cases as these are But it must be he himself that must give quietness if ever we have it I create the fruit of the lips peace peace to him that is a far off and to him that is near saith the Lord and I will heal him Isa 57.19 It is the fruit of the Lips but it is God himself which must Create it therefore the word is doubled peace peace It is not enough to be peace in our mouthes except it be also peace in his we extract and draw out the promises but t is God himself that sets them on If he be resolved to hide his face there is no beholding of him This should teach us to stand in awe of this great and terrible God who would not fear thee O King of Nation It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the ever living God For our God is a consuming Fire who amongst us shall dwell with the devouring Fire Who amongst us shall dwell with the everlasting Burnings Do but lay these things together and think of them when ye are tempted at any time to Sin Sins against Knowledge and Sins against Conference and Sins against Conviction Sins against Vows and Prayers and Covenants and Resolutions to the Contrary if nothing else will work upon you yet at least think this with your selves what it is for God himself to hide his face from you not onely by withdrawing his Countenance and the expressions of his Special favour but also by setting his Countenance against you and filling your Souls with horror and perplexity of Spirit And thus now I have done with these words in their Second reference and so also with the whole verse it self When he gives Quietness c. And when he hides his face who c. Whether it be against a Nation or against a man onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 SERMON XIV 2 Kings 7.2 Then a Lord on whose hand the King leaned answered the man of God and said behold if the Lord would make Windows in Heaven might this thing be And he said behold thou shalt see it with thine Eyes but shalt not Eate thereof There 's no Sin whatsoever that hath more of Ingratitude in it then Unbelief which returns Evil for Good and where God is most Gracious to us makes us to be most Undutiful to Him The Lord in giving us his Promises intends our Comfort and Incouragement while we in the Questioning of those Promises detract from his Honour and Glory which is the unworthiest thing that may be and such as accordingly calls for the greatest Wrath and Indignation An Instance whereof we have here in this Scripture which we have now before us and the Connexions of it There was now at this time a very sad and grievous Famin in the City of Samaria the Lord out of his Goodness to them sends them by his Prophet Elisha a blessed and comfortable Message of their relief and speedy Deliverance from this fore Affliction This instead of being received and entertained with Thankfulness and Submission as indeed it ought to have been is rather repulsed with Scorn and Disdain and an Opprobrious inquiry by a Stander-by
present purpose that this favour is very desirable This was that which was the Great Blessing of Joseph Deut. 33.16 The Good-will of him that dwelt in the Bush That is the loving-kindness and favour of God who in the bush made appearance to Moses the Governor of Israel Now the Excellency of Gods loving-kindness for the Amplification and Illustration of the Point may be laid forth to us in these following Particulars First In regard of the subject of it by considering whose it is it is the loving-kindness of God Favour is so far forth valuable as the Person is from whom it proceeds as a man is so is his kindness Worthless and sorry persons which have no Goodness or Dignity in them their favour is not commonly lookt after but those which are Great and Eminent their goodness is for the most part much esteemed why thus now is the case here with the loving-kindness of the Lord. It is the loving-kindness of one of Excellency and therefore it is excellent loving-kindness The Psalmist therefore does very properly and fully joyn them both together in this present Text How excellent and O God Because there 's nothing in God but it is excellent and this of his Favour and good will amongst the rest It 's answerable and agreeable to every thing else which is in Him which is admireable and precious And that may be the first explication This loving-kindness and favour is excellent in regard of the subject of it Secondly It is excellent in regard of the fullness of it it is such as is very large and comprehensive It contains a great deal in a narrow room and it is in effect all other blessings besides no office like a Kings Favorite He that hath but Gods favour what can he be said to want He has all things belonging to him which he can possibly desire There 's nothing here in the world but when a man has as much of it as his heart can wish yet he will still want somewhat with it and that sometimes which he can least be without but he that hath an interest and share in Gods loving-kindness he hath all good things made over to him so far forth as he hath use and need of them God is a Sun and shield The Lord will give Grace and Glory and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly Psal 84.11 This should teach us by the way not to limit the Holy one of Israel desire God to give us his favour and it suffices Thirdly It is excellent in regard of the efficacy of it it is such as is of sweet influence wheresoever it is it makes comforts to be so much the more comfortable and it makes crosses to be so much the more tollerable yea also in some cases acceptable and beneficial to those on whom they are For comforts what is it but this which does indeed make them to be such Certainly it does do it so far as that there cannot be any true comfort or contentment where this is wanting If God heaps upon a man never such an abundance of the good things of this life yet if he does not do it in loving-kindness and favour alas what are they It is but onely as the feeding of a Prisoner or Traytor which is to be tryed for his life This is that which is the cream of all when God bestows good things upon us and bestowes them out of special respect and good will towards us This is that which he does to his children not onely the things of a better life but also even of this life present it self He does bestow them out of the same Affection as he does bestow Heaven it self so that though they be but common Mercies for the matter of them and considered in their own Nature yet they are special Mercies for the principle and the Affection from whence they proceed and they carry a special Tincture of his love in them which makes them to be such as they are to those that injoy them Ye may take an instance of it in any thing which we may think of to this purpose Health what 's the Comfort of that What is it onely the thing it self to have such a good Temper and Constitution of Body and Liveliness with it No but to have it to such a purpose as this is to use it to the Glory of God to the doing of good to others in a mans place to the working out of a mans own Salvation and the like this is the benefit of Health and so for Riches What 's the advantage of them what onely to have so much lying by us and to behold it with a mans Eyes as Solomon speaks to be talked of or admired for it c. No but to have these things with an heart to do good with them and weaned and Estranged from them and incouraged in Gods service by them An Heart to use an Estate is far more excellent then an Estate it self and when ever God gives a man great Possessions in Loving-kindness and favour he gives them him still with this appurtenance and qualification to the Bargain as to the frame and temper of his Spirit not to trust in them not to be lifted up by them not to be over-pleased with them but to have an Heart in a very great manner withdrawn from them So again further for friends and the Contentment which is in them this is also dependant hereupon Their favour and Loving-kindness there was so much sweetness and excellency in it as it is a breathing of the Loving-kindness of the Lord who makes Enemies Friends fashions mens Hearts alike and makes them to be of one mind in an House as the Psalmist speaks Thus ye see how the favour of God has an Efficatious influence to us upon those things which are comfortable And so likewise for those things which are Grievous and in their own nature distasteful this is one part of the excellency of this Loving-kindness that it is very operative and Effectual here by taking away the sting and bitterness which is in any Affliction and by making it wholesom and medicinall to those that indure it this is that which Gods face does And so the Prophet David elsewhere professes as in Psal 119.75 I know O Lord that thy Judgments are right and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me It is a part of Gods Faithfulness to his Covenant and favour which he bears to his people to lay such seasonable Corrections upon them as from whence they might be so much the more bettered in their inward man And then as there is Gods favour in the infflicting of Crosses so also in sustaining under them vouchsafes his Gracious presence and Comforts in them and at last most powerfully working them and ordering them to their Exerlasting Advantage This is a point which many of Gods Children can bear witness to from their own Experience as who have never found more Expressions of Gods good will
understand his Providence and Fatherly Protection which is compared to the shadow for the Safety and Security of it and the refreshment which comes by it That as in a shade men are defended from the Heat so in this from these showers and Heates of Afflictions and Persecutions which they are subject unto God is said sometimes to hide us himself and sometimes we our selves hide our selves flying and repâ—â—ring to him for shelter and defence of us We have often mention made of this in Scripture Psal 17.8 Keep me as the Apple of thine Eye hide me under the shadow of thy Wings And Psal 57.1 In the shaddows of thy wings will I make my refuge untill these Calamities be over past And Psal 94.4 He shall cover thee with his feathers and under his wings shalt thou trust So again there are other phrases and Expressions also answerable hereunto As Esay 49.2 In the shadow of his hand hath he hid us And Psal 31.20 The secret of his presence and secretly in a Pavilion and the like When t is said here that the Righteous which are the Sons of men do put their trust under the shadow of Gods wings which is his Providence and Fatherly protection There are two things especially signified in this Expression First Their Expectation and dependance as to matter of Practise they do repair and betake themselves to him Secondly Their Satisfaction and Security as to matter of Success or Priviledg they do rest and quiet themselves in Him First I say here 's their Expectation and dependance as to point of Duties Gods Children still in every Condition especially of Perplexity and Distress do betake themselves to him for Safeguard and Defence and Protection of them They come under the shadow of his wings This is grounded in their Relation to him because they are his Children Whether should Children go for refuge but to their Father This interest puts them hereupen Oh! it it is a blessed thing to have such a share and propriety in God Especially in sad and Evil times And it concerns us to make sure our interest in him for this purpose and that before such times as these shall come upon us If ever we desire with comfort to repair to God in danger for Protection we must repair to him before danger for Love and out of Obedience to him otherwise we may doubt and question with our selves whether he will shelter and protect us or no. The practise here of Gods people does condemn the contrary in many others besides who least think of God of any thing else in all the world when Danger or Trouble is near unto them There are a great many shadows which men trust in at such times and truly they are but shadows indeed and shadows in the worst notion and sense of it as it is a diminitive word and expression in opposition to substance and reality The shadow of Wit and the shadow of Wealth and the shadow of Friends and the shadow of Strength and outward Power and the like these are the shadows which they rely upon but the shadow of Gods wings is a business which is quite out of their minds they think not at all of it But the Godly here do give us a better example in this Text by repairing to God as their Duty Secondly Here 's their priviledge and Success they trust that is they rest and quiet themselves There 's a great deal of Serenity and Tranquillity in a faithful reliance upon God Now Secondly For the Ground of Inference or Connexion of these words with the former Therefore do the Sons of men c. Therefore wherefore why because thy Loving-kindness is so excellent So then according to the several notions of Loving-kindness which I mentioned before here is a double Improvement observable First Here 's the Improvement of the Nature of God and what he is in his Disposition or Affection because thy Loving-kindness is so excellent that is because thou bearest such favour to thy People And Secondly Here 's the Improvement of the Providence of God and what he is in his works and Performances Because thy Loving-kindness is Excellent that is because thou hast done so much for them already therefore do they trust thee further And so here are two Propositions or Conclusions which do arise from these words First That we have great cause to trust God for his Attributes and the Goodness which is in Him Secondly That we have great cause to trust God for his Performances and the Experience which we have of him this same therefore it hath both these in it First I say we have cause to trust him for his Attributes and the Goodness which is in him They that know thy Name will trust in thee Psal 9.10 Thy Name that is thy Nature wherein thou art always like to thy self Secondly We have cause to trust him for his Performances and the Experiences of him thus also in the next words in the same verse For thou Lord hast not forsaken them that seek thee That is thy Loving-kindness hath been Excellent Love it ingages to trust the more Affection still the more Confidence in the party which is Affected Now the use of all this to our selves is to stir us up still upon occasion to improve these both to our own advantage for the quickning and strengthning of our Faith Especially in great Difficulties which may at any time happen unto us let us remember still to oppose to them and set against them the excellency and infiniteness and admirableness of Gods Loving-kindness Thus now we have the Second General also dispatcht and so with it the whole Text it self which I have at this time undertaken How Excellent is thy Loving-kindness O God therefore the Children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 SERMON XXI Psal 84.11 For the Lord God is a Sun and shield The Lord will give Grace and Glory No good thing will be withhold from them that walk uprightly There is nothing which is more necessary for us then to have Good thoughts and apprehensions of God It is necessary both in point of Duty and in Point of Comfort In point of Duty it is necessary thereby to work us so much the more to obedience and Complyance with Gods Commands for what can be done too much for Him who has so much worth and Excellency in Himself And it is necessary in point of Comfort thereby to work us so much the more to Contentment and submission to Gods Dispensations For what can come amiss from Him who is so Good and Gracious to us and especially when we our selves do apprehend and believe him to be so Therefore this is that which we have here exhibited to us in this Scripture which we have here before us from the Mouth or Pen of the Psalmist as a satisfaction and refreshment to himself in his present condition The Lord God is a Sun and shield The Lord
will give Grace and Glory no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly IN the Text it self we may for methods sake take notice of two General Parts which are considerable in it First The nature of God laid down in General Secondly The expressions of this nature in the particular communications of it to the sons of men The nature of God in General that we have in these words The Lord God is a Sun and shield The Expressions of this nature in particular we have in the words following The Lord will give Grace and Glory no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly We begin with the first viz. The nature of God propounded in General that we have in those words The Lord is a Sun and shield where we have God set forth unto us according to a two-fold resemblance taken from these things here below which are of ordinary use unto us A Sun and a shield The one an Embleme of Illumination the other an Emblem of protection we shall look upon them distinctly and begin here first of all with the former The Lord God is a Sun It is the manner of the Spirit of God in Scripture to teach our souls by our senses and to convey into our minds heavenly and spiritual notions by earthly and corporal representations as bring such things which are most familiar unto us and which we are best acquainted withall thus he does here in this place whiles he compares God Himself to a Sun It is an expression which we meet with also else-where and that even with this Application as Mal. 4.3 Where Christ the Son of God is called the Sun of Righteousness as Luk. 1.78 The day-spring 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 2 Pet. 1.19 The Day-star The Lord God is resembled to a Sun in these regards which are sundry properties belonging thereunto First In respect of Illuminatin the Sun is the fountain of light that light which is imparted to the Air for the ordering of the world it comes first from the Sun and so it is especially with God himself in regard of his Church He is the Sun that gives light unto it With thee is the fountain of life and in thy light shall we see light Psal 36.1 The light of Grace here and the light of Glory hereafter which we find mention'd in the following part of the Text they both come from this Sun God is light and in him is no darkness at all 1 Job 1.5 This is the true light that lightens every man which cometh into the world Joh. 1.9 There 's a double kind of Inlightning which God does impart unto us either of Grace or comfort Whatever saving knowledge we have of Divine Truths we have it and must have it from him who is in this respect the Sun And whatever true and solid comfort we have likewise it is from Him also as we shall have occasion to shew more hereafter in the sequel of the Text wherein I will not prevent my self before the time but refer it to it 's due and proper place This is enough for the present which we may take notice of now in General that God is a Sun in regard of Illumination Secondly In regard of Calefaction the Sun as it hath light in it so also Heat which it doth communicate with its light It warms things and puts life into them so does this Heavenly Sun this Sun of righteousness where he is risen in the hearts of Believers he does warm them and put vigor into them we are all by nature frozen in sin as we may so express it As we are darkness without light so we are also coldness without heat till this Sun comes and thaws â—s and dissolves that congealedness which is in us and inables us to the doing of good which whensoever he is pleased to do he does it effectually The influences of Grace they are very comfortable and such as have a great deal of pleasingness and satisfactoriness in them they do abundantly cherish and refresh the hearts of those which are partakers of them Thirdly In regard of Fructification and increase The Sun by the operations of it causes things to grow and come up in more abundance and so does this spiritual Sun those which are under the beams of it they become more fruitful in goodness then otherwise they would be and they are in some measure inabled for the drawing on of others likewise to goodness together with themselves what ever is done in this kind it is done by the power and vertue here of this Sun All the droppings of Ministerial Instruction and all the Dews of friendly Admonitions and all the waterings of Godly Education they become so far forth efficatious and powerful in the consequences of them as God Himself is pleased to bless them and as this Sun whereof we now speak does concur with them which is that which he does vouchsafe to do as he thinks fitting in his own wisdom Lastly In regard of All-sufficiency the Sun is compleat in it self Communicates light to others but borrows no light at all from them It is a Fulness and Fountain of light and so is God he is compleat and All-sufficient in himself no want or defect at all in him In him are all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledg he is full of Beauty and Glory and Lustre as the Sun it self is and there 's no measure nor stint of his goodness we may a great deal sooner want light which we do not fear while we injoy the Sun then we may have Goodness and Comfort and Happiness while we have God Himself present with us who in all these respects which I have now mentioned is resembled to the Sun The Consideration of this point may be thus far useful to as as from hence first of all to teach us to rest satisfied in God alone and our interest in him seeing he has a fulness of Comfort in Himself therefore having him for our God we have enough though we had nothing besides What is it that makes the Day Is it not the Sun And so what is it that makes the Happiness of a Christian but even God himself we should so esteem it and be perswaded of it and really believe it It is that which is hard for us to do and we are very difficultly brought unto it but we have Ground for it for all that and that upon this account because he is a Sun This is the difference now betwixt God and the Creatures the Creatures they are but like the Stars which have a double Disparagement or Diminution fasten'd upon them The one is that they have but a little light in regard of the Quantity and the other is that their light for the greatest part of it is derived unto them as to the manner of Conveyance It is not much inherent in themselves as it is imparted and communicated to them from the Body of the Sun this is the State and
