be with us If the Lord should give us those things that we think good we should soon bring an old house over our heads as they say Object But some will be ready to say There are some things that are good for me and I have them not Answ Let them be what you can imagine let others judge so as well as you yet I shall stand to this as I said before and make it good that there is nothing in the world that is truly good for the faithfull that God with-holds from them to whom he hath given himself let it be never so speciall a gift it is not good at that time for that person from whom it is with-held For instance some will be ready to say the thing that I want is this I have a stony and hard heart and fain would I have a heart of flesh I â—â—de I have a dead and wandering spirit in Gods service and fain would I have a setled spirit fain would I have a cheerfull heart and free spirit are not these good for me will you say And yet I seek God for these many times and having Gid they are mine owne it seems because they are in God and he himself is mine How can God be said to be my God and all he is and hath to be mine and I cannot come at these good things which are in him and are so needfull for me I answer First that God in giving himself unto persons gives himself to be communicated unto them at sundry seasons and in divers kindes and measures and yet so that he will be Judge of the fitnesse of the time The question then will be this Is it softnesse or more softnesse of heart you seek for Is it a largenesse or more largenesse of heart you seek I mean this that which you seek and inquire after from God as your God is it something you have nothing of or is it for more of something you have already If you say it is something I have nothing at all of I have a stony heart and I have no softnesse at all in it That is false there can be no seeking of God where there is no softnesse and all hardnesse for the Lord must first soften the heart to seek him But you conceive there is no softnesse at all because the apprehension of that which is wanting swallows up that which is injoyed and the want of that which you have not swallows up that you have Is it more that you would have in respect of measure But you will say Is it not good for me though I have a little softnesse to have more and when I have a little spirituality to have more enlargednesse of spirit then I have Is not this good for me I answer You must distinguish of time God doth not see it better at this instant that thou shouldest have more softnesse of heart then thou hast and this I am bold to affirm if the Lord did himselfe judge it were better thou shouldest be more spirituall at this instant beloved I speake of a person to whom God gives himself he would not detaine nor with-hold it at all from thee Mark it well you shall find that all the spirituality belonging to a Christian is the meer gift of God to him and onely at the disposing of God upon him and without the leave of the creature hee may make whom he will partaker of it and in what measure he thinks meet so that the creature can enjoy no more of spirituality then God will give him so runs the Covenant that you may not think that your spirituality depends upon your selves and the putting forth of your selves for it A new spirit will I put within thee and a new heart will I give thee and I will take away thy stony heart and give thee a heart of flesh and I will write my Law in thy inward parts and I will put my feare into thy heart and I will be their God and they shall be my people and I will remember their sinnes no more here is the conclusion now how shall men come by it must it not be of his own good pleasure and is it not as he hath freely passed the donation of it he gives it and he gives it freely he doth not in this Covenant condition with men in any one particle as a condition to get any thing to our selves Marke the Covenant well where ever it is whether in the 33. of Jeremiah and the 31. verse or in the 36. of Ezekiel or in the 8. to the Hebrews where the Covenant is again and again recited marke it there is not one clause of the Covenant that God will have men doe this and that good God doth not put them upon the bringing of any one thing in all the world to make up the Covenant but all that is required of the person covenanted withall the Lord is bound to make good all those things to that person Now if so be the Lord did see more of these spirituall enlargements requisite for thy use he that hath made such a solemne engagement of himselfe for the performance of all that is to be wrought in thee in the Covenant would not with-hold that at this instant from thee thou knowest not what a corrupt use thou at such a time mightest make of them for some through more abundance of spirituality and spirituall enlargements have abused them to grow more proud and