erre or be of this or that opinion is no great matter is as much as to say faith is no great matter the truths of the Scripture are no great matter It was well said of Austin Veritas Christianorum est incomparabiliter pulchrior Helenâ Graecorum The Christians truth is more lovely than the Grecians Helena for whom there was much strife Hence the Apostle commands us To strive earnestly for the faith once dâ—livered to the Saints Jude v 3. Thirdly They endanger salvation Because all errours come from a damnable cause Gal. 5.20 Heresies are said to come from the flesh as opposite to the Spirit and therefore are reckoned in the same Catalogue with grosse sinnes So that if you go to the first fountain you shâ—ll find errours in Doctrine and loosnesse in practice boâ—h came from the same ground they are both fruits of the flesh though they be different streams yet they are united in one â—pâ—ing Though they may struggle one with another yet both are twins in the same womb Oh what an antidote would this be against these soul-infections that are abroad to think that errours and ungodly practices come both from the same fountain They are all fruits of the flesh and therefore have a damnable cause Fourthly Errours in judgement endanger salvation Because they lead into sinfull and dangerous practices In Philosophy we are â—old of the great connexion that is between the understanding will and affâ—ctions Now the understanding that is the Sunne in this firmament and if that be in an Eclipse you know that evils are portended thereby The understanding is the counsellour and if that be corrupt the will and affections must be very sinfull and unruly Vse of Admonition To take heed we be not led aside with any errour or corrupt Doctrines You see death is in these things as well as in lusts yea if the mind be corrupt all else will be corrupt If the eye be dark the whole body will be dark Errours will breed loosnesse and prophanenesse of life They are a disease in the choisest part of a man and know it is not thy wisdome thy care can preserve thee It 's the Spirit of God through his Word that leadeth us into truth Christ is the truth the way and the life John 14.6 The greatest learning and knowledge will not keep a man learned men have been Heretiques but two things will especially keep us 1. Humility and lowlinesse of mind To such God giveth grace To babes and sucklings he revealeth himself And 2. An holy conformity to Gods will so farre as we know When we do not detain truth as a prisoner in our lives Doct. 2. Whereas you see an eminent Officer in the Church building but hay and stubble is yet hardly saved We may hint this Doctrine though not insist on it That every godly man though never so eminent yet is very difficultly saved If hay and stubble will put us to such danger what then will evident poison If these errours of the mind which are so hardly prevented what will the constant lusts and daily infiâ—mities even of all men Which makes the Apostle Peter say The righteous man is scarcely saved 1 Pet. 4.18 Which although some understand of a temporal salvation he is very hardly delivered from those temporal afflictions that fall out in this life yet by consequence it reacheth to eternal salvation Hence is that command To work out our salvation with fear and trembling Phil. 2.12 Yea Paul who had one foot in Heaven yet he said He kept under his body lest while he preached to others he himself should be a reprobate 1 Cor. 9. ult Now the Grounds of these truths are First From the exactnesse and strictnesse that is in the way to Heaven Godlinesse is on the high hill as he placed virtue Strive to enter in at the strait gate Luke 13.24 Be in an agony yea how strait is it as in Matth 7 14 by exclamation few do enter therein To lay out the nature of a godly man or godlinesse from Scripture-rules would be almost like Tullies description of a perfect Orator or Plato of a Commonwealth Our Saviour speaking of the difficulty of a rich man to be saved that is one who trusteth in them as one Evangelist saith Mar. 10.24 The Disciples cry out Who then can be saved They do not say What rich man but who can be saved because every man hath something or other be trusteth in as well as the rich man in his riches Secondly The difficulty doth appear from that remainder and relique or corruption that is in every man which is in danger to break out Our Saviour bid hiâ— Dâ—sciples Beware of drunkennesse and surfeting though they seemed to be â—arre from it Luke 21.34 Paul how doth he mourn under the powerfull vigor of sinne still abiding in him Rom. 7. Yea the Apostle speaking of a combate in all The Flesh lusteth after the Spirit and the Spirit against the Flesh Gal. 5. So that by this means he is in constant danger of being undone There is heart against heart affections against affections c. Thirdly There are many afflictions and tribulations which God brings on his people and they do much endanger Did not God break out upon Aaron Eli David and Moses very dangerously as if he would have cast them quite off and therefore the Apostle brings in the difficulty of the righteous mans salvation upon that Judgement must begin at the house of God 1 Pet. 4.17 So that if we consider the tempests and rocks in the sea of this world it 's a wonder any can come to the haven Vse of Exhortation Be quickned up to more exact strict and diligent walking If Paul that knew how to abound and want and to do all things who was like a gyant running his race and yet hardly gets to Heaven Where wilt thou appear Hear what he saith I presse forward I forget what is behinde if I may attain to the prize of the high calling Oh then how inexcusable is thy negligence thy dissolutenesse Is thy life a striving an agony Art thou like one in a combate and conflict By this we may see the number of men that shall be saved is very few there are so few that strive that pray that work with fear and trembling that are violent for the Kingdom of Heaven and get it by force Verse 16. Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you THe Apostle though he alter his Metaphor yet continueth in the same matter In the verses before he compared the Church of Corinth to a building here he sheweth what kind of building it is even a sacred holy building The Temple of God So that as in the Temple of old which was consecrated to God whosoever did bring in any unclean and unconsecrated things to the Temple he did pollute it and was to be punished thus all corruptions in Doctrine Worship or
not according to Knowledge Therefore those crafty Principles in Popery to keep men in Ignorance to make it the Mother of Devotion that thereby they may reign and do what they list is to lead men blind-fold into Hell Secondly The Principles are Foundations and are the Root Now he would be an unwise Artificer that should intend to rear up a House and lay no Foundation So that as long as we preach to a people ignorant of these we have no bottom to stand upon Principles are like Seed Every poor man will make hard shift to get Seed to sow with Thirdly Without this good Foundation laid no Preaching or Duties can have any spiritual effect For Why are not the bruit Beasts Why not fools and mad men capable of any benefit by the Word preached But because the one have not rational souls and the other though they have them yet the actual use and exercise of Reason is bound up It is thus with all people destitute of Fundamental Principles All is done in an unknown tongue They are Barbarians to us and we to them Fourthly Conversion cannot be wrought without some Knowledge of the Principles We cannot believe in him we do not know We cannot love him we do not know The Heathens they indeed built an Altar To the unknown God But it is unsufferable for a Christian if a Christian should perform his duties to an unknown God or unknown Christ They must understand and so be converted Isa 6.10 God makes light shine out of darkness 5. The Knowledge of these Principles is necessary to salvation You that are ignorant totally of them cannot upon any just grounds hope for salvation This is eternal life to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent Joh. 17.2 They are a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will not save them Isa 27.11 God would have all men to be saved and come to the Knowledge of the Truth 2 Tim 3.7 Oh then how should you who sit in this palpable darkness be afraid People use to fear in the dark and certainly thou should bewail thy self I am an old man an old woman I have lived thus long where the word hath been preached and yet how little do I know Sixthly None can pretend excuses for their ignorance herein To have much Knowledg in Religion there is required much time and study many abilities better education But for these Foundations none can excuse themselves because God hath revealed them in a plain easie manner He that runneth may read them So that it is our slowthfulness if we do not know Seventhly Want of sound Knowledge in these makes many Errors and Heresies Many affect to speak and hold opinions in Religion before ever they were well instructed Those that did not hold Christ the Head they presently fell to the worship of Angels The empty straw is carried about with every wind He that hath no bottom moveth up and down Vse Of sharp Reproof to such who continue in this damnable Ignorance and that though they live where the Word is preached If the Corinthians were to be blamed because they could not bear strong food what then belongs to them who are not capable of milk The very Principles of Religion are too hard for them They know not what you mean when you speak of these things Thus they are as bruit beasts made to be destroyed You may find as much knowledg of God amongst Pagans and Heathens as among some that live in the bosom of the Church Some have not the Knowledg of God I speak to your shame Many have not the Knowledg of God It may be spoken to the confusion of our faces How doth this darkness cover mens faces by Aitheism prophanenes and great negligence They make it not their business to enquire after Knowledg They greatly nâ—glect the means of Knowledg Prayer Hearing Reading Instructing of others Say a man be greatly Ignorant and you say he hath enough to damn him to all eternity He will commit any sin He will embrace any Idolatry even as the man in the dark stumbles and knows not where he goeth Especially this is a sure barre against receiving of the Sacrament for that requires discerning of the Lords body of examining themselves which can never be done without a competent measure of Knowledg in Religion For hitherto ye were not able to bear it neither now are ye able These words contain the reason of Pauls prudence in dispensing spiritual meat to the Corinthians milk and not solid food We may not preach all things to all people There are gyants and dwarfs there are carnal and spiritual The words have no difficulty only our Translators supply a word for in the Greek it is thus only For hitherto ye were not able neither are ye now able they supply to bear or to concoct and digest for he pursueth that metaphor of making Truth the food of the soul Veritas est cibus animi Such a defective expression we have of the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 potero Isa 1.13 speaking of their solemn feasts I cannot bear them And Psal 101.5 Him that hath an high look I will not bear So that the words denote the weaknesse and infancy of these Corinthians and that though they had given themselves up to the faith of Chrâ—st and had daily waterings by the Apostle after their first plantation Observe That it is a great sinne and just reproach to a people that have lived long under the means of grace if they have not got the due profit by it The Word preached is commended in Scripture for several and divine operations Now if thou hast many years been under these droppings and yet art a dry wildernesse how unsufferable is it In other things of the world you think it not to be endured You send your children to be taught and if in many years they should not yet be able to spell the Alphabet you would think all cost in vain If year after year you plow and prepare a field for Corn and yet there come up nothing but weeds and thistles this is a vanity of vanities and vexation of spirit What the Heathens speak of their Tantalus to be up to the chin in water and yet ready to perish for thirst is true in thee For opening this let us consider What are those choise and noble effects of the Ministry for the defect whereof a people may be severely blamed And they are of two sorts Intellectual upon the understanding or Practâ—cal upon the heart affections and outward conversation For the Word of God is both a shining and a burning light And for the first That people will be found without all excuse and under a great condemnation who have not found those intellectual effects First Illumination and enlightning of the understanding to believe the first principles and foundations of Religion Every Science and so that of Divinity hath its first principles
Christ in their Congregations Ambition pride self-seeking this hath alwayes made divisions for this hath made men set up themselves and not Christ Oh what a comfort and glorious sight would it be to see the Ministery not gratifying parties not making interests but affectionately advancing the glory of God though they be accounted as the off scouring of the world Paul he gave us this example and we are to follow him The second end in which they are to agree is the conversion of men and edifying of them up in faith and godliness If this be our end that will quickly dispell all other things that obtrude thmselves the salvation of mens souls and tender bowels herein would quickly make all one but when men do not agree in the end it 's no wonder if they are contrary also in the meanes when we desire to preach our own notions and our own opinions more then to procure your salvation it 's no marvel if there be as many opinions as there are Ministers So then these two things would wonderfully unite Gods glory and the salvation of mens souls and all our preaching studying and labouring ought to be for this Thirdly There should be unity in affections to love one another to bless God for the abilities and gifts of one another Envy and pride is apt to get even amongst the best You see Christs own Disciples they were striving who should be greatest and one ambitiously affected to be over another and even in those pure Apostolical times you may read of a Diotrephes that loved preheminence above his brethren he was not according to his name for he was not nourished and taught by Christ to do so Our Saviour fore-seeing what mischief this would bring to his Church doth again and again press love among those that were to labour in his Church It was a gracious expression of Calvin concerning Luther who was an hot man and apt to break out in violent expressions Oh saith Calvin I honour Luther as an eminent servant and instrument of God though he should call me a Devil a thousand times over When our Saviour had compared his Disciples to salt to shew it was not his meaning they should be salt to one another he saith Have salt in your selves and peace one with another Mar 9.50 there must be salt and peace Oh but as it is said of Reuben so may we say for the divisions of the Ministers and the divisions of the people are great thoughts of heart Now to amplifie this we shall shew how sad a temptation it is upon the Church of God when the Ministery is not one either in doctrine ends or affections And then what people should do in such cases First When the Ministery is not one this is apt in the first place to beget atheism and irreligion in the people They begin to think that Religion is nothing but a matter of imagination or invention or else that there is no such thing and therefore they will regard it no more they will look after it no more Oh wo be to the world because of offences in this kind He that makes a division from the true doctrine or true ends of the Ministry he had better never have been born he that is a firebrand here may fear to be a firebrand in hell How many Atheists and prophane scoffers maiest thou make by this division of thine Secondly Where there is not this unity it doth much grieve and unsetle the hearts of the godly They know not what to do they cannot tell what to take to such godly men say it 's a sinne others as godly say it 's not a sinne Now to those that are tender and would not sinne for an whole world this is a very racking and torturing of their consciences Oh what shall they do Thirdly When there is not this unity prophaneness and ungodliness doth the more encrease godliness doth exceedingly decay in the power of it For while the Ministers should all as one man labour to destroy the kingdom of Satan to discourage impiety to make the heart of the wicked sad that he may return from his evil way They commonly leâ—ve this and all their preaching is to maintain those particular opinions and to set up that particular way which they walk in Now we shall see the Apostle takes off much from such controversal disputes in which the essence of godliness doth not consist As the kingdom of heaven is not in meats and drinks but in joy and peace and righteousness Rom. 14.17 so it 's good to have the heart established with grace and not with meats Heb. 14 9 and in other places the Apostle calls those things vain which do not edifie Not that the least truths of God are to be neglected yea all things are to be tryed but this should not be the main the one thing necessary is to seek the kingdome of heaven and the righteousness thereof Lastly These divisions do wonderfully harden and confirme the Papists in their way They say how doth the Lutheran and Calvinists spirit agree that which one saith the other contradicts Now although the same may be retorted on them the manifold differences in Popery and that about a necessary point of faith viz. Whether the Pope be above a Councel or the Councel above the Pope yea several Popes have at the same time pretended and in arms fought to be head of the Church Though I say these may be retorted on them and stop their mouths yet it cannot be denied but that such differences do wonderfully scandalize and harden people especially those that consult not with Scripture and seek to be antidoted against such temptations And for that take these prescripts 1. Do not thou by thy pragmatical mâ—dling widen the difference and raise more dust In this Chapter you have the Apostle laying down Arguments against divisions and sometimes they belong to the Teachers and sometimes to the Hearers The indiscretion and hot busie carriages of the Disciples doe sometimes make a greater distance among the Teachers You see Johns Disciples out of emulation and envy did what they could to stirre up Johns spirit against Christ but how graciously did he quench those sparks by that humility of his I must decrease but he must increase John 3.30 2. Consider this That those that are godly doe agree in the main fundamental point So that whatsoever is necessary to salvation that they doe not faile in They agree in the soul and life of Religion for other things we cannot expect unity in this life as long as some have more knowledge than others and more grace and self-denial than others so long there will be differences You see Paul and Barnabas had a sharpe contest with one another And the Apostle speakes of the corrupt censurings that the strong and weake Christians had of one another Romans 1.4 3. Doe thou labour to be informed with a true and divine faith out of the Word
as babes who are not yet begotten anew by the Word Can we expect any increase or fruit when men are not so much as plants planted by God Many Congregations being like Golgotha places not of dead skuls but of dead hearts Oh how short do our people come of the primitive Christians These very Corinthians see how Paul commends them 1 Cor. 1.5 7. Ye are inriched in all utterance and knowledge and yet he finds faults with them Alas the Ministers of God have farre higher and larger degrees of knowledge and grace to press you to if once the foundation were laid Thirdly There are many choise and excellent duties in the exercise whereof a Christian would have much joy and bring much glory to God but the ignorance of a people makes the Mixister not so frequently urge those because other things must be done first The duties are these Let the word of God dwell plentifully in you teaching and admonishing one another Col. 3 6. And again Exhort and provoke one another c Heb. 10.14 Thus the Father he is to make his family like the Church of God he is to instruct those that are under him in the knowledge of the Lord. Husbands they are to be such as can inform their wives if they doubt of any thing in Religion Let them ask their husbands at home saith Paul 1 Cor. 14.35 So families are to serve God as Joshua and Abraham resolved which is by praying to him and calling upon his Name How can these things be pressed by a Minister upon a people grosly ignorant How few Parents or Masters have you that know how to serve God in their family How few Husbands that know how to inform their wives in matter of Religion And how few Neighbours are able to teach and admonish one another out of the Word whereas the constant exercise of those duties would bring admirable glory to God would be infinite comfort to faithfull Ministers but ignorance and dulnesse hath covered the face of all people How many Families are there who eat and drink and swear and curse and go to bed and rise like so many bruit beasts and you can no more expect religious duties from them than understanding and discourse from the worm that crawleth on the ground Oh that we could once preach to our auditors as spiritual in this particular Fourthly The ignorance of a people restraineth the Ministers of God that they cannot so powerfully presse at first the pure and sincere worship of God and the leaving of all superstitious and traditional wayes of worship but they must by degrees here a little and there a little as they are able to bear it Thus our Saviour shewed in that fore-mentioned place Luke 5. No man putteth new wine in old bottles The people were offended that Christ and his Disciples did not follow that external worship which others did and he tels them it is with Auditors and Disciples as with bottles if old they are not able to bear new and spirituous wine Hence our Saviour told the Disciples at another time I have many ohings to tell you but you cannot hear them now therefore they were to stay at Jerusalem till they were indowed with the holy Ghost from above If we should at first press a people plunged into all ignorance and superstition to the highest and exact worship of God they would judge it madnesse Hence our Saviour by degrees instructs the woman of Samaria who worshipped she knew not what And Calvin commends that known counsel of Austin to a Bishop who desired his advise about Discipline where the sinne of drunkennesse had generally infected all which was That he should proceed wisely and mildly Monendo magis quam minando c. So Cyprian saith of himself In remittendis delictis penò ipse delinquo yet this must not be used for slothfulnesse and remisness in Church reformation For how greatly hath God blessed even the endeavours of a few against universal impiety Thus much for Ignorance Then the Sinfulness of people make them uncapable of many precious truths in Religion As First The Ministers labour is most spent in discovering the damnable nature of grosse sins taking them off from their bruitish beastly wayes and as for spiritual sins unbelief diffidence in the promises carnal confidence in themselves c. These they cannot so much presse against because such Auditors come farre short of civility and therefore much lesse reach to piety Hence though they can go along with Sermons that urge the leaving of grosse sinnes yet those about Regeneration and a New creature they cannot perceive Thus our Saviour If I have spoken to you earthly things and ye understand xot how can ye heavenly John 3.12 Secondly To a people living in grosse sins we cannot so frequently and gloriously preach Jesus Christ in the Offices of a Mediatour We cannot make it our work to set forth the promise of the Gospel in its glory We cannot preach of joy and peace in believing We cannot commend the resting and relying upon Christ for before this be done men must be convinced of the guilt of their particular sinnes Thus Paul did to Felix when desired to preach of faith in Christ Thus Peter indeavoured to prick the consciences of those that murdered Christ the life of glory Thirdly The performing of duties in a spiritual and gracious manner so as to have communion with God and to enjoy him This also is too high for sinfull wicked men Wisdome is too high for a fool saith Solomon and so the spiritual praying hearing enjoying of God in those Ordinances is a paradox and mystery to them What a glorious expression is that We beholding as in a glasse the glory of God are transformed into his image 2 Cor. 3.18 but the world hath not received the Spirit of God to know these things as the Apostle saith in 1 Cor. 2. Vse To arouse and awaken people out of their ignorance and sinfulnesse If Aristotle thought a young man no fit Auditor for his Morals because he was subject to unruly affections how fit can people blind in mind corrupt in affections be to receive the truths of God How great is the labour and grief of a Minister to preach to those that are not so much as babes in Christ The very Ox and Horse know the noise and command of the Driver and turn as he would have them onely man is more unruly and bruitish refusing to order his steps as he is commanded How much of the study labour parts and godlinesse of a Minister may be lost through the indociblenesse of hearers Though we preach not Latine yet the matter we preach may be so spiritual heavenly that it may be as untelligible as an unknown tongue We would go on to perfection were not your slownesse slothfulnesse an obstruction Is not Christ nor the glorious promise no more published thank we our selves for this To such are the wounds the blows and the threatnings of the
Saviour to those that do not find themselves lost to commend a Physician to those that find themselves whole to pour oyl where there are no wounds is to pervert all order Ho every one that thirsteth saith our Saviour Joh 7.37 And Come unto me all ye that are heavy laden Mat. 11.28 The Spirit of God convinces the world of sin and then of righteousness Oh but how much unwise and unfaithfull preaching is there in this respect How many are there that strengthen wicked mens hearts and make them not sad whom God would have made sad That daube with untemppered morter that say to every prophane man if he do but cry Lord have mercy upon me Be of good comfort thy sinnes are forgiven thee It 's this daubing and soothing up people in their wickedness striking out all fear of hell and damnation that makes them wallow like swine in their filth To such to preach no comfort but the Law and Threatnings but to those that are broken in heart a tongue of the learned is required to speak a word in season How carefull was Paul that the incestuous person should not be overwhelmed with grief 2 Cor. 2 And here is the more wisdome because Satans temptations are subtile and insinuating We are not ignorant of his devices of his schismes what false circumventions and appearances he will have Now How many are there that are not acquainted themselves with the depths of Satan that are no better Comforters then Jobs Friends were Christ himself was affected with all our temptations that he might know how the more feelingly to pity others Thus a Minister that hath himself been in the deep matters of God that hath himself been exercised with all kind of temptations he can only tell how to speak to the heart of another So that you see much wisdome is required in the giving of comfort Alas every sick man every dying man looks we should give comfort and they would have a word of comfort Oh but what hath thy life been What truth of grace is there in thee Have not some wicked men cryed out of their sinnes in fear of death and publique judgments as Pharaoh did Therefore we must take heed what we do we must not comfort whom God would not have comforted Here is great wisdome required A third part of his Doctrinal Key is To rebuke and reprove for sinne Now how great a skill is it wisely to reprove to have zeal and knowledge together Some must be reproved sharply Tâ—t 1.13 cuttingly We must not spare Thus John called some a generation of vipers Mat. 3.7 and our Saviour Wo to ye Scribes Pharisees Hypocrites many times repeating that upbraiding of them These were obstinate impenitent Hypocrites Mat. 23.13 14 15. and little blows will not move them Others again are tender tractable meekness will do more than austerity So that there is scarce any thing requireth more wisdome than publique and private reproofs Men can so hardly bear them Genus quoddam Maritirii est reprehensionem patienter ferre It is a kind of martyrdome to bear a reproof patiently And Ministers are either apt to be too awfull and pleasing of men or else too boisterous or passionate So that the Shepherd of irrational Sheep have a farre more easie task then spiritual Shepherds of men especially in superstitious Customes in false waies of worship Here an Angels wisdome will scarce suffice What a trouble was that to the Church in her infancy about the retaining or leaving the Jewish Ceremonies The Questions and differences grew so hot that it had almost torn the Church in pieces The Council of Jerusalem was called about this many still Judaizing thought that if you took the observation of times and outward Ceremonies away you took away all Religion Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians and Rom. 14. is very diligent to inform them about this endeavouring to make them spiritual and to draw up their hearts from those beggerly elements Paul was circumspect how to walk in this slippery Controversie To the Jew I became a Jew 1 Cor. 9.20 Not that he was a dissembler or an Hypocrite or humoured them in their superstitious weakness but he took upon him all sweet affections he was as a Jew to a Jew as weak to weak he would consider them as if he were in their case Yea to walk in these Controversies was so hard that Peter gave great occasion of offence yea Barnabas was also laid aside for he did not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which made Paul resist him to the face with this dissimulation Gal 1. Now if the Apostle was so industrious to root out the practice of those Rites and Ceremonies which yet God himself had once commanded how much rather should we those things which were brought into the Church without any command of God or warrant of Scripture but meerly by the will of man As for the other kind of Keyes Church-Government the wise managing of that is far more difficult then Political But I shall wave that as not so proper to this Text. Let us consider the Reason Why this Doctrinal feeding requireth such skill and Prudence And First Because divine truths are not to be managed by humane wordly wisdome but by spiritual wisdome As it 's God that teacheth people to profit Isa 48.17 so it 's God that teacheth the Minister to preach profitably Hence the word of wisdome is reckoned among the gifts of Gods Spirit 1 Cor. 14. and the Apostle saith We are not able of our selves to think a good thought 2 Cor. 2.5 as some expound it in the way of our Ministery we cannot think that which is good and profitable to mens soules without God Hence as of Christ the cheif sheepherd it is said the Spirit of wisdome counsell and understanding shall rest on him Isa 11.2 so it would be happy if the same Spirit proportionably did rest on inferiour shepherds I have caught you with an holy guile 2 Cor. 12.16 There are divine stratagems to win mens soules and if Aholiab and Bezaliel are said to have the Spirit of wisdome given them to build the material Tabernacle how much more do others need it to edifie this spiritual one Exod. 36.1 Seeing then the managing of holy truths is not had by humane prudence but by wisdome from above we must be Scribes instructed to the kingdome of heaven we are not born but made Preachers of the Gospel by God no marvel if this be so great a work Secondly Therefore is wisdome necessary in our preaching of divine things because the miscarriage of these precious truths is a farre greater loss then any earthly loss It 's pity for want of skill in any calling to miscarry in a mans wordly affairs but much more in heavenly there needs not only faithfulness but wisdome A wise and faithfull steward it is that makes five multiply to ten If the Prophet speaking of the Husbandmans skill about his several graines tithes and