in the Text. Therefore are Majestrates sheilds because they belong to the Lord who has instituted them and appointed them for this purpose And therefore is faith it self a shield because it fastens likewise upon God who is a Buckler to them that trust in him 2. Sam. 22.31 But the main and cheif shield of all is God himself as he is here exprest unto us in this present passage before us Now for the better opening of this unto us we may look upon him as so indeed under a three-fold Amplification First He is a large and broad shield which is able fully to cover us and to protect us and keep us safe A shield it must be full and large or else we shall be little the better for it it will keep us from some blows but it will not keep us from other defend us in some parts of our Body but expose us to danger in the rest now therefore so God he is a Capacious shield which will save us all over Psal 5.12 Thou Lord wilt bless the Righteous with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield So Psal 32.7 Thou art my hiding place thou shalt prserve me from trouble thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance And so Psal 125.2 As Mountains are round about Jerusalem so is the Lord round about his People That is he does so carry himself towards them as that no Evil shall come near unto them As when the Egyptians pursued the Israelites the Lord stood betwixt them and their Enemies There 's no Evil whatsoever we can Imagine which the Lord is not a Buckler against those that fear him which he does not ward and keep off from them as he sees occasion for it Look how large the danger is by so much large is the Protection and Preservation which God does vouchsafe He is a shield in Spiritual dangers and he is a shield also in Temporal to keep us from the mischeif of both that they do not light and fall upon us he is a large and capacious shield Secondly He is a strong and Impenetreable shield he is a shield that cannot be peirced there 's no Dart whatsoever which is able to work it self through this but he repels it and turns it back again and that oftentimes upon those which are the shooters of it And therefore he is called a wall of Brass Jer. 1.18 Yea moreover a wall of Fier for the devouring and consuming of all such as stand in his way and oppose themselves against him A shield in the common use of it is onely for matter of defence for the Preservation of the parties which it is appointed a shield unto It does not usually hurt the Enemy yea but God he is not onely a defensive shield but an offensive not onely protecting of his people but likewise annoying and disturbing of his Enemies Thirdly He is a present shield he is a shield and Buckler at hand Other shields men may have them in their propriety but not always in their possession they may be at a distance and far off from them then when they should use them but the Lord he is not so God is our refuge and strength a very present help in Trouble Psal 46.1 He is not far off when trouble is nigh but is near unto all them that call upon him c. So has the Excellency of a shield also in that The use of this point to our selves is a word of singular Comfort and Consolation to the people of God for so we must take these Expressions here in the Text namely with this reference in them God is not a shield at large to all sorts of persons whatsoever but he is a shield and Buckler to his Children and to such persons as by Faith cleave unto him To these he is a shield indeed and it is that which is matter of great Peace and Incouragement to them especially in times of danger and hazard and uncertainty as these are which are now falln upon us here 's that which may very much quiet and pacifie the hearts of all Believers in whatsoever danger or Evils they may apprehend that God is a shield and therefore they should live by this Truth and the sweetness and Comfort of it when God by his Spirit doth reveal and make known such promises as these unto us it is not to frustrate us but to support us and it is the Improvement which we should make of them to be kept up and supported by them from fainting and sinking in our minds in any Evil approaching towards us If a man have a large and strong Buckler he need not care for any Enemy whatsoever such an one had God for his Children The Lord God is a Sun and a sheild A Sun to Comfort us and a shield to protect us And accordingly further we should learn from hence to improve him and to make use of him upon all occasions we should betake our selves to him for Protection who has exprest himself ready hereunto and drawn out that Virtue which is in him to this purpose There are two Attributes in God especially which does render him to us as considerable in this respect the one is his Truth and the other is his Power First The Truth of God he is a shield in regard of that Psal 91.4 His Truth shall be thy shield and Buckler All those Gracious promises which God has made for the protection of his people they are so many shields unto them under which they may cover themselves And then his Power that 's another of his Attributes which is useful in this regard forasmuch as he is stronger then any Evil which can happen unto them So much may suffice of that point that God is a shield And so also of the first General in the Text which is God described in his General Nature and that set forth by a double Metaphor or Allusion The Lord God is a Sun and a Shield The Second is the Explication of this General in its particular Expressions which we have also here exhibited two manner of ways First In the Affirmative proposition The Lord will give Grace and Glory Secondly In the Negative proposition No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly We begin with the first of these two viz. The Affirmative The Lord will give Grace and Glory He might have said has given for the time past or does give for the time present but he chuses rather to set it in the future will give for time to come hereby to signify his constancy and unweariedness in this respect and the Continuation of his Blessings to us The Gifts themselves here mentioned are of two sorts Grace and Glory the one pertaining to this life present the other to that which is in Heaven He will give Grace here and he will give Glory hereafter Gods love hath the promise both of the life present and that also which is to come 1. Tim. 4.8 We may look
upon these Gifts as they are here presented to us in the Text three manner of ways First In their Distinction Secondly In their Connexion And Thirdly in their Order In their Distinction Grace considered by it self and Glory by it self In their Connexion Grace and Glory united and put both together In their Order Grace going before and Glory following after For the First To look upon them distinctly here that which does first offer it self to us is Grace The Lord will give Grace and Glory Grace is a large word which does comprehend many things under it but we will here in this place confine it as the Holy Ghost Himself seems to do and understand it especially of the Grace of Sanctification This is that amongst the rest and more particularly which God promises here to give And we must know whom he means as the persons to whom he will give it namely to those which have it already To him that hath shall be given It is true that God will also give Grace to those that want it to all those that belong to the Election of Grace but are not as yet effectually called God will bestow Grace upon them and he has Grace in store for them and so he will give Grace i. e. the first beginning c. But that 's not that which is here intended so much in this present Scripture No but rather the Improvements of Grace to those in whom it is already For we must still remember that all these Expressions in this Text they do properly belong to the people of God and to none but them To them he is a Sun to them he is a Shield to them he will give Grace c. Now when it is said that he will thus give Grace to such as these for time to come we may take it according to the notion of a double Improvement First Perseverance in that Grace which already they do partake off And Secondly Inlargement and an Addition and further Augmentation of that which they have received First The Lord will give Grace to them that fear him that is the Grace of Establishment and Perseverance This is one kind of Grace which God will give and that in order also to Sanctification He will inable us to sustain and hold out and continue still to the end in the Grace which we have received Where he has once wrought Grace in the Heart hee 'l preserve it and keep it still alive there where he hath wrought it And it is that which he has promised and ingaged Himself to do for us I will put my Fear into their Hearts that they shall not depart from me It is a Branch of the Covenant of Grace which God makes with his people that he will not onely sanctify them and change their Natures with his saving Grace but that he will likewise keep this Grace in them This Seed it shall abide and remain in those which are his Children and be a constant principle in them Indeed it may admit of Variations for the Expressions of it which may prove sometimes to be more and sometimes to be less but for the thing it self it shall be always the same A Christian shall be like an Oak whose Substance is in him when his leaves fall Esay 6.13 When the Branch of Grace may decline yet the Substance and truth of it shall remain yet this so as to be the Gift of God in all this Here 's the Ground of all I mean of this Grace of Perseverance and Continuance in the Faith because God gives it it is from Grace that we hold out in Grace which otherwise we should not do it is not from our own Stability but from the Goodness and power of God towards us And that 's the first Explication The Lord will give Grace that is the Grace of Perseverance and Establishment where he hath begun it Secondly The Grace of Increase and Inlargement The Lord will give Grace that is he will give more grace He will give a greater measure of grace in addition to that which he has given Thus Phil. 1.6 He that has begun a good work in you will finish it until the day of Jesus Christ He giveth more grace as it is in Jam. 4.6 in the world men are never contented but are still desirous of more This is that which is promised here that is more grace This may be drawn out by us according to the several improvements and specifications of it As first of all The Lord will give grace that is he will give conquering Grace for the subduing of lusts and Corruptions and for the resisting of speritual Conflicts and Temptations This suites very well with that which we had before about a shield and Gods resemblance to that He does bear a proportion to it in nothing more then he does in this particular by inabling his servants to quench the fiery darts of the Devil This was the grace which He gave to Peter Luk. 22.31 Simon Simon Satan hath desired to have you and to winnow you as wheat but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not this was the Grace which he gave to Paul when the Messenger of Satan was sent to buffet him 2 Cor. 12.9 My Grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness And this is the Grace he will likewise give to the rest of his servants He will tread Satan under their feet He will subdue their iniquities for them He will every day more and more exterpate and work out those remainders of corruption which are yet in their hearts And it is that which those which are Gods children may expect and depend upon him for If there be any one which hath any strong lust which is too hard and difficult for him which he cannot overcome let him remember this truth here before us that God will give Grace and let him improve it and make use of it to this purpose There 's no sin or corruption whatsoever which is too hard for the grace of God which the Spirit of Christ cannot master and vanquish in us yea eject and thoroughly dispossess and cast out of the heart Therefore we should with courage set upon the resisting of Temptations If we indeavour God will give grace and glory Secondly Quickening and strengthening grace for the performance of our Duties The Lord will gives such grace as this Grace for our several Callings Relations places and services which do belong unto us This is another branch of this Bounty in God which is commended to us and which is very sweet and comfortable in the consideration of it It is a very great incouragement as to the undertaking of any special business or imployment which God does call us to that he will give grace for it He will give us the grace and assistance and special inablement It was that which he promised Moses when he call'd him forth to the work of the Ministery which he was very
averse unto from the consideration of his own insufficiency Now go sayes he and I will be with thy mouth and will teach thee what thou shalt say But that was but onely common grace as to the gift of Elocution God will give us also sanctifying grace as to the Duties and exercise of Religion which he does require of us also In any deadness of spirit which is upon us in any indispositions to good duties in any weakness as to the performance of them there is grace and power in Christ and his Spirit which he does communicate to his servants answerable hereunto And so for all relations likewise whether in Family or Church or Commonwealth this is the comfort of a Christian that the Lord will give grace especially as I said before where he hath given it already in the Principle Look where God hath given grace in the General that is the grace of Conversion and Regeneration there he will likewise give grace in the particular that is grace agreeable to the several occasions which we have at any time afforded unto us for the exercise of it and to the duties which he does require at our hands to be perform'd by us Thirdly Suffering grace for the Afflictions which he layes upon us the Lord will give grace likewise here It is that which does sometimes startle the best of the servants of God to think how they shall be inabled to graple and wrestle with the cross when they look about them in the world and see what a sea of evils does in a manner incompass them they are ready to faint in themselves and to think they shall never be able to undergo them and bustle thorough them well but see now here what God hath provided for their comfort and incouragement namely a supply of his grace There 's no Affliction which God layes upon his servants but he does in some measure inable them to bear it and not onely to bear it simply in a common and ordinary manner out of the strength of Nature and common principles as Heathen and such men as these but after a special and peculiar manner as Christians from a spirit of faith with patience and comfort yea and sometimes joy it self to the special honour and credit of Religion and of that grace which God hath given in reference thereunto Thus will God send grace in the increase and augmentation of it But yet for our better understanding and improvement of this point still in hand we must know that there are certain Qualifications which are required as special conditions in those persons whom God will bestow a greater Measure and Degree of grace upon then as yet He hath given unto them First That they be such as are humble This is that which the Scripture does especially point out to us as requisite in this business as Psal 25.9 The meek will he guide in judgement and the meek will he teach his way so Jam. 4.6 He giveth more Grace wherefore He saith God resisteth the proud and giveth grace unto the humble Those which are proud and conceited of their own strength and perfection God doth oftentimes suspend and withdraw his grace from them gives them up for a while at least to the power and prevalency of Satan and leaves them to themselves that so thereby he may humble them and debase them in their own thoughts and awaken them out of that presumption and security in which they are But for those that are sensible of their weaknesses and do mourn and groan under their wants such as these He inlarges himself unto them He fills the hungry with good things but the rich he sends empty away Therefore that is one qualification considerable as to the improvement of Grace in us viz. humility and lowliness of mind Secondly Those that are believing and do exercise faith in those promises which God hath made to this purpose whatever good God bestows upon us He conveyes it to us through the hands of Faith and so amongst the rest he does with this here of his grace The Lord will give it but we must still fetch it and draw it from Him we must come boldly to the throne of Grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need Heb. 4.16 And so Heb. 12.28 Let us have Grace How shall we have it what is this in our own power no but let us labour for it and indeavour after it and beg it at the hands of God Ask and it shall be given you we have cause to be incouraged in doing so forasmuch as we are likely so well to speed in so doing He that believes shall be established Faith is such a grace as hooks in all other Graces to it self Thirdly There is here required an using of these Graces which we have received use Grace and have it the more we do improve that grace which we do already partake of the more shall we increase in the addition of more graces unto us To him that hath shall be given which does not hold in nature to grace but in a less degree of grace to a greater There are some that would have it so that the use of Nature and Free-will profitably does ingage God to give his sanctifying grace to those that do so but that we had no ground to assert neither do we affirm it but rather this That those which use those beginnings of saving grace so as they ought God will bestow a greater measure upon them And so now ye have the first gift which is here mentioned as a part of Gods bestowing The Lord will Grace The second is Glory The Lord will give Glory this is distinct from grace in the proper notion of it though in some places it is made equivalent to it and synonymous with it so as by Glory to understand Grace as 2 Cor. 3.18 From Glory to Glory that is from grace to grace The grace of Christ which is revealed in the Gospel being full of glory has the name of glory put upon it but here in the Text it is a distinct Head Understanding by glory that blessed and happy Estate and Condition of the Saints in Heaven yet in some sort even begun and initiated here below in this present life So then by glory we are to understand the fruit and reward of grace or the consequents attendant upon it This the Lord will give and he will give it two manner of wayes according to a twofold Explication First Here in this life present in the pledges and anticipations of Glory in the first fruits of the Spirit and those beginnings which a Christian does partake of here in this world not onely in grace but in comfort These are glory in kind though not in Degree they are of the same nature with it though not reaching to the perfections of it and so therfore have the name of glory very fitly put thereupon This we find mention made of in 1 Pet. 1.8 Whom
having not seen we love in whom though now we see him not yet believing we rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of Glory where glory is fasten'd upon faith and believing here in this world Secondly Glory does more especially refer to our happy Estate in Heaven hereafter which is the more ordinary acception of it Thus Rom. 8.18 I reckon that the sufferings of this present life are not worthy to be compared with the Glory which shall be revealed in us So 1 Cor. 2.9 Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard neither hath it entered into the hearts of men to conceive the things which God hath prepared for them that love him Again 2 Cor. 4.17 Worketh for us a far more Exceeding and Eternal weight of Glory And Colos 3.4 When Christ who is our Life shall appear we also shall appear with him in Glory This is another kind of Glory which God will give and here promises to give it The Lord will give Glory It is that which we should keep our hearts up in the Expectation off as that which may satisfy us against all the Scandal and Reproach of the world When we think but once of Glory which is reserved in Heaven for us it should make us with Christ himself to despise the shame which the world puts upon Goodness And so ye have these two gifts in the distinct Consideration of them Grace by it self and Glory by it's self The Second is their Connexion Grace and Glory together The Lord will give Grace and Glory both These two they are not seperated from one another where ever there is Grace there is Glory Yea there is a Spirit of Glory as the Apostle Peter calls it which rests upon the Heads of those which are the Subjects of it Grace it is altogether Glorious and does gain respect and Estimation with those which are the beholders and witnesses of it and especially as it puts forth it self in a powerful and Glorious Consolation Thirdly Take them in their order and so here is Grace Antecedent to Glory Grace that comes first and Glory that comes after it Here is the Method and order which God has set which is likewise observable by us for our particulars There are some kind of people in the world which would skip to the one without the other come to Glory without beginning at Grace but this is a thing which cannot be in any hand it is very absurd and preposterous to Imagin it The Lord will give Grace and Glory And he will give Grace before he gives Glory we may take notice of that those that have not a share in the one they shall never have a share in the other Without Holiness no man shall see the Lord as the Apostle speaks in Heb. 12.14 So much also for that and so ye have the proposition of Gods goodness laid down in the Affirmative The Lord will give Grace and Glory The Second is in the Negative No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly It 's put in the Negative but it carries an Affirmative with it and that with so much the stronger Asseveration No good thing will he withhold i. e. Every good thing will he give and that in a most large and plentiful measure The Holy Ghost here prevents all the Objections of a mistrustful heart one would think he had said enough already when he had told us for his General nature that he would be a Sun and Shield unto us and that moreover for the particular Expressions of it he would give us Grace and Glory both What could we seem to ask or desire more at his hands then these Oh but there is yet somewhat still behind which we think we stand in need off we should have such kind of Blessings also as belongs to this our Natural life in the Flesh now therefore to give it it 's full force and Emphasis to us he adds this to the rest That no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly There are two particulars again briefly here First The Blessing or Bounty it self No good thing will he withhold c. Secondly The persons which are interested in the partaking of this Bounty and that is those that walk uprightly which we must take also for the further inlargement of it in its Universality no good thing whatsoever from such persons as these whosoever Wee 'l Begin first of all with the Blessing or Bounty it self which yet we will handle with reference had and likewise to the persons which are made to partake of it No good thing will he withhold Those that walk uprightly they shall be destitute of nothing which is good whether Temporal or Spiritual whether for this or for a better life thus we have it also in Psal 34.10 The young Lyons do lack and suffer Hungar but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing This is a point which at the first heating seems to be too good to be true and therefore will need a little Explication which we may take in these following particulars in which it will be verifyed unto us First In regard of that right and interest and propriety which a true Believer has in all good things There is no good thing whatsoever but a Child of God has right to as his own and as belonging unto him He that overcometh shall inherit all things Rev. 21.7 And 1 Cor. 3.21 All things are yours and ye are Christs and Christ is Gods Which is not to be understood of particulars as confounding proprieties amongst men as if those which were Believers might take away that which was anothers but it is to be understood of Goodness and in reference to God There 's no good thing whatsoever but a good Christian has a title unto them by vertue of his Relation so far forth as he is a member of Christ Who is said to be Heir of all things in Heb. 1.2 So is Christ and therefore those which are his members are so with him they have a share and interest in whatsoever may make for their good This is a very great Priviledg and Advantage if it be duly considered It 's somewhat to have a good Title to that which is worth the Having though as yet there were nothing else in it especially betwixt us and God who will do nothing but that which is right Amongst men oftentimes though it be somewhat yet it has not always it 's Efficacy with it men may have Title to those Lands and Inheritance which yet they are never the nearer to But betwixt God and us it is otherwise if we can but prove our Title and make that good we are pretty well and thus 't is here All the Saints and Servants of God they have right and Title to any thing which is good whatsoever it be that 's the first Explication Secondly All true believers as they have interest in all good things themselves from their Relation to the Lord Jesus