scornfull Paul met with such to whom being puffed up with pride saith he What hast thou that thou hast not received wherefore then boastest thou Beloved your owne experience may witnesse Look into the world you shall finde some persons more eminent in spiritualnesse there is more abundance of pride in those persons As for example you shall finde some more excellent in prayer some more excellent in other gifts what follows The corruption in the heart of man gathers such corrupt in ferences from hence that pride riseth in the heart from such parts that another Saint because he hath a stammering tongue though equally sound hearted with himself yet is not fit for such a ones company God is a wise God he knowes the measure and proportion that is fit for every member of Jesus Christ and that proportion hee doth not with-hold I speake not this with any intent but that people should still rise to as much as can be attained but that people still presse hard to the marke of the price of the high calling of God in Jesus Christ Beloved when we seeke God in his owne way for increase of any good for soul or body let us stand to Gods good pleasure and beloved for incouragement let mee tell you if ever the Lord would have with-held any thing for the sinfulnesse of his creatures he would have with-held the gift of his owne Son but while we were enemies Christ dyed for us would not God spare his owne Son but deliver him up for us all while wee were
of God shall we tell Believers if they sinne they shall come under Gods wrath and except they do such and such good works God will be angry with them and that after he hath so sworn and ingaged himself that he will not be wroth with his people any more Is not this to make God a lier Againe wee doe not only so much as lies in us make God a lier but we offer an insufferable affront unto Jesus Christ and strike at the very heart of the whole office of Christs Mediatorship If wee say that God is wroth with Beleevers for whom Christ died for what end did Christ suffer death I say if this principle bee a truth that God will bee wroth with his people and angry with them then Christ died in vaine For God could have been but wroth hee could have been but angry with his people if Christ had never died And to bring the people of God under wrath and vengeance againe for their sins is to take away all the vertue of the death of Christ and to make it of none effect And how will this principle stand with that in the 53. of Isaiah where it is said that he beheld the travell of his soul and was satisfied Was God satisfied with sufrerings of Christ having the sinnes of men laid upon him and yet is God wroth and angry with Beleevers for those very sins again which before hee acknowledged satisfaction for If so be a man be indebted unto another and the creditor be willing to take a surety for the debt and this surety comes in and payes this debt for the man hee was bound for and hee thereupon gives a generall discharge under hand and seal shal he yet by by after take the debter by the throat and clap him up in Gaol when the surety hath answered for the debt before and after hee hath delivered under hand and seal that he was satisfied and that his book was crost Who but must say it is injustice in the highest degree What justice what equity is in this Beloved Christ became our surety God accepted of him for our debt he clapt up Christ in Gaol as I may so say for the debt God tooke every farthing of Christ that hee could demand of us he is now reconciled unto us he will not now impute our sins to us he hath acknowledged satisfaction it is upon record And now shall he come upon them again with fresh wrath for whom Christ hath done all this Shall hee charge the debt upon them againe He hath forgotten the death of Christ it seems if this be true Therefore know thus much that it is against the death of Christ it is a making of it of none effect it makes the coming of Christ to be in vaine to say that the wrath of God will breake out upon Beleevers if they commit such and such sinnes And for this that I have said If any man can produce one Scripture against it if any man can shew in all the Booke of God that it is any otherwise then I have delivered for my part I shall be of another minde and willingly recant my opinion But I see the Scripture runs wholly in this strain and is so full in nothing as in this that God hath generally discharged the sins of Beleevers Oh then take heed of falling into that error of the Papists that say that God hath taken away the sinne but not the wrath of God due to sinne that he hath forgiven our sins but not the punishment of sin But I beseech you consider that as our sinnes were then upon Christ he was so bruised for our iniquity that by his stripes we are healed and the chastisement of our peace was so upon him that he being chastifed