wheat having several instruments for them saith his God teacheth him Isa 28.26 otherwise planting and sowing and all cost would be in vain so it 's here if God teach us not direct us not all our preaching is in vain and our Sabbath dayes are lost Our Saviour would not have any peece of material bread lost but asketh them how many baskets full took they up why then should any thing be lost of the bread of life Thirdly Therefore is wisdome necessary because of the untowardness and unteachableness of people which have sundry humors sundry appetites sundry affections and desires Nazianzen was much affected with the difficulty of his Ministery in this respect so many opinions so many different affections and desires that which draweth on some will drive others away now who is able to administer fit and convenient food but he that is endued with heavenly prudence Vse To shew peoples duty how much they are to pray unto God for their teachers that they may be directed into all good thoughts for their soules good Thou gettest no more profit thou canst not understand thou art not affected Oh see if this be not a just reward for thy want of prayers for thy guide How often doth Paul desire the prayers of the people he writes to how happy is it when the Ministery is profitable to thee and thou art profiting to it As God must be with the Preacher so he must be with the hearer a coal of fire on his tongue to purify it and a coal of fire on your eares to cleanse them Oh then how ungodly are they who instead of praying curse grudge and nourish malice for the Ministers work sake meerly when that should make him honourable Consider why is the Ministery good to others and not to thee why is it the word of power and wisdome to others but of weakness and folly to thee See if all this cometh not by thy prophane neglect and contempt of earnest prayer for to make it so to thee it's honey to others but gall to thee it 's a savour of life to others but death to thee Some sinne or spiritual judgement is upon thee and therefore be afraid The second Doctrine remaineth to be amplified which is That it 's very necessary to have a people instructed with the principles of Religion before they make further progress in Religion Thus the Apostle I have fed you with milk Children as they speak like children think like children and do like children as the Apostle in another case 1 Cor. 13. so they have meat fit for children And this point is of great consequence For how universal and damnable is the ignorance of most who have not yet learned the Alphabet of Religion scarce have heard whether there be an Holy Ghost or no Who though they have Christ often in their mouths yet know not what Christ was and thereupon may justly have that doom upon them which our Saviour passeth upon the woman of Samaria Ye worship ye know not what Joh. 4.22 To open this Doctrine Consider first And bewail the miserable atheisme ignorance and blindness that every man naturally is born in about Religion and divine truths Hence Eph 5.8 they are called darkness it self in the abstract and the natural man cannot receive the spiritual things of God 1 Cor. 2. Zophar compareth every man by his birth to the wild Asses colt Job 11.12 What is more brutish then that Now there are thousands of people and those living in the Church of God who are not yet come out of this brutish ignorance men that never felt this Sunne or day-starre of the Gospel arising in their hearts Thus as God promised knowledge should cover the face of the earth as waters do the seas Isa 11.9 Darkness covers our Congregations as it did the chaos at first Secondly As people are thus naturally ignorant of divine truths so also their wilful slothfulness about them is much more damnable He that doth not know his masters will shall be beaten with many stripes but he that shuts his eyes that he may not know he that bids the knowledge of the most High depart from him he shall be beaten with more stripes Oh then why is it that thou art such a blind Bat or Owle in the day of the Gospel thou canst not say it 's impossible for us to get knowledge No how great are the helps and meanes that God hath vouchsafed in these dayes Theodoret tells us That in his dayes the common sort of people maides old women handycrafts men labourers these could all tell the ground of their faith but there are few among us who can rise up to that duty to give an account of our hope yet the Scripture requireth this of all 1 Pet. 3.15 Why then dost thou say I must know how to work how to plow to sow to maintain my natural life and not also be as diligent about thy supernatural Thirdly Because naturally we are thus like a wilderness full of bryars therefore God hath strictly commanded this duty of instructing and informing those that are rude and ignorant in the wayes of God And this duty is not only upon the Ministers but the Scripture commands it indispensably upon Parents and Governours Thus in Deut. 6.7 they are commanded to whâ—t the law upon their family and to write it upon the posts and to be speaking of them daily Thus Joshua and Abraham they made their family to serve the Lord which cannot be without the knowledge of him In the new Testament Paul commands parents To bring up their children in the knowledge of the Lord Eph. 6.5 And Solomons Proverbs are full of these exhortations For certainly if the Scripture say Jer. 9 23. Let not the rich man boast in his riches nor the great man in his honours but in that he knows God then the endeavour of parents to provide wealth riches lands or a great portion is nothing so acceptable as to teach them the fear of God Oh therefore that at last our families might be made Christs Schools wherin the principles and commands of Christ may be frequently urged Oh who can make lamentations bitter enough for the neglect of this In many Families there is the Devils School people may learn to curse to swear to become bruit beasts But to have the Knowledge of God taught would be the greatest burden in the world Well consider that of Jeremy 10.25 Pour down thy wrath upon the Families that call not on thy Name Which by consequence at least reacheth private Families and Housholds And how can they call if they do not believe and how can they believe if they do not know As Aristotle observeth That Families are the beginnings of Common wealths and so they are good or bad as particular Families are So it is with the Church that consists of particular Families But if they be like a Cage of unclean birds like the Wilderness wherein dreadfull Birds are what good
envious man would think thus would I have God no better to me then to such an one Should I be willing to have the Lord deal with me as I desire to others this might change him It 's related of Nero an envious cruel man That he would sometimes bewail there were none of those terrible judgements in his time as in former ages That there were no suddain earthquakes no violent plagues and such sore demonstrations of Gods wrath well might be called clay and blood mingled together 2. It opposeth that admirable goodness in Christ Oh come with admiration and read and consider the life of Christ and his death and you will see envy is as direct contrary to him as the Serpent to the Dove Consider what he was and yet how debasing himself for our sakes He thought it no robbery to be equall with God Phil. 2. for it was his due being of the same essence with him so that he might alwayes have declared that infinite Majesty but he willingly doth obscure this Sunne in a cloud this Divinity in a vail of flesh and when he doth not take the nature of Angels but man even then he doth act the condition of the great and mighty and honoured men of the world but of the most contemptible a worme and no man yea see how good to us to those that hated him envied him how destitute of a place to lay his head in that supported all the world by his power at his death how abused scorned reproached and handled in the most ignominious and scurrilous manner Oh admire all this you that hear and believe Had there been any gall in this Dove any envy in Christ would he have emptied himself thus to make thee full Would he have become poor to make thee rich Oh then if envy at any time stirre in thy heart say Did Christ do thus Was he of this temper and it must need fill thee with confusion 3. The grace of love and charity is often prayed for and that by Christ himself that his people might have it he prayeth for nothing so earnestly as that It is made the sign and symptome of Christs Disciples not by miracles not by prophesies but by love shall all men know Christs Disciples It is a duty enjoyned also for faith hath the preeminence in the upper region of justification so love in the lower of sanctification now the nature of the grace of love is to have idem velle and idem nolle to make all good things and all bad things common yea the soul of the lover is not where it animateth so much as where it loveth Love seeketh not her own love envieth not love is not puffed up 1 Cor. 13.4 5. Oh then if as in the Temple every thing was covered with gold so among Christians every word and action should be covered with love Let all your things be done with charity 1 Cor. 16.14 Then what a damnable sinne is envy which breaks these silken cords when these hellish motions of envy stirre in thee cry out for the Spirit of love Oh say this is none of Christs Spirit this is not a Gospel Spirit As love is the fullfilling of the law so envy is the dissolution of it and as Moses and the Prophets hang upon love so they do all fall to the ground where envy is if then there were but these three objects to look on God Christ and Charity it might make a man to abhorre to take this toad of envy in his breast But Secondly There is still further abomination in this sinne for it 's the very lively image of the Devil There is nothing so like the Devil as an envious man with his hornes to push at every one and his cloven foot to make divisions and wranglings This you heard this wisdome viz. whereby men make strifes and envyings is said to be divelish Jam. 3.15 Oh then What accord hath Christ with Belial Why art not thou ashamed to look God or good men in the face that hast this divelish temper in thee As the Bafilisk doth so hate man that they say he will take the very picture of him if he can Thus the envy and malice of the Devil is so great against God that because he cannot vent himself upon God therefore he doth upon man made after Gods image and although it be no profit to him yea an encrease of his torment to tempt man to sinne and to damne him yet he delights to do it Other sinnes of Drunkeness and Uncleanness turn men into Beasts but this of envy doth into Devils insomuch that an envious man in the constant full power of it I speak not of motions and temptations is farther off from godliness then a beastly prophane man Thirdly This sinne of Envy is a mother-sinne a fountaine-sinne There is no wickedness in the world but this sinne will conceive it and bring it forth Through envy they stoned Paul through envy they murdered Christ all the persecutors of Christians did burn with envy themselves before they burnt the Martyrs at the stake Hence Jam. 4.5 the Apostle alledgeth that place The spirit within us lusteth to envy aiming at that Gen. 6.5 The imagination of the thoughts of the heart are only evil and that continually Now he nameth not the general but particularizeth in envy as that which is the cheif cause of many sinnes For where envying and strife is there is confusion and every evil work Jam 3 16. Nay not only personal private evils are in the womb of this but all publique miseries commonly begin from this spark of envy A Commonwealth is made a field of bloud through the envy of ambitious men the Church is cut inpeices like the Levites wife through envy of ecclesiastical persons insomuch that we may say all Kingdomes and Churches in some respects have died of this disease this hath cut all the nerves whereby any society is compacted together Oh therefore pray we that God would have out this incendiary and Boutefeu from all Churches and States The Devil is called the enemy Mat. 13.15 and therefore the envious one that came and sowed tares so that all the tares of discord dissensions and different opinions are sowed by the envious one that grudgeth at our peace and unity Fourthly This sinne is a just torment to him that commits it When a sinne is a sinne and a punishment it 's the more deadly sinne now this of envy it 's a very gibbett a very rack to him that is moved with it he is like one possessed with the Devil that formeth that is thrown into fire and water his heart is a very hell he hath a torturing within him as if so many Devils were pulling of him The Heathen observed it saying That the greatest Tyrants that ever were never found out a greater torment And certainly if the motions and stirrings of envy in the godly be like so many Scorpions stings in them what are they to wicked men where envy
sinfull Effects first Of striving about worldly things is discovered 1. In passionate and railing speeches Let all clamour and evil speaking be laid aside Ephes 4.31 Mat. 5.22 Whosoever is angry with his brother calling him fool is in danger of hell fire Little do you think of this whose mouths are as loathsome as open sepulchres Oh the names and foul language that that mad rage makes thee cast upon others Whereas the Angel did not give the Devil railing accusations Those foul mouths they argue a foule heart that black tongue of thine will at last be punished with black darknesse in hell without repentance 2. It 's seen in backbiting slandering inventing of lies against others whispering and secretly reproaching of others where they are not present to justifie themselves These sinnes should not be named among Christians but now men are not only wolves but Devils to men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 falsly slandering and traducing others To be a backbiter is reckoned up in the Catalogue of the great sinnes the Heathens were guilty of Rom. 1. and Psal 15.3 is made the character of one Who shall no◠ascend unto Gods holy hill Thou hast a Devil in thy tongue and the other hath in his ear to whom thou spreadest these slanders Thus Christ himself How was he slandered And Paul Whereas the dogs with their tongues did lick Lazarus sores whole thou doest with thy tongue make the whole places sore But consider that Psalm of Doeg a small mischievous slanderer What shall be given unto thee O thou lying tongue Coals of fire Psal 120 5 Fire is thy sinne and fire will be thy punishment 3. A delight to go to Law and to implead others at the Courts of Judicature The Corinthians strifes did break out in this manner 1 Cor. 6. They went to Law with one another Why do ye not rather suffer wrong saith he Now it 's true the Apostle doth not there prohibit all kind of going to Law for our own but the readinesse of heart thereunto and the scandal of going before Heathens and their want of preparation of heart to suffer wrong rather than to go to that extremity they did not try all other wayes of reconceliation first And is not brawling and squabling the very trade the meat and drink of many quarrelling people They will go to Law presently Indeed the Prophet saith To the Law to the testimony but that Law would quickly moderate this Thou wilt goe to Law whatsoever it cost thee what if it cost thee thy soul thy salvation as it may doe by thy anger malice revenge and impatience therein Lastly This civil or uncivil contention rather is seen in the procuring of all that hurt and mischief to others we can either in Name or Estate So that whereas the command is to procure all good thou art ready to do all mischief to thy neighbour We might think these things need to be preached onely to Jewes and Turks to Canibals or such savage men but even Christians are turned such horses and mules that they need this bit to be put in their mouths So that you see this strife is in tongue and hand and if the tongue hath a world of evil how much evil then is there when tongue and hand and heart are all full As for striving in religious matters that is seen two wayes 1. When men are given to cavill and contradict the truth though never so evidently discovered especially because of the purity of it because it convinceth and arraigneth thy lusts greatly condemning them Thus the Pharisees were frowardly bent to oppose Christ insomuch that when they were silenced and had nothing to say they did as the Devil to him Depart for a season and afterwards came to tempt him again Take heed of such a froward disposition it 's farre from the nature of Christs Sheepe which heare his voice and follow him 2. When men dote about Questions and Disputes that have no profit or if profit yet attend not to them in their place The Apostle condemneth this doting and striving about words and for this reason Because they profit not Tit. 3.9 A man with needlesse disputes is like a field that beareth nothing but bryars and thorns There came a man to ask Christ Whether many should be saved Our Saviour doth not answer the Question directly but bids him Strive to enter in at the straight gate Luke 13.23 thereby rebuking his curiosity And Zuinglius did truly observe and complain That men seldome came from religious disputes more crucified and more heavenly I intend to spend but one Sermon on this Subject and therefore I must heap many things together I come to the Aggravation of this sinne of Contention 1. This striving temper is directly opposite to many commands that vehemently presse love brotherly kindnesse peaceablenesse As much as lyeth in you have peace with all men Rom. 12.18 Be affable be courteous 1 Pet. 3.8 Thus you see as Christ himself did not strive or lift up his voice in the street but lived meekly peaceably so ought we 2. These strifes and quarrellings make all our prayers and Religion in vain God heareth no prayer from that man who is in anger and malice with others Forgive us our sins as we forgive others Yea if a man have brought his gift to the altar and remember such a man hath ought against him he must leave that and be reconciled Mat. 5.24 Oh how could contentions and quarrels be thus among you if this were thought on 3. The relation we are in commands peace and unity There is one God one Christ one Spirit one Baptism Eph. 4.5 Why fall ye out seeing ye are Brethren so that Christianity is reproached when you seek to devour one another it is an argument the faith of Christ never had any power over thee As for the good Contention I mentioned that is When men strive and contend for the truths of God for his honour and glory when he is zealous to reprove and punish sinne There are many men that call this Contention and this they condemn for turbulency as Ahab called Elijah the troubler of Israel because he rebuked him and Jezabel for their cruelty and injustice And thus Jeremiah you heard was accounted a man of strife that set all together by the ears Now this striving for God against the sinnes against the humours of men cannot be omitted without great sacriledge And if the suppressing of sinne in an orderly way make any strife it 's thy fault not his that is zealous Christ himself came to set father against sonne and a mans enemies in his own house against him but this was not the fault of Christs Doctrine but of their corruption And further This striving and trouble will work a good effect The Angel that came down with healing moved and troubled the water but that was for good So the Physician he stirreth the humours he puts into great pain and sicknesse for a while
we urge commandements of men if we come in our own name and not in Gods if the Word of God command not that which we command then it may be neglected but when we bring you clear Scripture and say Thus saith the Lord then how great is your disobedience Consider that Heb. 12.25 The Apostle aggravates the sinne of those that refuse Christ now speaking from heaven above those that refused Moses You may say who refuse Christ speaking from heaven Even such as obey not the Word delivered by the Ministers of God unto them How often hast thou heard Go away and sinne no more curse no more swear no more but yet thou hast not submitted to this 4. All this hearing love and obedience must be to them for the works sake This the Apostle urgeth and there is a greater matter in that Have them in all respect for their work sake 1 Thes 5 13. For many may carry it fair and respect the Ministers of God for other ends but it 's nothing if it be not for their workes sake now their work doth mainly consist in instruction and reproof and this is very distastfull and thankless to prophane and wicked men there is nothing men desire so much as to be pleased in their sinnes that we should heal their wounds slightly saying peace when there is no peace Now if we dare not do these things but discharge our work faithfully we are had in no respect and that for our very works sake so that the work of the Ministery informing reproving and powerfully terrifying for sinne and wickedness that ought to be esteemed by you 5. You ought to shew your spiritual respect and entertainment to the Ministery in avoiding all those evil and wicked wayes which may grieve and make sad the hearts of godly Ministers When Jeremiah saw his people walk so disobediently he said His soul should mourn in secret for them Jer. 13.17 Did not Christ weep over Jerusalem because she refused the Prophets that were sent to her And Paul pressing beleivers to unity and godliness he useth this Argument Fullfill ye my joy Phil. 2.2 and again We live if ye stand fast 1 Thes 3.8 So that all the impieties and errours that any of you shall runne into are like thornes in the eyes of a godly Minister this will make them give their account with greif as the Apostle saith Heb. 13 17. Oh that these wicked actions which greive the Spirit of God which greive the hearts of godly men and godly Ministers should not also greive thee Now let us consider when this respect may degenerate into sinful admiration And First When we set up the gifts and persons of men so as to neglect Christ working in and by them If it be so great a sinne in temporal and outward things to take of the glory due to God and attribute it to instruments how much more is this in spiritual things Therefore observe the Apostle he to cure this desease amongst them takes them off from instruments and bids them look up to God What is Paul and what is Apollo saith he but instruments by which ye beleive and God he only giveth the encrease though others may plant and water and that is the reason say some why in the first Chapter of this first Epistle he doth so often name Jesus Christ to take them off from instruments and to look more to him not that the instruments are to be excluded but God the principal agent is to be owned and honoured Rest not then upon excellent parts and powerfull preaching for it's God that worketh by these Secondly Then men sinfully admire when they set up the gifts and abilities of one to the contempt of others No doubt but God giveth variety of gifts and some are more eminent then other yet none are so to preferre the excellent as to contemne and discourage the weaker What the Apostle speaketh about the several members of the Church some are more excellent and honourable then others yet the meanest is not to be dispised is also to be done about the several gifts and parts of Ministers Thirdly Then men sinfully admire when their failings and errours they will follow and defend If these Corinthians that were for Peter should have been led aside as he did many to Circumcision this was their infirmity In primitive times Origen a famous and eminent man proved a great temptation to the Church for men had rather erre with him then think the truth with others Thus among the Sadducees and the Pharisees whatsoever the grandees of their sect taught them though it were that the left hand was the right yet they thought themselves bound to beleive it But of this more hereafter Let us make Vses First of exhortation to receive the Ministery of God with that spiritual respect as you ought to do The best praise and love you can have to the Ministers of God in their work is to turn all that is preached into practice there is no sinne for which God will sooner be avenged then this contempt of the Ministry What is a greater contempt then to be often invited often exhorted to forsake thy sinnes yet to retain them still You do not despise or reject men but God himself God did for many yeares bear with Jerusalem and was unwilling to give her up to total destruction till his Prophets were slighted and abused then they that would not have Ged rule over them had the greatest tyrants and proudest enemies to trample over them Now there are divers Motives to give this spiritual entertainment to the Ministery For 1. They are the Embassadours of God they come from God and declare his will Do not thou then harden thy self presumptuously against this way of God 2. The Ministery will judge thee at that great day You must give an account of all the pains and labour that hath been taken to reform thee 3. If you receive the Word you receive not that alone but all blessings with it When Obed-Edom hath the Ark then Gods blessings do manifestly accompany it Vse 2. Of Instruction Why the Devil in all ages hath still set himself against the faithfull Ministery It is because that is the great engine to destroy his kingdome As also this may informe us who are his instruments in this matter Even such as feel not the benefit of these Ordinances there is nothing that maketh a man to love the Ministery upon good grounds but the spiritual good they receive by it When these Corinthians slighted Paul and doubted about his call he proveth it by experimental works on them Conclude it therefore that all those men who cavil and oppose the Ministery they are such who know not what it was to get any spiritual good by that office For while one saith I am of Paul and another I am of Apollo are ye not Carnal These words you have heard prohibit a sinfull admiration of any mans person or gifts though he be an
Peter commends believers That they did give heed to the Word of God as a light shining in darke places 2 Pet. 1.19 So then the Scripture or written Word of God is one instrumental Cause of all our Faith and Godlinesse It 's the Rule God hath tied us to we are not to receive Angels from Heaven Galat. 1.8 much lesse men on earth against Scripture A second Instrumental Cause of Grace is The Ministry appointed in the Church of God It would be in vain to reckon up the places that speake of its usefulnesse and necessity What is Paul or Apollo but instruments or Ministers by which ye believe 1 Cor. 3.5 Though they are not principals yet they are instruments Ephes 4.11 God hath given gifts to men Pastours and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints That they be not carried away with every wind of Doctrine Yea they are called Fathers because they beget men to Christ and they are said to save men and convert men because they are instruments Yea they are called Workers with God 2 Cor. 6.1 What a great expression is this So that you see the Ministry is an instrumental cause Lastly There are the Sacraments when duely administred and received There are many great expressions given to them Bread and wine 1 Cor. 10. is the Communion of the Lords body and blood Baptisme is the putting on of Christ Now the truth is the greatest error that ever was by putting too much in Instruments hath been about the Sacraments In Popery the Scripture was farre enough from being set up too much they disparaged that making it insufficient and imperfect but then for the Sacraments they maintain The very Act of receiving is to work grace and in this Popery many people do still remain not considering that unworthy receivers receive their damnation as well as the worthy Christ and his benefits but when the Devil cannot destroy the power of godlinesse by tempting men to put too much confidence in instrumentals then he brings about Atheism and irreligion by a total rejecting of them opposing them to Christ Therefore Secondly There have been Enthusiasts or Illuminatists who have thought themselves spiritual onely That have either in whole or in part rejected these instrumentals A dangerous delusion it is and hath many times surprized those who have been hopefull in the wayes of godlinesse and had many parts and religious abilities but wanting a sure and sound foundation they living against the knowledge of truth God hath given them up to such delusions neither have they stayed in denying the Ministry and Ordinances but some of them have gone so farre as to neglect the Scripture also calling it the dead letter and saying a godly man is above the Scripture and the Bible Thus subtil is the Devil that when he cannot destroy by open prophanenesse he makes them decline too much on the right hand lifting them up to some pinnacle and then afterwards throwing them down by some dangerous temptation But this is a great sinne so to advance Christ and the Spirit as to oppose his instituted means and Ordinances First Because it 's a presumptuous tempting of God For as in providential things if a man should argue thus Man liveth not by bread but the Word of Gods mouth Cloathes and food are nothing if God do not give the blessing If a man upon this Argument should neglect all secondary helps Would it not be a presumptuous tempting of God You know how angry God was with Ahaz The Prophet promised unexpected deliverance to Israel and profered a signe to confirme this No saith Ahaz I will not tempt God I will aske no signe Isai 7.12 You might think this had been great faith but it was great presumption he tempted God while he said he would not Thou mayest think this is high and raised Godlinesse to have Christ onely and the Spirit onely thy teachers but if thou doest this to exclude his instituted meanes thou doest tempt God Secondly It 's great pride of heart and disobedient unthankefulnesse to God and that against his goodnesse and wisdome It 's Gods great goodnesse that he hath appointed men of the same mould with us to deliver his Embassage The people of Israel when the Law was given could not bear the expressions of Gods Majesty and if God had appeared at any time they thought they should die presently Now God knowing our frailty and weaknesse did appoint men of the same nature and passions with us and for thee to neglect this is to be horribly unthankfull And then the wisdome of God is much magnified by the foolishnesse of preaching as the Apostle cals it in the account of humane wisdome to save them and thereupon he amplifieth Gods wisdome that chuseth vile and contemptible things to confound the mighty and wise things of the world 1 Cor. 1. Take heed then of the neglect of the Ministry and means of grace it doth arise from that carnal pride that cannot condiscend to the seeming low means in Christs way Thirdly And I will name no more other matter belonging to this will come in afterwards It 's the immediate furthering of the kingdom of Satan Oh what a sad thing is it that which the prophane enemies and Antichristian adversaries did formerly endeavour to overthrow to wit the godly Ministry and means of grace that thou shouldst in another way do it For the preaching of the Word and the Ministry thereof how low soever it be with thee yet the Scripture cals it The Kingdom of Heaven often and that is in a great measure the Kingdome we pray might come And therefore tremble and again tremble left the Devil begin to undo thy soul by withdrawing thee from the Ministry of Christ Alas thou thinkest to set against that and overthrow that But poor man thou settest against thy soul and overthrowest thy owne soul Doe not then entertain any opinion or practice which opens a way to set Satan up in his Throne Vse of Admonition To you who have knowledge and parts and a repute of Religion take heed of Satans temptation in this kinde It 's a pleasing delusion he hath seduced many this way Lay therefore up a good foundation Shake off such suggestions as Paul did the Viper upon his hand walk humbly take heed of pride self-conceit affecting to be some extraordinary person Oh be not ignorant of Satans devices and subtilties in this kind Remember if thou art godly how usefull profitable and comfortable a godly Ministry hath been unto thee Vse 2. To rebuke with all severity those atheistical prophane men that neither regard Christ the principal nor the Ministers as Instruments They are neither for Paul nor Apollo nor for Christ but they are for their lusts their pleasures their mammon as for matters of Religion either Christs teaching or the Ministers teaching they make no matter of Verse 5. Who then is Paul and who is Apollo THese words are an argument to prove why they should not set