expression it is to be taken per Excellentia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thy Comforts not onely Originaliter and Effective but likewise Meterialiter and Objective not onely as God is the Author and Bestower of these Comforts but likewise as God is the Object and matter of this last If we speak properly and exactly so all Comforts are Gods Comforts even those Comforts which are in the Creatures and which are derived and conveyed to us in them they are no other then his The Comforts which are in Friends and the Comforts which are his Estates and the Comforts which are in any outward Blessing which we here injoy they are all his Comforts They are his as giving the thing and they are his as giving the Contentment we cannot partake of any Blessingexcept he bestow it nor we cannot have Comfort in any Blessing except he breath upon it and vouchsafe his concurrance with it If he does but either withhold his Hand or withhold his Influence we are still void of Comfort so that we may say of all these Refreshments which we do at any time here share in as David said once in another case Lord they are thine own which by the way should teach us to use them so much the more to his Honour and Glory but these Comforts here in the Text are said to be his Comforts as I conceive in a further Consideration And that is not onely as leading us to the Spring and Fountain of the Comfort but likewise as denoting to the kind and Nature of Comfort thy Comforts that is Comforts sounded n thee and sutable to thee and fetcht from thee From thee not onely as the Creator and Preserver of the World Vt es Author Naturae but from thee as the Lord and Governour of the Church Vt dispensator Gratiae Grasiosus pater in Christi Thy Comforts that is Divine comforts Christian Comforts Spiritual Comforts Comforts drawn from Religion by taking it Specificator and so the point will be this That Divine and Spiritual Comforts are the chiefest Comforts of all others there 's no Comforts which are able to satisfie that mind which are troubled with sad thoughts as those Comforts which are more especially Gods and do belong unto us in our reference and relation to Him as his Children and People This is clear from this very Text it self and there needs no other Testimony besides for the Confirmation of it Now that which will further discover it to be so are these following Considerations First Because such Comforts as these are most full and large and of greater extent they are such as are every way answerable to the Grief it self which lies upon us what ever it be that 's the most satisfactory Comfort which does come to the relief of all kind of Troubles and Distractions now thus do these as we shall hear more anon Secondly They are such as are of the deepest Rooting and Foundation they are therefore the best Comforts because they are the surest and solidest Comforts For what can be more solidly laid then that which is laid in God Himself and is founded in Him such as the Foundation is such is the Comfort which is fasten'd upon it Thirdly They are also more lasting and continuing they will hold out when none others will besides All other Comforts besides they are passing and transatory and fading they have an inconstancy and uncertainty in them and are easily lost and gone but these Comforts which are Divine and Spiritual they are perpetual and external They are such as for the substance of them they cannot be lost Indeed they may be sometimes lost to us in regard of our sense and feeling and oftentimes are as we may carry our selves but otherwise they are abiding Comforts and the continuance and duration of them does further add to the Excellency of them and does serve so much the more to commend them and to set them forth unto us to be the best Comforts that are The Consideration hereof may therefore teach us in the first place to preserve and look after these above any other else besides We when any Evil befals us or we are exercised with any troublesome thoughts we are ready presently to run and to betake our selves to other things to our own wits and Counsels and Contrivances and those delights which are so in the Creature but in the mean time we do not so apply our selves to God Himself No alas What are all Comforts without Him they are but poor miserable Comforters and Physitians of no value as Job said of his Friends it is God that comforteth those that are cast down He that is the God of Comfort and the father of Consolations as the Scripture sometimes styles himself and therefore we should have recourse to him in all our Perplexityes and to his Comforts as they are here commended unto us Now what are they may some happily Interpose what are these Comforts of God which the Psalmist does more especially intend here in this place In a word they are the Comforts which do flow from our Communion with him The Comforts of his Attributes and the Comforts of his Promises and the Comforts of his Gracious Presence drawing near unto our Souls when it pleases him to shine upon us and to express his good will to us and to give us some evidence and assurance of his love and favour towards us these are his Comforts and these are more then the Comforts of all the world besides this is that which David does further signify in another place Psal 4.6.7 Many will say unto who will shew us any Good Lord list thou up the light of thy Countenance upon us thou hast put more gladness into our Heart more then in the time when their Corn and Wine and Oyl increased Secondly As we should labour for those Comforts above all others so we should also improve them unto us If we do injoy them and live in the comfort of them we should esteem them and prize them above all other Comforts else and be thankful and bless God for them we should yeild our selves unto them and suffer our selves to be satisfied and comforted by them when God at any time offer them and afford them to us There are many who when God would comfort them they themselves refuse to be comforted as it is said of Rachel and they will not receive comfort from him unless they may have such kind of Comfort as themselves desire their Comforts that is the comforts of the Creature but his comforts those they do not care for though he does never so much flow in unto them with them now let us by all means take heed of this Let not the Consolation of God be small with us as Eliphaz speaks to Job 15.11 But let us hug them and make much of them even there where it may be we may be destitute of other things for if God will but give us his Comforts we have enough to
was remarkable in them and is also commendable in any others with them and that which makes Society pleasing and comfortable to them Yea indeed there 's no true Society to speak of without this that meeting which is separated from Love and Vnity and Charity and friendly Agreement it is not a Meeting but a Justling it is not an uniting of Bodies but a disjoyning and dividing of Souls and Spirits which makes the Cheifest and greatest Conjunction That 's the first word here Considerable viz. Together which is a word of Society and mutual Conversation Second is to Dwell sheweth which is a word of Residence and Abode and Continuation This is also pertaining to the Love and Concord of Brethren a Perseverance and Persistency in it not onely to be together or to come together or to meet together for some certain time but to dwell together in Unity this is that which is here so extolled and Commended unto us it seems to be no such great matter nor to carry any such great Difficulty in it for men to command themselves to some Expressions of peace and friendship for some short space of time though there are many now and then which are hardly able to do that but to hold out in it and to continue so long that is almost Impossible to them yet this is that which is required of them as Christians and as Brethren one to another even to dwell together in Vnity to follow Peace and Love and Concord and mutual Agreement not onely upon some occasional Meetings but all along in the whole course of their Lives while they converse and live together For the better opening of this present Passage before us of dwelling together in Vnity we must take it in it's full Latitude and Extent and that is by making it as large as the Persons which are the Subjects of it who are here exprest by Brethren These I told you before came under a threefold Denomination of Natural of Civill and of Spiritual And accordingly also has this Vnity in dwelling together the like reference and respect with it in those that do so Domesticall Politicall and Ecclesiasticall each of these are here signified and intended First Domesticall Unity that dwell together in the same Family Here 's a Commendation of such an Vnity as this is and indeed it is that which is very much to be minded by Christians as that which is in a manner the Ground and Foundation of all the rest As Piety it is to begin here so likewise Vnity that those who are the several parts and members and Inhabitants in it they do serve one another in Love whereby they may be able so much the better to serve God And that their Prayers may not be hindered as the Apostle Peter speaks in 1 Pet. 3.7 This is the Gift of God himself and of him alone who accordingly is to be sought unto for it He is the God that makes men to be of one mind in an House as some Translators reads it in Psal 68.6 Moshiv jechidhim baijth and that fashions their hearts alike Ha-jotser jechidh libbam as it is Psal 33.15 That 's the first kind of Unity which is Domestick The Second is Political Vnity Brethren that dwell together that is that dwell together in the same City as which in regard of any Civil Obligations are interested in it These are also concern'd in this Business there 's nothing more Honourable for Citizens then as much as in them lies to studdy the Peace and Wellfare and Happiness and Prosperity of the City whereunto they belong considered in General and of the Company whereunto they belong considered in particular This is also for Brethren to dwell together in Vnity as it is here exprest this was the Commendation of Mordecai That he sough the wellfare of his people and spake peace to all his seed Esth 10.3 And how does David himself pray for Jerusalem which he tells us was as a City that is at Vnity in it self Psal 101.6 c. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem they shall prosper that love thee Peace be within thy walls and Prosperity within thy Palaces For my Brethren and Companions sake will I now say peace be within thee Because of the House of the Lord our God I will seek thy Good That is both upon a Civil account and Religious We know when the Jewes were in Captivity in Babylon the Lord required them to seek the peace of that City wherein they then dwelt Because in the peace thereof they should have peace Jer. 29.7 And if it was so in regard of Babylon how much more should it be so for Jerusalem The Third therefore is Ecclesiastical for Brethren that dwell together that is that dwell together in the same Church or if ye will take it more restraindly that dwell together in the same Parish belong to the same Congregation are under the same Ministry and do partake of the same Ordinances and Exercises and spiritual Advantages and Opportunities Of these also there is required this Unity and Unanity and mutual Agreement in their Society and Converse with one another This is that which the Apostle Paul does so often and Vigorously press upon the several Churches to which he writes to the Romans chap. 15. vers 5. c. Now the God of Patience and Conselation grant you to be like minded one towards another according to Christ Jesus that ye may with one Mind and one Mouth glorify God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ wherefore receive ye one another as Christ also received us to the Glory of God To the Corinthians 1 Cor. 1.10 Now I beseech ye Brethren by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no Divisions among you but that ye be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same Judgment To the Ephesians Let all Bitterness and Wrath and Anger and Clamour and Evil speaking to be put away from you with all Malice and be ye kind one to another tender-hearted forgiving one another even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you Eph. 4.31.32 And so again Chap. 5. vers 1.2 Be ye followers of God as dear Children and walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for us an offering and a Sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling Savour Last of all to add no more at this time to the Philippians Chap. 2. vers 1. c. If therefore their be any Consolation in Christ if any Comfort of Love if any Fellowship of the Spirit if any Bowels and Mercies Fulfil ye my Joy that ye be like minded being of one accord of one mind See how Earnestly and Vehement and Importinent this Blessed Apostle here now is to perswade these Christians to love and agreement as apprehending some special worth and necessity in it And so much may be spoken of the first Branch of this first General in
in that but for their Gardens and Orchards and Vineyards wherein they take much delight these they are carefull of the preservation of them upon hat account And so is the Lord of his Church and People in whom he delights Thirdly In point of Provision God takes pleasure in them and therefore he will take care of them and see that nothing which is fitting for them may be wanting unto them It is that which may very much strengthen the Faith of Gods people in his Providence to consider that they are such as are in special favour with God The Lord God is a Son and sheild the Lord will give Grace and Glory and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly as the Prophet David tells us in Psal 84.11 There 's nothing which they can need or desire but they may be sure to have it confer'd and bestowed upon them What is thy Petition and it shall be given thee even to the half of my Kingdom It was the saying of Ahasuerus to Queen Hester in whom he delighted she could ask nothing but she might have it It is said in Psal 35.27 That God takes pleasure in the Prosperity of his Servants Now how does he come to take pleasure in their Prosperity but because he first takes pleasure in their Persons while their Persons are acceptable to Him their Conditions are accordingly ordered and provided for by Him and while he takes pleasure in their Prosperity he cannot indure to behold their Destruction This is a very Comfortable Meditation under the greatest fears and perplexities that may be when the Servants of God do not know what will become of them as to such and such particulars yet knowing for the General that they are in favour and acceptance with him they may from hence conclude and be assured that therefore nothing shall befall them amiss or therwise then is convenient for them Thus David Himself reason'd and teaches us to reason likewise 2 Sam. 15.25.26 If I shall find favour in the Eyes of the Lord he will then bring me back again and show me his Ark and his Habitation But if he shall say I have no delight in thu behold here am I let him do to me as seemoth good unto Him Thus we should learn to resolve and to determine in such Cases as these are that so far forth as we are delightful to God and as he takes any pleasure in us we cannot Miscarry The Lord taketh pleasure in his people and he beautifieth the Meek with Salvation they are both joyned together Psal 149.4 But here it may be seasonably demanded and inquired into by us how far forth this may be known and discovered to us that we are such indeed in whom the Lord does take pleasure I answer briefly thus First by his Communion with us those that delight in any persons they never care to be out of their Company nor to have them out of their sight they love to be Continually in presence and society with them Now according to this Character may we judge of Gods delight in our selves when as namely he draws nearer unto us by the Gracious motions and influences of his Spirit There are sweet and Heavenly intercourses betwixt God and that Soul which he delights in when men shall pass from day to day and have no converse at all with God by his Spirit but shall carry Himself as a Stranger to them and be averse from them it is a sign that he hath no delight in them but delight it is still followed with Society and Communion as belonging thereunto Secondly By his Imployment of us those that men take any delight in they will make use of them upon all occasions and do take pleasure in setting them on work but now when God shall lay men aside as useless and unprofitable persons they are as so many Vessels wherein is no pleasure as the Scripture expresses it so far forth as God delights to imploy us so far forth does he delight in us Hide not thy face far from me put not away thy Servant in Anger they both go together Psal 27.9 Thirdly By his kindness to us and the things which he does for us his delight in us is discovered by that especially according to the Nature and Quality of them Those that God delights in he delights to do good to their Souls and their inward man to mortify their Lusts to subdue their Corruptions to preserve them from Temptations He that pleaseth God shall not be taken in such snares whereas others shall be taken in them and by them So far as God favours a man he will keep him from great Miscarriages and from an allowance and indulgence of Less And that 's the first use of this point in a way of Consolation The Second may be in a way of Conviction to perswade us more and more of this Truth for although this be so indeed as has been now shewn and declared unto us yet it is that which the Servants of God do not always so readily Beleive and entertain in their minds There is a base and secret Jealousy which is apt oftentimes to arise in the people of God so as to think and suspect as if God took not that pleasure in them which indeed he does And therefore there can never be too much said to perswade them of this point now before us The Ground of this Suspition in them does for the most part proceed from his outward Carriage and Dispensations to them they cannot think that God delights in them so long as he Corrects and Chastises them but do from hence conclude rather that he hates them This was the mistake of Gideon Judg. 6.12.13 When the Angel of the Lord came to him with this salutation The Lord is with thee thou mighty man of valour Then Gideon said unto him Oh my Lord If the Lord be with us why then is all this befallen us He could not think that Gods presence and his Corrections could consist together when as they were such as were very well Consistant Because whom he loveth he Chasteneth c. And so it is also in the Misconceit of Sion Esay 49.14 When it was said in the verse before that God had Comforted his people and would have Mercy upon his Afflicted but Sion said The Lord hath forsaken me and my Lord hath forgotten me This is that which the dearest Servants of God are subject to and therefore they have need to be well-setled and confirmed in such Truths as these are and to consider them and rule them in their thoughts which howsoever perhaps at other times they may think they are sufficiently perswaded of yet in times of trouble and outward Calamity they are very ready to call into question Thirdly It serves in a way of Exhortation and Excitement and that to a double purpose and intent First To teach the servants of God by way of gratitude and thankful returns to delight in Him Secondly
Lord alone and none but He. This is his Prerogative and that as to both Explications of Tryal whether by Discovery or Reformation If we take it by way of Discovery as the Lord says so he does it alone that is infallibly and effectually It is his Title to be The Searcher and Tryer of the heart and he hath taken it upon him as that which he means to perform This does not exclude others absolutely and in subordination to him It is that which some others may do and it is that which others ought to do according as they are called thereunto to try and sift the hearts and spirits of other men and to discern what they are whether in order to converse with them that so they may get no hurt from them or in order to their further benefit and instruction There may be use of it likewise so But First None can try the heart thus Authoritatively And Secondly None can try it thus effectually and infallibly and with so much success Not so Authoritatively any because none hath that power over it The Heart and Conscience of a a Christian is in subjection to none but him that made it Not so Infallibly neither because none have that piercing insight into it Men when all is done they can but guess and conjecture and imagine and make supposition But the Lord he knows the Heart in every winding and turning of it yea even The thoughts of it afar off as the Psalmist expresses it in Psal 139.2 This teaches us accordingly to go to him for the discovery both of our own hearts and others as to whom it does belong When we would try our own private hearts a Duty which I mentioned before we see here how to do it most successfully and that is by taking in God to help us herein as David himself gives us a pattern in that Psalm Psal 139.23 24. Search me O God and know my heart try me and know my thoughts And see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting Know that is make me to know thee for my particular And so as for our selves so for others when we would know what is in them Let us take this course also to seek direction from him As the Disciples when they were to chuse a new Apostle and had cast Lots between Justus and Matthias They prayed and said Thou Lord which knowest the hearts of all men shew which of these thou hast chosen Act. 2.24 Again further Seeing this is God's Prerogative to try and judge the heart let us hence learn not to incroach upon it and to assume it to our selves by passing rash and peremptory judgment upon any Take heed of that we may discern but we may not absolutely determine being the Property of God alone This is urged by the Apostle Paul himself and in his own case 1 Cor. 4.4 5. He that judgeth me is the Lord Therefore judge nothing before the time until the Lord come who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts It is the propriety and peculiarity of God to try the heart by way of Discovery It is his again also by way of Reformation As none can try it that is know it but He so none can try it that is purge it but He neither He alone can take away the iniquities and defilements and pollutions of it which cleave unto it It is He alone which can take away the heart of Stone and gives a new heart of Flesh It is His Grace alone which is stronger than Sin and Corruption which is in us Therefore this should teach us to have our eyes still fixed upon him When at any time we come to the Ordinances and to be made partakers of the Word the Fining Pot as it were for Silver and which it self is as Silver refined and tryed in the Furnace See here where our Expectations would be fastened not so much upon the instruments as upon God himself who is the Worker of it Alas we are but Bringers of things together it is he who gives efficacy to them Who is Paul and who is Apollo but ministers by whom ye believed 1 Cor. 3.5 We are to do what in us lies and to commend the efficacy and success unto him And so as Ministers for their People so Parents for their Children There is many a Godly Parent which does earnestly desire the Conversion of his Child and the changing of his evil heart Now we see who must do it when all comes to all Not that it must be cast upon him so as to neglect other helps There must be the Refinings of good Education which is a very great conducement hereunto but this it must not be rested in without Addresses made to the Lord. And to conclude Where any do partake of any cleansings in their own hearts let them see here to whom to give the Honour and Glory of them even to Him who hath wrought them in them O Lord says Jeremy I know that the way of man is not in himself it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps Jer. 10.23 No it belongs to Him and let him therefore be acknowledged for it We are said sometimes to purifie our selves but it is still meant in the strength of his Grace assisting us and concurring with us Whom therefore we must bless and praise for it Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Nome give glory for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake Psal 115.1 That is the third Emphasis here signified which is an Emphasis of Appropriation The Lord that is the Lord alone tryeth the hearts So much for that So I have done with the Second General Part of the Text which is the Reddition in the Comparison And so much also of the whole Text it self SERMON XXXIII Prov. 17.3 There are many devices in a mans heart nevertheless the Counsel of the Lord that shall stand There is nothing which is more desireable in the Course of this present Life then to know what to trust to Uncertainty is many times more grievous than Disappointment and to doubt how things will fall out more Perplexing oftentimes then Miscarriage it self And therefore such places of Scripture deserve of all others besides as most usefull and profitable both to be studyed and handled by us especially in such times as these are in which we we are as do anything serve to satisfie and settle us in this Particular In the Number whereof is this Text which I have here made choice of at this time with Gods assistance to speak unto from the mouth and Pen of Solomon who had a double advantage upon him for such a purpose as this The one as he was a Wise man and had much humane Sagacity in him The other as he was a Good man and did partake of the works of Grace in his heart which after all the disputeings about
