God and saying Glory to God in the highest on Earth PEACE and GOOD WILL towards men On Earth Peace no Peace for Hell Goodwill towards Men Yet Christ is for fallen men not Angels Hebr. 2.16 but not Devils for Christ took not on him the Nature of Angels but the seed of Abraham O this is that the thought whereof is such matter of Admiration to the good Angels and such horrour and Confusion to the fallen Angels whose eye towards us is so much the more Evil because Gods hath been so good And shall not all this procure God thy good Thought of him Why were there no more but this that Salvation is Possible for Thee but not so for Them this were something to be thought of But now that Salvation is Proffered and laid in thy very way that thou canst not if thou wouldest step towards Hell without trampling upon Gods bowels of Mercy Hebr. 10.13 and treading under foot the Son of God and blood of the Covenant where all is Free to Thee Covenant of Grace gives what it requires Isaiah 1.16 Ezek. 35.25 and 18.31 with 13.26 how ever dear to Christ and the Yoke easie the Covenant being GRACE Requiring onely what it hath to give and giving what it requires saying Wash you and make you clean c. and again I will powre clean water upon you and you shall be clean and from all your filthiness will I cleanse you c. Saying make you a new Heart and a new Spirit c and again a new heart also will I give you and a new Spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh and I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes and ye shall keep my Judgments and do them c. Having such Grace Slighting of Gospel-Grace a sin of Men not Devils I say proffered us as the Devil never had let us think what will become of us if we sin such a SIN as the Devil never did who never had a pardon tendered him to sling it back into God's face who never had a Christ or a Covenant of Grace preached unto him but was forced to speak truth in that though he be a lyar that he hath nothing to do with Jesus Matth. 8.29 Isaiah 9.6 except it be to his Torment But saith the Scripture To us is the Child born to us is the Son given It saith not to Angels but to us Though we may well think that Elect Angels 1 Tim. 5.21 as the Apostle calls them are so in Him but if Christ be their Head yet not so as he is Ours Men otherwise concerned in Christ then Angels 1 Pet. 1.12 A head of Confirmation to them of Redemption to us and so born to us And shall He be so much thought of by Angels and not thought of by us Nay 't is our Concernment that the Apostle saith the Angels do so much desire to prie into Dan. 9.23 Eph. 3.10 and They are advantaged herein by the Church as the Angel Gabriel by Daniels Prayer To the intent saith the Apostle that now unto the Principalities and Powers in beavenly places might be known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God Sect. XXXII COncernment is wont to be the greatest Conducement to thoughts Our concern Men will mind their own Business when anothers shall be out of their Thoughts and this is our great nay our onely Concernment for there is but One thing needful Luke 11.42 Christ Ours Heb. 1.12 Luke 9.2 Matth. 1.23 Immanuel God with us Make all ours Greatness John 20.17 for thus we may think if Christ be not Ours there is nothing Ours for Christ is Heir of all things nay We have lost our selves and are cast away But if Christ be Ours All is Ours for his Name is Immanuel which is by Interpretation God with us and if God be with us well may our Thoughts be with God and surely they cannot but be well if they be with God Gods greatness is amazing but when his goodness hath made it Ours how comforting I go saith Christ to my Father and your Father and to My God and Your God Gods JUSTICE is terrible Justice but his Justice paid off satisfied attoned reconciled Justice befriending how amiable God is faithful and JUST to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from unrighteousness 1 John 1.9 if we confess our sins what a word is there If we burthen our selves with them â—s the matter is ordered in the Covenant of Grace Justice it self will befriend us by discharging us of them if we be but so honest and candid as to own them and to own him that hath owned them and paid for them who is mentioned there by the Apostle but a verse or two before God is so just as to pardon them 1 John 1.7 Deliver him Job 33.24 saith God I have found a Ransom Justice disclaims a double payment Holiness The holiness of God what a dreadful thought is it and how may it make a poor sinful man to cry out as the men of Beth-shemesh 1 Sam. 6.20 Rom. 8.3 Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God But then to think again that this Holy God is become Man and in the likeness of sinful Flesh and