affected wisdome of the world without either miraculouâ— signes or scientifical demonstrations either of which would much perswade men Fourthly and lastly It 's the perpetual invariable means God hath appointed to the worlds end When the Ministery and Preaching shall cease then shall all this world with the things therein cease Thus Eph. 4. it 's there said to continue till Christs coming and Paul's direction about the Ministery must be kept till the coming of Christ The former dispensation is altered he hath taken away Priests and Levites the sacrifices and Altars but he will never take away Pastors and Teachers and Sacraments and these must abide as long as there is a Church on the world Vse of Examination It 's the Ministery this is the ordinary necessary appointed menans for faith and other graces Why then is it that it hath not been so to thee Oh it would be an heavy trouble to thee thou wouldst think God had some extraordinary jugement upon thee if thou couldst have no cloaths to warm no food to nourish thee no creature be that to thee for which it is appointed But behold a greater judgement then this no Ministery doth convert thee no Preaehing begets faith or repentance in thee In the Apostles times What multitudes were converted by the Word Yea in the first times of Reformation from Popery How many did not only receive the truth in their minds but grace in their hearts they were not only converted from Popery and superstition but from prophaness and impiety But now alas to whom is the power of God made known Certainly the Word is the same Gods arm is as strong as ever but men by their wilfull ignorance by their unthankfulness and rebelling against the light have sinned away the presence and power of God from the Ministery and then if God go not along with us Alas what can we do Oh that you who are hearers would deeply lay these things to heart God saith his Word is an enlightning Word a sanctifying cleansing Word Why is it not so to thee Why art thou no more reformed then where there is no Preaching no Ministery at all The same cursing swearing the same lusts pride covetousness and ignorance Is not all this because God doth not appear in his own Ordinances Oh men without hope How desperate is such mens condition for if the Ministery cure thee not what will cure thee Woe be to thee if the Word that is so effectual and operative to others be not also to thee Who is Paul and who is Apollo but Ministers by whom ye believed even as the Lord gave every man The third thing in order to be discust is the noble Effect whereof the Ministry is said to be an Instrumental Cause viz. Ye believed Faith is one of the most eminent Common-places in Divinity It 's the Sanctum Sanctorum in this spiritual building It s the fat in that spiritual Sacrifice we offer to God And because of the spiritual and most sublime nature of it it is least understood by the natural man I shall not at this time handle all the main particulars about it because the holy Ghost intends it not in this place Onely take notice that in stead of all the work of grace repenting reforming he nameth believing because this is Initial and Introductory to all the rest The word Faith or Believing is of a very large and fruitfull signification but it 's impertinent at this time to trouble you with it Observe That Faith is the great and eminent grace which God by the Ministry works in some hearers Thus upon Christ and the Apostles preaching still this is recorded And many believed Insomuch that Faith is said to come by hearing Rom. 10.17 The Scripture indeed sometimes speaks of faith as prerequisite to make the Word profitable Who hath believed our report And the Word profited them not because it was not mixed with faith Heb. 4.6 Here we see unbelief doth obstruct and hinder the savoury effect of the Gospel But that is finally in those that pâ—rish but in those that shall be saved God in his due time will by the Word preached work faith viz. enlighten their minds and open their hearts to entertain it To open this Doctrine Let us consider the Nature of Faith and that is usually said to consist in three acts whether they be all essential or some only I shall not here determine The first is Knowledge and understanding This is eternal life to know thee and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent John 17.3 Yea it 's a strong and powerfull conviction of the mind Hence it 's called The substance and evidence of things Heb. 11.1 Believing in the soul is compared to the corporal seeing of the body To say a blind faith is as great a contradiction as to say a dark Sunne or a cold fire If it be faith it doth see the ground of its belief Indeed faith cannot comprehend the matter we believe the Doctrine of the Trinity the Incarnation of Christ are like the dazelling Sunne to our Bats-eyes but though faith cannot comprehend the matter believed yet it knoweth the ground why it doth believe in those places of Scripture and the testimony of Gods Word which saith It is thus and thus Oh then How farre are many from being believers For ignorance covers their souls as darknesse did the Chaos at the first The very principles of Religion the total ignorance whereof doth damn a man yet is like a veil upon most mens eyes Oh then consider that knowledge and understanding is the necessary way to let in faith or rather is a beginning and part of it If thou hadst lost thy eyes or wert smitten with corporal blindnesse How much would it affect thee But now thou hast unbelief and spiritual blindnesse yet it doth not break thy heart Say no more thou believest in Christ thou believest in God if thou knowest not what Christ and God is Though ignorant people are full of their devotion yet because it 's without knowledge and faith it 's as abominable as a Sacrifice without eyes Secondly But knowledge is not all How many Atheists are there that know much and understand the points of Religion yet believe not Therefore the second Act of Faith is to Assent to give credit to them as true and this indeed we mean and Scripture also means this most commonly when it speaks of believing the Word of God that is giving a firm and sure assent to it as true Hence that expression Faith is the substance Heb. 11.1 that is by faith we make those things that are future really subsist as it were in our souls as if present Thus Faith makes Heaven and Hell present The Apostle excellently describes it They behold not the things temporal or seen but the things eternal which are not seen 2 Cor. 4 18. Thus Moses is said to have an earnest eye of faith fixed upon the reward and that is an act
doth divide the whole Ministerial employment in two parts planting and watering so it attributeth the cheifest and noblest of all to God without whom the other abilities are in vain The fat in the offerings was to be given to God and God gives the fat to us in spiritual services the soul and life of all is expressed in this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is one word in the Greek but our English Translatours and so the Latin read it giving the encrease The Metaphor is easie As the Gardiner sets his herbs waters them but he cannot make them grow he cannot make the least flower that is though he hath never so much skill Thus it is here though they be Ministers of Seraphical affections and Cherubinical knowledge yet they cannot make the Word to prosper and to encrease in the hearer it 's God doth that Isa 55.10 Isa 61.11 There you have such similitudes so that this latter part is an admirable direction to look above the abilities above the parts and gifts of men We think Oh if we have such a Ministery all would be well whereas Apollo and Paul cannot give encrease Observe That it's God only who can and will give encrease and spiritual success to the Ministerial labours in the Church God that at first said to the earth which had no more natural power of it self then a stick or peice of wood Increase and bring forth fruit doth also speak to such exhortations instructions to convince and convert when there is no inward strength in them and therefore howsoever the preaching of the Word be compared often to rain that falls on the ground and makes the grass to grow yet there is this difference The rain workes by a natural power as a natural cause but the Word of God only as an instituted and appointed cause by him Did it work naturally all that hear would be converted every Sermon would work like those of the Apostles that brought home so many To open this Consider First That though God only gives the encrease yet it is only in and through the Ministery We must not make such cavils What use is there of Preaching What need of the Ministery Men will be as prophane and as ungodly as ever till God change the heart for you may as well urge What needs the Husbandman plow or sow or prepare the ground it 's God only that blesseth it No God hath instituted means to which he hath bound us and those that will not hear Paul planting or Apollo watering may justly expect God will give no encrease Therefore the Apostle foresaw that great evil of forsaking the Assemblyes the Ordinances and bids them take heed as the forerunner of Apostacy Heb. 10.25 26. If you take a tree from the River side where it grew and brought forth fruit and plant it in a wilderness it will quickly wither Secondly As God giveth the encrease only so the time when and the persons on whom is wholly at his good pleasure The Lord makes the Word prosperous at one time and not another sometimes it cometh like fire into the bosome it burneth thee all over at another time thou findest no operation To some people it 's like the leaves of the tree in the Revelation it 's the healing of the Nation it 's the healing of people it makes the ignorant to know the prophane to become holy it mollifieth the hard heart it turneth a wilderness into a garden But to another people it 's like salt that hath lost its savour or that maketh a place more barren it maketh no relish no tast no alteration You would wonder a people should sit so long under the beames of the Sunne and be no more coloured by it preaching and no preaching is all one to him this is the Lords doing it should be not only marvellous in our eyes but dreadfull to our ears To some it is given to know and understand but to others not Mat. 13.11 Now let us consider why God only giveth the encrease and then the ends that God hath in this First God only can give the encrease because he only hath a soveraignty and power over the heart Others may speak to the ear propound Arguments to perswade but to change the heart to perswade the heart indeed that God only can who made the heart Thus Noah prayeth or prophesieth God perswade Shem to dwell in the tents of Japhet God perswade him or God will perswade him we translate it enlarge as if he should say all the men of the world all Arguments cannot till God overpower his heart Gen. 9.27 So Ezek. 36.36 I will take away the heart of stone and give an heart of flesh No Potentate no Emperour can say I will give a man another heart He may force the body but not change the heart Hence it is that the Scripture atttributes all the work of grace to Believe to Repent only to God Oh then lift up your hearts on high in every Sermon Look up to those Hils to Heaven from whence comes Conversion When the Apostles wrought Miracles they looked up to God and the people they glorified God They were convinced none could do such things but God And so we Ministers are to look up to God and you people that God may be glorified Secondly God only can give the Increase because the Increase is of spiritual and supernatural consideration It 's altogether Heavenly Now there is no proportion between humane abilities and heavenly graces There is no disposition Inter ordinem naturae ordinem gratiae The order of nature and the oder of grace All that the most able Ministers can do is within the compass of nature but the fruits being Heavenly must come otherwise As in man though a Child hath his body from the Father yet the soul comes immediately from God because it 's of an immaterial and immortal substance Thus also Faith and Repentance being immaterial Graces though the Minister may prepare and dispose the Subject yet the working of them is only from God It 's true indeed that the Parts and Abilities of one Minister may be objectively better for Conversion and more likely for profiting then another They may propound stronger Arguments to convince the Conscience They may set those Arguments home with greater life and vigour as Apollo was said to be potent in the Scripture Thus one Minister may exceed another in Glory as one Starre doth another Yet God only is the efficient Cause of every good and perfect Gift Thirdly Therefore God only giveth the increase because of the deep pollution that is in every man who is not only blind and deaf but dead Now to what purpose is an eloquent Pathetical Oration to a dead man David that did with so much affection weep over dead Absalom yet could not bring him to life So that the Preachers of the Word differ from all the humane Oratours Greek and Latin They might by their eloquence
and affections perswade their Hearers for it was about Civil and Moral matters about which men had understandings naturally able to perceive and wils naturally able to choose the things perswaded But Preaching is about those things to which man hath no understanding to believe nor no heart to receive But God must give the hearing ear and the seeing eye else we miscarry So you are not to come to Sermons as to humane Orations Your own understanding your own natural Parts are enemies and Adversaries to good and holy things of God There are two Parts of wisdome said Lactantius The former to understand what things are false 2. The second to know what things are true We are to be untaught undeceived before we come to know heavenly things So that all is of God both the Word to be heard and the Ear to hear Both the Word to be believed and the heart to believe In the next place Let us consider the Ends Why all increase must be of God only And that is To preach Humility both to the Preacher and to the People The Apostle carrieth it wholly for this end That he that glorieth may glory in the Lord. And That no flesh should glory in his presence First The Minister That Peter who had so many thousands converted by his Sermon that Paul who was so exalted by God that he might not be lifted up above measure For alas What have they done It 's God that gives the increase It hath been the rock upon which many have splitted themselves that they have had followers and admirers The Manichees said their Master did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pour out Manna The Donatists would swear By the head of Donatus as people do solemnly By God to shew how they reverenced him Now that man though greatly exalted by God may be humble he hath reserved all success to himself It 's not thou that hath made the blind to see or the lame to go It 's God that teacheth to profit And it 's said They shall be all taught of God Joh. 45. viz. Converted because man he gives the Ministry and outward service only Hence it is that God makes many eminent Preachers as he did some eminent Women go barren They see not the fruit of their labours they have spent themselves in vain They go Childless to the grave They cannot say Behold me and the Children whom thou hast given me Again Secondly It teacheth the People also to glorify God not to rest in the parts and gifts of men As Michal said Now God will bless me because I have a Levite in the house So we are apt to say Now we shall go to Heaven Now we shall have salvation because we have such Preaching It is not enough to be affected with and admire the gifts of Ministers They may ravish you they may greatly move you but you resting on these meerly find no success at all As it is said We do not know Christ after the flesh 2 Cor. 5.16 After humane considerations So neither are we to know the Ministry or preaching after such carnal respects That is admirable preaching that is an excellent Sermon which God makes spiritually to prosper in thy soul Thirdly Therefore God only gives the success that so we may seek and pray to him and do all those things that God may be pleased with We may easily provoke God to turn Bread into Stones and a pleasant Poole into a Wilderness Now that God may give increase do these things First Bewail by-past unthankfulness and unfruitfulness O Lord How often have I been an hearer How long have I gone to Sermons Yet What a barren wilderness is my heart I say bewail this For nothing provokes God more to curse the Ministry unto thee then unfruitfulness The ground that often receiveth rain and bringeth no fruit is nigh unto cursing Heb. 6.7 Why is Isaiah sent with that dreadfull Message Isa 6. To make mens eyes blind and their hearts fat that they might not be converted but because seeing they did not see and hearing they did not understand Secondly Love that Preaching which will more discover thy self to thy self Which will acquaint thee with thy own deformities As sore eyes are afraid of the light so many men have so much guilt within and live in so many secret corruptions that they dare not have the Word come with all its might upon them No wonder then if God bless it not with increase when thou lovest it not and bringest it not home to thee Can the plaister cure if thou art afraid to lay it to the sore They that are delivered up to Antechrist were so punished because they did not receive the truth in the love of it 2 Thes 2.10 Yea the very Heathens were delivered up to those unnatural lusts because they detained the truth in unrighteousness Rom. 1. How then will God punish thee who hatest and kickest at those things that would convert thee Am I become your enemy because I tell you the truth saith Paul Gal. 4.16 Those things that have the best operation have many times the unpleasant taste Oh say then let the Sermon smite me let it tell me of all that ever I did I shall love it the better Thirdly If thou wouldst have God give the increase come not prâ—possessed with thy own righteousness with thy own good heart Our Saviours preaching had no success though in him were the Treasures of all wisdome because his Hearers were those that justified themselves The humble he will teach his way Laodicea that thought she wanted nothing was furthest from cure Do not think I am well enough already I need no change Say oh my soul What art thou come hither for to day Is it not to see that evil and folly in thy flesh thou never perceivedst Art thou not yet to lay the very foundation of godliness It makes all out of order Use 1. Is it God that giveth the increase Then we Ministers are not to be inordinately cast down if people receive no diuine stamp on them If we water not If we plant not then wo be to us But when both is done yet if there be no increase that is our misery not our sinne God will give to every Minister according to his work not according to his success I have laboured more aboundantly saith Paul He doth not say he had success more then all others Did not the Prophets yea Christ himself complain for want of this spiritual increase It cannot but grieve us to see people damn themselves Yet How can we hinder a wilfull people from destruction Vse 2. To the people Sigh and mourn unto God in earnest Prayers for this increase How terrible will it be if the want of profiting be in your selves You do not what God would have you If the Patient distemper himself wilfully all the Physick in the world cannot cure him Know there is some heavy curse why after all the planting and watering yet God gives
heart melting and bleeding He makes the rough and violent tame and mild Oh then in all our Preaching and soul-Administrations look up higher still cast your eyes upon God! Man doth not live by natural bread but by the Word of Gods mouth So neither by the Spiritual Bread O Lord make our hearts other hearts our affections other affections Thirdly God giveth the increase when he makes the Word preached to take root and setling in mens hearts Our Saviour purposely takes notice of this in his Parable of the Sower that went out to sow and the miscarriage of the most hopefull crop was because it had no rooting Mat. 13. While the Word is in the ear or floating only in the affections it 's like seed on the grounds Surface there will be no good of it till it take inward rooting This is called dwelling in a man Let the Word dwell in your hearts Col. 3.16 Let not our Sermons be as you your selves are pilgrims and strangers God many times threatneth the people of Israel to root them out of the Land as men do Trees and Plants which is an irrecoverable destruction when the root is pulled up there is no hope And one main cause was because the Word of God did not take any deep rooting in them Think it not then enough to hear it no nor to write it or repeat it or conferre of it but let it be rooted in thy vital parts If the ground you till and sow should yeild no more increase then thy heart doth to God thou wouldst give over thy labour as a vain thing And one main reason of this barrenness is those things go not home to your hearts they reach not to the inward parts Fourthly God giveth increase when he makes this rooted Word to grow For as there is in Corn first the blade and then the eare it comes to perfection by degrees So it is here the Word carrieth a man up by degrees towards Heaven he is first a dwarf then a gyant first a babe then a man first carnal then spiritual Oh! it 's much that thy profiting should no more appear But we see God even when he hath planted a Vinyeard hedged it in made the Clouds to drop on it yet it may bring forth wild grapes for grapes Isa 5.4 Oh! how angry is God with our Assemblies that doth not give this increase The Church sadly complained Why Gods angâ—r did smoak against the Sheep of his Pasture because of temporal dâ—solation Psal 74.1 But this is more terrible Now this growth that God giveâ—h it may be either Intensive or Extensive Intensive so God giveth increase when those graces that are already planted in the soul are made more lively and fervent This may be called a particular personal Increase Men are not only to enquire how God giveth increase in the general but how in particular to their souls Art thou made more believing more holy more humble then before The Children of God do not with that fear and trembling consider Whether God gives the Ministry such increase to their particular or no. Oh it 's a sad thing to see the decayes and abatements that are even of godly mens graces When God is the same God the Word is the same Word there is as much cause to grow as ever Consider lest thou live in such sinnes that make God cause the Ministry to be barren to thee Or else it may grow extensively and so God giveth increase when the Word spreads it self further to moe persons or Nations Those that do not mind or regard heavenly things do now lay them deeply to heart and the people that sate in darknesse have now light shining on them Thus our Saviour compared the Gospel to a grain of mustard-seed Mat. 13.13 the least of all seeds which yet in time grow very great and Gods power and goodnesse hath been very remarkable herein making the Word to thrive and prosper in those parts and amongst that people where the earthly or material sword could make no entrance In these respects God giveth the increase The work may be of men but the successe is of God Now the Grounds Why God onely giveth increase may be First Because even in natural blessings and outward mercies successe is attributed to God not to men much more in spirituals Thus the Psalmist attributes to God That the ridges are full of corn that cattel are fruitfull and do not miscarry God he keeps the key of Heaven and gives earthly blessings as he pleaseth Thus the blessing of the Lord that makes rich Prov. 10.22 And the battel is not many times to the strong or the race to swift or wealth to the wise Eccl. 12.9 but all is as God orders it If then these ordinary mercies which are wholy natural are only by God he gives life he gives wealth he gives strength how much more doth this hold in supernaturals Secondly God only can give increase Because he onely hath the supream power and dominion over mens hearts We are teachers to the ear God is a teacher of the heart God is the onely searcher of the heart he knoweth the thoughts and inward affections of men and so God only maketh and fashioneth the hearts of men Let us then look up with more earnest prayer to God that his Spirit would move upon these waters Not only the Law but the Gospel is but the letter meerly and the administration of death if the Spirit of God doth not enliven it Lord if thou hadst been here my brother had not died saith she to Christ So Lord if thou art in the Sermon thy power and thy presence then it had not so often miscarried Object But you may say If God give the increase Why then doth not the Word bear fruit in every place Are any hearts too strong for the Lord Cannot he turn a wildernesse into a Paradise Hath not he the key to open the hearts of men and none can shut them Answ I answer A people by their sinnes may provoke God to depart from his Ordinances The Temple in Jerusalem was dedicated unto God and he made a gracious promise to be there present yet the Jews did so long rebel against him that he wholly left the Temple and would no more answer them by Vrim oâ— Thummim Lay then the blame where it is say not If we had lived in the Apostles dayes had seen their miracles certainly we should have increased in all grace but we have not such preaching as then was we have not such miracles we have not Apostles Oh it was not those great things that wrought grace but God by them and the same God can do it by weak and unlikely means Conclude then If the Word then be not a Word of life a soul-saving Word to thee t is for some sinne or other upon thee Thou hast grieved the Spirit of God God is angry with thee and therefore thou art like the mountains of Gilboa upon
find the Lord in our Ministry that howsoever it have no virtue or efficacy to others yet it may have to you do these two things First Work with God in prayer that he would work with the Ministry Effectual prayer is the first wheel that sets all on going Prayer is the key of Heaven Hence the Apostle James speaks of a prayer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jam. 5.16 working Whatsoever God will do he will do only to a praying people It 's like the Prophets arrow if that be stuck not in the ground thrice but often into Heaven so often will it bring glorious effects Now let this prayer be working two wayes 1. In the general That God would set up spiritual labourers in every Congregation Our Saviour taught his Disciples to pray That God would send out labourers into his harvest Matth. 9.38 Every particular Congregation without such a worker with God is like the world without a Sunne Wo be to them that are thus alone 2. Pray in particular That Gods work by the Ministers work may go home to thy heart Be exceedingly afraid that thy condition be not made like that of Sauls whom God would not answer any kind of way As Elisha struck the waters of Jordan with Elijahs mantle saying Where is the God of Elijah and presently the waters did divide and give way 2 Kings 2.14 Do thou say Oh where is that mighty God that wrought so with Peter and Paul and other servants of his Secondly Take heed of such sinnes as may provoke God not to be with the Ministry The word of God is not an hammer battering is not a fire consuming many times because of thy unthankfulness and rebellion The Jews did so long sin against God that he forsook the Temple and answered them no more there Thus a people may quickly provoke God to leave the Ordinances so that thou shalt find no benefit no power in them but even consume in thy sin Vse 1. Is the◠Ministry a working with God then it may teach Ministers First That they be not workers with the Devil And that is two waies either by bringing in the Doctrine of Devils all Heresies and false worship which are the works of the Devil Or Secondly That they do not sooth and flatter men in sinne as if they prayed that the Kingdom of darkness may come and not the Kingdom of God And Secondly So to walk as those that work with him Who is sufficient for this What holiness purity humility is required Vse 2. To the people Is it a working with God then lay aside all prejudice and cavils against it Neglect it not thou refusest the work of God upon thy soul This is the way wherein God will discover his power Secondly Wonder not if the Ministry hath many times wrought such powerfull effects that the blind see the poor are humbled the lofty cast down and mens hearts changed for God worketh with it Ye are Gods husbandry ye are Gods building The former part of this Text contained the description of the Office of the Ministers in the Church of God They were labourers with God This latter part describeth the nature of the people and the Church of God in what suteable relation they stand in viz. They are Gods husbandry they are Gods building Here is a two-fold Metaphor and the first that referreth to the comparisons the Apostle had used before of watering and planting Now answerable to this is Gods tillage the latter of building the Apostle prosecuteth in the following Verses Both these similitudes tend to the same thing yet they both have their peculiar signification likewise and emphasis The first word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth both the matter and object that they are Gods field ager colendus as also Gods work about it we may put both the similitudes together and Observe That the people of God are his husbandry and building The Scripture doth delight to compare the Church to many similitudes all which shew the tende◠and dear respects it stands in towards God Sometimes to a wife sometimes to a body sometimes to the branches of a Vine at other times to a garden to a Vineyard and here to a field and an house Every one of these similitudes hath some peculiar respect which the other hath not and yet they all shew the near conjunction and relation they have to God They are excellent similitudes because they partly shew Gods tender love to us and partly they teach what holy and pur◠persons we should be to God So that here is both great priviledge and exact duty We will first handle these two similitudes joyntly and then severally Joyntly in that they are Gods husbandry and house It implyeth these things First The power and goodness of God in making them so A building is not of it self every body that seeth a house presently concludes the house did not make it self so if you see a field well husbanded plowed sowed and cloathed with goodly Corn we all know of it self the earth would not do so but rather its curse is to bring forth briars and thornes So when you see a people leaving the sinnes and superstitious Idolatry of the world walking according to the rules revealed in Scripture you must necessarily conclude this men have not of themselves they cannot have this by flesh and blood Hence God speaking of the Church of Israel said He planted a Vine Jer. 2.21 even as the pleasant garden of Eden was planted at first Thus the Psalmist speaking not of our natural but Church-Creation saith We are the sheep of his pasture he hath made us and not we our selves Psal 100 3. So then it is God that hath made us not only creatures but a people believing in him and worshipping of him Secondly It doth imply dominion and absolute soveraignty over us Even as the Master that buildeth the house appointeth what customes and orders shall be in the house the Husbandman appointeth what seed he pleaseth for the ground Heb. 3.6 Christ is said to be a Sonne over this house whose house the godly are he is there exalted above Moses who was a faithfull servant in the house of God and appointed what worship God commanded but Christ was over the house as well as over him that built it This point is of great consideration for how durst men in all ages have brought in such superstition such heresie such tyranny in the Church of God if they had remembred there is but one Master in the house of God one Law giver All Officers are but servants and not Masters Thirdly It denoteth propriety and interest that God hath a right to us that we are his and not our own The house is the owners he hath the propriety of it and therefore the Scripture is not content with these similitudes but useth these that declare a sweeter union and nearer as that of a wife to a husband that of the body to the head So that by