that horrible Dungeon which in Scripture is represented by utter darkness blackness of darkness everlasting darkness weeping and and wailing gnashing of Teeth the worm that never dyeth and the fire that never goes out That such a thing as this indeed is very clear from sundry places of Scripture which we must deny if we do not grant we cannot acknowledge the Scriptures and not acknowledge such a thing as Hell which is so abundantly declared in it Thus in Matth. 5.22 we read of Hell fire in Matth. 10.28 of the Destroying of Body and Soul 〈◊〉 Hell In Matth. 23.33 of the Damnation of Hell c. Thus to speak distinctly of it does consist of two Branches which do constitute it and make it up The one is that which we call the Punishment of Loss and the other is that which we call the Punishment of Sense The Punishment of Loss First of all to take notice of that Now that is an Eternal privation of the Blessed and glorious presence of God and of all the Joy and Comfort and happiness that is attending thereupon Look how much sweetness and incomparable contentment there is in the constant vision and fruition of God whom to know is Life Eternal so much answerable misery there must needs be in the Exclusion and Exemption from it Every thing being so much grievous in the disappointment as it is comfortable in the injoyment We see how it is here in the World and in the affairs of this present Life where people are crost of any thing which is amiable or desirable of them it proves a very great trouble and vexation to them It consumes them and eats them up with greif And how much more has it cause thus to do in such a thing as this is whereof we now speak to be for ever deprived of the choicest and highest good which is to be found in God himself and in the injoyment of him To be deprived of God and to be deprived of Christ and of Glorious Fellowship and Communion with him Thus we find it exprest 2 Thes 1.9 who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the Glory of his Power where these words from the presence of the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they may be taken two manner of ways either Effective or Terminative Either as denoting the cause of their punishment from whence it is produced or as denoting the matter of their punishment wherein it does consist If we take it Effective that is as the cause of their Punishment from whence it is produced so they are punished from the presence of the Lord that is his Presence who shall then appear in Glory and Soveraign power for the condemning of them shall be a Terror and Astonishment to them The very beholding of a Christ as their Judge and perfect Enemy shall be an horror and amazement to them as the inletter of all Misery upon them But then again if we take it Terminative or Objective as the matter whereof there Punishment does consist so they are punished from the presence of the Lord that is they are punished in a banishment from this prescence which being duly considered is a very great punishment indeed And so as for the presence of God himself and the Glorious fellowship of Christ so the Fellowship and Communion of all the Blessed and Glorious Angels and Saints to be deprived of this likewise This pertains to this punishment of Loss and has a great deal of misery in it If People are so much affected as they commonly are here below with the loss of natural and secular friends here Parents of their Children Children of their Parents c. What will it be for them to be deprived of their Blessed Company and Society in Heaven whose company will then be so much sweeter and free from those infirmities and disparagements which it is here sometimes mingled with all Certainly the loss of them in such a case as this is must needs be very great and unvaluable The Punishment of loss here mentioned is farther aggravated from a Threefold Consideration First From the Possibility of preventing it if there had been care taken about it Every Loss is so much the more punishing as it proceeds from a mans own default Where men have Losses fall upon them inevitably and unavoidably and which they could not help they do bear them so much the more patiently and with the greater ease and satisfaction But where they shall think thus with themselves I have deprived my self of such an advantage through mine own carelesness and neglect yea perhaps by my own wilfullness and perverseness here it must needs very much cut them and go to their very heart Why thus t is now here in the Loss of Heaven and the Deprivation of Gods Glorious presence and eternal injoyment of him It is that which men have brought upon themselves by their own miscarriage Light is come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light in Joh. 3.19 And ye will not come unto me that ye might have life said Christ Joh. 5.46 How often would I have gathered thy Children as an hen gathereth her Chickens and ye would not Luk. 13.34 Secondly The Occasion of this Loss and the way of falling into it there 's a special aggravation from that also If a man chance to sustain some loss but have somewhat by it which is equivalent to it and which may make it up it is not commonly so greivous or burthensome to him but for a man to lose a Pearl for a Pebble or a Kingdom for a meer trifle this is very sad and lamentable indeed Why thus now is the case in this particular which is People depriving themselves of Heaven for the injoyment of their base Lusts excludes themselves from the injoyment of God for the pursute of the vanities of this World and the pleasures of Sin which are but for a season What a poor and sorry thing is this Especially then when they shall come seriously to consider it and in good earnest to reflect upon it Oh what an anguish of soul and perplexity must this needs prove unto them 3. The beholding of others to injoy that happiness which themselves are deprived of There 's a vexation likewise in that as we have it exprest unto us in Luk. 13.28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdom of God and you your selves thrust out To see themselves thrust out whiles those were put in this it tormented them especially such as these might be according to such and such circumstances considerable in it It may be such who were meaner than themselves here in this World such whom they had scorned and despised and trampled on and abused and wronged To see such as these now to be exalted and advanced above them this is that which must needs eat into them And
own infinite Majesty and Glory what are all Nations and Kingdoms of the World Surely as the Prophet Isaiah speaks of it Isa 40.21 Behold the Nations are as the drop of a bucket and are accounted as the small dust of the ballance Behold he taketh up the Isles as a very little thing The Lord is high above all Nations and his Glory above the Heavens Psal 113.4 He encreaseth the Nations and destroyeth them he enlargeth the Nations and straitneth them again Job 12.23 Who smote great Nations and slew mighty Kings Psal 135.10 Secondly The Importunity of Sin and Guilt that makes for this likewise Nahum 1.12 Though they be quiet and likewise many yet thus shall they be cut down when he shall pass through says the Lord there by his Prophet because their Sins call for Vengeance As we see it was with the Sodomites and tâ—â— Cities round about them whilst the Cry of their Wickedness ascended and came up to Heaven in their committing of Fornication and going after strange Flesh it is said That even they suffered the vengeance of eternal fire And so the Cananites and the rest of the Nations which opposed and fought against Gods People we hear what a quick and speedy riddance the Lord made of them for it in their Universal overthrow and ruine and destruction And so he is ready to do with many more in the like circumstances Who would not fear thee O King of Nations as it is in Jer. 10.7 What cause have all the People and Kingdoms of the Earth to tremble before this great God who is able thus to crush them in peices and to destroy them even in Hell it self if they provoke him as he here threatens them We should here learn to satisfie our selves in this great Mystery both of Prudence and Religion It seems to be a strange thing to reason that God should damn whole Nations And therefore such Persons as make Reason to be the Rule of Faith they do much doubt of it and call it into Question For which purpose they have found out salvation even for the Heathen that know not God nor ever heard word of Christ But we see here how the Scripture it self expresses it self in this particular whereby it tells us that whole Nations shall be turned into Hell That so we may not be wiser or mercifuller than God himself But submit our own reason and the Dictates of our own understanding to his Discoveries and Proposals And in the mean time bless God our selves if he hath exempted us out of the number of those Nations which shall be thus dealt withal by a more peculiar manifestation and dispensation of himself unto us Thus for the Subjects here mentioned in reference to this Punishment All the Nations The Second is the guilt which is fustned upon those Subjects as the Ground and Foundation of this Punishment and that is Forgetting of God This now does a little qualifie it and restrain it and take it in It is not all Nations Absolutely and Indefinitely and without exception howsoever qualified but under this Notion of Impiety God does not in this case proceed in a way of Soveraignty but in a way of Justice It is true he might if he pleased do the former forasmuch as all the Nations of the World they are his own Creatures and the Workmanship of his own hands therefore if he saw good he might deal with them as the Potter with his vessel And no man might say unto them what dost thou But he has thought fitting to take another course than this with them and that is by proceeding upon the account of their own guilt as it is here declared unto us Therefore this Punishment and Destruction it is here limited and restrained to Sinners And so we find it to be also in other places as Psal 79.6 Pour out thine indignation upon the Heathen that have not known thee and upon the Kingdoms that have not called upon thy name Not upon the Heathen considered Absolutely nor upon the Kingdoms considered Indefinitely But upon those Heathens and Kingdoms which have not known God Nor called upon him And so likewise here in the Text All the Nations that forget God This is a Particular Character whereby a wicked People are distinguisht viz. Forgetfullness of God as that which carries the very root of all wickedness in it For hence it is that any Persons do make so bold with God as commonly they do by offending him and rebelling against him because indeed they are such as do forget him and think not of him This forgetfulness of God which wicked men are thus guilty of to explain it a little to you it extends to Sundry Particulars First To the Essence of God They forget God that is they forget that there is a God They have heard of it it may be and have seen Habitual Notions of it yea but in such and such cases and circumstances they do it or reflect upon it They do not Actually mind or consider it which makes them so to carry it as if indeed they did not beleive it Secondly To the Nature of God They forget God that is they forget who or what manner of one God is They forget him in his Properties and Attributes and such Expressions of him as whereby he has revealed and made himself known In his Holiness and Justice and Power and Omniscience and Omnipresence and the like In these they do not remember him but plainly forget him Wicked Men they frame to themselves such a God as is suitable to themselves and their own Fancies and Imaginations As he tells that wicked Man in the Psalm 50.21 Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thy self As if that which pleased them it were pleasing to him also Thirdly To the Word of God They forget God that is They forget what God does command or commend unto them They forget his Instructions and they forget his Injunctions and so in that respect they forget God himself for as much as he accounts himself interested and concerned in such things as these are as a Prince in his Laws David resolved with himself that he would never forget God's Precepts But this is that which such Persons as these do continually though they may seem to remember God Notionally yet they forget him Practically And though they profess that they know him yet in works they deny him being abominable and disobedient and to every good work reprobate Tit. 1.16 Lastly To the Providence of God They forget God that is They forget what God has done and brought to pass in the World As it is charged upon the Israelites that they forgat the works of the Lord aad the wonders that he had shewed them Psal 78.11 His Works of Mercy they forgat them They remembred not his hand nor the day when he delivered them from the Enemy Psal 78.42 They forgat God their Saviour which had done great things for them in Egypt Psal 106.21 And
of the strength of Beleivers in general Secondly A Particular Demonstration of this Proposition taken from the Consequences and Effects The Proposition in General That ye have in these words They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength The Demonstration of this Proposition in the Particular Ye have in these words They shall mount up with eagles wings they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not faint We begin with the first viz. The General Proposition They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength Wherein again we have two Branches more First The Persons spoken of and they are Those which wait upon the Lord. Secondly The thing it self which is spoken of them and that is that They shall renew their strength For the First The Persons mentioned or spoken of they are Those that wait upon the Lord. This is here made the Description of God's People of Believers the Saints and Servants of God They are such as wait upon God This is a Duty often called for in Scripture and so considerable a Duty it is as that thereby the whole Race of Godly Men is expressed and signified to us As if there were nothing else almost which were pertinent hereunto but that It is a Phrase which we often meet with in Scripture to this purpose Thus Psal 25.3 Let none that wait on thee be ashamed Isa 30.18 Blessed are all they that wait for him So again Lamen 3.25 The Lord is good to them that wait for him to the soul that seeketh him Where they that wait for him and that seek him are all one both Descriptions of his Children There are two things eminent in Waiting and so in Waiting upon God Expectation and Patience There is Looking for somewhat from him And there is a quiet Resting and Tarrying till it be bestowed And both Properties of true Believers First There is Expectation from God there is Looking for somewhat from him to be bestowed upon them This is always in the Servants of God Psal 123.2 Behold as the eyes of Servants look unto the hand of their Master and as the eyes of an handmaid looks unto the hands of her Mistress so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God until he have mercy c. All Good Christians they do certainly expect somewhat from the hands of God and that which is worth the expecting Even glory and honour and immortality and eternal life as we have it exprest unto us Rom. 2.7 Other matters there are which they do sometimes look for and very well may but these things they look for especially as their reward and their portion and their inheritance and such as may not be denyed them They wait for these absolutely Secondly As they have the Waiting of Expectation so they have likewise of Patience They are content to stay Gods time and leisure for the obtaining of any thing which they look for and expect from him He that believeth maketh not hast Isa 28.16 He doth not prevent or out-run God in HIs Providence towards him but stayes till he thinks fitting to help him This is the right Temper of a true Christian and Believer Prophane and desperate persons they flye off in a discontent and impatience like that wicked king Jehorum 2 King 6 ult Why should I wait on the Lord any longer but his people they wait for him and they are contented so to do The Reason of it is because they are sure to speed at last There 's none that wait upon God shall be ashamed that is shall be disappointed which is many times the cause of shame As we see sometimes in waiting upon the Creature in waiting upon vain men As we have it exprest unto us in Job 6.19 20. The Troops of Tema looked the Companies of Sheba waited for them They were confounded because they had hoped they came thither c. thus it falls out in waiting upon such as these but now in waiting upon the Lord it is otherwise They that wait upon him they shall be sure not to want success Nay They shall speed the better for waiting there 's that also considerable The more willing we are to wait upon God the better it is for us for He he payes for time and gives us the more because we have waited This the servants of God considering are therefore content to wait and that with patience Thus David Psal 40.1 I waited patiently for the Lord or as it is in the Hebrew Text. I waited in waiting But so much briefly of the first branch of the first General viz. The Persons here mentioned Believers They that wait upon the Lord. The Second which I chiefly aym at in this Text is what is said of them and that is they shall renew their strength By strength here we are to understand spiritual strength strength in reference to Religion and Christian Conversation That 's the strength which is here pointed at in this place by the prophet Isay And when is is said they shall renew it there are three things intimated to us in this Expression First Their Duty Secondly Their Disposition Thirdly Their Priviledge Their Duty they ought to do it Their Disposition they are ready to do it Their Priviledge they may do it or 't is that which shall actually and indeed happen unto them First Here 's their Duty they ought to do it this is that which which lyes upon a Christian as a Duty belonging unto him to improve still in spiritual strength every day to grow stronger and stronger in his inward man To go from strength to strength as it is Psal 84.7 This is that which the Scripture still calls for as Ephesi 6.10 Finally brethren be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might And Colos 1.10 11. Being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God strengthened with all might in the inward man A Christian must be like a tree not only growing to bear more fruit but also growing to more strength We need a great deal of strength not onely to overcome our own weaknesses but also to bear with the weaknesses of other men Whiles we are here required to renew our strength there are two things which may be pointed out to us in this Expression First Recovery of strength there where it is in some measure lost and abated in us To renew it that is to regain it to require it and fetch it up again after some diminution Secondly The Improvement of strength to renew it that is to increase it and to add new strength unto it Each of these are here imployed and both to be practised by us in reference to our Christian Conversation we must renew our strength to each purpose First In a way of Recovery we must renew it that is repair it Those which have lost any measure and degree of Grace which they have formerly had they must indeavour to restore it again It is an ill thing for a
so lost her first strength that she should do her first works that she should return to the acting of those things which she had now remitted and fallen from as that which was the best way to recover her to her former Condition and here especially to the use of the Ordinances Prayer and hearing of the word and receiving of the Sacrament which are the proper means appointed to this purpose Lastly In the renewing of their Faith and in the Exercise of it A Christian gathers new strength and supply of Spiritual Grace by reparing to the true spring and Fountain and Original of it which is the Grace of God in Christ Our strength it lies in Him and therefore by a spirit of Faith must be daily and Continually fetch 't from Him and that upon all occasions And it is our great Comfort and Incouragement that we may have it but for the fetching for so we may in a due and serious Appli of our selves to him we may draw strength from him Nay we shall do as is here signified to us They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength Here 's the priviledg and the Condition of being made partakers of it The Priviledg that 's renewing of our strength The Condition that is waiting upon the Lord. Be followers of them says the Apostle who through Faith and Patience inherit the Promises Heb. 6.12 And again Heb. 10.36 Ye have need of Patience that after ye have done the will of God ye may receive the Promise Even so it is here This promise of strength renewed unto us is not onely to the persons of Beleivers but to them especiall under this Notion and in the erercise of this act of Beleiving We must therefore still remember this that we be such as wait upon the Lord for that 's the Condition by which Expression the spirit of God comes home to the heart of many a weak Christian and satisfies the objections which they may make for some might be ready to say Alas we find no such matter as this is which you now speak off we have little or no strength at all if we have had some it may be heretofore yet we have lost it and know not how to recover it and to get it up again now for such they must be perswaded to wait and to consider whether they have done so or no for this strengthning it belongs to waiting and is promised to those that are careful so to do we must use the means and waite upon God for shewing us the use of them Go to the Ordinances and by Faith fetch power from Christ who alone can make them to be Effectual unto us Psal 27. vers 14. Wait on the Lord be of good Courage and he shall strengthen thine Heart wait I say on the Lord. To satisfie us the more in this particular consider but how it is with us in regard of our Natural Sustenance and the food of our Bodies The strength which comes by it it is not conveyed presently but by leasure when the meat is digested Indeed there is delight and sweetness and pleasantness even in the very first going down of it but the strength of it that comes after it Even so is it likewise here as to these Spiritual things The sweetness of the Ordinances that 's in the very partaking of them and in the time of the useing of them In Praying and Hearing and Communicating and Meditateing c. A Gracious heart it does taste and rellish them even then when 't is about them But the strength which is conveyed by them that 's a Business of leasure and time and therefore we must wait for it and stay Gods time for the giving of it Thou therefore that complainest of Weakness consider whether thou hast waited for strength and waited for it in his own way and in the use of those means which he has ordained and appointed to thee Especially Consider how far Christ Himself has been taken into this Business which is the means of all There are many think to renew their strength and how do they think to to do it Namely by strength of their own their own Vowes and Duties and performances which yet by the way must not be neglected but we must be strong in the Grace of Christ and in the power of his might and Spirit or else all our strength it will be but weakness it self This is that which the Apostle Paul was sensible of as we may see by his practise and the courses which he took to this purpose by his practise for the Ephesians Eph. 3.14.16.17 For this cause I bow my knees unto the father of our Lord Jesus Christ That he would grant you according to the Riches of his Glory to be strengthen'd with might by his spirit in the inner man that Christ may dwell in your Hearts by Faith that ye being rooted and grounded in love may c. So in like manner by his practise for the Colosians Col. 1.11 Strengthened with all might according to his Glorious Power c. And so now I have done done with the First General part of the Text which is the Proposition in General They that wait c. The Second is the Demonstration or Confirmation of this in the Particular that we have in the words following They shall mount up with Eagles wings They shall run c. Wherein we have the strength of a Christian laid forth and amplified to us by a resemblance from a threefold motion First Of Flying Secondly Of Running Thirdly Of Walking Of Flying They shall mount up with Eagles wings Of Running They shall run and not be weary Of Walking They shall walk and not be faint Wee 'l begin first of all with the former and that is the motion of Flight They shall mount up with Eagles wings Here 's mention made of the Wings of the Eagle as we may conceive for two reasons especially First As the Eagle is an Emblem of strength renewed for so it is as we find it in Psal 103.5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things so that thy youth is renewed like the Eagles Certain it is that the Eagle is longer-liv'd then many other Birds The Naturalists as Aristotle and Pliny c. Which write the story of living Creatures affirms this of it that it never Dies of old Age but onely of Famine for the upper-Bill being at length over-grown it is thereby hindred from putting meat into it's mouth and so at last comes to Die So the Prophet by this Similitude here signifies that those which wait upon the Lord they shall grow more and more urgent and lively enven to their old Age it self according to that also of the Psalmist Psal 92.12.13.14 The Righteous shall flourish c. They shall bring forth Fruit in their old Age they shall be fat and flourishing So then the Eagle is here pertinently mentioned in reference to this But Secondly The Eagle it soares aloft and flies on