for Sin that he might condemn Sin in the Flesh 1 Cor. 1.30 and that He is made unto us of God not onely Righteousness but Sanctification this may make us to give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness Psalm 30.4 as it is in the Psalmist Highness Gods HIGHNESS what an awful thought is it to Us that are at such an infinite distance from Him But to think withall that though the Lord be high yet He hath respect to the lowly Psalm 138.6 and 136.23 and regard to our low estate and hath so far humbled himself as to embrace our Dunghil to cloth himself with our Flesh to lodge in a Womb without abhorrence in a Manger in a Grave nay by his Spirit in a Sinners heart so that We may say with the Psalmist Psalm 113.5 6 7. Who is like unto our God who dwelleth on high yet HUMBLETH himself to raise up the Poor out of the Dust and the Needy out of the Dunghill for Christ's HUMILIATION and Condescention is our Exaltation O what cause is here to rejoyce in his highness as the Prophet speaks And if greatness Isaiah 13.3 Cant. 1.3 Cant. 2.4 and holiness and justice are made such Repast by a Covenant of Grace to our Thoughts well may We remember his LOVE more then Wine Here O here Wee should muster up our Thoughts and bring them into a Full Body and lay Gods Commands upon them to stand to their colours for the BANNER over us is LOVE Sect. XXXIII ANd here let me charge thee O Reader LOVE 1
and have no other Confidence Philip 3.3 2 Cor. 2.12 But as to the former this is our rejoycing even the testimony of our Conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity c. 1 John 5.10 so also he that believes on the Son of God hath the witness in himself Nay in as much as the Apostle condemns him for a self deceiver who is in some respect the worst kind of deceiver as self-Murther is the worst kind of Murther that thinks himself to be something when he is nothing even this makes it evident that his high thoughts of himself were evidences against himself had he but rightly considered them Sect. II. WHereas Reader on the other hand Self suspition a better sign than hi h thoughts of our selves if thou be but honest in what thou pretendest and not Hypocritically humble-tongued as many men are when thou complainest of thy self and declarest thy jealous thoughts that thou hast of thine own heart Here is something like a token for good For even right jealousy falls much in with that Carefulness Indignation 1 Cor. 7.1 Fear c. that were approved signs of godly sincerity But and if it be thus with thee right gladly wilt thou go along with me in the following particulars and say as David O Lord thou hast searched me Psalm 139.1 2 23. and known me and thou understandest my thoughts afar off and yet again search me O God and know my heart try me and know my thoughts Search me O search me thou blessed word of God that canst not lie Thou Messenger of Christ that darest not flatter me O try me and know my Thoughts Thou wilt receive Gods spies with peace Hebr. 11.31 Lend Gods Servants the Lorâ—â— Candle Prov. 20.27 Conscience to search thee by as Rahab did yea wilt willingly lend me the Candle of thine own Conscience to hold to thee whilst we are together searching the secrets of thy own soul for the spirit of man is the Candle of the Lord searching all the inward parts of the belly And the reason why so many Hearers and Readers of the most searching Books and Sermons are yet ignorant of or mistaken in themselves is because they deny the Lords servants the Lords Candle to do his work by I. Tryal of Right Thoughts Sect. I. First 1. Tryal of thoughts is bâ— their originâ—â—â— Good thoughtâ— grow not in an evil heart Luke 24.38 THen let us begin with thy Thoughts in their Original and so judge the streams as near as we 〈◊〉 to the Fountain head Wouldst thou approve thy thoughts to be right Thoughts such as indeed are the Righ coâ—s mans Evidence let me ask thee plainly how thâ—â— camâ—st to thy Thoughts have they their Rise in thy self why do Thoughts arise in your hearts then know they are but Carnal at best for all that is born of the flesh is flesh John 3.6 The heart I know is a Vine that is alwayes beaâ—ing a Fountain that is ever springing up Isaiah 10.12 Mat. 15.19 and Thoughts are called the Fruit of the heart as we saw before and as it were the streams of the Heart they proceed from it saith Christ but saith he Mat. 7 18. James 3.22 a corrupt Tree cannot bring forth good fruit nor a Fountain welâ— saith the Apostle James salt water and fresh Now every natural heart is a corrupt tree a Vine of Sodom and therefore its Crouds of thoughts naturally are but the Clusters of Gomorrah Deut. 32.32 Isâ—ah 57.20 a troubled Spring of Sea rather that cannot 〈◊〉 but is ever casting up mire and dirt