6.1 God forbid See with what indignation and disgrace he speaks it God forbid Oh then farre be thou from drinking down such deadly poison as to think because grace is free thou art also freed from duty There is such a pestilential corruption in mans nature that makes use of grace to patronize sinne To harden and embolden a man in evil because God is gracious Oh know God is not gracious but a consuming fire to such In the next place consider Why the godly are so sensible of Gods grace And First This is the final Cause of all the good that God doth enable us unto This is all he looks for We cannot adde to God any more happiness then he hath We cannot make him more blessed All that we can do is to acknowledge his grace to publish this to all the world Thus Eph. 1. That we should be to the praise of the glory of his grace And again That we should shew forth the power of him who hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light 1 Pet. 2 9. So then it was a very heavy and grievous sinne if the people of God should not abound and be diligent herein for this is all God looks for for this he made us he converted thee he opened thy eyes turned thy heart to him Secondly The Children of God are endowed with an ingenuous free and excellent spirit Therefore they cannot but confess by whom it is they have obtained grace If he said of humane learning Ingenuum est It 's an ingenuous thing to confess by whom thou hast profited How much more have the Children of God this ingenuity Thirdly The reall sting smart and danger they have been in makes their heart full and mouth full of the grace of God Paul that was so neer Hels mouth for him to be saved all the world could not make him hold his tongue but he must publish the grace of Christ Men that have been in the deep in the Whales belly in the Lyons mouth for these to be delivered they must sing of grace speak of grace and plead for grace Oh then fear the less thy heart is affected with Gods grace that the less it hath been affected with the greatness of sinne Fourthly They are an humble debased people in themselves They have low thoughts of all that they do And therefore it is that they are so precious with God He dwels in the Heavens and in the humble heart Isa 57.15 Be ye cloathed with humility 1 Pet. 3.5 That must be a garment all over us And wherein is humility more seen then in giving all to God Fifthly They must needs acknowledge grace because they have the experience how hard it is to do any thing spiritualy and upon heavenly grounds And therefore if they are ever inabled thereunto they cannot but exalt grace Nothing is done graciously and acceptably unto God unless it be from a sanctified nature and divine principle and unless it be from a heavenly and divine motive from God and to God Now natural men never consider the gracious doing of any thing and therefore do not extol grace Sixthly To praise and exalt the grace of God it 's a very profitable and advantagious duty also It 's two waies profitable 1. It procures more grace and mercies from God James 4.6 He giveth grace to the humble The only way to have new mercies is to acknowledge the grace of God for the mercies It 's an heathenish thing to sacrifice to our own nets and our own power Tully said It was a foolish thing to thank God for our vertues because they were in our own power But he was ignorant of the Scripture 2. This acknowledging of grace will enlarge a man and make a man more willing and ready in all the waies of God It 's like oyl to the wheele It 's like wings to the bird Duties done with the spirit of praise and thanksgiving have great life and vigour in them Now I shall adde one Caution corrupt Doctrines and Opinions in Religion may much coole this duty of giving thanks I shall instance in some As First The denying of Original sinne is a great Ingine against the grace of God When Paul would raise up the Ephesians to confess Gods grace that had quickned them he tels them they were dead in sinne and by nature the Children of wrath Ephes 2 So David when he would extoll Gods mercy in pardoning he goeth to the very iniquity he was conceived in Psal 51. Secondly The maintenance of free-will dâ—th much detract from free grace It 's strange that any should hold this when the Scripture doth in so many places make man by nature a corrupt tree from whom no good thing can come Thirdly That the Law is not to be preached no not for Direction or Obligation Whereas Christ and Paul do often press this Lastly Vniversal Redemption As if God and Christ did no more for one then another Vse of Direction Would you be a people capable of this duty Then study the Law of God Apply it to your souls Oh see what curses are due to you How often you fail intreat God to affect you with the danger and damnable estate you are in Then how of often will thy mouth be opened to set up the grace of God Be ashamed if thou art sensible of temporal mercies and not spiritual Feel thy self dropping into Hell apprehend thy self a very Cain or Judas unless Gods grace doth interpose Vse of severe Reproof of that presumption and carnal confidence men put in their works and in their duties Oh be afraid to be found in any good thing thou hast done Shall David be afraid of his secret sinnes and errors which he understands not Shall Paul be afraid though he knew nothing by himself and darest thou hope or think to be saved by any works thou hast done Thou knowest not Christ Thou art not acquainted with the Gospel According to the grace of God given unto me as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation c. This Text you heard was partly Declaratory and partly Exhortatory Declaratory and therein was considerable the Person described by his office metaphorically As a master builder 2. The quality A wise master builder 3. His effect or action Have laid a foundation 4. The efficient cause of all this ability According to the grace of God given unto me This latter hath been dispatched already I come now to consider of that work or Ministry performed by Paul expressed likewise in that continued Metaphor which he had begun I have laid the foundation The plain meaning is obvious he acquainted them with the fundamentals of the Gospel that which they never heard of before or knew nothing of he did first instruct them in As Rom. 15.20 Paul was carefull not to build upon another mans foundation which was To preach the Gospel where Christ had not been named There is no difficulty in the words only a
doubt may be raised How Paul can say He layeth the foundation which is no other but Christ as appeareth at the eleventh verse seeing God appropriateth it to himself Isa 28.16 Behold I lay in Zion a foundation stone c But The answer is God layeth this foundation 1. By his Decree appointing Christ thereunto And 2. By his temporal mission of him into the world but Paul layed the foundation only ministerially and declaratively by publishing Christ to be the Saviour especially to those who never heard of him before It 's a special part of the wisdome and heavenly art of the Ministers of the Gospel to lay a good and sure foundation in the hearts of their hearers This Paul makes the principal part of his wisdome that he began with a good foundation If people are not rightly built upon this any tempest that ariseth will throw down all theâ—r Religion Our Saviour speaketh a Parable Luke 6.48 49 like to this of the wise builder and the foolish builder And although there it be meant of every particular Christian yet we may apply it to every Minister He that doth not build up his people upon sure and Scripture foundations they are like the chaff and straw that the wind doth drive to and fro There is no true faith no truâ— godlinesse no true hope of salvation where the right and sure foundation is not laid The point therefore in hand is of great consequence both to the Preacher and to the Auditor to consider what foundation his Religion and Godlinesse is fixed upon For the opening of this Consider that Divines do ordinarily make a two-fold foundation The one they call Fundamentum cognoscendi The foundation of our knowledge and faith in matters of Religion and this is the Scripture only We can lay no other foundation for matters of Faith but the word of God Non credo quia non lego said Tertullian of old And Secondly There is Fundamentum essendi The Foundation of the being or existence of all our glory and salvation and that is only Jesus Christ He is the foundation-stone and every one is to believe in him only for Salvation and Justification So that as God made two great lights for the world so he hath done for the Church the Scriptures and Christ This Doctrine is true yet Heb. 6.1 we there reade of more foundations than one for there are practical fundamentals as well as speculative I shall therefore not limit my self to this one foundation mentioned by the Apostle but enlarge my self to the necessary foundations in our Christian life and shew you the necessity of that wisdom which will build upon these fundamentals And although I am not ignorant That the Dispute about what are foundations or fundamentals in Religion and what not is very hard and difficult yet I shall instance in four unquestionable foundations which are the four main pillars that support our Christian building The necessary things of Religion are these four Either 1. The Matters to be believed 2. The Worship and necessary service of God 3. The spiritual Benefits and mercies Justification and Salvation 4. The things to be done by us in our way to Salvation All these are fundamental and necessary in their kind to salvation and therefore it behoveth every Minister of the Gospel to principle and settle his people in all these particulars For herein is the danger not of mens bodies or estates but their immortal souls We will begin with the first The foundation of our faith or divine assent in matters of Religion What is that which every man must build his faith upon What is the foundation he must lay there And that is the Word of God declared and written for our instruction in those Canonical Books of the Scripture When we come to believe the matters of our salvation the ultimate motive into which all is to be resolved is Thus saith the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word of God hath spoken it It 's not antiquity universality or the laws of the Land or the tradition of our fathers that is the warrantable foundation but the Scripture only Thus Timothy is commended for attending to the Scriptures which are able to make him wise to salvation through faith 2 Tim. 3.17 18. So that although other things be required by way of helps and means as prayer interpretation of the Scripture Gods assistance the guidance of the Ministry yet by way of a Foundation or a Rule that is the Scripture only As God at first put all the light into the Sunne and the Starres shine by a borrowed light from it So God hath now put all supernatural light into the Scripture and all guides are to shine by that Hence it is so often compared to a light and a lamp unto our feet So that the Ministers of the Word do then lay a good foundation when in matters of Doctrine and truths to be believed they build them on the Scripture make them a Scripture-auditory a people that dare not that will not take any matter of faith but upon Scripture-grounds Thus those Bereans are commended for a noble and ingenuous people that compared what Paul preached with the Scriptures they then had whether it was consonant to them or no Act. 17 11. So that that people who know nothing of the Scripture are not instructed by the Word have not their faith their Religion from it all they offer to God is a Sacrifice without eyes they do believe they know not what Now that the written word of God is the only foundation of our Christian faith appeareth by these Reasons First A Christian faith ought to be a divine supernatural faith not a bare humane faith Now nothing can be the ground of a divine faith but a divine authority a divine Argument suggested by God himself Most men that call themselves Christians have no more than an humane faith in matters of Religion They believe thus because their parents did so because the Laws of the Land compell them to do so Thus they have no other grounds of faith then the Turks or Papists have for themselves but as copper is not gold so neither is this humane faith that holy and Christian perswasion which the Spirit of God through the Word works in man because revealed in the Word 1 Thess 1. They are commended That they did not receive the Word preached as the word of men but as indeed the word of God 1 Thess 1.13 So that whosoever hath an holy faith he must have a divine perswasion for this from the Authority of God that as an humane faith is because humane authority speaks it so a divine faith because God revealeth it in the Scripture But alas generally our people can no more look into these things then an Owl in the dazelling Sun How few are perswaded of the true Doctrine of Christ from this Divine Authority because God hath said thus God hath spoken thus Oh
to worship God any way a man pleaseth And the more waies he multiplyeth the worship of God may it not be the more acceptable to him Do not men hereby shew their good affections and zeal to hâ—m Can a man worship him too much Can we exceed in any way of worship of him As we cannot love him too much nor delight in him too much so neither can we worship him too much This doth satisfie some men in their multiplyed waies of worship The Answer is this There can be no excess in the formality of true and lawfull worship so a man is to worship God witâ— all his might and strength but in the matter of the worship there may be an excess That is a man may take up more means and parts of worship then God hath appointed and so thereby there is a sinfull excess So that all thy good intentions and zealous devotions they have no acceptance with God and whilest thou thinkest to honour him thou doest dishonour him Even a Platonist Philosopher said That a superstitious man was Gods flatterer not his friend Now this is the rather to be observed because there are few whom the simplicity of God pleaseth Oh that Text Joh. 4. My Father seeketh such as worship him in spirit and truth is worth the gold of Ophir See all Christs Institutions the administration of Baptism of the Lords Supper though they be full of majesty and gravity yet also full of plainness and simplicity Now instead of this true foundation there are three rotten ones First The imagination of a mans heart This God doth often and often forbid Oh it 's not enough to say Methinks this is very good worship Methinks this is excellent There must be more then a methinks Secondly A desire to satisfie and please the sense The Prophet cals them Their goodly Images As Eve saw the fruit that it was comely and good to eate O miserable delusion All worship of God is the exercise of thy faith to draw out spiritual Meditations not to please the eye Yet all those goodly Images and curious Ornaments were only to satisfie the eye Thirdly Antiquity Custom and tradition of Fathers Austin complained much of this Vah tibi flumen moris humani quis resistet Our father worshipped here saith the woman That of Cyprians is commended Antiquas mihi Jesus Christ and Christ said he was truth not Custom saith the Father This Argument all Jews Turks and Heathens pleaded against the Christians Vse of Instruction How necessary is it to be well setled in this foundation of Gods worship Oh where shall we find a spiritual people that delight in the simple pure and plain Institutions of Christ That say Hitherto I must go and no further That as the possessed party said Paul I know and Peter I know but who are you Thus this worship I know and that I know but who brought in this Who appointed this As a wise master-builder I have laid the foundation c. The third Foundation every faithfull Minister is to lay in the hearts of his people is for Comfort and Salvation But this I shall reserve as more properly to be handled in vers 11. The last therefore I shall insist on is The foundation for outward practice of holy actions It 's not enough to pray to hear It 's not enough to exercise the acts of any grace but we are still to consider upon what foundation these are built I shall therefore first lay down the foundation of all practised holinesse then the Necessity of this The foundation therefore of every good duty or work we do hath these parts First There is a foundation by way of a Direction or Rule to which every thing we do must be commensurate and by which it must be regulated now that is the Word of God For Gods word is not only a Rule of Faith but of Manners And as thou must be of no other Religion than the Word directs to so thou must do no other actions or live any other life than that guides thee too Therefore when it 's commended for a lamp or a light it is to a mans feet that they do not slip or fall By them thy servant is forewarned Psal 19. And as many as walk by this Rule peace on them Gal. 6.16 So that we shall never come to doe any truly good action all our life time unlesse we do it according to this Rule which doth not onely informe about the Duty but the manner end and all other qualifications So then whosoever doth not pray as the Scripture speaks of praying who doth not repent as the Scripture speaks of it he faileth in a very foundation he hath not laid as yet so much as an hopefull beginning for his salvation A second part of that foundation we must lay for the practice of holiness is The Justification and Reconciliation of our persons with God through Christ For till our persons be thus accepted of though we should give our bodies to be burnt for the Truth of Christ it would not be accepted of Thus God had respect to Abel and then to his offerings Heb. 11. We are by faith to be planted in Christ and then as his branches we are able to bring forth fruit Now this truth is very transcendent to our thoughts Who doth not think it is in Divinity as they speak in moral Philosophy Just a agendo sumus justi by doing good actions we come to be made good and acceptable with God This is that dangerous Position which the Apostle doth so often oppose shewing grace and works can never be brought together in the same subject We must therefore in this matter wholly goe out of our own selves we must attend to the acceptation of our persons first otherwise all our best workes are damnable and loathsome to God we are stubble and he is fire Though the Papists thinks it hard Doctrine yet it is sure enough that every man unjustified doth sinne and provoke God in every thing he doth Thirdly Another foundation he must lay is To receive power and strength from Christ onely both in the beginning and progresse of all good actions Without me ye can do nothing saith Christ John 15. The branch separated from the Vine is dried and withered James 1.17 Every good and perfect gift comes from God alone As all light is from the Sunne I can doe all things through Christ that strengthens me saith Paul Phil. 4.13 He is the Head and the Member receiveth all its vertue and power from it So then whosoever thinketh to set upon any good work by his own ability is like Samson when his hair was cut off alas those Philistims of lusts are too strong for him he cannot goe out against those Goliahs of temptations but in the Name of the Lord. Now here is the ignorance of most people they that should not resolve to say so much as that they will go to this or that
corrupt errours though not fundamental are called hay and stubble It behoveth us therefore to take heed what we do that we give you not gall for honey poison for food The Apostle compareth all Ministers in himself to a tender nurse 1 Thess 2 now she is carefull to give fit and convenient food to her child Scripture-truths only can give nourishment 2. If we build not on this foundation the preaching of the Word loseth those glorious and excellent effects for which it is appointed You have many admirable properties of this The word of God enlightens the mind Psal â—9 It sanctifieth the nature Joh. 17. It is the power of God to salvation 1 Cor. 1. It 's the instrument by which we are begotten anew Heb. 4.12 It 's a two edged sword to enter into and discover all the secrets of the heart Now alas are the foolish and unwarrantable opinions and doctrines of men able to produce such gracious effects No Gods word only is blessed to such great ends and therefore it 's good to consider that our Saviour looking upon the people in his dayes it 's said His bowels were moved within him as sheep without a shepâ—erd Mat. 9.36 They had the Priests the Scribes and Pharisees then who read the Scripture and taught in the Synagogue every day yet because they mingled their own sour leaven they brought their chaff to the wheat therefore he pitied them 3. On the peoples part we had need to take heed Because they are more prone and ready to receive any corrupt sense than the pure meaning of the Scripture A natural man perceiveth not the things of God they are foolishnesse to him 1 Cor. 2.14 he hath enmity to them Paul said The Law was spiritual but he was carnal Rom. 7. No man naturally can love the Bible in the true and heavenly sense of it no more than a malefactour can his Judge for that condemneth sin that convinceth of folly that spareth not that flattereth not As the people of Israel could not endure the light on Moses his face but they would have a veil on it So neither are people able to receive the true and pure sense of the Scripture it is too glorious too spiritual therefore they put a veil upon it Hence you see how quickly errours and false doctrines especially such which give licence to sinne get a multitude of disciples Paul complained of this when he said They would suffer false teachers to abuse them to oppresse them 2 Cor. 11.20 The Corinthians would endure false teachers though they domineered over them kept them in bondage when yet they would not bear Pauls Ministry And did not many willingly suffer the Egyptian thraldom in Popery who would not endure the yoke of the Gospel Thus Christ complained If any man câ—me in his own name you will receive him John 5.43 Lastly On the Ministers part it 's necessary that he should take heed For 1. He hath not a Magistery but a Ministry committed to him He may not be a Master to dictate and affirm what he pleaseth but his Office is a Ministry to deliver nothing but what he reads Thus Paul That which I have received of the Lord I deliver unto you 1 Cor. 11. If among men Judges must not make new Laws but are strictly bound up to the Laws made to their hands Then much more are the Ministers of God bound up to their Rule the Scripture truth is committed to our charge we must be sure to render that in kind which was betrusted to us And as Aristotle observeth He that is unfaithfull in any thing deposited with him is worse than an open unjust or unrighteous man because he wrongs the good thoughts and opinion the other man had of him he thought him faithfull and honest but he proveth not so Now every Minister hâ—th the truths of God deposited as it were in his faithfull custody 2. He is accountable for all the sin and errour people run into through his neglect If he indeed sound the trumpet and warn the sinner then he hath delivered his soul and the blood of wandring sheep will never be required at his hand if he hath used all means to keep them in the sheepfold and they would not It behoveth us therfore to take heed how we build for herein we do not only endanger our own selvs but others The blind lead the blind saith our Saviour and both fall in the ditch Mat. 15.14 It was Luthers temptation he had sometimes on him Qâ—id si tu dâ—â—naris c. What if thou by thy doctrine are damned and drawest many others to hell with thee It 's true indeed the seduced are under a milder punishment then the seducers yet they are not excused Those that received the mark of the â—â—â—st in the hands and fore-heads though but followers yet had not their name written in the book of life This certainly should make every one take heed what he delivers for should he be a snare to or a murderer of other mens souls the blood of the soul will cry more terribly than the blood of the body 3. He must take heed Because though a man do preach the substantials and the necessary things of salvation purely yet if he adde or mix any corrupt opinions though of a lesse nature that mans salvation is very difficult and that the Apostle driveth at in this place If a man build gold and silver that is the precious fundamentals and afterwards build hay and stubble that is frothy unsound and unsavoury doctrine though it doth not overthrow the fundamentals that man shall be saved yet so as by fire I know it 's a place about which much fire of contention hath been but generally the most learned do agree That it signifieth the difficulty of that mans salvation he must go through many tribulations look for many afflictions which will be as fire to get his drosse out Oh do not then account such errours in judgment so easily venial yea almost innocent as the Socinians saying blind men are to be pitied not punished The Scripture putteth a severer character upon them In the next place What is to be done both by people or Minister that they may both build and be built on a sure foundation that they may not take drosse for gold 1. Be much in prayer That is the key to open all mysteries locked up studying praying and temptations make a Divine said Luther Daniel was much in prayer about studying those seventy weeks and God instructed him revealing them to him 2. Prayer is not enough There must be a holy and godly life Thou wilt never understand Pauls sense if thou hast not Pauls spirit nor Davids Psalms if there be not such a spirit in thee as was in David He that doth my will shall know whether the Doctrine be of God or no John 7.17 3. Neglect not those external means which are requisite to understand the sense of the author as knowledge