begin in order with the first viz. the Persons mentioned those that sigh and cry c. from whence we may observe thus much That such persons there are that do so and it is their duty so to do even to sigh and cry for the abominations all of them that are done in the midst of the City We read of divers in Scripture which have been noted for this disposition in them Thus it is said of just Lot that he was vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked For that righteous man dwelling amongst them in seeing and hearing vext his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds as it is in 2 Pet. 2.7 8. David he beheld the transgressors and was grieved because they kept not Gods word Psal 119.158 and rivers of water ran down his eyes because they kept not his law in verse 136. of the same Psalm Jeremy his soul wept in secret places for their pride c. Jer. 13.17 And Paul his spirit was stirred in him at Athens when he saw the City to be wholly given to idolatry Acts 17.16 Thus have the Servants of God been still affected with the abominations of the places and people whom they have lived withall and amongst whom they have at any time converst And this it hath proceeded thus in them upon divers and sundry considerations First out of their inward hatred and antipathy even to sin it self The children of God being born again and become new creatures and having grace in their hearts they cannot but abhor any thing which is opposite and contrary hereunto from that new nature and spirit which is in them Look as on the other side wicked men they are troubled at the slourishing of Religion where they see any to improve in goodness and to be any thing more forward in piety their hearts and spirits rise as it were against them and boil in them from the devilish disposition which is in them and hatred even of goodness it self So here those that fear the Lord they are as much troubled at the improvements of sin from that work of Regeneration which is in their hearts Secondly Out of love to God and a tenderness of his honour and glory Where abominations are at any time committed there God is exceedingly dishonour'd his Laws are slighted his Attributes are question'd his Name is blasphem'd Now those that are good themselves they have a great regard hereunto Those that are Gods children they are very jealous of Gods honour as any other children besides are of the honour of their earthly Parents and so accordingly they cannot but grieve when there is any trespass at any time upon it Those that areotherwise they shew but little love and affection which they bear unto him Thirdly Out of respect to themselves and their own advantage The more sin there is abroad the more are all men concerned in it not evil men but good who are from hence in so much the greater danger and that in a twofold respect both as to matter of defilement and of punishment They are more in danger from hence to be polluted and they are more in danger from hence to be afflicted and this makes them to be so much troubled at it First In order to Defilement they are more in danger from hence to be polluted Great and reigning sins and abominations are usually great temptations which do hazard the souls of many persons that converse amongst them and therefore there is cause to be grieved for them What is it that which makes men now so troubled to hear of the spreading of certain sicknesses and diseases Why it is because they think that themselves may haply come to feel them and to be infected with them that which befalls others they think at last it may light upon them And so is it likewise with gracious persons as to spiritual distempers when they hear of such corruptions and wickedness which are abroad in the world they are therefore much afflicted with them because they fear lest they themselves should be any thing defiled from them they are jealous of their own hearts in case of the prevailing of such sins and so do grieve and mourn for and under them And this they do it in order to defilement as being in danger to be polluted Secondly In order also to Punishment as being in danger to be afflicted Common and publick abominations they beget common and publick plagues and judgments which follow thereupon This those that are wise and prudent Christians know and discern well enough Evil men understand not judgment but they that seek the Lord understand all things says Solomon Prov. 28.5 Fools make a mock of sin and those that are wicked and ungodly they are commonly hardned and secure in the midst of the greatest wickednesses that are commited Because they do not suffer for them presently therefore they think they shall not suffer at all Yea but the children of God they are otherwise perswaded they know that sin will sooner or later come to a reckoning and when they see it to increase in the world they foresee the judgments that attend it and therefore tremble at the sight of it as knowing that God is so much the more provoked by it and so will at length proceed to the punishment of it There are two things in the increase of sin and the spreading of more nauseous abominations which to this purpose do very much affect the children and servants of God the one is they are conscious of Gods anger and displeasure in the cause of them And the other is as they are prognosticks of Gods wrath and judgment in the effects First I say as they ar consequents of his anger and displeasure for so they are There is nothing which is more redious to Gods children than the anger and displeasure of God Now reigning abominations they are a symptom and discovery of that they are a sign that God is very much offended with those places and persons where he suffers them and permits them to be in them and gives them up to them We many times make light of it but believe it for any people to be given up to more notorious wickedness is the greatest argument of Gods anger that can be and in that regard a special ground for mercy to those that are good As it is a sign of God's anger against a person to be given up to strong and strange lusts An whore is a deep ditch and he that is abhorred of God shall fall into it so it is a sign of Gods anger against a Nation when he gives them up to more eminent sins and abominations in any kind whatsoever And so there is very great cause to grieve at it But secondly As those raging abominations they are the consequents of Gods anger in the causes of them so they are the Prognosticks of Gods wrath in the effects they do as good as foretell some judgment ere long to be brought upon
judgment This passage may be looked upon by us as it lies here in the Text two manner of ways First in the general proposition of it as it stands in it self Secondly in the particular scope of it in reference to that which went before and the persons to whom it is directed First Take it simply and absolutely as it lies in it self and in the general proposition which is here exprest in a twofold representation First in the Affirmative what it is and that is that it is darkness Secondly in the Negative what it is not and that is that it is not light First To speak of the former and that is the Affirmative The day of the Lord is darkness Thus we find it to be called in some other places besides as Joel 2.1 2. The day of the Lord cometh and is nigh at hand A day of darkness and of gloominess a day of clouds and of thick darkness And so also in Zeph. 1.15 A day of wasteness and desolation a day of darkness and gloominess c. This is true of the day of the Lord in the full extent of it whether we take it of personal desolation the day of death or of national desolation the day of captivity or of general resurrection the day of judgment But still with this restriction as it referr'd to ungodly persons and to impenitent sinners with respect had to such as these are is this day that which it is said here to be But especially as I said does it refer to the day of death and final judgment which is here intended This is called a day of darkness that is to say a day of extreme misery and perplexity Darkness and light they do in the usual acception of Scripture where they are used metaphorically denote sorrow and gladness as it were easy to give instance of it and so here in this place amongst the rest Forasmuch as darkness does contain in it all kinds of sadness in which is fear and horror and solitariness and all kind of misery Such is this day of the Lord to the fore-mentioned persons not only dark in the conerete but also darkness even in the very abstract it self Take the unprofitable Servant and cast him into outer darkness Matth. 25.30 The ground hereof is this Because wicked men they are darkness themselves therefore is this day of the Lord darkness They are in the darkness of sin and ignorance whiles they live here in the world delight in works of darkness and which are opposite to the light of Grace and therefore go into a place of darkness and which is opposite to the light of Glory Their understandings are darkened and therefore their conditions are darkness also Being led and carried from one kind of darkness to another It is a day of darkness that is a day of fearfulness and terribleness and horror and consternation of mind There 's every thing terrible in it and adding to the astonishment of it The sound of the Trumpet the appearance of the Judge the opening of the Books the passing of the Sentence the dissolution of the whole frame of Heaven and earth the Sea and the waves roaring the Heavens passing away with a great noise the Elements melting with servent heat the Earth and all the works that are therein burâ—â— up the Sun darken'd the Moon withdrawing her light the Stars falling from Heaven and the powers of Heaven shaken What a terrible day must this be to such as are not provided for it that has all these concurrences in it That 's the first expression here considerable viz. the Affirmative The day of the Lord is darkness The Second is the additional Negative and that is that it is not light which is added for the greater emphasis of it Therefore we find it to be reiterated in the verse following darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it And it is agreeable in the like form of speech in reference to other matters which we meet withal in Scripture Thus Deut. 32.4 speaking of God A God of truth and without iniquity just and right is he And Joh. 8.44 speaking of Satan He is a liar and there is no truth in him c. In 1 Joh. 1.8 If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us In all which places and the like the Negative is joyned with the Affirmative to make it more emphatical and so here To take a more particular account of it It is said here darkness and not light as we may conceive for these reasons First by way of opposition darkness and not light that is it is not light but darkness as expressing the simple nature and condition of that day Take the word day and it does in the ordinary and common acception of it denote light Whensoever it begins to be light it begins to be day and whensoever it ceases to be light it ceases to be day as that which does give the proper notion and denomination unto it and which distinguishes the one from the other God called the light day and the darkness he called night Gen. 1.5 Yea but here now in the Text it is day and yet not light day and no light in it This by way of opposition Secondly By way of intension and to shew the greatness of this darkness It is dark and dark entirely without the mixture of any thing to qualify it or to take off from the severity of it without ease without comfort without direction or any good counsel which are such things as are sometimes exprest to us by the name of light This is the misery of Hell and of the judgment which passes upon wicked men that it is absolute and compleat and entire The wrath of God without mixture as the Scripture calls it that is without any mixture of favour or refreshment in it Take any day whatsoever here in the world whether in the proper sense or in the metaphorical and it is not so over-darkned with darkness but has some kind of glimmerings of light in it The day which is fullest of clouds the rainiest and most tempestuous day yet it partakes of some light And the day which is fullest of troubles the saddest and most disconsolate day it has some mixtures of refreshment in it likewise which do serve to allay it Yea but this day of the Lord here spoken of it has none of this it is darkness and no light it is sadness and no comfort Thirdly By way of perpetuity and continuation Darkness and no light that is darkness and always dark There are some days which though they may be dark for a while yet they do not abide and continue to be so but do at last overcome that The Sun it breaks through the clouds and the day recovers its light at last though perhaps it be long first ere it does it Yea but here it does not do so Dark and no light this is a continual and
the Apostle advises us in Rom. 13.13 14. Take heed of having too easy and favourable thoughts and apprehensions of such things as these are of death and judgment and calamity as if they had no great matter in them for it will not appear to be so when they shall come in good earnest Wo unto you that in this sense desire that is diminish and despise and disregard the day of the Lord which is a kind of desire interpretatively as being next to it for you have no ground or cause for it The day of the Lord being dark and not light yea very dark and no brightness in it as it is here exprest And further here consider the great difference which is betwixt man and man in this particular for whiles this day of the Lord is said to be thus and thus it is still to be taken in a variety of Emphasis according to the variety of Persons which are concern'd in it The same day being occasionally and respectively either one or t'other unusquisque sibi est aut tenebrae aut lumen says St. Austin Every one is to himself either darkness or light Si pius lumen si impius tenebrae Those which are gracious and truly religious to such the day of the Lord whether in death or judgment it is a day of light and joy and of comfort in death as it translates them to Glory and in Judgment as it finishes Glory to them On the other side to those which are wicked and ungodly and profane and atheistical to them it is a day of darkness and horror As the cloud which we read of in Exod. 14.20 It was light to the Israelites whiles it was darkness at the same time to the Egyptians A direction to one and an obstruction to the t'other Where by the way take notice of the unhappiness of all wicked and ungodly persons in the perverting of those things which in themselves have the greatest excellency by making a contrary use and improvement of them There 's nothing which wicked men partake of but it 's either the worse for them or they for it The Word of the Lord and the Table of the Lord and the Temple of the Lord and the Day of the Lord. The Word of the Lord they make it reproachful and instead of the savour of life to them to be the savour of death The Table of the Lord they make it to be vain and contemptible and instead of discerning the Lord's body eat and drink to themselves their own damnation The Temple of the Lord they make it execrable and instead of the house of Prayer a den of thieves The Day of the Lord they make it terrible and instead of a day of light a day of darkness As they profane the day of the Lord as it is taken for a day of devotion so they contemn the day of the Lord as it is taken for a day of judgment and visitation So much for that and so much also of the whole Text. SEVERAL SELECT SERMONS Upon Various Texts out of the NEW TESTAMENT Sermon I. MATTHEW 5.20 That except your Righteousness exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven It was that which was laid to the charge of our Blessed Saviour whilst he converst here upon Earth as is also since to some of his servants in conformity to him that whiles he preacht the Doctrine of the Gospel he did nullifie the vigour of the Law and the Precepts of it That which the Pharisees were more especially guilty of themselves which was to make the Commandment of God of none effect by their Traditions they most falsly and injuriously and unhappily object to Christ as if he came into the world for this purpose to destroy the Law and the Prophets Now therefore did it very much concern him to clear himself of this accusation which we find him to do in this present Scripture by shewing that he was so far from nullifying or destroying the Law as that he did so much the rather strengthen it and confirm it and further inforce it by the sense which he put upon it as leading men to a stricter and exacter observation of it than as yet they had been acquainted withall and this is the scope in particular of this Text which we have now in hand Our Saviour had for the general profest it in the 17th verse of this Chapter Think not saith he I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets I am not come to destroy but to fulfil Now in this verse before us he proves and demonstrates what he there profest For I say unto you That except your Righteousness exceed the Righteousness c. IN the Text it self there are two general Parts First The Preface or Introduction Secondly The Doctrine or principal matter which is delivered in it The Introductory Preface that 's exprest in these words For I say unto you The Truth and Doctrine which is delivered in these words Except your Righteousness c. We shall a little invert the Order of these words in the handling and begin first of all with the second Branch of them as that which is principally intended and that is the Doctrine or Truth it self which is here propounded and delivered to us Except your Righteousness exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees c. Wherein we have a disparagement of the Righteousness of such and such persons in order to Eternal Salvation so as that these who do partake of no more but only that shall never partake of this The word Scribes is the name of an Office amongst the Jews who were noted especially for their Learning and Knowledge in the Law The word Pharisees that is the name of a Sect who were noted especially for their life and conversation Now the Righteousness of either or both together is here declared to be very defective And the point which arises from hence is briefly this That Pharisaical Righteousness is unsufficient to bring a man to Heaven If a man have no more Righteousness in him than of the Scribes and Pharisees he shall never enter into the Kingdom of God For the better opening of the present point unto us there are two things to be done by us First To shew what this Pharisaical Righteousness is and wherein it consists Secondly To shew the Defectiveness and Insufficiency of this Righteousness in reference to Eternal Salvation and what it is which makes it so to be as is here by our Blessed Saviour declared concerning it First What this Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees was or is which is thus insufficient Now this may be reduced to these two heads either first the matter and substance of their Righteousness or secondly the manner and circumstances Their Righteousness it was observable and remarkable in either of these particulars but yet defective in each First For the matter and substance of their Righteousness it
he must dye for all these This night shall thy soul be taken away from thee This we have set forth unto us in Ps 49.6 and so forward They that trust in their wealth and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches none of them can by any means redeem his Brother nor give to God a ransome for him that he should still live for ever and not see corruption for the redemption of their soul is precious and it ceaseth for ever So in Eccl. 8.8 No man hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit neither hath he power in the day of death and there is no discharge in that war If no man hath power not the rich man not the wealthy man not the man of a great estate let him get as much as ever he can grasp yet he shall never see death he shall never be able by his wealth to free himself from that All a mans riches are not sufficient to preserve his life Again not to save his soul When a man is to appear naked before the dreadful Tribunal of Christ and to give account of all the actions which he hath done whether they be good or evil It is not a whole world which will avail him or do him any good The treasures of wickedness profit nothing in Prov 10.2 Riches avail not in the day of wrath in Prov. 11.4 When God shall set home sin upon the conscience and proclaim his fierce wrath and judgment against a poor wretch when he shall pronounce a sentence of cursing and condemnation upon such a soul as has walkt perversly against him all the riches and estate and wealth which such a man is able to make they can never help him to peace There 's nothing but the blood of Christ apply'd here by Christ's Spirit which is here able to avail when a man 's going out of the world the world it self will then be made appear to be wholly insufficient and they now and then to have the least contentment from it which have the most portion in it Oh that I could but sufficiently fasten these things upon your hearts If riches cannot save a man's soul why should men hazard the loss of their souls to come by them why should men take so much pains and care as they do to obtain them why should men put so much trust and confidence and reliance in them surely men do not consider what their precious souls are Thou fool thy soul shall be taken away from thee Methinks this one word it should strike a serious horror and amazement into every mans conscience What is the hope of the hypocrite though he hath gained when God taketh away his soul In Job 27.8 What is a man profited though he gain the whole world and lose his own soul in Matth. 16.26 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul as it is there also in that place All the tidings could have been brought were not answerable for sadness to this They shall take away thy soul from thee because that this taking away it was not a meet taking away but it had somewhat else at the end of it Take it away to punish it and take it away to torment it and take it away to inflict vengeance upon it It was not so much the separation of the soul from the body as the separation of the soul from the Lord that was that which was terrible and fearful and hideous indeed This is the first observation All the wealth a man has is not able to preserve his soul Secondly We may observe this that God takes away mens lives many times when they least suspect it This covetous wretch in the Text. thought least of death then when it was nearest unto him He was thinking of many years when he had not behind many hours he was thinking of his barns when he had a foot in his grave Thus it has been also with many others besides when they have been pleasing themselves in their enjoyments God has then taken away their souls when they have been promising and forecasting some great things to come to themselves God has then been preparing their deaths Thus it was with Belshazzar in Dan. 5.5 Whiles he was drinking Wine and praising the Gods of Gold and of Silver it is said in the same hour there was an hand writing came out against him and in that very night was Belshazzar King of the Chaldeans slain So likewise again Herod when he was sitting in his Pomp upon his Throne in his glorious apparel and priding himself in the shout and applause of the people it is said that immediately the Angel of the Lord smote him because he gave not God the glory in Acts 2.23 Thus it was also with Sisera whiles he was sleeping securely in the Tent Jael came upon him with an hammer and stroke a nail through his temples that he died And so I might instance in many other examples besides there 's nothing almost more usual This God will have to be that he may teach us that we are dependant creatures and that our times are in his hands that no man might think of himself more highly than he ought to think but think soberly and meekly therefore he usually disappoints men in their greatest expectations where they do not take him to counsel There 's nothing a surer evidence and fore-runner of any ones miscarriage than an absolute and peremptory determination upon any thing without reference to God No he will have us to know our selves to be but men and accordingly think of our selves This should therefore teach us to take heed of boasting of to morrow or of promising our selves any certainty and assurance in any thing below Alas for ought we know we may be stript and depriv'd of our lives and we know not how soon There 's nothing more ordinary among men than to resolve long before hand and to project to themselves what they will do for time to come And there is nothing more ordinary than for men in such cases as these many times to have their lives taken from them when men settle themselves in a condition as I may so speak and think when they are come to this they shall now be sure to make their mountain strong and think they shall never be moved as David said then 's the very time usually for God to disappoint them Therefore take heed of this setling and resolving afore-hand of any thing I know there 's a lawful forecast and providence which ought to be used and it is such as is both needful and commendable but take heed of this Soul take thy rest take heed of thinking thou hast goods for many years take heed of saying with Peter It is good to be here for then in all probability and likelihood art thou going away God will not have us to dream of rest in a place of disquiet nor God will not have us to think of certainty in a condition of