for our sins there is nothing else but peace belongs to us And the chastisement of our peace was so upon him that he beheld the travell of his soule and was satisfied Christ was so chastised as I have often said with the rod of Gods wrath that it was quite worne out and wholly spent it selfe upon him This is apparent in the very tenor of the new Covenant it self It runs altogether upon free Gift and Grace God takes upon himself to do all that shall be in Believers asking and requiring nothing at all of us It is true he saith there shall be the new heart and a new spirit and that there shall bee a new Law written in the inward parts But hee requires it not of the Believer but hee himselfe hath undertaken to doe all and bestow upon the Beleever A new heart will I give thee and a new spirit will I put into thee and I will take away thy stony heart and I will give thee a heart of flesh Hee doth not say you must get you new hearts and new spirits and you must get your stony hearts taken away and you must get you hearts of flesh But I will take the worke in hand and I will see all done my self All runs freely upon Gods undertaking for his people Seeing therefore God doth all things freely of his own accord in us then beloved see how the Grace of God is abused by those that would make men beleeve that the Grace of God depends upon mens doings and performances upon actions in the creature and tell men if they doe it not the wrath of God will follow thereupon This likewise batters down to the ground that way of urging men to holinesse which some men hold forth that if men doe not these and these good workes and leave these and these sins then they must come under the wrath of God and that the wrath of God is but hidden all this while they doe these and these good works but if they faile in any of these then the wrath of God will breake out upon them whereas they ought rather after the example of the Apostle to excite them to these good workes because they are already freed from wrath Certainly this that I have delivered proves this sufficiently that the appearing of the Grace of God doth teach men to doe the will of God effectually the love of God constrains the faithfull and not the feare of wrath But to conclude do not mistake me in the mean while I have no thoughts as if wrath and vengeance were not to be preached and made known even to Believers yea beloved wrath and vengeance is to be made known to them and that as the deserts of sin and as the means to keep men from sin Obj. But now some may say this seems to be against all that you have said before this seems to overthrow all that you have delivered Answ Observe me well do not mistake me You must know that wrath and vengeance must be revealed to Believers and it must bee known to the end to restraine them from sin but not in that way men doe ordinarily think I mean thus Wrath and vengeance is not to be revealed as if
waâ— before So it is with all â—istempers in your soules by reason of sin if you look upon any beside the brazen Serpent your distemper will returne with double vigour upon you But certainly one vision of Jesus Christ will hid defiance to the stoutest of your lusts and all the powers of darknesse combined with them and in an encounter wilmore than conquer them The Host of Israel was very great well prepared for the battel but if ever the day be won David must come into the field Our fastings and prayers appeare a huge Host but they will rather gaze upon than ingage against an enemie if Jesus Chrisâ— be not in the field but the very câ—â—nte nance of Jesus Christ doth soon â—ill the enemie the avenger and makes all theâ— issue of sia in the soul to orove abortive The marrow of al this you have clearly laia open in the demonstration oâ— the Spirit in the following Sermons which I am confident to all that are led by the â—perit wilâ— be a ful vindication of the truth of Christ and of the worthy Author from those basâ— aspersions cast upon both by pride ignorance You shall sinde the sumâ—ne of this Work to be the sole exaltation of the Lord Jesus in Saints and duties and the debasing and trampling upon all flesh that shaâ— aspire to the seat of Christ the reviving and encouraging of drooping hearts by presenting Christ not themselves in alâ— his accomplishments to them Now if the world shall haptize this doctrine Antinomianisme the Lord grant that all the doctrine preached throughout the world may deservedly he caled by that name Ye thaâ— know Christ be not afraid notwithstanding all the censures of the world to reade the book and receive the truth be assured it is not presented to thee as a bait which is an 〈◊〉 troduction to a snare but if the Spirit of Jesus accompany it thou wilt certainly say as Christ did I have meate to eat which ye know not of I should rather cloud the work then honour it if I should