have us honour Thirdly We must preach Christ the foundation because in him there is such a Treasure of the riches of Gods Grace and Gods Love that the Angels they were never satisfied with this point How greatly the Angels were affected when Christ came into the world there Hymne signifieth As also how speedy they were to be Evangelists to bring glad tydings of a Christ Glory be to God on high in earth peace and good will to men Luke 2.14 This Song is the foundation of all Religion and Comfort Yea The Angels saith Peter 1 Pet. 1.12 desire to search into this Mystery 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to stoop down as they did to look into the Sepulchre or as men do to behold themselves in a Glass If therefore the Angels such pure and heavenly substances be so affected with this way and Doctrine of Christ how much more we For we need him more then they Some Divines indeed say The Angels needed Christ to confirm them And in this sense he is their Head but a Mediatour of an atonement he was not unto them as he is to us Consider that place Ephes 3.10 By the Church and the Ministery thereof the manifold wisdome and riches of Gods grace in Christ are made known So that the very Angels are glad to hear and know this Doctrine about Christ Fourthly Therefore are we to exalt Christ in our Ministry to lay him the foundation because in Heaven though Christ will then lay down the exercise of his Mediatory Kingdom yet the glory and honour must be given unto him for ever The Saints in Heaven will for ever acknowledge the glory the happiness the blessednesse they have to be by Christ Is it not necessary therefore to instruct you in that work which we are to do to all eternity Christ is not to be laid aside in Heaven His blood his sufferings his atonement will never be forgotten For only by Christ is their such a place as an Heaven only by him is salvation possible Why then should not that truth fill our mouths and our hearts here which will possesse our souls to all eternity Fifthly The necessity of preaching Christ the foundation ariseth from the ignorance of people who do grossely erre about Christ both Doctrinally and Practically Doctrinally For though Christ be in every mans mouth yet few have knowledge of his Person and his Offices Though they be called Christians from Christ yet they can give no good account of their knowledge of him And if this be eternal life to know Jesus Christ John 17.2 certainly the grosse and notorious ignorance in many proclaimeth them farre off from the Kingdom of Heaven How canst thou hope in Christ and believe in Christ who knowest not what Christ was and for what end he came into the world And then Practically many are ignorant of him They feel not the necessity of him as a Physician as a Mediatour They perceive not at what a distance sinne hath cast them from all hopes They feel not the arrows of the Almighty darted into them They feel no lâ—ad or burden of sinne upon them and therefore the Name and Office of Christ is not welcome to them Sixthly The necessity appeareth because of the subtilty and emnity of Satan who hath continually set himself against Christ and his Church I hat as at the first ingresse into Christs Ministry he violently assaulted him and never left opposing his person so ever since he hath laboured to obscure Christ and traduce his way In the first age of the Church then he set against the Person of Christ Hence came up those many Heretiques some denying he was God saying He was only man Others Only God and not a man but in the appearance of a man Some confounded his Natures some multiplied his Personality so that all the subtile power of the Devil was to overthrow the Person of Christ But in this latter age he set against the Offices of Christ And thus in Popery though Socinians revive those old blasphemies his Priestly Office his Prophetical his Kingly all those were quite darkned by their Masse and Indulgences and many such abhominable derogations from Christ Seventhly We have the more need to exalt Christ because there is proâ—enesse in every man to trust in his own works To rest upon his own righteousness To advance and set up nature Now so much as these are exalted so much is Christ debased We see our own natures in the Jews though it was in those glorious times wherein Christ and the Apostles manifested themselves yet men did still seek to be justified by the works they had done Their endeavour was to establish their own righteousnesse though that like Dagon before the Ark did fall to the ground before Christ and truly such were greater enemies to Christ more then prophane Publicans and sinners So that the Scripture preaching of Christ will drive men out of their civil righteousness out of their formality and confidence in themselves which is the strongest hold that the Ministry hath to batter We may sooner dissolve those grosse acts of wickednesse then remove this mountain of self-righteousnesse Yet if Christs Righteousnesse his worth be all why wilt thou be a Christ to thy self Vse of Instruction What matter of wo and lamentation it is to see so few build upon this foundation Some put their trust in riches in charriots and horses some in the works they do and thus Christ whom God designed to be all over glorious is not glorified by us Examine your selves in this one thing among others Is Christ the bottom and foundation of all thy love joy and delight Art thou affected with him in a spiritual manner as the Church is Is he the chiefest of ten thousands Do men of the world come and ask thee What is thy beloved more then others What is there in Christ more then any thing else Canst thou say as Aristotle to him who asked why such colours refresh sight It was a blind mans question So this is a natural mans an earthly mans question It 's a sign thou never didst taste of his goodnesse of his power It 's a sign thou hast not eaten of his Honey-combes or wert fed on his spiritual dainties that doest make such questions Never lay claim to Christ if Father Mother Riches Honours and thy own life be dearer to thee then Christ is For no other foundation can any man lay but Christ Jesus In how many particulars Christ is to be preached as a foundation and the reasons thereof you have heard I shall now remove some Objections that so the truth may be more cleared and then give you the Properties and Incouragements or Priviledges those people have who are built on Christ this foundation And First It may be objected How can Christ only be preached as a foundation For is not the Doctrine about a God that there is a God and but one God Is not this a foundation Doth not the Apostle say
implied 2. Repentance cannot be Evangelical and filial without Gods love in Christ Judas did repent the Scripture cals it so but because there was only gall in it and no honey only horrour and terrours and no faith to allay those waves Therefore his very repenting and despairing was a grievous sinne So then to preach such a repentance as driveth from God filleth the heart with cursed horrours and hated of God and thereby to runne to hils and mountains to cover us from God Or to put a man upon such penal and afflicting labours to the flesh that may satisfie and appease God This is to bid men bring wild and sour grapes for sweet This is to preach from Christ not to preach Christ But repentance truly preached is to have our sorrow for sinne accompanied with faith in the promises and a resting upon tht bloud of Christ Thus as it is in repentance so in every grace When we preach it we preach Christ because by him we only have ability to do it and through him only have acceptation and as we said though the Ministers in every exhortation do not thus name Christ yet this is to be supposed Lastly We do not transgresse this Text no not when we preach the Law the threatnings the torments of hell because these are to drive us out of our selves to make us see our own poverty and wickednesse that so Christ may be the more welcome Christ himself though sometimes he cals the heavy loaden to him in a meek way yet when he hath to do with such as trusted in their own righteousnesse and found no need of his Mediatorship he cals them Hypocrites he bids a woe to them he threatens them with hell And Paul tels you in his own experience he had never come to prize Christ to esteem him had not the Law discovered sinne to be out of measure sinfull then he died then he was undone then Oh miserable man that I am who shall deliver me What shall I doe And thus Peter converted three thousand by conviction of a particular sinne they had committed viz. the murder of Christ and the aggravation of it and this pricked them at heart And so Paul being called to preach of faith in Christ to Felix he presently preacheth about righteousnesse and temperance because Felix lived in the two contrary vices and also of the Judgement to come Thus he would have brought Felix to the esteem of Christ So that to preach the Law in the purity of it in the cursing nature of it to preach hell and the eternal torments thereof is necessary because this is to make way for Christ This is to put iron in the fire that so being softened it may be put into any fashion Thus we have removed the Objections and shewed you That though other things are to be preached besides Christ yet reductively all things are brought to him at last They are but as the rivers that come from the Sea and empty themselves therein I shall conclude thiâ— Text with shewing you The great advantages that people have who are built on Christ First They are a sound stedfast people not carried away as the chaff and straw is with every wind of Doctrine Heb. 13. Jesus Christ the same yesterday and for ever and then followeth Be not carried about with divers and strange Doctrines The Connexion is thus made by some The truth of Christ the Doctrine of Christ is still the same And therefore do you retain the same stedfast faith Oh when men are not built on Christs Doctrine but their own opinions their own conceits they have Reubens curse Vnstable like water Col 2. They that fell to the worshipping of Angels and Saints did not hold the head Look then to what thy faith thy soul is bottomed upon whether Christ be thy teacher or thou be thy own teacher Now this stedfastnesse and immoveablenesse of those that are founded on Christ appeareth in their resisting of the violence of persecution and the subtilty of heresies In the one the Devil is a roaring Lion In the other he is a glistring sliding Serpent The one is like the violent wind to the traveller that by force would pull off his garments The other like the hot Sunne-beams that by degrees maketh him throw them away Oh this is excellent comfort in the winnowing to be found wheat and not chaff in the fire to be gold and not drosse God you hear in this Text will have a fire to try all mens doctrines and if it be stubble and hay it will quickly be consumed My sheep hear my voice and a stranger they will not hear or follow John 10.5 Secondly A people built on Christ will not be formal and customary in religious duties resting upon the performance of them but carried out to Christ himself Oh who can bewail this enough How are all duties of Religion but as the picture without a substance as a body without the soul They pray and hear and hear and pray but close not with Christ in these things Thus as Rehoboam for the golden vessels that were in the Temple put in materials of brasse So whereas the people of God in their spirituality fervency and heavenly mindednesse had their hearts up to Christ Now they think all is done with the external labour of the lips or bowing of the body We may say to you thus affected in your duties as they that were looking for Christ in the Sepulchre He is risen he is not here As false teachers that brought in the works of the Law and the duties of the Law did put these in stead of a Christ so do Christians make their Duties their Ordinances their Performances a very Idol-Christ to save them but those that are built on Christ know better Thirdly Those that are setled and founded on Christ they have spiritual strength and holy vigour communicated to them in the wayes of godlinesse For though Christ be here called a foundation and that giveth only support yet in other places he is the root of the Vine the Head which denotes more than a meer foundation viz not only supporting but conveying all grace and lively nourishment to the godly heart whereby they grow up and increase to more degrees of holinesse Now this is a wofull spectacle to see a people the same both for knowledge and life they were many years ago no more understanding in heavenly things no more growth in faith in zeal in communion with God Even as the picture on the wall that is still the same not one cubit is ever made to the stature thereof Lastly Those that are built on Christ receive of the Spirit of Christ in all the works of it A spirit making thee pray with groans unutterable a convincing a sanctifying spirit or sealing and assuring spirit An auditory destitute of Gods Spirit is like a Golgotha a place of dead mens skuls or rather dead hearts They savour no spiriual duty priviledge or motive The
salt is the fire of afflection By these places you see then that fire signifieth in the general Gods severe judgment discovering and trying mens waies which are partly by his Word and partly by afflictions So that the Apostle continueth in his excellent Allegory of building Those parts of the house that are wood and straw are presently consumed by fire but gold and silver will abide This I conceive the genuine meaning only further take notice that the Apostle speaks in the Present-tense it is revealed but we translate it in the future because it 's usual in the Scripture to speak of a thing that shall be continued in the Present-tense as also to shew the certainty of it It 's also doubted to what this doth relate The day shall be declared by fire Some say the Lord shall be revealed in fire as 1 Thes 1.7 Others more probably the work of every man Doct. That God useth to bring people out of errours and false waies by his Word and Afflictions The Word to inform and Afflictions to prepare the heart Even as men out of their senses are kept in Prysons with hard usage so God to humble and tame such a people sadly afflicts them that they may hearken to his Word God made Aegypt an Iron-furnace to the people of Israel they lay under great oppressions that so Canaan might be the more welcome to them To understand this consider That though the word and afflictions both help to bring a man out of false waies yet farre differently For First The word of God is of it self sufficient in a way of light to inform and instruct and hath threatnings also to be like a goad in the side but afflictions of themselves do not inform do not teach Gods Word is able to reduce without afflictions but afflictions cannot do any thing without Gods Word Hence all that fire which is poured upon Idolaters and Heathens is like the fire of hell calidus but not luciâ—us because they have not the Word to guide them Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest and teachest thy word Psal 94.12 Should a man go through fire and water give his body to be burnt for any errour or superstitious doctrine all the imprisonments and burnings in the world could do them no good unlesse the Word go before Heretici sunt lapidandi argumentis è Seripturâ petitis Arguments fetcht out of the Scripture may strike down the greatest Goliah Secondly There is a difference between the Word and Afflictions because though afflictions have a voice as well as the Word and the rod speaks as well as Gods Word yet the word of God doth it distinctly and plainly afflictions in a general manner They tell us God is angry they tell us they come for sinne but why and wherein or what are the sinnes that Gods Word doth only inform us So that Gods Word hath the prerogative above afflictions Thirdly Though the Word of God be thus only able to instruct and convince being a perfect Rule yet that doth not exclude other helps especially the Ministry for Ministers are called the lights and guides So that the word of God is the light but it must be put on a Candlestick The Word of God will convince heretiques but in the hands of wâ—â— and faithfull Teachers Otherwise men through ignorance and corruption fetch their errours from the Word of God misapplied Which made Ambrose compare ignorant heretical persons using Scripture to little David in Sauls Armour it was more then he could weild and so instead of defending it did wound him These things being premised 1. Let us see How God by the word reduceth the wandering sheep 2. How by afflictions And First The word of God is instrumental to open the eyes to enlighten the dark understanding David doth wonderfully commend the Scripture for this use that it was a lanthorn to his feet and a lamp to his paths whereby he became wise and understood even more then his Teachers Psal 119. This is the EYE-SALVE For want of searching into the Scriptures it was they erred so grossely about the resurrection When Christ is promised to be as a refining fire Mal. 3. to the Sons of Levi how did he this but by the clearing of the Word from Pharisaical interpretations And Estius though a Papist thinks this place alludes to that of Malachi and indeed there is a great resemblance Secondly The word of God is fire to try mens works because it containeth all matter necessary to salvation So that when we believe hoc credimus quod nihil ultra credere debemus the Scriptures are said to be able to make us wise to salvation 2 Tim. 3 15. If nature doth not fail in natural necessities much lesse will the Scripture in supernatural These things are written that believing you might have eternal life Joh. 20.31 As God at first put all the light into the Sunne so he hath all necessary things into the Scripture The Word of God then will manifest and reveal both objectively in discovering that matter which is true and subjectively in preparing the eye to see which is more then the Sun can do Though that enlighten the medium yet it cannot give a seeing eye to the blind Thirdly The word of God will be a fire to try because it doth direct to all those means whereby we may come out of all errours As 1. It presseth humility not to lean to our understanding God will teach the humble his way Psal 25. Though such may a long while wander yet they will come back and then they are not ashamed to recant before the whole world Peter commends Paul for the wisdom given him of God 2 Pet. 3.15 and yet we know how Paul reproved Peter to the face as is related Gal. 1. This was great humility in Peter to love and commend the excellencies in Paul for all this Austin wrote his Retractations at the latter end of his age which argued great humility 2 The Scripture bids us love that truth we do know and so farre as we have obtained to obey and to walk according to that Rule Phil. 3.16 You heard last day That errours are not only mens sins but their punishments likewise Because men receive not the truth in the love of it they are delivered up to believe a lye Now then the godly are careâ—ull to prevent the cause thereof He that doth my will shall know whether the doctrine be of God Joh. 7 17. Foggy mists draw a cloud over the Sunne and so noisome affections they becloud the judgement 3. The Scripture directs to earnest Prayer That is the Key to open Heavens Treasury Ask and ye shall have If any man want wisdome let him ask it of God James 1.5 David though a great Proficient prayeth that God would open his eyes to understand the wonderfull things of his word Psal 119.18 Prayer must begin and Prayer must end all reading and hearing and all meditations To study
represâ—nt this though many learned men ancient and later have used similitudes because there is no such thing as a God besides the true God And therefore Basil said well to the Heâ—etique desiring a similitude to represent the Trinity Da mihi alium Deum aliam trinitatem tibi ostendam Thus we have laboured to establish your faith in this necessary point Now I shall shew Why the holy Ghost is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Spirit The word at first did signifie wind Why then doth the Spirit of God assume this comparative expression of wind Or rather Why is he called a Spirit Even for these Reasons First Essentially For the simplicity and purity of his Essence and this is common to every other Person for God is a Spirit Secondly Hypostatically For his personal propriety because he proceeds from the Father and the Sonne by way of spiration the manner whereof we cannot comprehend no more than the generation of the Sonne Thirdly Effectively Many wayes 1. For the Incomprehensibility of the actions of the Spirit John 3. The wind bloweth where it lists and no man knoweth from whence it comes so is the Spirit 2. The Diversity of his operations As the breathings of the winde is from several corners the Spirits dispensations have not been alwayes alike 3. For the Efficacity moving the hearts of men to love good to hate evil 4. For the Impossibility of resisting this 5. For the Necessity of it to every good worke as the winde is to the ship Vse Is the holy Spirit God Then take heed of that blasphemous scoffing which many carnal and wicked people are guilty of which is to mock at the very name of the Spirit If a sinne against the holy Ghost be unpardonable and doing despite unto the Spirit of grace leaveth a man in an impossibility of recovering How darest thou let thy heart and tongue be thus set on hell fire Thy body and soul is to be the temple of the Spirit Thy duties are to come from this Spirit and doest thou deride it Vse of Admonition Take heed of entituling thy own fancies and delusions to the Spirit of God For seeing the holy Ghost is God it must be a capital crime to make such sinfull fancies and thoughts that come from thy corrupt heart to flow from the holy Spirit of God If to counterfeit the publick Seal or Coin of a Land be a capital crime How great a sinne is it to â—ake thy sinfull and carnal affections as if they were the workings of Gods Spirit And that the Spirit of God dwels in you Two Propositions you heard were contained in these words First That the Spirit of God is God which hath been demonstrated Secondly That the Spirit of God dwels in his Church We therefore proceed to this second Doctrine And now to open this let us consider First What the phrase to dwell in the Church implieth Secondly How he dwels there As the Spirit of God is said to dwell in us so in other places God promiseth to dwell in his people 2 Cor. 6 16. And Christ is said To dwell in our hearts by faith Ephes 3.17 All which are not to be understood of any visible or local habitation much lesse comprehensive that we cold comprehend God for he is as he said one whose circumference is every where and center no where The Heaven of Heavens cannot contain him but it is meant in a mystical and spiritual manner Now this phrase To have the Spirit dwell in us denoteth First The propriety that it hath to us that we are his possession as an house is a mans own where he is Lord and Master And this is worthy of consideration That we who once were the Devils he dwelt in us He ruleth in the hearts of the disobedient Ephes 2. have now him expelled from us and the Spirit of God taking us for his possession We pity persons bodily possessed that they foame and rore and are throwne sometimes into the fire and sometimes in the water but he who is a wicked man the Devil possesseth his soul more dreadfully he puts him upon anger malice upon unclean lusts and noisome filthy wayes and though many be of the Church visibly yet in regard of their own particular they are thus possessed by the Devil who hath their heart their eyes their tongues their whole body so that they seem to be a walking Hell So that herein is a wonderfull change when the Spirit of God comes and takes possession of a people who before were captives to Satan and led aside according to his will 2 Tim. 2.26 Secondly When it 's said The Spirit of God dwels in a people it supposeth That he doth fashion and prepare them for himself For every lodging is not fit for so noble a guest but as great men carry their rich furniture with them to have convenient lodgings so also doth the Spirit of God raise up a people by illumination and sanctification to be a fit habitation for him As they say Anima fabricat sibi domicilium The soulâ— makes the body so curiously organized and diversified for it's self to be in So much more doth the Spirit of God put spiritual life and quicken up our dead hearts that we may be prepared for the enjoyment of him It 's said The Spirit of God moved upon those waters Genes 1. that covered the deep when the earth was without forme or void Thus the Spirit of God doth take us out of our natural confusion and horrible darknesse and makes us comely with those ornaments he puts upon us So that as it is impossible to have the Sunne but withall we must enjoy glorious light So we cannot have the Spirit of God but withall many precious and heavenly gifts will be bestowed upon us Oh then how few persons how few Congregations can endure the lustre of this Doctrine What heavenly or precious jewels have they of Gods Spirit Thirdly When it 's said The Spirit of God dwels in us it denoteth The familiarity and condescending Communion that God vouchsafeth unto his children To dwell with one is an act of communion Hence 1 Peter 3.17 Husbands are commanded to dwell with their wives Our Savior expresseth this familiarity by John I will come in and sup with him and he with me Revel 3.20 So that what was spoken of Moses as so rare a priviledge He spake to God face to face as one friend speaketh to another in some kinde of sense though not after the same manner is true of every godly person Hence the Spirit of God is said to enable us to cry Abba Father Galat. 4 6. which though it suppose a filial reverential frame in us yet also godly boldnesse and confidence Hence he is also said To witnesse with our spirit that we are the children of God Rom. 8. So that children being admitted to sit at their Fathers Table have that bread which dogs may not eat of They have
for the most part is spiritual and supernatural and partly because as the Prophets and Pen-men spake or wrote as they were moved by the holy Ghost even to every syllable and word so the same Spirit of God is required though not in such a measure to the understanding of it Hence the Spirit of God is promised To lead us into all truth John 16.13 Alas the greatest men of parts and learning have many times been the greatest Heretiques and most ignorant of the Scripture because destitute of the Spirit Yet on the other side you must not runne into another extremity as if the Spirit alone without those helps God hath required would lead us into truth for that were to tempt God and to expect a miracle For give a Bible in Hebrew or Greek to a man though enjoying Gods Spirit yet he is not able to understand this or that Text without the interpretation of the language I have been more large on this because it 's necessary to shew with how much prayer and earnest application to the throne of grace the Ministers of God should addresse themselves to their work without the Spirit of God guiding and leading of them they are the ship that wants a winde yea though they have many excellent gifts and much humane learning They are but as a swift horse without a rider while they want Gods Spirit and the faster they runne the more they are out of the way So then put the Spirit of God and other helpes appointed by him together and then you will never split at any Rock Secondly As the gifts of the Ministry are thus efficiently from God So directively also they are from his Spirit The guidance and ordering of the whole Ministry is from the Spirit of God When Paul was resolved to go to some place to preach the Gospel he was sometimes forbidden by the Spirit and directed to go to others Acts 16.6 9. Thus in the word of God preached by the Apostles the Spirit of God did demonstrate it self because the Jews are said to resist it Acts 7.51 therefore though it was first dispensed to the Jews yet upon their neglect it was transplanted to the Gentiles And thus truly every Congregation every particular person may wonderfully observe the divine guidance of the Ministry that it should come to such a people and not to such that those who are unworthy and trample upon it as swine do the pearl should have it and many a poor hungring and thirsting people can never enjoy have or such a Ministry especially every godly hearer may observe a divine guidance of the Word in the matter preached how near and seasonably it comes to him The unbeliever that came to the Church ordinances saw his heart and thoughts so judged and discovered that he cried out Verily God is among you 1 Cor. 14.25 Thou sittest and wonderest how the Minister should fall on such a point how he should be directed to such a particular that doth so nearly concern thee this makes thee say Verily God is here Thirdly Which is the last and greatest The efficacy and spiritual benefit of the Ordinances and gifts of Officers is wholly from the Spirit of God Hence it is called the holy Spirit not only essentially as the other Persons are or by way of opposition to the unclean spirit the Devil but effectively because by way of title and Office as it were it belongs to him to sanctifie the gifts of the Minister and to make them powerfull in the hearts of the hearers So that although parts and abilities should be in the Officers choice and power yet the successe and benefit is not When Paul hath planted Apollo watered it 's God that giveth the increase 1 Cor. 3. And certainly if the Physician cannot give health the Gardener cannot make any fruit only disposeth and prepareth in these things much lesse can spiritual Officers in the Church cause the Word to open the eyes of the blinde or soften the heart of those that are hardened Thus we have seen how the Spirit of God dwels in the Church by reason of gifts only and to be more affected with this though that of Graces be more excellent consider First That the end of all these gifts thus vouchsafed by the Spirit is only to profit withall as the Apostle argueth 1 Cor. 12.7 They are not for vain oftentation neither are we to seek our selves by them but they are to be improved for edification Now that cannot be called profit which is onely to please the ear to tickle the fancy but what is to convince the conscience and change the heart and lives of men Oh that this were considered both by Minister and all people It 's spiritual profit that is to be looked at Hence the Word is compared to food which is not for the eye but the stomack The more usefull and profitable the gifts of any are either for instruction or reformation the nearer they come to their due end Secondly Consider the plenty of these gifts under the New Testament The Spirit of God inabled to all those gifts and graces in the Old Testament but because they were in a little pittance or measure therefore the Gospel is said to be The time of the manifestation of the Spirit So that it 's a great shame and sinne if both Ministers and people partake not more of the gifts of Gods Spirit than in the Old Testament and that so much grosse ignorance and beastly prophanenesse doth overflow is a great reproach unto the times of the Gospel Thirdly The variety of them is also very admirable The Apostle reckons up the diversity of them So that as it was an argument of Jacob's love to give Joseph a party-coloured coat Thus it is of Gods favour to bestow such diversity of gifts This makes the Church indeed to be in imbroidered garments Fourthly The wisdome of the Spirit is seen in that no one man hath all As all men have not the same face but some difference there is which makes Gods providence admirable in this particular So all have not the same gifts some are for the word of Doctrine some for the word of Exhortation and all this is that there being a mutual excelling of one another there might be no envy or schisme in the body Vse of Instruction What cause we Ministers and you people have to pray for this Spirit of God without which we preach in vain and you hear in vain As Moses said to God Vnlesse thou go along with us we will not go up O Lord if the presence of thy Spirit be not with us we cannot discharge those duties who is sufficient to preach Who is sufficient to hear Oh it should be like a sword in our bowels to think we feel no more of him in our Assemblies Arise O North winde and blow O South saith the Church that the spices may send forth their smell Cantic 4.16 Oh that the Spirit of God would thus arise