Amongst all the Unbelievers in the world there is not one pure mind therefore not one pure thought Titus 1.15 Job 14.4 for who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean 'T is a vain and ignorant boasting that I have observed in some that have thanked God that they were never troubled with evil thoughts in all their dayes sayest thou so then I dare tell thee that thou never yet wast owner of one good one such as God will own and accept for such That they think no body any hurt who never truly thought themselves or others any good surely there are none greater strangers to good thoughts than such as brag most of their good meanings nay that can tell you they hope to be saved by them And how came they by them why they thank God they have had them ever since they can remember God forbid else They have as good hearts to God and think as well of Jesus Christ as the best of them though they cannot speak so well Yet do but ask these of the New birth and you are unto them as a Barbarian and speak as it were in an unknown tongue as our Saviour to Nicodemus and shall only receive a frump or a frown for your freedome Jam. 3.3 4â— what do you think they stand in need to be Catechized if you do they thank you they do not think so meanly of themselves and this is one of their good thoughts Sect. II. BUt let me plead with thee O Man No sufficiency in our selves for one right thought thou that findest good Thoughts as free as the Rode and as Common and easie as the high way Art thou greater than the â—postle Paul he saith expresly that we are not sufficient of our selves to Think any thing of Our selves Therefore we must be taken off of Our selves before we can possibly Think one Right Thought But our sufficiency saith the Text is of God As we cannot think at all Physically nor exert one motion of the Mind in Thought but by a sufficiency of God working by Nature so much less can we think Morally 2 Cor. 3.5 Amongst all Unbelievers not one pure thought Titus 1.15 Thoughts good in a spiritual notion in the account of God but by his own sufficiency working by Grace To the unbelieving saith the same Apostle there is nothing pure but even their very Mind is defiled And if their Mind drop its uncleanness and defilement upon all about it surely much more upon the thoughts that lie next unto it Some men think their thoughts are certainly good Reason why their thoughts trouble them not because they never trouble them They do not complain of blasphemous thoughts and horrid injections as many do And alas the only Reason why the thoughts the Treasures of their H arts their goods are in peace is because the strong Man Arm'd keeps the Palace Luke 11.21 the Devil is Lord and Master there But if ever that stronger one than he the Lord Jesus Christ Verse 22. 2 Cor. 10.5 by the weapons of that warfare that are spiritual and mighty through God had come and prevailed upon thee 't is strange if all would have continued so quiet in thee thou wouldest likely have seen troubles and heard amazing noises in thy own Soul for there would have been the pulling down of strong
God hath grown up in thy heart or to deny what God hath done for thy Soul But yet withall this I must add that as it is observed that the coming of the Cup into the Sack in an unknown way left them in the more trouble and perturbations afterwards though it came from a friendly hand And those women that have less fore-pains then others have many times greater After-pains as they call them So they that have less signal Spiritual troubles preceding their conversion and have known least of the terrours of the Lord are by so much the more full of Anxiety many times almost all their dayes 2 Cor. 5.11 full of doubtful thoughts whether they were ever savingly wrought upon because not wrought upon as such and such Haunted many times with Hideous thoughts and Temptations to Atheism Blasphemy c. which make them even weary of life and afraid of death and yet may be very pretious in the sight of God and dear to Jesus Christ Sect. V. ANd as Gods usual Season is the time of trouble of spiritual trouble to bring men to Right Thoughts Psal 77.2.3 Verse 16. To remember God to Consider the dayes of old to commune with their own hearts to make diligent search into their own spirits to take notice of their Infirmities Verse 10. Verse 11. to Remember the years of the right hand of the most High to Remember the works of the Lord and to meditate of his doings c. All which is Right-Thought-work and which the Psalmist was set upon in the day of his Trouble Psal 77.2 Gods ordinary method to bring to right thoughts by setting home some particular sin So the Method that God ordinarily useth Is to bring to their thoughts some one particular Sin and to