proceed to a further commendation of it I leave it therefore to the Spirit to make out the worth of it to the spirits of the Saints and am concluded under this faith that all the malice and carnall wisdome of this generation shall never be able to interrupt the course of it As for the Author though hee was never known to me yet those works of his which I have perused do encourage me to believe that whilst he lived in the world he lived in God and now his earthly tabernacle being dissolved he is taken up into that fulnesse which hee only saw in part whilst he lived here and though whilst he was upon earth it might he his portion with his Lord and Master to bee mocked and buffeted in the High Priests hall yet now sits with him 〈◊〉 fruition of that glory for which â—e was theâ— a susserer what â—ow reâ—eatins but that yeâ— which through the Spirit have tasted thâ— sweetness of 〈◊〉 Ministry in the same spirit look up to your Father and neg of 〈◊〉 that those who survive in the worke of the Gospel may goe on where he left in the plentifull effusion of the Spirit the glorious truths of Christ may bee amongst thâ— Saints as the Sun in his height and amongst the rest forget not him though unworthy to be numbred with them who iâ— ambitious of nothing else but to he All in Christ and nothing in self Geo. Cokain To the impartial READER READER TRUTH needs no shield to shelter it her oâ—â—n bare breasts are armor of proof against all daring darts of ignorance and pride and therefore walks fearlesse in the midst of all those vollies of bitter words who ever vaunts in putting on his harness Truth only triumphs in putting it off this never quits the field without the Garland God that calleth to the combat carrieth on with a conquering hand the gates of hell assaolt but prevail not wee can do nothing against the truth but for the truth The Prince of the air musters up his forces and retreats his blacke guard falls on with him and are shamefully beaâ—e back kings with their armies flie before it the powers of darkness like Jebu march against it suriously they attempt storm but a the brightness that is before this Sun the thick clouds remove one of truth subverts the tents of darknessâ— What is stronger then truth whâ—â—e going out is as the morning â—â—eth up to a gloâ—â—ious day That ancient Emâ—â—eme is a true Image of truth a candle in a lanthorn upon 〈◊〉 bill beleaguered 〈…〉 blasts 〈…〉 the flag of defiâ—â—ce with this Morto Frusi à . It is buâ— lost labour to dig a trouch about that city for which the Lord â—ath appâ—â—ted salvation for walls and bulwachâ— but though it be secured from subveâ—sion yet it is not protected froÌ„ opposition You know how it went with Christ was not his cradle cut out of the same wood of which his crosse was made His first entrance upon the stage of this world portended a black day at his departing his sudden flight into Egypt from Herods barbarouâ— jealousie was but the Prologue to that sad Tâ—agedy which he ended on Mâ—unt-Calvary nor may his children or servants expect better antertainmâ—nt bonds or afflictions or both abide them that are faithfull they have called the Master an impostor 〈◊〉 Beelzebub Is the servant above his 〈◊〉 I know this sâ—â—vant of truâ—h hath had 〈◊〉 in suffering for it â—nâ—â—â—â—s men pursue those that out-goâ— them a Pâ—â—â—sâ—e will frone any even Christ that shall 〈◊〉 to teach them beyond their old diviâ—â—y Much dirty geer hath been cast upon the Author of this book which if it could have fastned on him I were by speciall ingagements bound to wipe it off but a false tongue cannot make a guilty person Rabsheka's railing made no breach in Jerusalems wals Christ alone must be exalted and all flâ—sh made his foot-stool But there bee some that seeke to darken the wisdome of God with the words of man and draw a specious vail over divine mysteries that so it may be not intentionally understanding is hid from the simple these make a fair shew in the flesh But I had rather see the King in his plainest cloaths then his fool in a painted coat Where is the Scribe where is the wise where is the disputer of this world The loftinesse of man must be laid low his glory buried in the dust all his perfections come to an end but if thou desirest to see truth in a comely dresse cleer complexion thou maist have a full view thereof in this ensuing Discourse Say not the Treasise is too smal to contain so vast a subject but rather admire his skill that discovers so much of heaven through so smal a prospective Wee applaud their art that contract the wide world into the narrow compasse of a slender Map What a deal of worth