moved so swiftly because the Spirit was in them Oh then as she said If thou hadst been here my brother had not died So doe thou Oh Lord if thy Spirit had inlivened me and moved in me I had not â—ad such dead duties such a dead profession Oh where is thy Spirit When will it breathe heavenly life and vigour into me Thirdly The Spirit of God doth enable us to kill and mortifie sinne Rom 8. If ye through the Spirit mortifie the deeds of the flesh Through the Spirit There is no sinne so deare and beloved to thee so strong and imbred in thee that is as thy owne soule to thee but by the Spirit of God thou mayest mortifie it Never then be afraid of those great Anakims Oh thou cryest out I cannot believe I cannot be heavenly minded Indeed thou canst not but the Spirit of God doth lift up his people to these things Men by natural conscience may leave many outward sinnes but they doe not or cannot mortifie them this is done by Gods Spirit onely As onely by him they could cast out Devils from the possessed thus onely by him can they subdue such sinnes We see then why it is that so many resolve never to sinne again to be such beasts any more and and yet are overcome Alas they goe out in their owne strength against these Goliahs Oh therefore pray and againe pray for the Spirit of God! O Lord here is a lust or a sinne dwels in me as the Jebusite in Canaan I know not how to be freed from it gladly would I be heavenly I cannot I would be believing I cannot give that holy Spirit of thine unto me Pray thus for the Spirit of God more than for health life or any worldly advantage whatsoever Fourthly The Spirit of God doth bestow a filial and ingenuous spirit upon believers whereby they are carried out upon Evangelical and Gospel grounds in their obedience to God And this is a most precious worke to be desired more than all the world An heart with slavish feares is an hell where a man is a tormenting Devil to himself and the guilt of sinne is a gnawing worme that never dieth but Galat. 4.6 He hath sent his Spirit in our hearts whereby we cry Abba Father There is earnestnesse and a Gospel holy boldnesse Hence it is called The Spirit of Adoption Now how admirable and desirable is this when we through feare were subject to bondage to have this Evangelical freedome of Spirit The people of God should pray and seek for this Spirit of Adoption as well as of Sanctification This would be oyle to the wheel this would be wings and legs to thee Fifthly The Spirit of God workes comfort and joy in the hearts of the godly Hence he is called The Comforter John 15.26 As the Devil delights to keepe us in darknesse and feares therefore he had almost swallowed up the incestuous person with immoderate grief 2 Corinth 2. So the Spirit of God delighteth to turne water into wine Joy is a fruit of the Spirit of God Galat. 5.22 Yea it 's called Vnspeakable joy in the Holy Ghost Doe not therefore thinke that the Kingdome of Grace and Godlinesse lieth in a dejected spirit in a troubled soule No it 's in joy as well as in righteousnesse Rom. 14.17 Those doubts and sad thoughts that do lie like a burden and load upon thee came not from the Spirit dwelling in thee Sixthly That we may have this boldnesse and joy the Spirit of God hath another effect which is To witnesse and seale unto our spirits that we are the children of God Grieve not the Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed Ephes 4.30 The Spirit beareth witnesse with our spirit that we are the sonnes of God Rom. 8.16 Oh what a blessed life is this when all these works of Gods Spirit go along together teaching sanctifying and comforting This is the Mount of Transfiguration It 's good to be here Doe not think these things are too great and too good to be had in this life For if we be not wanting to our selves if we bring our cruises he is ready to pour in his oyl Seventhly The Spirit of God worketh wonderfull support and even glorious rejoycing in all afflictions and tribulations Then if ever it 's admirable to see what the Spirit of God doth in believers The Spirit of glory shall rest upon you 1 Peter 4.14 If you reade of the Martyrs burning at the stake if of the persecutions and torments they did with such invincible joy and patience endure it was from the Spirit of glory resting on them Alas we think if God should exercise us with such straits bring us into such troubles we could never bear them Oh consider there is Gods Spirit as well as thy spirit Lastly The Spirit of God doth worke the prayers of Gods people Rom. 8. It 's a Spirit of prayer and mourning he teacheth what to pray and how to pray for spiritual and heavenly things with zeal faith and importunity It helps our infirmities many sins and corruptions are apt to spoil our prayers he helpeth against them yea he worketh groans unutterable he moveth the very foundations of the soul and those prayers cannot but speed because the Spirit knoweth the mind of God All prayers are dead carkasses without the Spirit moving upon them Vse of Examination Try whether thou art one who hast the Spirit of God thus dwelling in thee Oh where is the man or woman that heareth us that knoweth the meaning of these things When Christ spake about eating his body the Capernaites had a grosse understanding therein but saith our Saviour The flesh profiteth little the Spirit giveth life John 6.63 If Christ said thus of his own body than how much rather may we say parts duties an outward Religion profiteth little The Spirit giveth life Rom. 8. Paul saith If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Thou speakest of Christ and thou hopest he died for thee see what the Scripture saith If thou hast not his Spirit thou art none of his Verse 17. If any man defile the Temple of God him shall God destroy THe Apostle in this seventeenth verse aggravates that Argument which before he had propounded viz. The temple of God wherein the Spirit of God dwels ought to be kept pure and not defiled by any corruptions of Doctrine or lives 1So that the Apostle makes all false Doctrines and corruptions in Gods worship to be a sacriledge And therefore in this verse he doth further amplifie the hainousnesse of this sinne wherein you have 1. The malum culpae supposed If any man defile the temple of God 2. The malum poenae proposed Him will God destroy For the sinne supposed If any man defile the temple This is an allusive expression to the custom among the Jews If any man defiled their Temple the crime was capital what accusations were brought against Paul because he brought in Greeks uncircumcised
flowers It 's as absurd saith Aristotle to expect moral discourses from a Mathematician as mathematical demonstrations from a Moralist So then some men are presently conquered by acute metaphysical argumentations This the Scripture hath not for that dictateth not argueth which is indeed most sutable to the divine Scripture Bradwardine who is called The profound Doctor professed of himself while he was a Christian yet not throughly sanctified by grace that he was weary of hearing Pauls Epistles read in the Church And why Because Paul had not metaphysicum ixgenium Some then look for learned demonstrations Others are ravished with the sweet musick of humane Rhetoâ—â—que And Austin confesseth this great vanity in himself That he could not delight in the Scripture because of the want of that as he thought He looked for Tully's flowers there and the Scripture simplicity he disdained It was the saying of an Atheistical Critick That he esteemed one of Pindar 's Odâ—s before all David 's Psalms Thus you see as it was with Christ himself many looked for an outward stately pompous Messias and because he came in that outward way he was a slumbling block to many Christ crucified was foolishnesse to the learned Gentiles In the like manner it is with the Scripture because it hath not the Aristotâ—lical demonstrations or the Ciceronian perswasions Therefore the Scripture is to them as Jobs white of the egge without any taste But to remove this carnal prejudice First For learned men who expect demonstrations consider That it being the Word of the most High God it is most decent and gracefull that there should no other Argument be used but Authority And therefore if you doe rightly consider Moses his relation of the Creation of all things is of greater force than all rational demonstrations Kings use to say Teste meipso and thus it is most becoming the Majesty of God to have his Pen-men say no more but God said it God did it Therefore howsoever one Heathen said of Moses Bexè dicit sed nihil probat He speaketh well but proveth nothing yet another Heathen when he heard the relation of the Creation by Moses said I like this saith he he speaketh like a God All scientifical demonstrations are farre inferiour to divine Authority Therefore you see the greatest men of reason have been wonderfully perplexed about the Creation It 's said Aristotle thought the world was from eternity Besides that seemeth reason to one man which is not to another And this seemeth to be a good reason till a man of strong parts cometh to shew the weaknesse of it In that the Scripture then is only assertory and that in the main principles of our Religion it therefore is most consonant to Gods Majesty and that holy confident relation by Moses without so much as any attendance to go about to prove it doth evince the Divine Authority of it Secondly While learned men seek for such rational demonstrations Let them take heed lest while they seek for Reason they lose Faith Christians are believers not Artists Now what is faith A captivating of the understanding to Gods testimony 2 Cor. 10. It 's the evidence or conviction of things not seen Heb. 11.1 By faith we understand the world was made by faith we believe there is a God and that he is a rewarder of those that come to him Faith is not an argumentative Discourse but an obediential Assent Thou therefore that judgest Arguments from Authority though Divine to be farre inferiour to demonstrations thou forgettest thy profession is to be a believer yea it 's the greatest reason in the world to believe Gods testimony So that we may say Religio est summa ratio There is greater reason to believe the Scripture then to assent to any demonstration So that though Faith be not Reason yet there is the greatest Reason for Faith And for those who look for Rhetorical flourishes and fanciefull expressions let them consider First Some places of Scripture have strong and masculine eloquence not indeed that light and meretricious habit of humane Oratory but a grave Mâ—tronlike cloathing such is the Prophecy of Isaiah and other places Yea even all those parts of the Scripture where there is least of humane Rhetorique yet there is a grave and decent expression fit for such heavenly matter therâ— revealed and this is indeed the best and most genuine Rhetorique when the matter is so expressed that not the words but the matter doth appear that the leaves do not hinder the fruit It pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching to save those that believe 1 Co. 1.21 If we have a jewel or precious pearl it 's own native lustre is better than any painting of it So divine matter the more plain and clear it is the more admirable it is It 's the matter not the words that do convince and convert Words may please the fancy but it is matter that woundeth the heart Savanarola a man of great piety and acknowledged even to be a Prophet by Machiavel himself relateth this of himself remarkably that being Preacher at Florencâ— he thought to do good by following the rule of Rhetorique and industriously attempting humane eloquence but still his people they were as wicked as ever then he tried to preach in an high scholastical way thinking by such sublime discourses to work on them but still his preaching wrought no good At last he betook himself to a powerfull plain preaching according to the style and manner of the Scripture then his Net was presently full of Fâ—sh Then he made a very earthquake or rather an heart-quake among them thereby so overturning Satans Kingdome that the Devil was never quiet till he had stirred up the pharisaical and ungodly Monkes and Friars to put him to death Though plainnesse of preaching be thus the readiest way to change the heart and is most becoming divine matter yet we deny not but Eloquence and Oratory and all other parts of Learning are the good gifts of God and may in a subservient way be very usefull This is to borrow gold of the Aegyptians as the Ancient said and to help the Israelites with it Qui dedit Petrum piscatorem dedit Cyprianum Rhetorem Thus Reason also to Faith is like the Dew that fell before the Manna to preserve and keep it safely Thus have we dispatched the second The third remaineth and that is Earthly wisdome is a great enemy to those spiritual and practical duties that God requireth of us And indeed if ever any man be to become like a little child it is in this respect Hence we are commanded to be Children in malice to expresse such innocency and harmlesnesse and humility as they use to do Practical godlinesse hath a great deal of seeming foolishnesse in the eyes of the world As First The whole Doctrine of self-denial is a very foolish thing to carnal wisdome Our Saviour requireth this as the foundation in all those who are to come to
Castles and strong holds are said to be taken Numb 21.32 And thus it denoteth such who by their worldly craft lift up themselves and grow insolent in their counsels against God such God doth beseige as it were and straigthen them taking them at his pleasure 2. The word is sometimes used in a judicial sense to take men in their sinnes as Joshua 7. Acha◠is said to be taken in his theft And thus God takes the wise men of the world in all their hidden and secret counsels of malice and brings them to light to their confusion 3. The word is sometimes applyed to nets or fetters in which Malefactors are bound Thus God he binds and ensnareth men by their own counsels and thoughts as so many chains that they cannot stirre 4. Some make it a Metaphore from Hunters that use to lay snares and nets to take their beasts in Josh 44. Thus God layeth snares and pits in the way which the most Argus eyed in the world do not see or escape All these expressions have their peculiar efficacy In the Greek Erasmus makes the word properly to be used of the laying hold upon one that is running away from us and making him to turn back again Thus all he thoughts and purposes of crafty men whereby they runne from God and his waies thinking to accomplish contrary to his will God layeth hold on them and brings them back whereby the things done contra voluntatem are not yet preter Thus you have Gods Efficiency the next thing is the Subject of this The wise in their craft 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Though the word sometimes be used in a middle or indifferent sense yet here it is in an evil one It 's called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because crafty subtile men turn themselves into all shapes and formes and they are commonly very active and busie they sleep not till they have accomplished mischief Now when he saith God takes them in their craft that may be taken either as the matter in which God overpowereth them and destroyeth them Or it may be taken instrumentally as sometimes the word is by their very craft and wisdome God layeth hold upon them and overwhelmeth them Thus you have the words explained Observe That God delights to take the earthly wise men of the world in their own craft These Spiders are hung in their own webs See Isa 19.13 a notable instance of the wise men of Aegypt Now many waies doth God take the wise ones of the world First In dissipating their counsels that they cannot attain their ends They attempt again and again and are alwaies repulsed As 2 King 46.11 the King of Syria had many times intended to intrap the King of Israel in such a place and he was alwaies disappointed which made the heart of the King troubled saith the text It 's not as mens counsels or purposes are but the counsel of the Lord that shall stand The hearts of Kings of the greatest of powers in the world Julian's great purpose was to root out the Christian Religion he would not have them named Christians but Galileans he would not have them brought up in humane learning he put all the discouragements upon them would let them enjoy no benefits of the Law or the Courts of Justice and yet he was taken in his own craft He was so strangely killed that to this very day Historians cannot tell the true manner of it Thus God scatters all their counsels and their plots whereby they are confounded Secondly God when he doth ruine them he doth it no other way but by their own wisdome by their own craft And this is the greatest conquest that can be when God overcometh them by their own weapon as it was said of Goliah's sword None like that because by that he cut off Goliah's head whose sword it was So there are no Providences of God so remarkeable and glorious as those which make the very craft and wisdome wicked men have to bring about their confusion We see this fulfilled first in the Devil who is called the old Dragon or Serpent Rev. 12.9 because of his great subtilty as well as poisonous enmity Now wherein was he overcome by his own craft even in this respect He used all the Instruments he had to bring Christ to be crucified He enters into Judas his heart and he had filled the hearts of the Jews and Priests before and so at last obtaineth his plot Christ is crucified but then he riseth again and is ascended and thereby he conquers the Devil and all his power So that by that very death which the Devil so much laboured for the works of the Devil were destroyed We see this also in Joseph's Brethren how politique and crafty were they in their malicious designes against Joseph and all was That he might not reign over them And all those means they took to hinder it were ordained by God to further it Thirdly He takes the wise men of the world so that they are entangled in their own counsels and are brought to such snares that they cannot go forward or backward Nullum magnum ingenium sine aliquâ mixturâ dementiae There is no great wit without some mixture of madnesse Thus you heard the original did imply That they were taken in their counsels as so many fetters and chains They were as a wild Bull in a net Eliphaz speaks admirably to this Job 5.14 They meet with darknesse in the day time and grope at noon day as at midnight See here into what a wildernesse and perplexity they are brought And so Isa 19.14 They are said to be drunk and reel up and down Are drunken men fit for to advise to counsel to carry on any work of consequence and yet such are the wise men of the world delivered up unto I might instance in more Particulars but the next words will have the same occasion I come to answer an Objection How is this true you will say that God taketh the wise in their craft Doth not David often make mention of his bloody and deceilfull enemies How often doth he complain of their lying in wait to shoot at the upright in heart And doth not the experience of all Ages both in prophane and sacred Histories shew that earthly crafty and wicked policy hath accomplished many destructive things and that to Gods own Church and people Hath not Antichrist by subtile deceiveable waies prevailed over the Church of God Do not the crafty Foxes and subtile Wolves many times worry and devoure the poor innocent Sheep All this must be granted and yet the observation is true For First This is many times done and we through our ignorance take no notice thereof The works of the Lord are great and sought out of those that have pleasure therein Psal 111.2 We many times take not such delight in observing the works of God in the world and so for want of consideration we come not to admiration The
there is nothing which would be for their good that God denieth them Whatsoever is in all the world if it be good for the godly man he shall have it No good thing will he with-hold from them that fear him Psal 84.11 Now the godly mans good is two-fold either that which is Absolutely and Necessarily good so that it cannot be evil nor it cannot do a godly man any hurt to have them such as Christ is Pardon of sinne and Heaven and these are bestowed on all godly men There is no man that feareth God though he may say I want riches I want health I am without this or that that can say he is without Christ and justification and the Covenant of Grace 2. There is a limited Good that which in its self is good but doth not make good those that have it yea it may be turned to evil As wine is good but give it to the feavourish man you hurt him And thus it is with all the temporal good things of the world they do not make the possessours good yea they may be turned to sinne and increase thy corruption And then it 's no wonder if God out of his love to thee with hold these things from thee If they were as necessary and as good as Christ is and Heaven is thou wert sure to have them Rom 8.32 If he hath given us Christ How shall he with him but give us all things else Now this very particular should rebuke all the winds and waves of fears and discontent within thee Art thou repining and carnally muttering thou hast not this thou hast not that Oh look Hast thou godlinesse Hast thou the fear of God in thy heart than thou hast all things because there is nothing that is good for thee that God keeps from thee Do not thou blame God but thy own corruptions if thou wantest such temporal mercies say rather God seeth I should make them a poison to my soul I should grow drunk with this sweet wine Secondly A godly man may be said to have all things Because he hath a right and a claim to the Covenant of Grace wherein is a deed of Gift of all things both spiritual and temporal The Covenant of Grace lieth in this That God will be our God giving remission of sinne healing of our corruption and blessing us with all temporal blessings This God made with Abraham and so with all believers Therefore Godlinesse is said to have the promise of this life and the life to come 1 Tim. 4.8 All heavenly and earthly things are by promise made to the godly only heavenly things absolutely earthly things conditionally and with subordination and exception So then it is with thee as some man who hath all his estate lying in Bonds and Covenants though for the present he cannot command such a summe of money yet he is rich in Bonds Thus the godly man hath sure Bonds and Promises even of Gods own making who cannot lie or deceive and therefore he may be as much supported as if he had the things themselves Hence ariseth that life of faith Habakkuk and godly men have in their great extremities and necessities Thirdly All things are the godly mans Because he hath God for his God who hath all things Qui habet habentem omnia habet omnia He that hath the Sunne hath the light of all the starres He that hath the Ocean hath all the streams Deus meus omnia as he said Hence our happinesse is said to be in this if we have the Lord for our God David in all his exigencies supported himself with this That God was his portion and his inheritance Now he is such a portion that there is nothing else good beside have him and ye have all Though a child hath not money and raiment at his command yet because he hath a rich father who can procure all these things therefore he may be well said to have them all Thou shalt not want as long as God hath it If God have it thou shalt have it and what can be more desired Fourthly A godly man may be said to have all things Because godlinesse worketh such an holy contentation and satisfaction of spirit that in what estate he is he is as well pleased as if he had all things as if he had the whole world Therefore it 's called Godlinesse with content 1 Tim. 6 6 viz. which worketh and causeth contentment it is the proper effect and fruit of it Thus Paul I have learned to be content in all conditions I have all things I want nothing Phil. 4 11 12 That which pride and presumption putteth some upon to say they wanted nothing for which God severely reproveth them here true grace puts the godly upon Here is a godly Dives that may say Soul take thy spiritual ease for thou hast not many but all good things laid up for thee Thus all things are theirs because through contentation they have all things Fifthly All things are the godly mans Because they were made finaliter for him They are all for his spiritual use If you regard the Offices and Ordinances in the Church they are all for the Church either to begin increase or consummate grace If you look upon the whole Creation there is no creature therein but the godly thereby do or ought to glorifie God and to draw nearer thereby unto him If every thing thou lookest upon thou hearest thou treadest upon doth not make thee more godly thou losest the good use for which they were made Every gift is given to profit withall 1 Cor. 12.7 And every creature was also made to profit withall At the first we see the whole world with all things therein were made for man which made the Psalmist spend an whole Psalm in the admiration of Gods goodnesse and bounty What is man that thou art thus mindfull of him Psal 8.4 yet that was chiefly because the starres in Heaven and the creatures on earth were made for him But with what praises may the mouths and hearts of Gods people be filled with in that not only the things of the world but that all the Offices and Ordinances of the Church are made for them But this excellent point will be more improved in the particular enumeration Let us now consider Why God should make all heavenly and earthly things for the godly And First We need not wonder at it if we consider That Christ himself took our nature upon him and did undergo that shamefull death and those terrible conflicts with Gods wrath for his Church he gave himself for his Church So that Christ being theirs no wonder if all things else be theirs If ever God would have denied any thing would have with-held any thing it would have been his only Son in whom he was so well-pleased But this he parts with for his Church Yet we cannot say Christ is ours as Paul and Cephas and other things therefore he addeth We are Ghrists and
good and so if they abuse the creatures to all manner of wickednesse they can do no otherwise They had them for this end to accomplish sinne thereby If every thing works to their damnation this may make them sin the more desparately But First Divines have a good distinction about Gods Will. There is a will of Complacency or Approbation and there is his will of Efficiency what he will bring about and none shall hinder Now it 's the will of Gods approbation that all things should be improved by the wicked for their good It 's his approving and commanding will that every Sermon should be received by Faith that every mercy be improved fruitfully The goodnesse of God doth invite such to Repentance The afflictions and scourges God brings on them are to humble them and make them to repent of their sinnes But if we regard the will of Efficiency so these things are the savour of death to them that perish The Apostle saith this plainly The Word was the savour of life to such as are saved and the savour of death to such as perish 2 Cor. 2.15 That their is such a will of God will appear by that instance to Pharaoh God inflicted strange and miraculous judgments upon him it was his approving and commanding will that by those Pharaoh should be humbled and repent and let the people go For this end Moses and Aaron are sent to exhort him to this duty Yet if we respect Gods will of Efficiency we see he told Moses that Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he would not let them go and his heart grew harder by these wonders So then Gods will of Approbation and Command is That even the wicked should make all things theirs though Gods will of Efficiency doth not bring it about Secondly If thâ—se things are poison to the wicked and snares to them they may still blame themselves for it 's the corruption of their natures not any violence God offereth them that makes them turn every thing to their own destruction Thy perdition is of thy self O Israel Hos 13 9. So that every wicked man having a corrupted nature and this wickednesse strengthened through actual impieties no wonder if every thing promote his damnation But still it 's of himself As you see poisonous creatures Serpents and Toads they turn every thing they eat to poison because of their venomous constitution So it is here wicked men turn all good things into ill Vnumquodque recipitur ad moâ—um recipientes Put the sweetest liquor into a noysome vessel it will have an ill tincture Paul sheweth this evidently The Law that was for life he found for death Rom. 7. The Law was good aand spiritual yet it stirred up all sinne in him because he was carnal It 's that within thee which defileth all without thee Wicked men sinne as wilfully and as industriously attend to pervert all things to their damnation as if there were no contracted necessity upon them to offend against God in all things The third Doubt is If all things be the Godlies Why then are they so uncomfortable so dejected complaining of wants as if nothing were theirs If this be true we would thinke no godly man should ever be in a plunge he may take up this Text and it would be an antidote against all fears and cares It can be no night with him as long as this Sunne shineth Answ It 's true it should be so but we are weak in faith we do not live upon Scripture-principles and priviledges but sensible and then we stagger and reel up and down While we are cloathed with the Sunne and have the Moon under our feet we walk in light and comfort David when his faith is lively then God is his shepherd he shall want nothing and he will lay him down and sleep because God taketh care for him But let him come from this Mountain of faith and look on the waters of afflictions below his head goeth round and he knoweth not where he is Now a two-fold faith is necessary to bear up the head and heart the one Firmly assenting to the truth of the things The other Fiducially applying them to our selves If we have not the first faith we look upon such things as meer good words as bare expressions Even as if a man should think he had such a Country because he had the Map of it Oh this divine historical faith strongly perswading our selves these things are Gods truth they cannot be a lie they cannot deceive us would greatly establish us And then Fiducial application is the hand that takes these things making them to be ours So that if you ask How all present and future things life and death are ours It 's by faith only A quiet resting and reposing of the soul upon Gods promise puts us into the possession of all these things Secondly As they want faith So an heavenly prudence and skill how to improve them spiritually Though all things be for their good yet they must have wisdome to know how to use all things Therefore Paul who said He had all things saith He was instructed in it as in a mystery Phil. 4.11 Prescribe the best medicines in the world if men have not judgement rightly to order them they can never get good What is a fountain sealed up or a Book that cannot be read though it hath never such admirable matter Thus are all things though never so usefull if thou hast not Christian wisdome There is no condition affliction or event but thou mayest say if I had heavenly wisdome I might make excellent use of it The last Doubt is How are all things the Godly mans seeing for the most part they are most wanting they are in the greatest necessities Had not Dives all things when Lazarus had not not so much as crums Doth not this Doctrine give a mock-comfort as those in Jam. 2.16 who bid some be cloathed and warmed but gave nothing Answ 1. This place doth not so much speak of the possession of all things as the spiritual serviceablenesse of them Those things which they have no possession of may yet serve for their souls good He doth not so much mean what they have as what tends to their good 2. If the godly have not all things they would that want is good for them The want of any outward mercy may sometimes be better than the having of them To lose blood when there is too much fulnesse is healthfull So then complain not saying I have not this or that good thing the not having it is good 3. Thou hast what is best for thee and that according to the wise Gods ordering Let this silence thee alwayes These afflictions these exercises these wants are the best The wise great God of Heaven doth dispense them and they come from his hand 4. Thou hast better things then any earthly thing thou wantest thou hast Christ thou hast a title to Heaven and eternal glory