present it to their Souls view in all its ugly shape and monstrous deformity with its heightening circumstances and hellish horrour that like the tail of a Prâ—digious Comet it draws after it now as Ghosts are most terrible and confounding when they appear in the Dark so is Sin when it stares a man in the face in his time of trouble Thus the Patriarchs were struck with the appaling thought of their savage cruelty to their innocent Brother when themselves were in Distress Gen. 42.21 no doubt they had other Sins to trouble them but this first flew in their face Saul with the thought of his furious persecuting of Jesus Thus some for telling a known Lie Acts 9.4 others for some Theft or known Fraud others for prophaning the Lords-Day others for some prophane Oath others for Disobedience to Parents And some though few like Mary Magdalene for the foul sin that brings a wound and a dishonour and a repâ—oach that is hardly wiped away Prov. 6.33 So that as men ordinarily single out some one special Sin to set their heart upon though they entertain and practice all the rest Rom. 7.8 with 24. so God singles out some special Sin to fix their thoughts upon and thereby to bring them in due time to sight and sense of the whole Body of Death nay sometimes when men by a blameless appearance and moral conversation have got the good thoughts of other men their own much more Heb. 3.1 Luke 18.6 God sometimes suffers civil men to fall into some foul act to discover tâ—â—hem the plague of the heart 1 Kings 8 38. Sometimes thoughts are in an uproar troubled and distinct cares not known Acts 19.32 Verse 40. Yet God sometimes out of this Chaos draws a new Creation As in Genesis Reduceth thoughts to proper places and things to order Rev. 3.20 Prov. 18.14 Acts 2.57 Prov. 38.4 trusting as Christ speaks in themselves that they are righteous God suffers them to fall into some gross act of Sin perhaps Drunkenness perhaps making a mock at Godliness to please vile company perhaps Perjury or some other palpable act of wickedness that by such a rising in the flesh he may bring them to know and to bethink themselves of the Plague of the heart that Scripture speaks of Indeed I have sometimes observed some persons troubled with a strange unusual throng and croud of Thoughts Sermons trouâ—led them and Sins troubled them but their Thoughts wâ—re like that confused concourse in the Acts of which no distinct account could be given and the Assembly knew not why they were come together And as such a croud of thoughts have been thus in an uproar for some space of time and they knew not distinctly why so a little time hath brought it to they know not what nothing for good hath come of it And yet sometimes the All-wise and powerful grace of God even out of such a Chaos of confusion is pleased to draw a New-Creation reducing things to their proper places and thoughts to their right order Sect. VI. BUt generally when Grace first knocks at the door of the heart and finds the Sinner in distress wounded in Spirit that he cannot bear it prickt at the very heart the pressing sense of Sin lies upon him and goes over him as a burthen too heavy for him It brings him to speak within himself Or which is all one to think thus The Scheme of a Converts first thought Lament 3.1 or to this effect I am the man that have seen Affliction by the Rod of his anger and now I stand here a miserable Malefactour before the Lord who perfectly knows all my secrets and infinitely hates all my Sins My Conscience hales me to his Bar for my sin hath found me out Num. 32.23 Gen. 42.21 Prov. 28.13 Job 9.4 And I am verily guilty concerning this thing should I then either hide my sin or harden my self against God who ever did either of these and prospered This then is my proper station though my feet be hurt with setters and the Iron enters into my very Soul though the Chain of Gods Indignation be heavy upon me Micah 7.9 yet I must bear it because it is my own Chain I have sinned against him Excuse my sin Alas I cannot I knew my Masters will Luke 12.57 Rom. 7.12 Malac. 1.6 and knew it to be Holy just and Good and did it not I call'd him Lord yet fear'd him not I knew he forbad the thing I did yet I did it I knew he looked on me and yet I did it I knew he would call me to an account for it and yet I did it Accuse my Master Alas I dare not No no Jam. 1.13 14. He tempted me not but I was drawn away of my own lust and enticed my own lust I may call it so as much as I may call my Heart my own an Heart so vile but yet my own such a Fountain of Poyson such a Cage of every unclean and hateful Bird an Heart nay an Hell yea and worse to me then all the Devils there I should bely them as bad as they be should I say otherwise an heart so desperately