God fearfulnesse and dismayednesse cast many slanders upon him 1. Slanders upon his power 2. Slanders upon his faithfulnesse 3. Slanders upon his care and providence 4. Slanders upon the freenesse of his grace 5. Slanders upon the efficacy of the sufferings of Christ To touch of these a little which by the grace of God may quit your hearts of these feares First it casts a slander upon the power of God If you lend a man an hundred pounds and he give you a bond to pay it you againe it may be you feare you shall not have it againe What is the ground of it I doubt say you he will not be able to pay me When fear ariseth from such a Principle now doth not this cast an aspersion upon the ability and sufficiency of the man If you did think he were an able man indeed you would not suspect him so when you see such and such evills growing towards you and you begin to be afraid and to cry out Doubtlesse I shall sink under them God is not able to deliver me at such a time I say Unbelief of the power of God being the occasion of such fear it thereby casts an heavy slander upon God Object But some may say I did never doubt of the ability of God Answ If you doe not yet Israel did Can God say they give flesh in the wildernesse And consider with your selves how often it hath been in the hearts of people when they have been in any great extremity How shall we escape there is no possibility for us to avoid this evill Is not this now a calling in question the power of God in such fears as these are If so then is there a great scandall cast upon the power of God Secondly it likewise brings a scandall to the faithfulnesse and truth of God Some will say I do not question whether God can do this but all my fear is whether he will doe it or no. This fear ariseth from hence there is a suspicion that God will not do it Now I ask this question Hath God said he will doe it Hath he said I will never faile thee nor forsake thee Hath he said that all things shall worke together for our good Hath he said it and doe you feare he will not do it What do you make of God Is not God as good as his word Is God and his faithfulnesse out of credit with you Hath God said and will he not perform If a man hath promised to give you a hundred pound and when he is gone you fear you shall never have it doe you not call in queâ—â—ion the honesty of this man doe you not make him a lier Hath not God promiâ—ed to save you and defend you to be your shield and buckler now you by fear calling this in question is this any better then to charge God with dishonesty and to make him a lyer that he hath said and will not make good what hee hath said Thirdly you charge the providence and care of God you know what God hath said Be carefull for nothing but in all things make your requests knowne to him and bids cast your care upon him for he careth for you doe you thinke God is mindfull of you and cares for you when extremity of danger comes upon you and you feare you shall miscarry in such a danger either you must thinke that he doth not mind you nor regard you or if he doth he is not able to helpe you This was Davids fault he runs on in this manner Hath he so gotten to be gracious hath he shut up his loving kiâ—dnesâ—e in displeasure will be be mercifull no mere hee charged God with forgetfulnesse Fourthly you cast a scandall upon the free grace of God When thou art thus afraid thy fear is that such an evill will overtake thee and withall thou lookest upon thy deserts and thou sayst this may well come upon me I have deserved it I have committed such and such sins and they will certainly provoke the Lord to send all these evills I feare upon me because thou hast sinned thou dost feare such punishments will come upon thee conâ—â—der how thou scandallest the freenesse of the grace of God there is no avoiding of evill sayst thou because sin hath been committed yet herein doth grace indeed consist that though sin be committed yet there shall no wrath be provoked nor punishment inâ—â—icted So often as men fear afflictions from â—ins committed so often they slander the grace of God There is no way for me to escape for I have sinned will men think When a scholar shall come home to his father and cry I have committed a fault there is no escaping the rod for every fault I commit I shall 〈◊〉 whipped is not this to cast a scandall upon the clemency of the Master as if he were so rigid that he would passe by no fault If you upon sin committed fear the falling of wrath and judgement what doe you thinke of God doe you not plainly declare that there is no clemency in him Lastly you cast a slander upon the suffering of Christ you that fear wrath because you have committed such and such a sin Beloved to what purpose tend the sufferings of Christ was it not for the sins of men did the Lord behold the travell of his soule and was he satisfied and when he is satisfied will he come and exact a new payment after that satisfaction given and acknowledged either God must be dishonest to exact payment twice for one debt or Christs satisfaction was insufficient If Christ did