to come in this life they are of two sorts Either 1. Mercifull and good things Or 2. Grievous and sad things For God can quickly turn a fair day into thunder and tempest Job felt a suddain alteration upon himself which was from the richest in the East to become the poorest in a moment Now both these kinds are the godly mans mercy No evil that is truly so can befall him But I shall not pursue these particulars for that will coincide with the former matter I shall therefore treat of it in a more general way Observe That all things which are to come or may fall out hereafter are a godly mans mercy and advantage This Doctrine speaketh the height of happinesse and comfort to the godly for there is no greater temptation we are subject unto then to be tormented about what may fall out hereafter Though for the present it be never so well yet we forethink our possible miseries as David One day I shall fall by the hand of Saul 1 Sam. 27.1 So that many times needlesse troubles about what is to come takes away the enjoyment of the present mercies we have But here we see the Text giving such a cordial to the godly that he may go and take his rest wholly relying upon the Lord for come what can come or will come nothing can come amisse it will be a mercy an advantage to him Now that this Doctrine is true I may prove à posteriori from such signes and effects that do evidently demonstrate the people of God are quietly to sit down with this conclusion Though the Lord only knoweth what will come upon me yet I know it will be only for my good For First It appeareth by this The Scripture commands the godly to avoid all distrustfull and distracting cares about what will be that he should quietly compose himself committing all to his heavenly Father who knoweth all he hath need of So that as little children are cheerfull and play never troubling themselves how they shall subsist and what if such miseries arise Thus ought the godly Matth. 6.34 Take no thought for to morrow for the morrow shall take thought for the things of it self q.d. God will then provide when other conditions other exercises come Do not thou distract thy self God will then upon any new trial or exercise come in upon thee to help and deliver See here then the blessed estate of a godly man he is commanded to shut out all distrustfull cares for the future he is to cast his burden upon the Lord whatsoever shall befall it will be well with him Secondly They are to perswade themselves that nothing shall fall out that can separate from Gods love And what a support is this Rom. 8. Paul there is triumphing and that not for himself but for all the people of God who are justified What shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Shall things present shall things to come vers 38. Is not this to bring the people of God up into the Mount of transfiguration Whatsoever shall befall thee before thou diest yet nothing shall separate between Gods love and thee Though it should come about that no friend love thee none in the world will own thee yet God will own thee Certainly this may rejoyce the heart of the godly if any thing hereafter might divide between God and thee might deprive thee of God and part thee from him then thou mightest tremble and quake fearing the worst is not past but when all is thus provided afore-hand that thou art sure to be in Gods love be thy estate never so disconsolate this may keep up thy heart Thirdly The godly concerning all future things may thus also conclude That there is no evil no temptation that shall fall upon them but he will give strength to bear and give a way to escape You have a Text more precious than the gold of Ophir to this purpose 1 Cor. 10.13 God is faithfull who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but with the temptation will make a way to escape Doth not this Text speak to the heart of some godly people Oh they lie under sad temptations heavy exercises are upon them such as the world knoweth not and they are afraid these will overwhelm them they shall never get out it will undo them But what saith the Text God will not suffer you to be tempted above measure and he will make a way to escape See then thy fears thy unbelief makes thee go contrary to the Text. Thou sayest thou shalt never be able to bear it God saith I will lay no more upon thee then thou art able Fear saith I shall never escape this never overcome this Faith saith he will make a way to escape Now whether wilt thou believe God or thy own fearfull heart Oh then let the godly that are tempted and lie in deep waters that are like Jonas swallowed up in the whales belly take this Text and hide it in their heart so they will not fear what will be to come Fourthly For things to come they have this promise That in all outward things God will never leave them nor forsake them Thus things to come are theirs for they have this promise And Heb. 13.5 the Apostle urgeth this against covetousnesse and to be content with what they have God will never leave thee nor forsake thee Now this temptation many times troubleth at least some godly persons they are afraid they or their posterity may be brought to wants they fear poverty may come upon them as an armed man especially they know not what they shall do in old age if God should let them live till they should lose their sight or their limbs or their parts what should become of them To live a burden to themselves or others Aristotle hath a wicked Position That all decrepit old men should be thrown down a steep hill headlong and be killed as being a burden to a Commonwealth Old people are many times a burden to wicked young people Therefore God commands us Not to despise our mother when she is old Prov. 23.22 Now we shall see David himself tempted about his old age Psal 71.19 When I am old and gray headed forsake me not Thus you see what wants or straits especially what decayes of grace the godly may fear they shall not have the same vigour and strength not the same memory and judgement But the Scripture gives a good promise Psal 92.14 They shall bring forth fruit in old age So Isa 46.4 To your old age I am he and even to hoary hairs I will carry thee He will have as much care of thee as a mother of a child in her arms Well then you see in that God hath said he will never leave or forsake us we need not fear poverty want the diseases and miseries of old age for these things are ours Fifthly The people of God may be perswaded of their
our own will our own advantage It should shame us to follow such a Christ to be called by the name of this Christ How ill do such an Head and such members agree together Think of Christ when pride vain-glory self-will stirreth in thee If Christ had been thus there had been no pardon no salvation for me FINIS THE GODLY MANS CHOICE COMPARED WITH The Natural Mans AND Found to be Incomparably the Best Preached from Psalme 4th Vers 6 7 8. and now published By Anthony Burgesse Pastour of the Church of Sutton-Coldfield LONDON Printed by Abraham Miller for Thomas Underhill at the Signe of the Anchor and Bible in Pauls Church-yard M. DC LIX TO THE READER THe Psalms are noted to have this peculiar Excellency in them that they are the experimental breathings of a gracious heart exercised under various temptations so that what is doctrinally and in the Idea delivered in other places of the Scripture is here practically and in Subjecto visibly expressed so that none can understand them unless he bring the same spirit with him that breathed in David while he composed them This is Davids spiritual Harp driving away all the evil and malignant affections that may at any times rise up in us That Poetical one of Orpheus though said to tame Beasts is not comparable to this Now as face answereth face so doth the heart of a godly man answer Davids in his respective agonies of his soul when grace worketh when corruption worketh he doth observe by the like transactions in his own soul Among other particulars I have selected this 4th Psalm in the three last verses to discourse upon because therein is declared what is the choice of a natural man what is his summum bonum and what of a godly man wherein I am more large so that an heavenly heart and the enjoyment of the light of Gods countenance is chiefly the Subject of this Treatise sublime and high matter comparatively to our dull lumpish and heavy hearts For this end doth God many times exercise his people with sad temptations that they may experimentally say Gods loving kindness is better than life For Job and many others have lived yet desired death The damned in Hell live yet annihilation would be welcome to them So that he only liveth who enjoyeth the favour of God As for the greatest worldly pleasures they are but like the fancies of distracted men So that as some who have perswaded themselves in such pleasing delights and apprehending themselves masters of such great revenews when cured of this delirium by Physicians have been displeased thereat saying they never enjoyed a better time then under those deluded imaginations Such a folly and dream doth possesse all natural men while destitute of the light of Gods countenance they are unwilling to be awakened out of this dream and to be cured of this folly But with David we call upon thee to taste and see how good God is and then thou wilt cry out with Austin Sero te amavi Domine even mourn because thou wast not acquainted with him any sooner And that thou mayest be quickned up hereunto be diligent in meditating of these holy Psalms wherein is contained flamnigera Theologia for hereby thou wilt find thy self as it were in Eliahs fiery Chariot carried up to Heaven ANTHONY BURGESSE March 18. 1658. THE NATURAL MANS CHOICE SHEWING That no unregenerate Man can ascend any higher in his Choice and Desires then the Creature Psalm 4.6 There be many that say Who will shew us any good THe Divine Psalmist at the second Verse doth in a pathetical manner reprove all his ungodly Enemies who were also Enemies to God and his Church as well as to him and his Reproof is full of Reasonings As 1. That all the earthly good and advantage they seek after is a vanity it 's a lye They will never find it to be that to them which they expect They are but a shadow which is nigrum nihil a black nothing 2. Their attempts against the godly will be frustrated for God setteth a part the godly man for himself This is his Treasure this is his Apple of his eye which he will certainly defend Thereupon he exhorts them to Repentance which is accomplished by communing with their own hearts on their beds They are to take the solemnest and most serious time to consider of their waies for all their wickednesse was committed for want of consideration Intellectus cogitabundus is principium omnis boni Oh consider this ye that forget God! This Repentance presupposed he presseth two Duties 1. To offer the Sacrifices of righteousnesse To be diligent in the Worship and Ordinances of God and that with an holy and godly cleansing of their lives from all impiety 2. To put their trust in the Lord. Even Bellarmine on this place confesseth this is added That they might not presume in their own works or in their best religious performances but must rest their souls wholly on the grace of God in Christ Now the Psalmist having given this spiritual counsell he informeth us of two different dispositions or two sorts of men For although there be various Interpretations and conjectures about the place yet I pitch on that as most genuine The first is The Natural and Carnal disposition which is in the spirit of every unregenerate man Who will shew us any good They dispise the counsell given they think that these religious duties are for no good at all therefore they manifest their desires after some terrene and worldly happinesse Secondly There is the Charectar of a gracious and regenerate man Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us Thus this text like Rebecca's Womb hath a prophane Esau who esteemed a morsell of meat above his Birthright and a holy Jacob striving within it I shall begin with the first wherein you have represented What is the heart-wish and souls desire of every man till sanctified even to go no higher then to have happinesse in the enjoyment of some creature and not God himself So that in the former part you may observe 1. The number of those who have this distempered palate many even every man till by Regeneration he is enabled to set his affections on things above 2. Their ardent affection They say that is both internally in their affections and desires as the fool said There is no God and also with the tongue externally manifesting this corrupt heart within 3. There is the object which their whole heart is carried out unto To shew us any good that is any good or content of the creature For it 's spoken oppositely to God as appeareth by the words following They do as it were desire the Devils offer which he made to Christ That the glory of the world might be shewed them and they will worship the Devil and commit any sinne that they might enjoy it And although it's true that the things of this world are but a shew the Devil doth
filled with God Thirdly Those can only desire the light of Gods countenance that do renounce their own righteousnesse That do not justifie themselves or put confidence in their own righteousnesse Commonly there are none more ignorâ—nt and stupid about this glorious priviledge then the civil pharisaical and formal men who placeth all their trust in the good works they do Those affections and that hope which should be placed on God they are apt to put upon their own seeming righteousnesse Hence Mat. 5.3 our Saviour pronounceth those blessed that are poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven And the Virgin Mary magnifieth God in her Song Luk. 1.53 He hath filled the hungry with good things and the rich he hath sent empty away Not only the prophane man who trampleth this Pearl under his feet but even the formall civil man is a great stranger to this petition This favour is wholly a strange thing to him and all because he is full of himself He makes his good heart his good workes a god a saviour to him and so no wonder if he seek not up to Heaven and desire light from thence Yea in godly men it is thus that the more debased and self emptyed they are the more is their fellowship with God The more do they place their happinesse in beholding of him As you see it was with Paul Who laboured more then he yet Who undervaluing all his graces more then â—e And all this was that Christ might be wholly exalted Oh then know that there is nothing doth so much bolt out this glorious light from shining into thee as self-confidence as self-righteousnesse And this is the reason why God doth so many times withdraw his gracious presence from his own Children that they are in the dark and cannot see any grace and the least spark of heavenly fire within themselves and all because they are apt to be lifted up They must have these thornes in the flesh else they would depend too much upon their own strength and their own graces And when they have been thus humbled then at last they come to esteem Gods favour more then ever as Paul's passengers after a stormy black time rejoyced to see the Sun more then ever Fourthly Such only can esteem the light of Gods countenance who are a spiritual and an heavenly people who have the holy Image of God repaired in them He that is of the earth is earthly and speaks earthly things Joh. 3. but he that is of Heaven is heavenly Such as we are in respect of our spiritual constitution such are our operations and our inclinations No wonder then the natural man desireth not the favour of God for he is in a corrupt and sinfull estate and so can desire nothing but what is suitable thereunto Whereas on the otherside he that is made heavenly he that hath an holy frame of heart the motions of his soul ascend upwards still As you see by David How often doth he professe the breathings the longings and thirstings of his soul after God He cryeth aloud that he hath nothing in Heaven and Earth but God He makes God his Portion his Shepherd his Refuge his Hope his all things unto him Whence is David thus carried out to the favour of God but because of an heavenly heart within There could not come such sweet fragrant smells but because his heart was like a spiritual Garden You see all like desireth and delights in that which is like And if a godly man love to see the face and have the company of another godly man how much more must he desire God himself Oh then complain of that heavy lumpish earthly heart of thine that doth not often say My heart breaketh for the longing after God at all times As the Hart desireth the waters so pants my soul after thee O God If thou complainest that thou hast affections for every thing but God thy heart is taken with every comfort but him Oh bewail this dull and sinfull frame Thou wantest heavenlynesse Thy heart and conversation is not in Heaven Fifthly Such only pray for the light of Gods countenance as live by Faith and are affected with things as revealed by the Scripture It 's as impossible for a man living wholly by sense and upon worldly Principles to rejoyce in the favour of God as a worm that crawleth on the ground to delight in the Sunne Faith is that noble grace which is like Wings to the soul to make it fly up to Heaven We see it in Paul What was that which so raised up his heart to Christ What is that which made him to sit with Christ in heavenly places What is that which is the substance of things hoped for to every Believer but Faith We are all lame cripples till Faith heal us And this is the reason why all worldly men have no more sense of this divine Benefit then the very bruit beasts because they are wholly strangers to the life of Faith For it 's not the bodily eye that can see the face of God neither hath God any bodily face or eyes but these things are wholly spiritual And therefore as the deaf ear cannot be affected with melodious musick so neither can a natural heart discern of this light of Gods favour Oh then acquaint thy self with Faith This is a Prospective-Glasse that will discover such Objects to thee that of thy self thou couldst not apprehend Faith makes us to behold the glory of Gods favour We are starke blind till Faith open our eyes Sixthly Such onlâ— can esteem the favour of God who have had the experience of the sweetnesse and excellency of it A man that hath not tasted Honey knoweth not how sweet it is Therefore David calls upon the men of the world to taste and see how good God is If the natural man ever had any experimentall feeling of Gods favour and his love then he would quickly have another heart be of another mind Then he would sell all to get this Pearl But all the while men are unregenerate they know no other good then that of the creature It hath never entred into their hearts to conceive what it is to have the face of God shine upon his people Insomuch that all the invitations and allurements are in vain untill God be pleased to come into the soul and discover his sweetnesse and consolations to him The experienced Christian that hath often drank of this Wine still remains thirsty and desirous after more For whereas the having of earthly things doth satiate and at last nauseate a mans heart so that he hath enough in this heavenly enjoyment of God he never hath enough but the more he hath tasted of it the more hungery he is still Alwaies praying with David Oh when will he come to me When those in the Canticles asked the Church which was so ravished with Christ preferring him above ten thousand What is thy beloved more then others it was an Argument they
had never seen him they had never known him If they had they would have been enammoured with him as well as the Church And thus when natural men wonder saying Why do these men thus pray thus mourn thus long after God Why is it that they are never satisfied but in him It 's a demonstration that this experimentall work hath never been upon thy heart If it had the spirit of Prophesie as I may so say would fall on thee also Thou wouldst admire the favour of God as well as they Seventhly Such only can desire the light of Gods countenance who have the Spirit of God working in them It 's that which maketh the soul go upwards We being like that man bowed down that Christ healed till the Spirit of God thus raise us up The holy Ghost came down in fire which denoteh the activty of it When fire assimilateth any thing into it self it makes it ascend upwards And thus when the Spirit of God converts and sanctifieth a mans soul it giveth it a contrary motion to what it had before Then it made provision for the flesh then it minded earthly things but now the Spirit of God hath raised it from the death of sinne That as you see it 's the mighty power of God which will make these bodies that are now corruptible heavy and pressing downwards to be immortal spiritual and so agile that they shall meet the Lord in the aire Even these bodies will be so transformed that they shall move in the air like Birds No wonder then if Gods Spirit is able so to work upon our hearts that they shall be constantly inclining to God And indeed none are to rest till they find God thus mightily prevailing upon them This excellent frame may be given by the Spirit and the Spirit is promised to such as ask for it Mat 6. Especially the Spirit of God as adopting enabâ—ling us to call God Father rebuking legall slavish feares and filling us with a filial and evangelical frame of heart Eighthly Therefore another Property of such who do thus highly esteem Gods favour is That they are diligent in Prayer and fervent in approaches to God Prayer is the ascending of the heart to God who is in Heaven The eyes lifted up argue what the heart should be Now Prayer is of this excellent advantage if spiritually and fervently performed that it carrieth up the soul to God and thereby God also manifests his loving kindnesse to his people Even as Moses upon his Communion with God had his face shine so gloriously that the people could not behold it and Christ himself upon Prayer had his countenance changed that his face did shine like the Sunne and his garments were white as snow So that such who esteem of Gods favour they are instant in Prayer They perform that duty with watching and attending thereunto which if so discharged then many consolations many irradiations of his favour are communicated to them So that a man diligent in Prayer is like the tree by the water side whose leafe will never fade Hence we have that encouragement No man seeketh Gods face in vain And no sooner did God command this but immediately David's heart yeelded to it Psal 7.8 Thy face Lord will I seek We cannot have it without seeking for it as that which is most precious and a very infinite Treasure And withall you see the encouragement God bespeaks it he saith Seek ye my face Lastly Such as prize the light of Gods countenance they walk closely with God and keep up strict Communion with him Slothfull and carelesse walking will never be blessed with this glorious advantage You read the Church was but once carelesse and negligent when Christ proffered himself and immediately Christ withdraweth so that though she runne up and down much perplexed to see the face of her Beloved again yet it cost her dear ere she could obtain it David began to have but some proud and presumptuous thoughts Psal 301.7 And God bid his face and then he was troubled You see a little thing a word a thought may do it Therefore those who desire to enjoy it they walk circumspectly lest they should do any thing that may make him angry with them Vse 1. Of Exhortation to Gods Children To keep up a tender mollified heart to take no rest till the light of Gods countenance shine upon thee Let not lusts passions or any thing be an eclipse between this glorious Sunne and you How can you live without this May not the Devil come with seven more tormenting Devils then ever if thou provoke God to withdraw his gracious presence To whom are woes To whom are sad terrours and perplexities of spirit but to such who cry out God frowneth on them Oh they feel his anger consuming of them Vse 2. Of Admonition to natural and unregenerate men To know there is a better good then ever yet they tasted Oh that thou couldst desire God as thou doest wealth and pleasures Is not the pleasant smiling face of some great Potentate a reviving to thee What endeavours for the favour of a great man who yet is mortal Will not this condemn thee at the Day of Judgment Oh how will the face of God be then esteemed of A Consideration of some false Grounds of a Perswasion of Gods Love We have declared already the Characters of such who can truly esteem the light of Gods favour let us now consider the condition of such who are mistaken herein and take that for Gods favour which is not And First There is the rich earthly or great man of the world He who aboundeth in all Prosperity and needeth nothing this man thinketh that Gods face is towards him in mercy They gather from all the mercies they enjoy that therefore God loveth them but this is a very dangerous mistake For 1. In the Scripture we read That chastisements and afflictions are sometimes an argument of Gods love and that God is never more angry then when he lets a mans waies be smooth and prosperous As it was with Moab because he was not moved often therefore he was setled upon the Lees. And thus in Hosea when God is angry in the highest manner then he threatens He will not punish their sonnes or daughters any more Hos 4.14 They therefore have little cause to boast in this That they are not afflicted as other men they are not in such bonds as others are For David Psal 73.6 did of old observe this That whereas the wicked of the world had all encouragements they had all temporal increase yet the godly were bowed down all the day long and that in those times when Promises of temporal abundance were in a larger way proposed to them If then the godly man had this measure in the Old Testamant no wonder if he meet with it much more in the New Testament where tribulations are made the Red Sea to go through into the Land of Canaan Hence the Apostle doth
directly argue from Gods love to chastisements Heb. 12.6 which is again mentioned Rom. 3.19 Insomuch that thou who art never afflicted hast greater cause to fear lest Gods wrath be upon thee The Physician administers no Physick to such who are incurable Oh the wonderfull and blessed effects which the godly find by afflictions when sanctified Doth not David say Before he was afflicted he went astray Psal 119.67 2. If it should be granted that these temporal mercies thou aboundest with come from the light of his countenance yet it is only in temporal things If we do suppose that they from Gods love to thee yet this is but a common and general love It doth not at all make to thy peculiar happinesse neither doth it tend to the special favour of God It may not be denied but God from a common love to men who have been just and diligent in their waies may bestow some outward mercies as a temporal reward Thus Austin thought the Romanes had that great Dominion given them because of their justice And so the Scripture saith A diligent hand maketh rich Prov. 10.4 But what is this common love without a special What is it for God so to love thee as to make thee strong healthy wealthy and not to give Christ and Heaven to thee Oh therefore rest not in the enjoying of these outward mercies but look to that which is the chiefest of all If thou hast grace pardon of sinne and Christ thou canst not be damned but if thou have the great things of this world thou maiest have also the great torments of Hell hereafter As Ismael had of Abraham some rich gifts but not the Inheritance As Luther said of the great Turkish Empire which God hath given to wicked and ungodly men it 's but mica canis a crum that the dog may have but not the Childrens Bread 3. Let it be given to wicked men thus from a common love yet it is withall from Gods anger and hatred if you do regard them in a spiritual consideration For they are not sanctified to them they are not thereby made more holy or drawn nearer to God They do become snares and occasions of sinnes to them so that they will at the Day of Judgment even curse the day that ever they had such abundance They will cry out Oh that they had been poor miserable deformed That they had been under any calamity then that they had such abundance for that hath made Hell seven times hotter That hath been like oyl poured into the flame which hath made the fire burn more terribly That which Solomon observed of wealth Eccl. 5.13 is true of all other outward mercies Beauty Strength Honours How often are they given to the hurt of them that have them Thus David's imprecation is fulfilled in them Let their Table become a snare unto them As too much blood indangers the body especially these outward mercies are sure to be a snare to them because they hinder and oppose all those Christian Qualifications which are absolutely necessary to every Disciple of Christ Thus it 's required that a man must love Christ more then Father or Mother or life it self that he must deny himself and take up his Crosse All which cannot be because of immoderate love to these outward mercies This is the Camels bunch This is that which choakes the Word The Pharisees because they were covetous derided Christ If then you comfort your selves because God hath given you all outward fulnesse examine how these are sanctified to you What spirituall effects do these mercies bring upon you Do you not pray the worse hear the worse Are not your hearts the more distracted and divided Doth not the earth make you forget Heaven Oh then be afraid and tremble at these things rather then confidently rejoyce in them Did not Abraham tell Dives He had received good things in this life but for eternity he was not to receive so much as a drop of water Pray unto God that all thy good things be not given thee here and thou have nothing hereafter A second sort of persons who mistake about the light of Gods countenance is Such who have a quiet untroubled and eased Conscience They commonly argue thus God loveth them for they have no trouble in their hearts they have no fear or disquietnesse in their souls but they put their whole trust in Christ Such as these that die as a Lamb so people expresse it they make no doubt but this is the favour of God They thank God God loveth them and they love God They never doubted of Gods love to them They are fully assured of it Thus they take a secure and sometimes a scared conscience for that which is quieted and made peaceable through the blood of Christ And this is the condition of very many they do even rejoyce in this That they never doubted They think the godly who have often fears and doubts who are in sad temptations to be the worst of men and that it is for their wickednesse they are so Even as the wicked thought Christ to be smitten for his own sinnes and that God did in such a peculiar manner bring him to that accursed death for his high impiety Thus do the prophane men of the world censure the generation of the godly who have many times sad dejections of spirit and walk without any sense of Gods favour at all yea ready to cry out They are damned and that God hath forsaken them But to search into the bottom of this Disease which is Epidemicall First Consider There is a great difference between a stupid senslesse conscience and a serene conscience made so by the light of Gods countenance shining upon it This is not a quieted conscience by the Promise and through Christ but a stupified one which the Apostle calls a seared one that cannot feel that cannot apprehend It is with thee as mad men that conceit such and such great things to themselves when alas it 's for want of their wits and sobriety that they have such foolish imaginations Thus when thou presumest of Heaven and salvation Oh thou art sure thou shalt go thither Whence is all this but because thou hast no spiritual life or feeling within thee Oh if thou wert in thy spiritual senses if thou didst understand aright thou wouldst quickly cry out and tremble at that cursed condition thou art in Who were more abominable to God then the Pharisees yet who justified themselves more Who put more trust and confidence in the workes they did Therefore do thou search into thy heart more Whence comest thou to be thus secure and confident Is it not because thou art delivered up to a reprobate sense Is it not because thou art dead in sinne And as dead men cannot feel any pain or torment so neither canst thou Therefore if you see men that lived wickedly yet die peaceably and confidently this is not the light of Gods favour upon them