and a Soul with the Image of Christ stamp'd and imprinted upon it Alas all is but vain and deceitful like the grass and like the flower that fades amp c. And Strength what a weak thing is that in a man who is a slave to his lusts and has not power over his own corruptions and the natural inclinations of his heart How is he become weak even as weak as water it self So for Honour and Favour and Interest and the Countenance and Respect of Great persons what are all these without the love of God in Christ and his good will assured unto the Soul And so I might go on in the rest Let us therefore I say from hence take a scantling both of our selves and other men Let us so far esteem of any persons as they have more in them of those things which are needful and so far again think meanly of them as they are destitute and deprived of these though never so much qualified and adorned in other regards As Mary was from hence preferred before her Sister Martha Lastly Seeing one thing is needful we have here also a very good account of God's dealings and proceedings with his people here in the world as a special ground and argument of satisfaction and contentation unto them Seeing he provides this one thing for them they hav no cause to murmur against him as to some outward and worldly deprecations God's children though they may want other things yet they shall be sure not to want that which is most needful and necessary for them He will be sure to give them Heaven and Happiness and Salvation and Eternal Life Fear not little Flock it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom Luke 12.32 He will give you the Kingdom what-ever else he takes from you And so Psal 84.12 The Lord is a Sun and a Shield the Lord will give Grace and Glory no good thing will he with-hold from them that walk uprightly There is nothing which is simply good nor there is nothing which is absolutely good nor there is nothing which is god for their souls and necessary for their salvation which he will detain from them which I say may be a very great argument of satisfaction unto them It is not necessary to have Honours and Riches and Pleasures and Greatness in the World but it is necessary to have Grace and Holiness and Peace and Eternal Life It is necessary to be saved and this it shall not be denied The one thing necessary Again further This may also satisfy us in all the hard and severe courses which God seems sometimes to take with his children when he lays his corrections upon them here in this life as a means to work out their corruptions and to prepare them for an heavenly condition that all this is needful and necessary and such as cannot be well omitted Physick it is as needful as Health which is procured by it Because salvation is needful therefore is affliction also sometimes needful as a means tending to this Salvation And so the Scripture it self represents it 1 Pet. 1.6 Wherein ye greatly rejoyce though now for a season if need be ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations There 's need sometimes we should be in heaviness and we are never so but when there is need Therefore this should make us patient and constant and well-satisfied with it and to harbour and entertain good thoughts and apprehensions of God in this particular Who what-ever he does to his children still looks to the main business and that which is of most concernment to them Look as in all our carriages and behaviours God expects and requires of us to look at the one thing needful for our selves so likewise in all his carriages and dealings with us he takes care himself to look at the one thing needful for us And so much for that Point That Religion or if ye will consequently Salvation it is the one thing which is needful One thing more and so to conclude for this time And that may be drawn from the occasion and the connexion of these words in the Context Our Blessed Saviour had blamed Martha for her too much carefulness and sollicitude about other matters Thou art careful and troubled about many things And see here now how he endeavours and goes about to cure her of this disemper and that is by putting her upon that which was of more concernment to her From whence we may observe thus much That the way to be freed from superfluous cares is to divert and so turn to necessary The looking after salvation will take men off from distraction about the world and the things that belong thereunto This we gather from the course which was taken by our Saviour with Martha in her present condition who suggests this unto her as that which was most seasonable for her This it does upon a twofold account First as it is another thing and so it does it by way of Interruption Secondly as it is a greater thing and so it does it by way of Absorption First I say As it is another thing and so it does it by way of Interruption Diversions they break the force of any thing and check it in its full pursuit And so it is here when people are eager in their following of the world and have spiritual things propounded unto them this their earnestness is so far interrupted and so consequently restrained in them As inordinate bleeding in one part is cured by opening of a vein in another and the violence of it is stopt by revulsion even so is it here Secondly As it is a greater thing and so it does it by way of Absorption and swallowing up the greater devours the less As when a man 's in care about his life he forgets some small and petty matter that troubled him even so it is here When men are made sensible of the concernments of their Souls and their future Salvation other matters do not so closely stick by them as otherwise they would This it First of all serves to give us account of so much Inordinacy as there is in the World in this particular why there is so much for the most part of superfluous care it is because there is so little for the most part of necessary Therefore we are commonly troubled about many things because this one thing is so neglected by us Secondly We see here what course is to be taken by our selves in such cases as these even that which is here taken by Christ with Martha in the Text even to help the one by the other that we may moderate our thoughts about the World to apply them to Heaven We should still have this sentence in our remembrance That one thing is needful and we should accordingly be affected with it and wrought upon by it and it should have influence as I have already shewed upon our whole conversation First By way of Specification Seeing there is
compassionate to others in that condition Heb. 2.17 18. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his Brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful High-Priest in things pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sins of the people For in that himself hath suffered being tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted Thirdly God suffers his servants to be tempted for the honour of his own Grace in supporting them and keeping them up and for the confusion likewise of the enemy in his attempts upon them Satan here desired to have Peter and the rest of the Disciples and he promised himself very great matters in the having of them thought he should surely conquer them and have them for his own now would Christ therefore suffer him to assault them that he might come off with the greater reproach that when he had done all he could against them he might see at last how little he could prevail upon them Thus ye see it was in the case of Job the Lord triumphs as it were over Satan in that attempt Hast thou consider'd my servant Job that there is none like him upon the earth a perfect and an upright man c. As if he had said thou hast endeavoured Satan to do all that thou could'st to undo him but yet for all that it will not do he has still the better of thee and for all that holds his integrity This reason which we now mention for this dealing is exprest in the case of Paul why the Lord did not take away his temptation but rather gave him Grace sufficient against it For my strength is made perfect in weakness And the Apostle himself also so improves it in the words that follow Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in mine infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me 2 Cor. 12.9 Thus we see that there is cause why Christ should suffer his servants to be tempted as he did Peter c. The Use which we are to make of it is therefore to arm our selves against temptation as much as we can We should not promise our selves absolute freedom and immunity from it but be prepared for it We should as our Saviour elsewhere advises pray against it that we enter not into it but yet withal be provided against it and to this purpose get a stock of Grace that may then stand us in stead Let us not then have our Armour to get when our Enemy is coming upon us but be furnish'd afore-hand and remember that we trust not to any Grace which we have already received but be still labouring and striving for more We had need of more Grace for the saving of that Grace we have already and especially the Grace of watchfulness and circumspection and of an holy fear But so much of this Passage in the Negative what our Saviour here does not pray for It is not for the preventing of Temptation which he did suffer and permit to befall the Apostle Peter The Second is the Positive part of it in the words of the Text That thy Faith may not fail Which words may be again consider'd of us two manner of ways First Simply and absolutely as they lye in themselves and so they do signify to us the safety of Peter's condition Secondly Respectively and dependantly in their connexion with the words going before and so they do signify to us the cause of Peter's safety First To take them Absolutely as they lye in themselves and so they do signify to us the safety of Peter's condition and together with him of all other Believers Their Faith it shall not fail Those who are true Believers they shall never wholly depart from the Faith but shall abide and continue stedfast to the end For the better opening of this present Point unto us we must know that there is a double Faith and so consequently a double sort of Believers There is the Doctrine of Faith and there 's the Grace of Faith There 's Faith as it lyes in the understanding and is a belief of the Truths of the Gospel And there is Faith as it is rooted in the heart and is a receiving and embracing of Christ Now it is not the former but the latter which is here chiefly intended The Papists that they may from hence prove that their Church cannot err which they will never evince from this Text they carry this Faith altogether to a Faith of Doctrine and so would infer That Peter as the Head of the Church should be infallible But besides the silliness of the inference they are much mistaken in the ground and supposition For the Faith which our Saviour here speaks of it is a Faith of Principles a saving justifying renewing and regenerating Faith whereby we are united to Christ as Members of his Mystical Body This is that which our Saviour here prayed for Peter that it should not fail in him Indeed it has a truth likewise of the other so far forth as it is included those which are born again as they are acquainted with all necessary Truths which God's Spirit does lead them into so they are likewise by the same gracious Spirit preserved in it But that which is mainly here intended is that Faith which lays hold upon Christ which though not excluding the former is more especially the Faith of God's Elect Tit. 1.9 And so Faith may here be taken by a Synecdoche for the whole work of the new creature in us This it is such as shall not fail and so is intimated to us in this Scripture and so in other places besides As Psal 125.1 They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Sion which cannot be moved but abideth for ever And Isa 6.13 He shall be like and Oak whose substance is in him whiles his leaves fall and the holy seed shall be the substance thereof c. This it may be made good unto us from sundry considerations First The nature of Grace it self which is an abiding Principle Faith is not a thing taken up as a man would take up some new fashion or custom but it is a thing rooted and incorporated in us and goes through the substance of us it spreads it self through the whole man and is as it were a new creature in us Therefore it is said of a regenerate person that he cannot commit sin namely the sin of Apostacy and that sin which is unto death because the seed of God remaineth in him 1 Joh. 3.9 Secondly The Covenant of Grace which is an everlasting Covenant Jer. 32.40 I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will never turn from them to do them good but I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from me Therefore Faith shall not fail because God himself does not fail who hath put this Faith into the hearts of his servants Thirdly The Spirit of Grace which is not only a Worker but an
Secondly Does he say I 'll only come see you and then leave you behind Give you a visit for a short time and then take my leave wholly of you He does not say so no but I 'll come and take you up to me to continue still with me Christ will not absolutely forsake his Church which he has purchas'd and redeem'd with his own blood But though for a time as need requires he may perhaps absent himself from them yet he will find out a season when he will be inseparably joyned unto them and they to him as we shall see afterwards in the Text. The Parents of Christ they left him behind them in their journey as they came back from Jerusalem before they were aware But Christ himself will not do so wih his children when he comes again unto them as we may very well gather from this expression we have here before us Thirdly He does not say neither that he will devolve them and put them off to somebody else to take care of them no but he will receive them to himself This place which he prepares for them it is not abroad in another man's house no but it is at home in his own He does not put his children as it were to board send them forth out of his own doors to live with strangers but he does take them and receive them into his own proper habitation that they may be as it were under his own eye And thus we have briefly taken notice of the Negative and what is not here declared Now further Secondly To consider the Affirmative and to come more close to the expression it self which is here before us I will receive you to my self This is to be understood of his last and final reception of them at the day of Judgment There is a reception of Believers to Christ in some sort long before namely a reception of them in their souls which is the chiefest of all and preparatory and introductive to the other As soon as ever the servants of God do depart this present World they are immediately taken up to Christ in this respect This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise says our Saviour to the penitent Thief whiles he hung upon the Cross and was ready to be crucified Luke 23.43 And I desire says St. Paul to depart and to be with Christ implying that when he did depart he should indeed be so Phil. 1.23 And again When we are absent from the body we are declared to be present with the Lord 2 Cor. 5.8 Thus there 's a reception of the Saints to Christ before his coming But tha which is here spoken of in this place is that reception which is made at the resurrection in their perfect and constant consummation of happiness both in body and soul When their whole person shall be glorified taken up into the full enjoyment of God and Christ to all eternity This reception we find to be more particularly described unto us in 2 Thess 4.15 16 17. Where it is said that the dead in Christ with those Saints which are then alive and remain shall be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air That catching up is this receiving which is here mentioned Now this it is not to be till the second coming of Christ and then it shall be When Christ who is our life shall appear then shall ye also appear with him in glory Coloss 3.4 Whiles it is said here tha Christ will at this time receive his Disciples and with them all other Believers and take them to himself this reception that we may take it in the full and competent notion does imply two things in it both Admission and Entertainment He will receive them that is he will give them room And he will receive them that is he will give them Heaven There 's both of these in this receiving and both of them to be regarded by us First By reception we are here to understand admission He will receive them that is he will give them room He had said before that he had prepared a place for them And now he says that he will take them into that place which he had so prepared He had made his House ready for them And now he admits them into it and gives them a share and part in it This is a great piece of his respect to them The taking of any one into ones house and giving them a being with themselves is counted a great matter of favour and so indeed it is Therefore Lydia upon her conversion to Christ that she might testify her respect to the Apostles who had been the instruments of that conversion to her she thought she could not do it better than by such a way as that was If ye have judged me says she to be faithful to the Lord enter into my house and abide there Acts 16.15 Now this respect does Christ manifest to those that belong to him he takes them home to hisown house As the Beloved Disciple did his Mother Joh. 19.27 He took her unto his own home But Secondly As is here imply'd Admission so likewise Entertainment Here 's not only room but welcome in this expression When Christ says that he will receive them The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Text it will admit of such a sense as that likewise to be put upon it Those whom Christ takes home o himself they shall have a supply of all necessaries and accommodations whatsoever unto them and have every thing to their hearts content and desire What a great comfort is this in the due thoughts and digestions of it The Servants of God here in this world they are subject to many wandrings and aberrations and scatterings and tossings to and fro subject to many dangers and hazards which they are ready to fall into They cannot promise themselves safety or security any where here below Oh but there 's a time a coming when they shall be put out of harms-way and no evil shall light upon them or happen unto them Christ will take them up to himself and then they shall be as safe as Christ himself and in as good plight as he The souls of the righteous are in the hands of God and no torment troubleth them Wisd 3.1 Their souls yea and their bodies too even their whole persons They are safe being under God's keeping This is a reason of Christ's carriage towards his Servants in his Providence over them as concerning either their stay or abode here in this present World And it gives us an account of his taking them sometimes out of it It is that he may provide for them better than they are here likely to be provided for He houses them before a storm and he removes them and takes them away from the evil to come Their dwellings and their habitations are here and so consequently their persons in them are subject to a great deal of casualty and