its languishings Grace may languish soul pulse intermit as the natural But good Thoughts never quite die as well as Nature and the souls pulse to its Intermissions as the bodies is whereof more hereafter only the Pulse of Nature may cease totally nay it must because Nature it self must expire But Grace is a Caelestial an Heaven-born principle an Immortal Fire which can never be extinguished but burns brightest when Nature goeth out Psal 146.4 as in Jacob and Joseph when they lay a dying so good thoughts do usually most flourish in that very day when other Thoughts perish Heb. 11.21 22. the day of Death and after Death especially And thus much for the first Tryal of Thoughts whether Right or no from their Original II. Tryal Sect. I. Secondly THoughts are to be known to be right by their ROOT as Plants are 2. Tryal Thoughts are to be known or no by their root especially in Winter-season now this is as it were the Winter-state of Grace We have seen in the first Tryal that Right Thoughts are to be discerned by their Soil They grown not in the Wild or common Field of corrupt Nature but in the Garden of Grace so now in the second Tryal by the occult and inward manner of their growth which I call their Radication This I say then If good thoughts be our deep thoughts if good Thoughts be thy DEEP Thoughts if as we say the best be at bottom thy thoughts are then Right and thou art Righteous for as the deep thoughts of Worldlings are worldly thoughts and the deep Thoughts of wicked men are wicked thoughts so the deep thoughts of good men are good Thoughts 'T is a notable observation of the Holy Ghosts concerning worldly men That their INWARD THOUGHT is Psal 49.11 that their Houses shall continue for ever c. Why is there any Thought that is not an Inward Thought No But the meaning is that though they have some floating Thoughts of their mortality and the vanity and transitoriness of all worldly things swiming as it were on the top yet they do not suffer such Thoughts to sink into their Hearts or to go to the bottom But the Thoughts that lodge there are such as His who is said by our Saviour to have thought within himself Luke 12.17 Verse 19. Soul thou hast much goods laid up for many years Take thine ease eat drink and be merry Note the phrase he thought within himself There are other kind of thoughts that sometimes knock at the door of the worldings Heart Nay sometimes look in at his windows as Pauls Sermon began to press in upon Felix his Heart Acts 24.25 and to set him a Trembling but there are other Thoughts within which if they cannot keep good Thoughts quite out they will keep them off from making any due or deep impression upon the Heart Now these Thoughts that nestle themselves as it were at the very Heart-roots to keep others out from reaching thither these deep thoughts are they which the Scriptures call the inward thoughts Psalm 64.6 according to that of the Psalmist the inward thoughts of every one of them and the heart is deep And so if thy inward Thoughts and deep Thoughts be good thoughts Rom. 2.19 't is a good signe Thus He is a Jew that is one inwardly When God has put wisdom in the inward parts as it is in Jeremiah Jer 21.33 Psalm 5 9. Luke 11.39 Jerem. 9.8 as 't is said of the wicked that their inward part is very wickedness and that their inward part is full of Ravening and wickedness even when he speaketh peaceably with his mouth yet in Heart he layes his wait Now the Reason of this Rule is this Reason of the Rule because as corruption like the Worm at Jona's Gourd loves to lie at the Root to wither all so Grace to work out Corruption loves to lie at the very Hearts root as it were and the work of Grace being to fix the Heart aright as David saith My Heart is fixed O God my Heart is fixed like a wise Master Builder Psalm 108.1 Grace goes to the bottom and looks especially to that the Foundation being that that fixeth all the building The Latines do very elegantly express heighth and depth by the same word thus altas radices agere Good thoughts build high therefore must be bâ—â—tomed low Acts 16.30 is to take deep Root and yet we call it the Altitude of a Star He that will build high must dig his Foundation deep and low Now Grace where it comes never aims lower then the Raising of the Thoughts as high as Heaven Sirs what must I do to be saved saith the â—ayler A Converts first Thoughts are for no less than SALVATION and therefore Grace layeth them in the very depth of the heart Thus Gracious Thoughts are called the good Treasure not of the Head for a Toad they say may have a Pearl there A wicked man may have excellent notions and speculations like Balaam Numb 24.34 whose Heart is full of Poyson But the good treasure of the Heart Our Saviour comparing Gods Word to