sinnes provoke God to take it away All the world cannot give such a joy as this is Therefore Gal. 5.22 it 's called the fruit of Gods Spirit and often Joy in the holy Ghost Hence the Spirit of God is called the Comforter And God is stiled 2 Cor. 1.3 the God of all consolations because it is he alone that workes it Men may create the world as well as of themselves get such a joy as this Hence the people of God walk many times mournfully for the want of it And there is no Samaritan can put this Oyl into their wounds David cannot alwaies say God put such joy in his heart Yea he professeth the clean contrary sometimes That his soul was bowed down that he watered his bed with teares And Joh. was almost like a damned man in Hell But of the Reason of this desolatenesse we may speak hereafter It 's enough that this demonstrateth God to be the Author of all our joy And that as all the men in the world cannot make the Sunne arise in the morning did not God appoint it that natural course so neither are any able to bring this joy into their hearts Therefore in the second place The second discovery of this joy is from the manner of working it Thou didst put it into my heart That is an excellent expression It sheweth what dominion and soveraignty God hath over the heart He can as easily put joy into thy soul though afflicted though tempted though grieved with sinne as thou canst pour Wine into a Bottle He can with a word command waters to become Wine So that as the Orthodox maintain That Gods grace in converting the heart is irresistible it 's insuperable The heart cannot resist it with finall prevalency For à nullo duro corde respicitur quippe ad hoc datur ut tollat cor durum So it 's true also in spiritual joy The grieved heart the sad heart cannot reject it because it 's given to take away the sad heart Hence we read of the people of God the Martyrs and others that they have rejoyced under their tribulations more then their Persecutors did under all their abundance How was this possible but that God did so fill their hearts that no outward or inward misery could have any room there This should teach the people of God to walk so exactly that they may not on the contrary say God hath put more bitternesse into their heart then any can have in their worldly miseries For as the joy of God is more then all earthly joy so the sense of Gods anger and wrath causeth more sorrow and anguish of spirit then all outward calamities can do A wounded spirit who can bear Thirdly This Joy which God puts into our hearts followeth upon a true godly sorrow and mourning for sinne All the joy of thy heart which doth not flow from humiliation and deep sorrow for sinne it 's but a blaze it 's like the crackling of thornes And this is necessary to be observed for the Hypocrite who never had any true sound grace yet he may have some transitory joy So Mat. 13. They received the Word with joy And some rejoyced in John Baptists light but it was for a season only And thus many in some fits yea in some holy duties find a gladnesse and inward joy upon their hearts but this never had a true sorrow go before Before Paul was admitted into Gospel joyes he was striken to the ground and had a deep sense of his former guilt Therefore the Promise is Blessed are they that mourn for they shall rejoyce Mat. 5. Therefore as the Psalmist speaks concerning afflictions it 's true also of godly sorrow They that sow in teares shall reap in joy Many desire joy they are willing to hear of a Sermon that may cause gladnesse in their hearts but then they cannot endure the preparatory unto it They do not love the Law should wound them before the Gospel heal them But this is the nature of all heavenly joy it 's a daughter to godly sorrow Verus paenitens de peccato doler de dolore gaudet And this is it which makes godly joy so welcome and so precious because the heart was mourning and humbled before thinking it self unworthy of any joy in the least manner Though others might rejoyce yet not they This then is the method God takes First the Spirit of God is a Spirit of Supplication and mourning then it 's a Spirit of Joy and consolation Fourthly This joy which God putteth in the heart it 's from spiritual and heavenly motives Therefore the duty is so often called for to Rejoyce in the Lord And it 's called Joy in the holy Ghost It ariseth from Gods favour from Gospel-Priviledges because God is reconciled because sinne is pardoned because we are justifica through the blood of Christ So that the joy of a godly man and of a natural man differ as much as Heaven and Earth For what makes thee rejoyce at any time Is it some worldly pleasure Is it not some earthly content Is it not because such and such earthly advantages befall thee Thy heart is never cheerfull and merry but from such considerations Now how different and poor and contemptible are these to this heavenly Joy For the gladnesse of their heart ariseth from the love of God from an Interest in Christ from the consideration of eternal glory These sublime and spiritual Objects do ravish the godly soul So that the delights of a beast are not more inferiour to the delights of a man as a rational man then the delights of a man are to him as a Christian What the Apostle speaketh concerning the thoughts and words of a Child comparatively to a man the same is true also in respect of joy 1 Cor. 13. Children have their joy they laugh as Children they rejoyce in their Babies as Children but when they come to be men they cannot rejoyce as Children they cannot delight to play as they did when little Boyes Thus when thou art once made godly and hast tasted of more excellent Joy thou canst not delight in the pleasures of sinne nor in the greatest advantages of the world They are below thee Thou saiest to thy self when inordinately rejoycing in these things as she did but falsly to David Thou hast made thy self like one of the vile fellows to day The godly mans joy comes from an higher Spring then the worlds doth Fifthly Hence in the next place No man can have this spiritual joy but such who are regenerated and born of God Who have a spiritual and supernatural life We see in nature that according to the several kinds of life so there are several delights and proportionable thereunto the natural and animal life the rational life the sense hath its delights and reason hath its delght Thus when a man is born again he hath his joy and his delight Do not ye read often of David that professeth the Word of God
was sweeter then the honey or the honey-comb to him Doth he not say That his heart panted after God like a parched wildernesse and more then the hart doth after waters And whence is all this but because David is a man after Gods own heart And indeed it 's wholly impossible that a man should rejoyce in any spiritual Object till he himself be made holy As our Saviour told his Disciples He had other meat to eat of then they knew of So hath every godly man other joyes other delights then any natural man can conceive Therefore do not keep off from godlinesse for fear of loosing thy joyes do not think that is to bid farewell to all cheerfulnesse and gladnesse of heart but rather thou never yet didst know what true joy means as yet thou art a stranger to it for none but a regenerate man can enter into this Joy Sixthly This joy which God puts into the hearts of his people it 's unspeakable and unexpressible Like that new Name and hidden Manna which none knoweth but he that hath it Prov. 14.12 A stranger doth not intermeddle with this joy There are some things that are so experimentally perceived by us that a man cannot expresse them He feeleth them and is fully perswaded of them yet he cannot tell how to expresse this to another As life a man doth feel and know he liveth yet who can tell another what his life is Job was in bitternesse and sorrow and it was above his expression his Friends censured him but saith he If your souls were in my stead you would judge otherwise If you felt what I feel you would be of another mind And thus it is in regard of spiritual joy You are apt to condemn the generation of the godly Why will they be so strict and precise Why will they not runne into the same excesse of sinne and enjoy the ungodly pleasures of the world as others do Oh know you speak foolishly in this thing If your souls were in a godly mans stead if you had ever felt what they feel if you had ever perceived upon your souls that which they have done you would quickly change your minds and your conversation also You would then say An hour of this Joy is more then a thousand years of the worldly joy That a drop of this is more then an Ocean of carnal pleasures This made David call upon wicked men to taste and see how good God is If you would taste if you would set your selves to try what this Joy is you would then quickly perceive a difference But none knoweth this save those who have the experience of it Seventhly The nature of this joy is to put a man upon all holy actions Upon active and serviceable waies for God And thus in regard of its Effects and Operations it differs from worldly joy as much as Heaven from Earth or Gold from drosse For when the heart of a wicked man is merry what doth it put him upon but ungodly practices Then they must go to their cups to their sports then they must go to their frolick and wanton playes Thus their joy makes them very wicked whereas this godly joy putteth a man upon praising and blessing of God Is any man merry let him sing Psalmes Jam. 5.13 It puts him upon more servent and cheerfull praying hearing and no Christian is so active and lively as he that is joyfull Neh 8.10 The joy of the Lord is said to be their strength There needeth not then any great labour to discern the godly mans mirth and the wicked mans For the wicked he encreaseth his sinne thereby he is more hardned to do wickedly This joy is like the Devil to the herd of swine which were hurried violently to hell they would never do that in a sober sad spirit they do then We have declared the nature of this heavenly gladness absolutely Let us now consider the aggravation of it comparatively to all other pleasures whatsoever that so all unregenerate men may see they live to their loss and that one day in godliness affords more true solid comfort then the whole life of a wicked man though he should live Methusalem's age And First Spiritual joy exceeds all wordly in regard of the purity of its nature It is an unmixed joy there is nothing adhering to it to make an abatement or put a check to it whereas all wordly joy hath gall as well as hony there is no Rose groweth without its pricks Look over all the wordly comforts that every where are enjoyed see if they have not a But in them as was said of Naaman the Syrian He was a great man an honoured man a rich man but he was a Leper that took off from the rest So of every unregenerate man He hath such an estate such friends such advantages to delight in but there is such a sinne and such a sinne which if rightly considered would marre all his comfort Do not thou therefore set thy soul to rejoyce and to take its ease for there is either the commission of such sinnes or the omission of such duties that would quickly wound thy heart and take thee off from all thy jollity whereas now come to this heavenly joy there is joy and no cause of sorrow joyned with it This is like the upper region where there are no Meteors Look round about thee Think of God of Christ of eternity of death yea of sinnes and thou hast cause to rejoyce for all these things work for thy good It 's true there is a time when the godly are called to mourning when they are to fast and humble themselves but consider this holy mourning doth not oppose but encrease heavenly joy The more thou canst mourn for thy own sinnes or the sinnes of the Nation the greater is thy joy in the Lord So that such mourning doth make thee abate of thy natural and earthly comforts but not at all of thy heavenly comforts So that heavenly joy is of such a pure nature that it 's better then gold it cannot have any dross mixed with it it 's like the pure flames of the fire which cannot receive any mixture with it Therefore do then consider over all thy worldly delights Was there ever any that did afford meer matter of comfort Is there not some occasion of grief of vexation of discontent as well whereas all heavenly things afford only delight and no trouble at all Secondly Spiritual joy is more cordial and substantial it doth more inwardly possess a man then any earthly joy can do Disce gaudere said Seneca Thou hast put it into my heart saith David Psal 33.21 Our heart shall rejoyce in him and Psal 3.5 My heart shall rejoyce in thy salvation Hence you heard it was called unspeakable joy and the peace of God which is the cause of this joy is said to pass all understanding Therefore our Saviour prayeth Joh. 17. that this joy might be filled is them a notable
expression to declare that the comfort Gods people have is of a farre more solid and real nature then what men of the world have They are never heartily and truely joyfull for there is either the sting of some sinne the guilt of conscience or the fear of some danger that doth greatly check their joy Insomuch that many times the ungodly of the world they put the best face upon things they can they would bear it out as if they had peace and they had comfort when God knoweth and their own heart feeleth many tormenting feares within them Solomon speaks fully to this of a wicked man Prov 14.13 Even in laughter the heart is sorrowfull his meaning is that a wicked man in the midst of all jollity and a carnal mirth yet he hath but a sad heart and why There is guilt with him there is a conscience secretly repining in him and though he striveth to bear it down and would make a greater noise then that yet these whisperings and secret accusations do greatly weaken their joy for it 's enough that conscience accuseth thee though none in the world else can witness against thee Quid proder it tibi non habere conscium habenti conscientiam What will it avail thee to have thy conscience accusing thee though there be no witness conscious with it Was not Belshazzar in the midst of all his jollity and excessive riot Yet the appearing of an hand-writing made him quake and his knees to tremble Why might not he have thought it had been some good Angel or there was some writing for him to encrease his kingdome No but before ever he can tell what it is he is afraid and trembles his heart was guilty Semper praesumit saeva mala conscientia Thus take the most wanton loose and jolly sinner that is his heart being guilty he alwayes thinketh and feareth the worse now the Lord remembers such and such sinnes So that it 's not the laughing and ranting and singing of merry Songs that demonstrate a joyfull heart no there may be sadness and terrour within for all that whereas this spiritual joy filleth up the heart of a godly man whatsoever presents it self he can rejoyce At this time when David professeth his joy it was outwardly a most sad time with him For Expositors judge he was now pursued by Absolom his own sonne who riseth against him his people forsake him Shimei raileth at him telleth him God had now avenged the blood of Saul upon him and all this was occasioned by his own wickedness yet in the midst of all these sad circumstances he had so much joy in his heart So that the godly even while he weepeth and mourneth hath joy and the wicked even while he laugheth and rants it yet hath gnawing worms within him Thirdly Heavenly joy is rational setled upon sound and solid grounds If you see any godly man rejoyce and walk with a chearfull spirit it 's well done there is cause for it who may do it if not he Whereas take any natural unregenerate man he hath not the least cause of the least smile If he did as he should do he would roar and cry out he would go and weep bitterly he would smite upon the breast and the thigh saying What shall I do Oh my sinnes my sinnes Now this is greatly to be considered who hath the true cause of rejoycing and who not Tell not me such a man liveth a jolly merry life such a man is at his hearts ease he liveth in his pleasures all the week long Oh but what reason what cause hath he to do so If he did rightly consider himself if he did lay his sinnes to his heart he would mourn and weep and bewail himself all the day long for what joy canst thou have as long as thy sinnes are not pardoned as long as God is angry with thee as long as thou mayest tumble into hell every moment Is it for such an one as thou to be glad and laugh and take thy ease No our Saviour Luk 6.25 pronounceth a woe to you for you shall mourn though now you will not There is no peace saith my God to the wicked man it 's the speech of the Prophet Isaiah Chap. 48 22. Stand off then joy doth not belong to thee it 's the godly mans portion none may or hath cause to walk chearfully but he for the favour of God is upon him God is not angry with him his sinnes they are forgiven death and the day of Judgement can do him no hurt whether poor or rich whether well or ill whether living or dying he hath cause to rejoyce Phil 4 4. Rejoyce in the Lord alway and again I say rejoyce Rejoyce alway There is no time wherein thou mayest not rejoyce Do not say I have this affliction I have this sad tryall upon me It 's no matter saith the Apostle Let it be how it will be with thee Rejoyce alway and indeed let the wicked and ungodly tremble let them cry out with horrour those that have the guilt of their sinnes upon them those that every moment may be adjudged to hell let them mourn and tremble But for a godly man he hath no cause at all but to rejoyce in the Lord alwayes Fourthly Joy from the Lord will have a good end there will be no sad reckoning for it afterwards There will be no cause to repent of it but all wordly joy though it doth please thee for a time yet there is a sting in the tail of it there will be a bitter account to be made at the day of Judgement and this certainly you should rightly consider of These pleasures this carnal delight of mine will it not cost dear hereafter Will not all this hony turn into choler Will not my torments be according to my pleasures What saith Solomon to his young man that is most given to follow his delights Eccles 11.9 Rejoyce O young man and walk in the wayes of thy heart pursue thy lusts care for nothing trample Gods word under thy feet but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee to judgement and is not this like an hand-writing in the wall The thoughts of what will be hereafter may justly strike out all thy present delights I am merry now laughing now But shall I do thus when death comes shall I laugh when at the day of judgement I shall stand arraigned at his Tribunal Oh do not admire such pleasures that will cost so dear at the latter end But for the godly mans joy that will never shame him that will never grieve him but as the Apostle speakes about repentance it 's a repentance never to be repented of Thus here is a joy that is alwayes to be joyed in a joy that will never trouble thee hereafter whereas for all this wordly joy thou must mourn again it hath been the time of thy sinning and of thy rebelling against God and therefore all this will turn into
expressed in two actions as a manifestation of it with the Reason and the Cause of it The Actions demonstrating his quiet spirit are 1. His lying down in peace 2. His sleeping His lying down that denoteth He would not be interrupted in his natural actions and ordinary course of life he would eat and drink and go to bed for all that But because many go to bed and though they put of their cloathes yet cannot lay aside their tormenting and vexing cares whereby though they ly down yet are restlesse and sleeplesse tosâ—â—ng from one side to another Therefore secondly he addeth I will take my sleep All that danger and trouble he was in should not break his sleep he would take his rest as sweetly as over he did in the midst of his Prosperity Now certainly if you do consider in what a temptation and danger David was in you will say it's impossible or rather that Faith which makes us depend on God in such streights with the effects of it are no lesse admirable then miraculous Faith It 's generally concluded on by the best Interpreters that this Psalm was made upon the same occasion which the immediate one going before was and that appeareth by the Inscription to be composed when David fled from Absolom So then David saith He will lye down and sleep Take his sweet rest when he was in that flight of his pursued by Absolom And if you would know how grievous that was consult 2 Sam. 15. the whole Chapter especially verse 30. there you will find that Absolom by fair pretences of Justice and Religion had stolen the hearts of all the people to himself against David his Father whereupon he makes Warre raiseth a great Army The conspiracy was carried on with great pride and policy insomuch that David is forced to fly from Jerusalem and to runne whitheâ— he can for his safety all the people did generally forsake him So that he with some few went up to Mount Olivet and as he went he wept and covered his face and went barefoot and all the people went with him and wept also What a sad sight was this to see David so Religious a King so potent who had conquered so many Enemies to be brought into this extreamity Yea his estate was so despicable that one man Shimei Chap. 16. came out and cursed him railed on him Come out thou bloody man Thou man of Beliall and threw stones and dust at him By all this you see his misery was great enough But adde to this That at this very time David knew God brought this evil upon him for his Adultery and Vriahs businesse the Prophet had threatned him thus So that both God and man seem against him he is forsaken of all and his conscience tels him for what this is He can easily tell the sinnes that make it thus with him Yet for all this see his admirable Faith in the powerfull effects of it I will lay me down and sleep Would you think that David could make such a Psalm as this and speak after this manner even when he went barefoot and weeping in that direfull manner This is so incredible that some have thought it could not be literally true of David and have made mystical applications of it to Christ but upon very weak grounds Yet lest you should think this came from some stupidity or fool-hardinesse or from Stoical Apathie for David doth in a high manner that which the Stoicks so highly commend but could never themselves practice he addeth the reason of it by which you may see it was not carnal security but holy confidence The Reason is taken from Gods Protection and care He doth not thus securely take his rest because though generally forsaken yet some mighty men of valour did cleave to him and he had old Souldiers whereas the Conspiratours were many of them inexpert Nor doth he think that he had out-witted them by sending his faithfull Friend Hushai into Absolom's Court to undermine him while he pretended to serve him but all is from God Thou alone makest me dwell in safety It was God and he only that could protect and defend him In the expression of David's security I will both lay me down and sleep the Hebrew word Juchdan hath troubled Interpreters The Septuagint translate it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Some Simul some Pariter Austin makes in id ipsum to be God He would rest in God who only is I am that I am But that is ignorance of the Hebrew Some relate it to David's enemies He would lye down with them though they were millions about him as Psalm 3. Others relate it to his own company that did faithfully adhere to him in this his temptation But they seem to take it most genuinely that relate it to the actions I will both lie down and sleep One as well as the other to demonstrate the fiducial frame of his spirit From this Explication Observe That Faith depending on God in a lively and vigorous manner doth so comfort and quiet the heart in the midst of great streights as if there were none at all Certainly David could not have spoken more securely and quietly at that time when all the people had made him King hâ—â— Enemies vanquished and he setled in his Kingdom Therefore to say this when he was in imminent danger of all and when he was so pursued that he could not tell where he should lie down or where he should sleep this is wonderfull Oh how may the very naming of this Doctrine shame the best and choicest of Gods Children For little afflictions that are not to be named to David's they disquiet thee they make thee tosse up and down and thou art restlesse in thy spirit Oh do thou shame thy self and thy troubled heart for ever by this President which David hath set thee And lest you should think this was but a suddain flash and lightning in David you may find that this fire did alwaies warm his breast For look to the third Psalm made by him while he was in his flight he saith there the same thing only in the Prterperfect-tense What he here saith he will do you may there see he had done Oh you would think David had little occasion to make Psalmes to be proclaiming his confidence in God! rather to have had his whole soul taken up with his military affaires but thus Faith doth put on spiritual Armory upon his soul And that you may not think only David could do this see the like secure and holy confidence in the Prophet Habbakuk Hab. 3.17 18. But let us explicate the Doctrine by severall Propositions As First What is meant by Faith depending and adhering to God To know this you must understand that the Scripture attributes three Acts to Faith and so Faith is described Synecdochically by one of them for its whole Nature Thus Faith is sometimes knowledge sometimes it 's assent to the Truths revealed and sometimes it 's a
when in the Battell was taken by his enemies and they ready to kill him yet he cryed unto the Lord and God moved their heart to depart from him 2 Chron. 18.31 So in the thievings and robberies in the world it 's God that diverts men from designing and doing mischief to such Families While the people of Israel wenâ— up to keep their Feast at Jerusalem he ordered mens hearts so That none should desire their Land Exo 34.24 Vse of Thankfulnesse to God in all these common Preservations Every day every morning and evening thou hast cause to wonder at his Power and Goodnesse under all thy temptations What befalls another God tells thee what might come to thee Oh therefore do not take thy life and health God giveth thee and spend it upon the Devils service Remember Thou livest upon Gods mercy if he withdraw for a moment any suddain evil may fall upon thee â‚ FINIS An ALPHABETICAL TABLE A Admiration OF Admiration of Ministers Persons when sinfull p. 48 Afflictions How Afflictions effect good in a man p. 179 181 Agreement The Motive of Agreement is Godlinesse p. 33 Agreement among the wicked easily broken doth not alwaies denote a true Church p. 41 Protestants Agree in Fundamentals p. 41 B Babes BAbes in Christ p. 5 Babes directed p. 8 Backbyting Of Backbyting p. 35 Building Gods people are his Building p. 118 The Scripture is the foundation of this Building p. 141 Of a two-fold Building upon the foundation p. ibid. How a Minister must take heed how he builds on the foundation p. 142 Of their Building Gold Silver Precious Stones p. 157 Boasting Of Boasting in men p. 265 See Glorying C Carnall CArnall its several significations p. 5 In what sense a godly man may be said to be Carnall p. 21 Ceremonies Of Ceremonies p. 11 Causes Causes of Grace Principal and Subordinate p. 59 Principal the Ministry p. 68 Efficient the Spirit of God ibid. Church The Churches Duties p. 20 Of Church-Government p. 84 Of the Holinesse of Churches p. 118 The matter of a Church ibid. The Church of God is his Temple p. 193 The Churches Priviledges Relations and Titles should be a spur to duty ibid. The Churches Riches enumerated p. 270 Christ Christ justly exalted p. 30 As the Foundation p. 21 145 Christ may be sinfully set up and how p. 58 What it is to preach Christ p. 145 153 The Godly and all they can do are Christs p. 294 Christians Christians should â—â—ve as those that are more then meer men p. 42 Contention Contentions argue men to be so farre carnal p. 33 Contentions are two-fold Good â—vil p. 34 36 37 The cause of sinfull strife p. 34 The Effects of it in Civil Religious Matters p. 35 36 The Aggravations of this sinne p. 36 D Damnation OF Damnation p. 222 Death Death the godly mans advantage p. 282 Deacon Deacon the word used diversly p. 66 Defile Defilers of Gods Temple with corrupt Doctrine p. 216 Difference Difference between Christian and Christian in respect of their Knowledge and Graces p 5.22 Discipline Discipline how severe in the Primitive times p. 7 Divisions The sad Effects of Divisions p. 99 Direction for Times of Division ibid. Difficulty The difficulty of the salvation of those that are most godly p. 192 Divinity Divinity contains a two-fold Matter 1. Fundamentals and 2. Conclusions from them E Encrease THe Encrease and successe of preaching from God p. 86 Ends. Of corrupt Ends in a Minister and good Ends p. 63 64 Envy Envy the word used in a good sense and in a bad sense p. 25 It 's a fruit of the flesh p 25 Its Degrees p 26 Its Object p. 27 It s Subject p. 28 Its Aggravations p. 29 Its Remedies p. 32 How differenced from zeal p. 32 Errour Errour Considerations about it p. 142 c. Errours are Hay and Stubble though not Fundamentall p. 161 Men may be erroneous and not know it 161 Errours Greater Lesser p. 121 161 Why called Hay and Stubble Its secret waies shall be made manifest p. 169 May indanger salvation p. 189 Its Causes p. 169 Defile Gods Church p. 217 Erroneous times sad times p. 174 How God will punish the erroneous p. 186 219 How farre a godly man may erre and how a godly man erring differeth from a wicked man p. 220 The Difference between Errour and Heresie p. 190 See Doctrines Eternal Of Eternal Damnation F Family OF Family-Duties p. 3 See Relations Wickdnesse p. 3 4 13 Such as they are such is the Common-wealth p. 14 Faith Faith Its eminency p. 70 Nature and Acts p. 71 Its Foundation viz. the Scripture p. 126 Effects p. 72 Knoweth its ground why though it comprehend not the matter believed p. 71 Is the Instrument of Sanctification as well as of Justification p. 72 Fundamental Of Fundamentals p. 2 The ignorance of them lamentable p. 2 Reduced to several Heads p 14 Are easie p. 15 Knowledge of them necessary ibid. Foundations Foundations in Religion carefully to be laid p. 125 Four unquestionable Scripture Foundations I. The Matters to be believed viz. The Scripture is the only Foundation of our Faith p. 125 126. How carefull Ministers should be to build truth upon that Foundation p. 141 Four rotten Foundations The Authority of the Church Magistrate Enthusiasme Meer humane Reason p. 127 II. The Worship and necessary Service of God p. 129 How necessary it is ibid. It must have a Divine Command p. 131 Three rotten Foundations in Worship ibid. III. The things to be done by us p. 125 This Foundation of Practice consists in 1. It 's Directory Gods Word 2. The Justification of our Persons 3. A receiving power from Christ 4. A renewed and sanctified Nature p. 133 The necessity of this Foundation p. 134 Four rotten Foundations that men build upon in reference to practice p. 135 How Christ is the Foundation p. 145 c. How the Apostles the Foundation p. 145 c. Fool. Wise men after the flesh are fools p. 229 G Glory THe Degrees of Glory p. 101 105 Of Glorying in men The sinfulnesse of this sinne p. 261 And how many waies that is done ibid. See Boasting Godly Their Characteristical Priviledges p. 155 265 Of Godlinesse in the power of it p. 42 105 Grace Free Grace to be exalted and praised and how p. 121 Why the godly are so sensible of free Grace p. 123 Impediments of this duty p. 124 Gospel Gospel how great a mercy to a people p. 79 Government Of Government in the Church p. 120 Growth in Grace Growth in Grace and Knowledg pressed p. 1â— 91 Intensive Extensive ibid. Grounds of Religion See Principles and Fundamentals H Hay OF building Hay and Stubble p. 161 Hell Of Hell p. 222 Heresie Heretiques How God will punish Heretiques p. 220 Hide How vain and sinfull to Hide our sinnes p. 166 c. Holy Ghost The Holy Ghost is God and a Person p. 201 c. Why called a Spirit ibid. Heaven Heavens