there an obstruction on our part for our seeing and beholding of God after such a manner Now the use of this Point may be drawn forth into a varions improvement First as a confutation of that fond conceit of the Anthropomorphites certain Hereticks of old who would make God like unto man ascribing to him humane shape and bodily lineaments If he were so he might then be seen by the eyes of man which it is here said he cannot be That which they ground their errour upon which is such parts mention'd in Scripture as Eyes and Ears and Hands will not hold they being taken in a Metaphorical sense and not properly Seondly It is a confutation also of Papists in their Idolatrous Worship of God under the Image of a Man God himself presses this as an Argument against such kind of practises as we may see in Deut. 4.5 Take ye therefore good heed unto your selves for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you And so which is pertinent hereunto it is likewise against all apprehensions in the mind of God in the likeness of any visible Object and teaches us how we should in our thoughts conceive of him namely as he is revealed in his Word as of an Eternal Essence most Holy most Wise c. who made all things and governs them by his Infinite and Almighty Power Thirdly seeing no man can see God perfectly whiles he is here below it should make us therefore so much the more to cherish that imperfect sight of Him which at present is vouchsafed unto us in our communion with him by his Spirit and in the exercise of the grace of Faith We should see him as much as we can till we can see him better Whiles we cannot look upon him directly let us at least look upon him in his reflections look upon him as he shines forth in the Gospel and in the face of Jesus Christ wherein we have a glorious view of him according to that state and condition in which we are It is the priviledge of us under the New Testament above them which were under the Old that we now all with open face may behold as in a glass the glory of the Lord and may be changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord as it is in 2 Cor. 3.18 We should look upon God in his Ordinances in his Creatures and in his Children wherein he has represented himself to us and whereby in a sort we may have communion with himself if we love not them whom we have seen how shall we love him whom we have not seen 1 Joh. 4.20 Lastly Seeing here in this present life God becomes thus invisible to us that we cannot see see him and yet notwithstanding our happiness does consist in the vision of him it should make us to breathe and long after that blessed place and state and condition wherein we shall see him face to face as the Apostle Paul gives us an instance and example in himself in Phil. 2.23 and in 2 Cor. 12.2 c. And further we should so order and frame our lives at present whiles we are here below in the flesh that we may be made meet at last for the beholding of such a sight as this is We should by all means labour and endeavour to be pure in heart because that such shall see God Matth. 5.8 And we should follow after peace and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord Heb. 12.14 And as we desire when he appears to be like him and to see him as he is so having this hope in us we should be careful to purifie our selves even as he is pure as the Apostle John exhorts us 2 Joh. 3.2 3. And so now I have done with the first General Part of the Text which is the Defect premised in those words viz. No man hath seen God at any time The second is the supply of this Defect propounded in these The onely begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father he hath declared him where what is wanting on our parts we have very happily made up to us in Christ In this passage it self there are two branches further considerable First the Person mentioned Secondly the Action which is attributed or ascribed to this Person The Person mentioned that is Christ in these words The onely-begotten Son who is in the bosome of the Father The Action attributed to this Person is the discovery of the Father unto us in those words He hath declared him First to speak of the former viz. the Person mentioned who is Christ and this Person is here exhibited to us under a double description First from his Relation and secondly from his Residency From his Relation that is that he is the Onely-begotten Son of the Father From his Residency that is that he is in the bosom of the Father First here is considerable his Relation whereby Christ is here described unto us and that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the onely-begotten Son Thus we find him called in other places by this Apostle There is two things at once in it First that he is begotten And secondly that he is the onely-begotten He is the begotten first of all Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee it is the speech of God to Christ Psal 2.7 and it is again recited by the Apostle in Heb. 2.5 The manner of this begetting is to us incomprehensible and so ineffable but we may take it according to these following conceptions of it as pertinent to it First that God the Father begat the Son of his very Substance very God of very God And hence hath the Son the Name of God fastned upon him The Word was God Joh. 1.1 and God blessed for evermore Rom. 9.5 Yea he has the name of Jehovah which is attributed to none but to him that is the true God Gen. 19.24 c. Secondly God the Father communicateth his whole Essence to the Son He begat another Self of Himself even that which Himself is In which respect the Son of God saith I and the Father are one The Father is in me and I in him Joh. 10.30.38 Thirdly God the Father's begetting of the Son it is truly and properly Eternal I was set up from everlasting says he Prov. 8.22 c. I was brought forth before the hills c. as I shewed the last day This Generation of the Son of God it is coeternal with God himself which is further considerable unto us Lastly This Divine Generation it denoteth an Equality of Nature and Essence in those Two Persons the Father and Son Hence in Phil. 2.6 it is said that being in the form of God he thought it no robbery to be equal with God No robbery because it was his due and of right belonging to him as of the same Essence That which lies upon us is to adore this great Mystery and to stand in
him practically and in the effects so as this knowledg had any influence upon their hearts for the ordering of their lives and conversations Thus they were ignorant of him did not know him so as to fear him to love him to honour him to obey him c. And this is indeed such an ignorance as oftentimes does very much prevail not only out of the Church but in it not only amongst Pagans and Heathens but also as we may take notice of it by the way sometimes even in profest Christians amongst whom 't is so much the more abominable There are a great many people in the world which have a great deal of knowledg and common illumination in whom that knowledg notwithstanding does not produce any gracious effect to the bettering of them like glow-worms which have light without heat and their heads are bigger than all the rest of them besides This is that which is most common and dangerous in great Wits as we shall see more afterwards and therefore requires so much the greater heed and care for the avoiding of it Take heed of resting in the partaking of any knowledg which does not put forth it self in some answerable activity and operation For as every Divine Truth in regard of the nature of it is ordained to some practise so indeed it is not known to purpose except it be put into practise These Gentiles because that when they knew God yet they glorified him not as God but in the midst of all their knowledg were many of them very base and wicked livers Adulterers and Fornicators and Drunkards and Idolaters and the like yea and the best of them which were free from those sins were unthankful and proud therefore they are said not to know God when in a sort and sense they did know him Quod curiositate invenerant superbiâ perdiderunt as Austin speaks what they found out by their wit they lost by their pride They knew God speculatively but they did not know him powerfully Fourthly and lastly They knew God Essentially as considered in his own nature but they knew him not Dispensatively representatively as exhibited in Christ Thus they knew not God neither indeed in the case they were could they know him They knew not God that is Immanuel God with us God manifest in the flesh God taking our nature upon him and becoming a Mediator for us Him they did not know This is clear out of divers places of Scripture and cannot be questioned Thus Joh. 1.10 speaking concerning Christ He was in the world and the world was made by him and the world knew him not And so 1 Cor. 2.8 Whom none of the Princes of this world knew for had they known him they would not have crucified the Lord of glory The world knew not Christ neither in his Persons nor yet in his Offices so they knew him not And being they knew not Him who was the Image of the Invisible God the brightness of his Glory and the express image of his Person as the Apostle calls him In this respect and upon this account it is said of them that they knew not God to know God and not to know him in Christ is as good as not to know him at all for what 's to know him so but to know him rather to our own confusion and amazement and greater horrour of soul it is to know him as an enemy and to know him as an angry Judg and to know him as a person at variance and difference with us as a consuming fire and one whom there 's no coming near this is a very uncomfortable knowledg of him but now to know him in the union of our nature and in his Majesty vailed with our flesh this is sweet and pleasing indeed this is the knowledg which is manifest in the Gospel but this the world at present knew not they knew not God in Christ And that 's the fourth and last term which lies here in the Text to be explained what is meant by their not knowing of God And thus much for the Explication of the Words I come now in the next place to the Proposition it self thus explained as it lyes in the Text That in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God Which affords us this observation as the Moral of all That the greatest Wits of the world having no more but the common light of nature and the advantage of humane Accomplishments are oftentimes exceedingly to seek in the spiritual and saving knowledg of God This is the Point which here lyes before us to be considered by us And I shall endeavour to make it good by a threefold consideration and that founded upon the words of the Text. First The insufficiency of the Medium Secondly The weakness of the Faculty And thirdly The perversness of the Subjects First The insufficiency of the Medium and that is the Glory of God shining forth in the Creatures which is here called the Wisdom of God This of it self is insufficient to the producing of such a kind of knowledg as this is Indeed it has in a sort some sufficiency in it as is here intimated and implied unto us forasmuch as the world is censured for not improving it and from hence they are said to be without excuse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 1.20 but yet it is not sufficient wholly and fully to such an end as we speak of this is most certain and unquestionable that every creature has some kind of footstep and impression of the Deity upon it Quaelibet Herba Deum as we use to speak There 's not the least spire of Grace but it signifies and presents a God to our thoughts much more the whole Body of the Creation This does exhibit and present God a great deal more fully But yet God as he is laid open in the Gospel and as he is made known in the Preaching of the Word this the Creature does not shew nor is able to do it this is a point which cannot be known but by the Scripture and written Word of God which those who were Pagans and Heathens were unacquainted withal To know God as a Saviour and as the Author of Eternal Happiness unto us this the Book of the Creatures does not discover or make known and therefore they knew not God first of all from the insufficiency of the Creation which is here denominated as I have shewn the wisdom of the Medium of God Secondly From the weakness of the Faculty the world by wisdom knew not God that is by its own wisdom and that wisdom which is within the compass of it self so it knew him not The wisdom of the world is insufficient alone of it self to bring any people to the saving knowledg of God this is clear out of sundry places of Scripture as for instance in Mat. 16.17 when Peter had acknowledged that Christ was the Son of the living God what says he unto him hereupon Blessed art
regard of the world of no great descent so likewise for his conversation in the world it was after a poor and mean fashion Foxes had holes and the birds of the air had nests but the son of man knew not where to lay his head This was another thing which made them to forsake him and to withdraw from him Those which are worldly-minded themselves they look at nothing else in others but worldly accomplishments Thirdly His Company and Converse that was another thing which rendred him offensive that he had society with Publicans and Sinners whereas indeed he had it for no other end but only for their good not as delighting in their sinfulness but rather as taking occasion to take them off from it But lastly and especially which is that that is here mentioned in the Text he was offensive in regard of his Death Christ crucified was an offence unto them that he who was called the Saviour of the World should suffer death from the hands of men this they looked upon as a contemptible business and they now began to scorn that Doctrine which brought such tidings unto them This we see made good in the mockings which they cast upon him on the Cross it self If thou be the Son of God save thy self c. And thus we see how Christ was a stumbling-block or scandal in point of Cavil or Exception Secondly He was so likewise in point of Temptation he was a scandal or stumbling-block to the Jews as he was an occasion of sin unto them and this he was as Christ crucified also an occasion not as given by him but as made and taken by them First as being themselves instrumental in the very act of his Crucifying for so some of the Jews had been Their wicked hands as the Apostle Peter plainly and roundly tells them had crucified him and put him to death And was he not then truly a stumbling-block and a scandal unto them in this regard what greater sin could there be than the crucifying of the Lord of Glory and the putting of the Son of God to an open shame why this now some of them did and so fell into a grievous sin But then secondly that was not all that they were active themselves in crucifying him but further in that being crucified they took occasion from hence to abhor him and so much the more to withdraw from him so that now he is indeed a stone of stumbling to them and they stumble at this chief corner-stone as the Scripture speaks This is the great misery and wretchedness of wicked men that they are so far from being the better as that they are the worse for the Mysteries of Salvation and their hearts are now so much the more hardened as these things are tendered and exhibited unto them As the Apostle observes of the Law it was an occasion of sin unto him Rom. 7.10 Thus he was a scandal also in point of Temptation Thirdly A scandal also in point of Destruction Christ crucified and the preaching of him was to the Jews an occasion of ruin and plunged them so much the deeper as it fell out in condemnation And that because they rejected this means of Salvation which was now offered unto them this the Apostle himself signifies unto us in Rom. 9.31 32 33. Israel which followed after the law of righteousness hath not attained to the law of righteousness Wherefore Because they sought it not by faith but as it were by the works of the law for they stumbled at that stumbling-stone as it is written Behold I lay c. And so the Apostle Peter again 1 Pet. 2.7 8. A stone of stumbling and a rock of offence to them which are disobedient This was Christ crucified to the Jews He was through their own sin and corruption instead of a Saviour a Destroyer and instead of a means of recovery an occasion of great mischief and ruin Now what 's the Moral of all this to us For I suppose the Spirit of God intends somewhat more than the bare history and narration and what is written before in this kind it is written for our learning There is somewhat which we may take notice of as profitable for our own instruction from this of the Jews and that 's this That the means of Grace and Salvation are to corrupt and perverse hearts the occasions of greater ruin and destruction Christ who by Gods appointment was a precious and chief corner-stone is to the Jews a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence They break their shinns at this stone and are bruised by it This is a truth in sundry Particulars wherein it is made good take it in what you will almost and so you shall find it This very Doctrine it self of Christ crucified It is such as by many persons is wrested to their own perdition and destruction For what do divers sorts of people conclude from hence why that therefore they may live as they list and give no account of their carriage Christ died and therefore they think that hereby themslves are discharged upon what terms and conditions they please This is the Cross of Christ a stumbling to them they are ruined and undone by it and occasionally more involved in condemnation And so as for the Death of Christ so also for the Remembrance of this death which is exhibited to us in the Sacrament of the Lords-Supper which we are now to approach to Those which are yet in their sins even this is also a stumbling-block to them He that eats and drinks unworthily he eats and drinks damnation to himself not discerning the Lords-body as the Apostle tells us 1 Cor. 11.29 The word in the Text is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies judgment and it respects either temporal or eternal it being in a sense true of both First Temporal judgment forasmuch as in the profaning of this Ordinance he provokes God to inflict many temporal evils upon him For this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep as it is vers 30. Profanation of the Ordinances is an occasion of many corporal diseases But then se condly also spiritual and eternal there are such evils as these which are oftentimes consequent hereupon and I join them both together as relating one to the other First Spiritual and that even here in this present life in a judgment upon the soul and spirit Careless and unworthy Communicants they do much prejudice themselves here both in reference to Grace and Comfort for Grace instead of improving in this they improve more in sin and their corruptions encrease more upon them than they did before When a man comes conscionably to this Ordinance and receives it so as he should do it is a means through the Blessing of God for the weakening of corruption in him and for the strengthening of the Graces of Gods Spirit but when he comes carelesly and hand over head it proves the contrary to him Let a man have any Grace
much as the day of the Lord together with all the consequents and circumstances of it which does carry a great deal of fear and astonishment with it It does so and it deserves to do so in these respects First From the severity of the proceedings in the ordering and managing of it which shall be with a great deal of terror In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power Is not this very terrible and a dispensation of much severity it cannot be denied And therefore those that think otherwise are mistaken and exceedingly deceived of that day it is a day of wrath a day of trouble and distress a day of wastness and desolation a day of darkness and gloominess c. Zeph. 1.15 And as it is so in it self so it is especially so to all wicked and ungodly persons to them it is the terror of the Lord with a witness from the guiltiness which is upon them This is that which properly gives this denomination unto it if we take it abstractly considered in it self or in reference to the Children of God so it shall not have such terror or dreudfulness in it those alone who are reconciled to God through Christ upon them it shall have another impression and another notion as it is the day of refreshment the day of redemption the day of restitution the day of recompence and reward The second is the Apprehension of this object in reference to the mind and understanding and that is knowing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We see here upon what terms we proceed in Christianity and Religion not upon meerer fancies only and conjectures and bare probabilities but upon a certainty and good assurance Divinity it is a matter of Knowledg and it is the excellency of it that it is so elpecially compared with some other things in the world which are of another nature it stands upon good grounds as the bottom and foundation of it which is the Word of truth it self Thus 2 Pet. 1.16 We have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ but were eye-witnesses of his majesty c. And v. 19. We have also a more sure word of prophesie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place c. This is the Scripture and Word of God But how did Paul know this which he here speaks of this Terrour of the Lord and the accurateness of this judgment of Christ which he had before mentioned and here refers to He knew it divers ways First By immediate revelation and inspiration from God himself it was delivered to him from the Lord as he says elsewhere of other truths I have received from the Lord that which I have delivered unto you It pleased God from Heaven to inform him and to acquaint him with this Divine truth concerning the Judgment to come together with some circumstances which shall attend it which he does discover as a profound mystery in some other places And that which he had as it were even from Gods own mouth and intimation of that he might very well say that he knew it as here he does knowing it by revelation Secondly He knew it also by Discourse and collection of one thing from another There 's very good reason for it that there should be such a day as this is the day of Judgment and that God should call men to an account hereafter for that which they do now in the flesh It 's very agreeable to the justice of God a righteous thing with him as it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in 2 Thes 1.6 When we shall consider that little recompence or reward is give here below either to good or bad we may from hence very rationally conclude that there is another time and place for it which shall not escape it That which seems to make most against it with carnal and secure persons is the delay and procrastination of it because it is not presently therefore they conclude that it will not be at all as those mockers in Peter Where is the promise of his coming c. But as the Apostle there resolves it Gods slackness is only long-suffering Patientia est non negligentia as Austin to the same effect Non ille potentiam perdidit sed nos ad poenitentiam reservavit c. de Verb. Apost Ser. 20. Some read it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the subjunctive and so make it a matter of counsel and exhortation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Oecumenius But I think we need not do that I shall rather take it as it is here offered in the Indicative It is an expression which carries a various emphasis in it Thirdly He knew it also by Experience and by some sense of it upon himself in his own heart he knew it thus As he was wrapt up into Paradise and carried unto the Third Heaven so he was likewise cited to Christs Tribunal and brought before his Judgment-seat in his own soul and consicence S. Paul did not speak of these things at random and loosely but he had some practical apprehensions of them from where he knew them and did therefore to much the more boldly and freely and confidently discourse of them to other men There 's no man that knows what sin is but he consequently knows what judgment is and by the sight of the one is lead to the preconception of the other forasuch as sin in the guilt and nature of it summons to Judgment This was the Apostles great advantage in this business which he discoursed about that he spoke of it from his own spirit with some kind of sense and feeling of it which is that which all other Ministers should labour and endeavour to do in the whole course of their Ministry and in the Doctrines which are delivered by them First to work and fasten and imprint them upon them own hearts and then from thence to commend them to their hearers with the greater efficacy and success that so even in this sense likewise as well as in regard of affection they may impart unto them not the Gospel of God only but also their own souls 1 Thes 2.8 as being sensible and really satisfied in that which they deliver And thus much of the first thing here considerable in this first General of the Ministerial performance viz. the Motive Knowing the terror c. The second is the Work it self We perswade men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where again four things more whereof two exprest and two implied First What. Secondly Whom Thirdly For what or what to Fourthly Upon what ground There 's the Act and the Object and the End or