Seed Math. 13.4 Verse 5. Mans Heart to Soil Thoughts and purposes to a springing up of that Seed in the Soil expresly saith of the stony ground in opposition to the good ground that is Luke 8.14 the good and honest heart as himself explains it that therefore it was that all came to nothing Maâ— 13.56 because there was no depth of earth for the Seed and they that sprung up had no root and therefore they withered away Mat. 25.1 And in the Parable of the Virgins where he designedly puts the difference between the sound Believer and the Hypocrite He denies not the foolish to have Lamps and Lights and Oyl in their Lamps to keep them burning for a season but denies them to have any Oyl in their Vessels as the Wise had The Lamps were the Outside and shallow appearances of splendid Notions and Professions but the Vessels are the very inwards and depths of the Heart and therefore it s said Prov. 13.9 The light of the righteous rejoyceth but the Lamp of the wicked shall be put out The Light of the Righteous which may be understood of their good Conversation according to that Let your light so shine before men that th y may see your good works hath a Vessel within full of Oyl to keep it burning perpetually and therefore it rejoyceth but the Lamp of the wicked hath not so and therefore time shall put it out And when he represents the Grace that he gives by a Well of Water in a man springing up to everlasting life John 4.14 Good thoughts a well-spring This Phrase is most accurately to be attended to our present purposes We are not in judging of a man so much to consider what may be put into a man or what may for some time float
from thy Horse and saved both man and beast brought thee safe to shore the last time that thou gavest thy self for lost at Sea He gave thee thy Possessions Thy Promotions Thy comfortable Relations thy loving Wife thy lovely Children thy health strength limbs liberty credit Comforts of all sorts even every good gift James 1.17 2 Sam. 12.8 And if these had been too little as was said to David he would have given thee more and greater things then these hadst thou not been wanting to thy self Mat. 23.37 How often would he have gathered thee as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her wings How often would he have convinced converted humbled thee healed thee given thee his Son and given thee his Spirit And now judge I pray thee between God and thy own Soul Isaiah 5.3 what could he have done for thee more then that which he hath done Thou needest a Christ and all the day long Isaiah 65.2 he stretcheth out his hand to tender his Christ unto thee and why did he give thee thy Reason but to lead thee to close with his goodness for thy good But besides the Lord is GREAT as well as GOOD God great as well as good Mat. 21.34 37. else he were not GOD And hath done more then he owes thee in spreading a Table without compelling thy appetite that is more then thou expectest from thy best friend thou hast that is but thine equal 2 Pet. 3.19 Matth. 22.4 He hath sent forth his Servants and with them his Son and in them his Spirit And all these say to thee come All things are ready O tast then Psalm 34.8 and see how GOOD the LORD is Away then for shame with all thy sour and harsh thoughts of God Gen. 3.4 5. and purge out thy old Leaven whereby the old Serpent first soured the whole lump of mankind with a hard opinion of God as if he were not enough enclined to mans good Right thoughts of God must be sweet thoughts Our thoughts of God if they be Right thoughts must be SWEET Thoughts as Davids were Bones of marrow and not bags of gall our Souls must be satisfied with them as his was as with marrow and with fatness Yea even for them that were never yet brought into his Psal 104.34 banqueting house to tast of those dainties Psal 65.5 6. Cantic 2.4 Psal 106.5 Revel 2.17 God good to all Psal 83.3 Rom. 2.4 Acts 14.17 which Scriptures call the good of his chosen that hidden Manna the meat and drink which the World knows not of the sweet repast of the hidden ones there is a Goodness yea Riches of goodness to be thought of by them and not to be despised but Improved by affectionate meditation till it lead them to Repentance For he leaves not himself without witnesse even as to these in that he doth good and gives them Rain from Heaven and fruitful seasons filling their hearts with food and gladness And if he leave not himself without witness take heed he leave not thee without excuse Think with thy self therefore a little seriously O man of this Riches both of the goodness and long-suffering and forbearance of God Sparing mercies an evidence thereof Prov. 12.10 Hast thou not found that there are sparing Mercies and canst thou not think that there are pardoning mercies with the Lord He that hath laid it upon thee to Regard the life of thy Beast and hath himself had so continual a regard to the life of thy body which indeed is as thy Beast or bruitish part but stiles himself the Father of our Spirits Heb. 12.9 whilest he calls others the Fathers of our Flesh canst thou find in thy heart to think that he hath no regard for the life of thy Soul Jer. 2.31 Hath God indeed been a Barren Wilderness to thee that hath given thee so many fruitful seasons or hath he been only so to thy Soul surely what ever he is to other Nations he hath not been so to us means of Grace have not been wanting to thee So the means of Grace not would his Grace have been wanting to thee in the humble and diligent use of those means Thou hast not been straitned in the Lord surely 2 Cor. 6.12 whatever thou hast been in thy own bowels Hath He been a Land of darkness to thee who hath caused his Sun to arise upon thee Matth. 5.44 though thou art Evil Or hath he been onely so to thy Soul Hast thou not also heard of a Sun of Righteousness that he maketh to arise with healing in his wings upon those that believe in him that justifieth the ungodly Mal. 2.4 Romans 4.9 And if all other thy ungodliness be no bar O why should thy unbelief or hard thoughts of this good God be so But some one may think Objection Micah 3.6 is there any evil in the City and the Lord hath not done it nay doth he not own it where is then the Goodness you spake of Out of the mouth of the most high proceedeth not evil and good is not He said to frame Evil to devise evil God the Author or evil Lam. 3.38 Jerem. 18.11 Micah 2.3 Isaiah 45.7 Answer Joh 37.23 Lam. 2.33 God good in correcting Micah 6.8 Chap. 7.18 Isaiah 28.21 Mal. 1.8 Rom. 9.20 And punishing Punishment of the wicked good to the good to create Evil And can this consist with so great Goodness But think again O Man that the Scripture saith the Almighty will not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of Men. As a good Parent doth not correct willingly yet he were not a good Parent should he not correct He hath shewed thee O man what is good to do Justice and to love Mercy And cannot God be good though he do Justice whilest he love Mercy for Mercy pleaseth him or he delighteth in Mercy but Judgment he calleth his strange work But go thou and first offer this to thy Governour before thou presumest to reply against God and tell thy Prince if thou darest that His Government is not good because He hath Bethlehems for Mad-Folks and Houses of Correction for Rogues and Vagabonds and places of Execution and instruments of Death for Traytors and Capital Malefactors But how should the Government be good to the Good if it should not restrain and punish the Evil Nay surely the Lords goodness is never more orient in the eyes of his people then when he takes vengeance not onely of their Enemies but of their inventions and yet pardons their sins So of their own sins Psal 991.18 and saves their Souls And oh how shall he come to be glorified in his Saints and admired in them that believe 2 Thes 1.10 Verse 8. Even when the Lord Jesus shall shew himself from Heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming Fire rendring vengeance to them that know not God and obey not his Gospel So that the Goodness of
him better and the better thou lovest him thou mayest think of him more for there the Bread of life is broken that it may be Eaten and this Eaten Bread is never to be forgotten there the Blood of Christ is broached that it may be drunk and being drunk Cant. 1.4 Gal. 3.1 that his love may be remembred more then wine for there is Christ before mine eyes evidently set forth even as if he were crucified among us Thâ—â— the King both sits at his Table Cant. 1.12 and is set upon the Table for Christ is both the Master of the Feast and the Matter of the Feast both my Entertainer and Entertainment and whilst I thus see him and feel him and tast him How can I but think of him and whilst the Bread that strengtheneth mine heart strengtheneth also my Faith and so Christ steals into my Soul as it were by my Sense and becomes the very nourishment thereof as the Outward Elements Bread and Wine are of the Outward man How can I forget my Saviour whilst I Remember my self or shut him out of the thoughts of mine Heart Psalm 73 26. John 6.5 who is the strength of mine heart whose Flesh is my meat indeed and whose Blood is my drink indeed whose Death is my life and my Reconciliation and whose life is my Glory and my Salvation who by his continual Intercession Hebr. 9.28 Exod. 28.29 ever bears me upon his heart before his Father in Heaven even as Aaron was to bear the Names of the Tribes of Israel upon his Brest-plate into the most holy place till He appear the