and Points of Religion especially such as do more concern Christ himself And not only to be acquainted with them but also changed into them which is a further thing here considerable of us to make up to us this forming of Christ so as all the several Doctrines of Christianity they may have a work upon our Hearts and Affections answerable and suitable to the nature of the Doctrines themselves Thus Rom. 6.17 Ye have obeyed from the heart that form of Doctrine which was delivered unto you In the Greek it is into which ye were delivered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This was the commendation of the Romans that as the Evangelical Doctrine was delivered to them so they also were delivered to it that is changed and transformed into the nature and condition of it and closing and complying with it This is the duty of all others besides We should not only hear the word to hear it and notionally to discourse of it but we should hear it that we may obey it and practically conform our selves unto it That 's the first Explication of this forming of Christ in us as it does relate to the Doctrine of Christ The second is as it does relate to the Spirit of Christ Till Christ be formed in you that is till ye are made conformable to Christ having the same mind and spirit in you which was first in him This is another thing which the Scripture urges upon us and makes mention of to us as Rom. 8.29 For whom he did foreknow he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son Christians they must be conformed to Christ and made like unto him this is to have him formed in them Now this conformity it is of two sorts as the Scripture exhibits it First A conformity of disposition and secondly Of conversation First Of Disposition That we be like affected as he was Let the same mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus Phil. 2.5 So 1 Cor. 2. ult We have the word of Christ Christ he is to have an influence upon the framing and fashioning of our spirits And that again in two Particulars First In a conformity to his Death and secondly in a conformity to his Resurrection In a conformity to his Death so we have it in Phil. 3.10 That I may know him and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable to his death How are we made conformable to his Death when as namely his Death proves effectual to the killing of sin in us and the mortifying of corrupt affections in our hearts Thus also Rom. 6.6 Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin for he that is dead is freed from sin Then for the conformity to his Resurrection that is when we do partake of a quickening power from Christ to enliven us in all holy performances Thus Rom. 6.4 5. Therefore we are buried with him by Baptism into death that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newness of life For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death we shall be also in the likeness of his Resurrection So much of the first conformity to Christ viz. the conformity of Disposition The 2d is the conformity of conversation to others when as we walk as Christ also walked 1 Joh. 2.6 And Christ is formed in our course that is made conspicuous to others from our carriage and behaviour What the carriage and behaviour of Christ was we have at large laid down to us in the Gospel which is the History of his whole Life declaring how he still went about doing good where ever he came how full he was of meekness and sweetness and gentleness and compassion and yet with it an holy zeal also against sin and sinful persons Now what 's the result of all to us as we should improve it but that accordingly in our several opportunities we should conform unto it that as he became like to us so we also should be made like unto him If we would know how this may be done by us I know no better way for it than by looking upon Christ as he is there represented unto us We know what a force there is in sight to work upon the imagination as in cattel when they conceived upon the beholding of the party coloured rods and had lambs suitable thereunto But there 's a stronger power in the eye of faith beholding Christ as he is propounded in the Gospel to change us and to make us like unto him Therefore says the Apostle elsewhere We all 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 2 Cor. 3.18 The sight of Christ in the Gospel is transforming and has a power to change and assimilate those that exercise it suitably unto it This is the forming of Christ in us in reference to his Spirit which is that that is chiefly here intended in this Text. Now the Use and Improvement which we are to make of all this to our selves is to labour to find that this be so indeed with us that is that Christ be truly formed in us that we partake of his blessed Image upon us and his living Spirit in us are one with him and incorporated into him as considering that nothing less will serve our turn this is absolutely necessary for us as to all purposes and conditions whatsoever without this we can do nothing which is spiritual or in a spiritual manner we cannot please God or be accepted of him at another day He will no further own us than as he sees Christ instampt upon us Therefore let us look to this above any thing else let us not rest our selves in a bare outward profession and form of Religion which has no life nor power at all in it but let us endeavour that the life of Jesus may be manifested in us and his Spirit wrought into us or else there 's nothing in Religion will do us any good We may talk and discourse of Christs Birth and Death and Resurrection and such great Mysteries as these but alas they will be all nothing to us unless we for our particulars have a share and interest in his Person What is it for Christ to be born into the world except he be born in us to be conceived and formed and fashioned in the womb of his mother except he be also formed and fashioned in our hearts and we our selves made conformable to him as we have hitherto shewn This is that which we should principally look to Not as if there were no other forming of him but only this as some would go about to perswade us but this is chiefly to be minded by us ut quod in Christo factum est per naturam in nobis
child and they shall not escape Which passage may be looked upon by us two manner of ways Either first of all simply and absolutely as it lyes in it self Or secondly Relatively and Comparatively as it carries a dependance upon that which went before First To look upon it in its simple and absolute Consideration Wherein again we have two branches more First The condition it self or punishment mentioned Secondly The amplification or aggravation of this punishment and condition The condition or punishment mentioned that 's exprest in the word destruction The amplification of this punishment and condition that 's exprest in these words It cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child and they shall not escape it First For the condition or punishment it self which is here threatned to such kind of persons which were before mentioned it is signified to be destruction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is a very terrible word and we may look upon it as it here lies in the Text according to a threefold Gradation First In its Negative conception Secondly In its Positive And thirdly In its Superlative This word destruction as it is here mentioned carries each of these intimations with it First It has its Negative acception It is destruction it is not peace and safety It was peace and safety which those secure and presumptuous persons before spoken of promised to themselves and pleased themselves in the thoughts of but there 's no such thing happens to them and so it is a frustration and disappointment This is the lot and condition all along of wicked men that they have that least of all which they most of all look for they are cut short both of their desires and expectations which do fail and come to nought The reason of it is this because they go upon an ill ground and foundation where the foundation is but weak the building which is raised upon it must needs sink and fall to the ground Now thus are the hopes and expectations of all wicked persons whiles they say peace and safety they are upon a weak and false bottom and ground which they proceed upon and that is fancy and lust and humor and such things as these and what can follow upon such proceedings as these but even miscarriage and disappointment it self the hope of the Hypocrite shall perish This is good to be taken notice of by us as a check upon all such extravagances as those are to restrain and keep men within the bounds of majesty and holy Awfulness that they may not be too full of confidence and vain expectations as they are sometimes subject to be which there is nothing does so much cure them of as experience and sense of that which is otherwise as it is here declared to be in this Scripture They said peace and safety and behold no such matter it is destruction That 's the first acception of it in the Negative what it was not But secondly Here 's also the Positive what it was and that was the quite contrary and opposite hereunto it was so far from being peace and safety as that instead of it it was affliction and trouble God does not content himself only to disappoint wicked men of their hopes and of the of the good which they expected but also to surprize them with fears and the evils which they have not expected Instead of peace to follow them with horror and instead of safety to expose them to danger not only to punish them with the punishment of loss but with punishment of sense They wait for light but behold obscurity for brightness but they walk in darkness Isa 59.9 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after other gods Psal 16. Ways of wickedness are ways of affliction to such persons as walk in them so far are they from peace and safety But thirdly That 's not all here 's the Superlative sense also which is considerable of us and that is dectruction and absolute ruine which carries it further yet for the compleating of the punishment of such persons they are not only disappointed of that peace and safety which they expected nor they are not only exercised with that affliction which is quite contrary thereunto but they are moreover absolutely destroyed and brought to nought Vpon the wicked God shall rain snares fire and brimstone and an horribla tempest this shall be the portion of their cup Psal 11.6 Destruction it is of two sorts and comes under a double Consideration either as temporal or as Eternal and each of them are here considerable as the reward of wicked men both one and t'other First For Temporal destruction they have oftentimes a great share in this as it respects this present world God does oftentimes bring strange judgments and calamities upon them and therefore Job puts that question Is there not destruction to the wicked and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity Is there not that is indeed there is it is a question that carries a strong assertion and asseveration with it there are many persons who by their dissolute courses do bring outward ruin and misery upon themselves and do undo themselves as to this present world But secondly As for Eternal destruction this does to be sure more especially fall upon them as most proper to them Destruction that is damnation and the punishment of body and soul for ever in Hell This is that which here seems more especially to be intended in the Text though the other is not excluded because the Apostle here speaks more particularly of the day of the Lord that is as I have already shewn and of the day of judgment with the consequents of it Now this is that which in that day shall be inflicted upon such kind of people The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations that forget God Psal 9.17 This is the sentence which Christ shall pass upon them when he sits upon his Throne of Judgment Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels Matth. 25.41 And accordingly it is there said that they shall go away into everlasting punishment ver 46 of the same Chapter And 2 Thes 1.9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power And thus much of the condition it self or punishment mentioned in the word destruction which we have considered three manner of ways in its Negative sense in its Positive and in its Superlative The second is the amplification or aggravation of this condition which is considerable in three things more First In the suddenness of it Secondly In the vehemency of it And thirdly In the unavoidableness each of which are illustrated from a very proper and significant similitude of travail upon a woman with child as most lively expressing it We begin with the first aggravation and that is the suddenness or speediness of it it is sudden destruction
Admonition or Instruction it self both absolutely propounded as also comparatively illustrated We ought to give the more earnest heed c. The second is the Inforcement of its observation by way of Argument and this is twofold First From the equity of it in the word of connexion therefore Secondly From the danger of the contrary in the close and conclusion of the verse Lest at any time we should fail or let them slip First Here 's an Argument from the equity of it which relates to what he had said before in the precedent Chapter wherein he had fully set forth the Dignity both of Christs Office and Person which the Doctrine of the Gospel does treat of and discourse about upon those promises he does infer this conclusion therefore To speak distinctly of it there are three special Arguments which this Exhortation is founded upon why we ought more abundantly to give heed to this Doctrine of the Gospel in comparison with the Doctr. of the Law First The Authority of the speaker and minister of it which is Christ the Son of God whereas the other was Angels and men Thus in v. 2. of this Chap. it is call'd the word spoken by Angels the Law Whereas the other to wit the Gospel is said to be first of all spoken by the Lord that is Christ himself And again Chap. 1. v. 1 2. God who at sundry times c. where the Apostle lays a very great stress upon this as to the Ministry of the Gospel that it is dispenst through the hans of Christ First For the Dignity of his Person so excellent simply in himself the more eminent the Person is that speaks to us the more cause and reason we have to heed the things which are spoken for the Persons sake it being a piece of great indignity to stop our ears to any one of worth speaking to us such an one is the Lord Jesus Christ the Lord of Glory and therefore see that ye refuse not him that speaketh as it followeth also in Heb. 12.25 But then secondly There 's not only his person but also his relation that 's another thing in it which the Apostle seems to stand upon and is to be refer'd hereunto There are many eminent persons considered simply in themselves but all their eminency it is within themselves and in the compass of those persons of theirs such as they are yea but this person now which speaks to us in the Ministry of the Gospel He is not only eminent for his person but also for his relation for he is the son of God himself and so much better than the Angels even in that consideration also For unto which of the Angels said he at any time Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee c. Heb. 1.5 Then thirdly There is also his estate there 's a great matter in that likewise we respect men much according to that if a man speak to us which is a great heir who has many lands and possessions which belong to him we are apt to give heed unto him Now for this it is also observable in Christ who speaks to us in the Gospel for he is appointed heir of all things and hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than Angels The Apostle lays a force upon that in the place before cited which is thereforemuch considerable in this business Lastly His activity for us there 's much likewise in that We have great cause to respect a Benefactor one that has done us great courtesies and favours when he speaks to us he should be hearkened to by us Now this is also remarkable in Christ for he hath himself purged our sins and upon this account to manifest the certainty and and fulness of it is set down on the right hand of the Majesty on high Heb. 1.3 So then that 's the first ground of this Attendance implied in this Therefore viz. the authority of the speaker The Lord Jesus Christ himself eminent for his 1. Person 2. for his relation 3. for his estate 4. for his activity for us The second is the excellency of the things themselves which are spoken of that 's another thing which calls for attention yea not only invites it but commands it If a man of worth shall speak to us yet if he shall not speak to us like to himself speak but of slight and trivial matters we regard him not for all that nor give heed unto him a speech is commendable not only from the speaker but the matter and in this the Gospel carries it likewise Lord to whom shall we go thou hast the words of eternal life say the Apostles Joh. 6.68 The Gospel it treats of such points as no other word does besides as containing very great and admirable mysteries in it which we have join'd all together there in one chain 1 Tim. 3.16 God manifested in the flesh justified in the spirit seen of Angelâ— preached unto the Gentiles believed on in the world received up unto glory What rare and admirable Doctrines and Dispensations these are such things as the very Angels desire to peep into 1 Pet. 1.12 If we look no further than the height and sublimity and transcendency of the points themselves they are such as may well command our heedfulness and attention to them even in that respect alone and nothing besides with it But then thirdly If we shall add to all this the circumstances attending upon it as the profitableness and advantagiousness of this Doctrine the interest which our selves have in it the sweetness which is in the observation of it this will now set it on so much the more and put an edg upon this therefore indeed to make it effectual to purpose let points be never so excellent considered simply in their own nature yet if they have not a tang of some profit or benefit in them there are some people which will never regard them What does a Merchant or Tradesman care for a discourse of Metaphysicks Very fine notions indeed and speculations which tickle the fancy yeâ— but they have no gain or profit in them Dic aliquid tandem de tribus capellis as he said speak somewhat which tends to our advantage Why this now is the commendation of the Gospel that it treats not only of things which are excellent but of things which are profitable for it is the ministration of righteousness the Doctrine of Reconciliation the glad tydings of peace There is life and immortality which is brought to light by it as the Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Tim. 1.10 Look then as any would give heed when any thing is spoken of which has any profit in it in the like manner should they give heed to the Gospel which is a Doctrine so far esteemed even upon this consideration But then further there 's our own interest in it likewise that 's somewhat more profit if it belongs not to us is no such pleasing theme to hear of but
Professors and Embracers of it Now shall we exempt such Persons as these from being Wicked Men or from being liable to Eternal Damnation Or shall such as these think to flee from the Wrath to come Surely no in no wise they are as deeply engaged in it as any other and are as certainly inovlved in it Therefore Let none flatter themselves in this Particular or think ever the better of themselves in such Circumstances for they have no cause so to do For they are notwithstanding wicked Persons as they are here termed And accordingly shall have the Portion of the Wicked to happen unto them which is to be cast into utter darkness and to have their part in that lake which burns with fire and brimstone For this purpose consider thus much That God looks at the inward frame and temper of their Spirits more than any thing else which is considerable in that And if that be not such as it should be he has no reckoning or esteem of them as such who are little better herein than the Devil himself Take the Devil himself and If he were to live here in Humane Shape upon Earth he would not be a common Drunkard or Swearer or Whore-master or Ranting Person but would in a manner scorn such kind of Brutish and Swinish Sins as those as which would not be so much for his advantage No but he would be rather a secret Envyer and Underminer of the Power of Religion he would oppose and hinder Goodness and Piety all he could he would Scoff and Mock at Christianity and the Principles of it and do his utmost indeavour to draw men from the entertaining of it All this and the like he would do in a fair outward and civil conversation And whiles many others do no more then so and in a manner do as much How can they do other than fall into the condemnation of the Devil which is here mentioned that is To depart into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels Matth. 25.41 Therefore though we have Civility and would have others to have it also and to be conscionable in the practise of all the Duties that belong unto it as they are laid down in the Second Table of the Law Yet we would have men to rest or content themselves in such a state as this is without somewhat else added unto it of Repentance and Humility and Self-denyal and Faith in Christ A new and gracious frame and temper of heart causing them to hate all kind of sin considered as sin and for the forsaking of it and to apply themselves to every thing which is Good for Goodness sake To be renewed in the spirit of their minds as the Scipture expresses it To take this part which we are now upon in the full Notion and Latitude of it concerning such Persons as are wicked and shall be turned into Hell we are to take in this as in a special manner belonging hereunto and as principally intended in it namely The Sin of Vnbelief and Disobedience to the Gospel of Christ. Such as are guilty of such Sins as these are the Main and Chief Sinners which are here spoken of as exposed and given up to this Punishment This is the Condemnation says our Blessed Saviour That light is come into the world and that men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil Joh. 3.19 And so the Apostle Peter seems to declare unto us in that his quick and convincing Question and Expostulation 1 Pet 4.17 If Judgment begin with us what shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel of Christ And if the righteous scarcely be saved where shall the ungodly and sinner appear Where by the Ungodly and Sinner he seems to intend more especially such as he had said were disobedient to the Gospel These being such as do in a special manner deserve such names to be put upon them These shall not be able to appear at the General Day of Account with any Confidence or Boldness in themselves Therefore though other Sinners are as we have shewn before included in this Expression of Wicked Persons and so consequently liable to the Judgment which is here passed upon them Yet these are more especially intended above the rest as being mainly concerned in it Vnbelief it is the great Damning Sin because all other Sins besides that do especially damn in the strength of that as giving an Actual Force and Efficacy unto them especially where it is joyned with slighting and contemning of the Mercies and Ordinances and Opportunities of Salvation Here it is damning indeed and puts those who are guilty of it into the lowest place of Hell This our Saviour intimates to us in the Case of Corazin and Bethsaida and Capernaum those Cities wherein most of his mighty Works had been done with little success as to the Improvement of them That it should be more tollerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of Judgment than for them Matth. 11.22 The Tyrians rnd Sidonians and Sodomites they were great and grievous Sinners They were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly as the Scripture tells us Gen. 13.10 But yet these people which repulsed the Gospel and refused to comply with that they were wickeder and greater Sinners than those and are threatned with a hotter place in Hell as belonging unto them And so much may suffice to have been spoken of the Persons here adjudged and condemned in their Comprehensive Representation expressed in that word The Wicked as reduced to three Ranks especially that is Open and Scandalous Sinners Close and Reserved Hipocrites Carnal and Vnregenerate Persons The Second is as they are laid down Emphatically in these Words And all the Nations that forget God Wherein again two Particulars more First The Subjects of the Punishment here mentioned and they are all the Nations Secondly They Guilt which is fastened upon those Subjects as the Ground and Foundation of that Punishment and that is forgetting of God For the First The Subjects of this Punishment here mentioned They are all Nations Those if they prove to be wicked they shall not escape the Judgment of God Neither their Wealth nor Strength nor Power nor Multitude shall in this life be and security to them Why do the Heathen rage and the People imagine a vain thing saith the Psalmist Thou shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them to peices like a Potter vessel Psal 21.9 In Jer. 25.17 It is said That all the Nations were made to drink of the cup of Gods fury And in other places we also read of the Destruction and Desolation of all Nations So as these as well as particular persons are concerned and involved in it And there 's a twofold Ground for it The one is the Great and Almighty Power of God And the other is the Great and Vehement Importunity of sin First Gods Peace and Omnipotency When we consider what the Lord himself is in his