second time unto Salvation John 12.20 and come again to take me to himself that where my Lord is there may also his Servant be Sect. XXXVIII Holy Thoughts of Christ ANd as we must away with all souâ—re thoughts of Christ and All low thoughts of Christ so much more with all unsavory and loose thoughts of Christ Our Thoughts of Him must be Holy as well as High Rom. 6.1 2. and Fearful as well as Chearful The Apostle puts an absit upon the least Thoughts as if the coming of Grace were for the countenancing of Sin What saith Moses concerning Christ Beware of him and obey his voice Exod. 23.21 provoke him not for he will not pardon your Transgressions for my Name is in Him What saith David Psalm 2.12 Kiss the SON least he be angry and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little The Prophet Isaiah tells us that he comes to give Law as well as Liberty the Isles shall wait for his Isaiah 42.4 Law the Prophecy of our Conversion who are Islanders in the Sea and that this Branch out of the Root of Jesse shall smite the Earth with the Rod of his Mouth Isaiah 11.1 2. and with the breath of his Lips he shall slay the wicked The Angel saith of Christ that his Name shall be called JESUS Mal. 1.21 Acts 2.27 Mal. 5.17 because He was to save his people not IN their Sins but FROM their Sins Christ when he was a Child was the Holy Child JESUS and when he was a Man He tells us that He came not to destroy the Law but to fulfil it And as John Baptist told the People that his Fan was in his hand Mat. 3 12. and he would throughly purge his Floor they found it so for He went into the Temple Chap. 21.21 and scourged out the Buyers and Sellers c. in token that no unclean or prophane thing must expect admittance by Him into the Kingdom of God No no Mat. 3.11 John 16.8 Hebr. 10.1 Mat. 16.24 John 17.17 Acts 15.9 Philip. 4.7 Col. 3.25 Gal. 6.16 The Baptisme of Christ is a Baptisme with Fire and the Spirit of Christ is a Reprover of Sin the example of Christ a pattern of Obedience and the Doctrine of Christ is a Doctrine of Self-denyal the Truth of Christ a Sanctifying Truth and the Faith of Christ an heart purifying Faith and the Peace of Christ is a War with Sin for it keeps the heart and rules in the heart and 't is onely unto them that walk according to Rule that the Gospel of Christ saith Peace be upon them but Tribulation and Anguish Rom. 2.8 9. Indignation and Wrath upon every Soul of Man that doth evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile Take We heed then of thinking basely of Christ Mat. 11.19 as the friend of Sinners in their vile sense who indeed thought him to be altogether such an one as themselves Psal 50.21 Psal 35.7 but Davids Thoughts were otherwise thou lovest Righteousness and hatest Iniquity therefore God even thy God hath anointed thee with the Oyl of Gladness above thy fellows A Friend indeed of Sinners for he Dyed to save them yea the chief of them 1 Tim. 1.15 but yet an Enemy to Sin for He came to make an end of Sin saith the Apostle St. John to redeem us from our vain Conversation saith S. Peter and to purifie to himself a peculiar 1 John 3.8 1 Pet. 1.18 people Titus 2.14 zealous of good works to sanctifie and cleanse us with the washing of water by the World that we might be holy Eph. 5.26 27. and without blemish saith S. Paul And now tell me O Reader is there any shelter for Sin or license for Lust in all this O be not deceived Gal. 6.7 8. God is not mocked for whatsoever a Man soweth that shall he also reap for he that soweth to his Flesh shall of the Flesh reap Corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life Everlasting For the GRACE of God that hath appeared bringing SALVATION 2 Tit. 11.12 teacheth to deny ungodliness and worldly Lusts c. Psalm 45.6 For Christ is KING as well as PRIEST and LORD as well as JESUS and the Scepter of his Kingdome is a RIGHT SCEPTER and We cannot THINK RIGHTLY of it except we think it so And O how terrible is this THOUGHT that if We slight this way Hebr. 2.36 Chap. 10.26 neglecting so great Salvation by sinning wilfully against this Sacrifice there remains no other SACRIFICE for Sin for there is no other Name given but the Name JESUS Acts 4.12 Heb. 10.28 29. And if He that sinned against Moses 's Law dyed without Mercy how much sorer must his punishment be that trampleth under foot the SON of GOD Then think this of Christ that if he be not thy Foundation-Stone 1 Pet. 2.6 Mat. 21.14 Rev. 5.5.6 John 5.22 Elect and precious to thee if thou be not built upon him he will fall upon thee and grinde thee to powder for the Lamb of God is a LYON too and God hath committed all Judgment to the SON and the WRATH of the LAMB shall one day be found intolerable to the proudest of Men when the Kings of the Earth