not beare all the wrath of God but you must bear some of it your selves where is the efficacy of the suffering of Christ If the sufferings of Christ were sufficient wherefore should you then feare any wrath at all Certainly you must either say Christ hath not born all indignation and so make the Scripture a lyer which â—aith he beheld the travell of his soul and was satisfied and the suffering of Christ of none effect or else though sin hath been committed you cannot feare wrath or any evill as the effect of wrath to be afflicted The second prejudice of feare is as it respects Gods service it may appeare divers wayes to you First so far forth as fear possesses the heart so far forth is faith suppressed this fear is the cut-throat of believing In quietnesse and confidence shall be your rest where there is rest there is confidence and where there is no rest there can be no considence there fore as far as you fear the afflictions of the world in respect of your sins so far are you weak in faith Faith makes men sit downe satisfied and setled in spirit whereas fear fills men full of questioning and doubtings of things when things are dark and not clear there are disputings but faith that puts an end to all doubts and fears wherefore so long as there is fear there is unbelief Secondly fear and
is now offered unto us I have peradventure in the hearing of some present made entrance into these words I have read now unto you I shall give you but a taste of what I have formerly spoken so much as may serve by way of introduction to that in which I mean to spend the remainder of this time The occasion of these words you may see in the former passage of this Chapter At this present instant a great tumult and uproar was raised upon the raising of the righteous Man from the East that is the setting up of Christ Such a noyse there was that God was fain to call for silence vers 1. and for their plea at the latter end of the verse If they have any thing to say against this businesse of setting up of Christ let them bring their strongest reasons saith the Lord. Having thus obtained silence the Lord makes his plea against their tumultuous opposition vers 2. Who is he that hath raised him up and hath given Nations to him and made him to rule over Kings I the Lord did it saith he vers 4. What have you to say to me He shall prosper and he shall prosper with facility and ease he shall go softly he shall never run for fear of being circumvented Hee shall go in a way that his foot hath not trode before he shall go further then he hath gone and what say they to this when God speaks Yet the tumultuous men will not be quiet they lay their heads together as you finde they consult to finde out helpe nay they conspire the Carpenter and the Smith have laid their heads together Now because there is such a combustion when Christ is set up lest the people of the Lord should be possessed with dismayednesse and feare of miscarriage the Lord turnes his speech to these opposed Fear not I am with thee be not dismayed I am thy God Christ when ever he is exalted did doth and will finde great opposition but in spite of all opposition Christs exaltation shall prosper all their opposition shal not hinder nay he wil go softly that the world may see that he is not afraid of all opposition whatsoever First in this Text the Lord is pleased to provide a pillow as for a King for the heads of his people or a staffe for their trembling hand a pillow to support their sinking spirits they are apt to be discouraged it seems the Lord is pleased to take their condition into his hand to speak to the occasion of their trembling and to give out such words that may be a stay that they may stand fast though blustrings grow greater then they are The Textis nothing else but a gracious incouragement or a comfortable support of a sinking spirit The incouragement is in these words Fear not be not dismayed the grounds and arguments by which he would prevaile with them not to fear nor be dismayed are in these words I am with thee I am thy God I will helpe thee I will up hold thee with the right hand of my righteousnesse The point is this That they that have God for their God need never fear nor be dismayed seeing this their God is with them will helpe them strengthen them and uphold them with the right hand of his righteousnesse Concerning this feare and dismayednesse we spake largely the last time we spake upon this occasion 1. What it is not to be afraid 2. What we are not to be afraid of 3. What the inconveniences of such feare are In brief not to feare is no more but a composednesse and setlednesse of spirit against any evill that commeth Excellent is that expression in the 112. Psalme vers 8. They shall not be afraid of evill tidings What is that Their heart is fixed their heart is established they shall not be removed Here is the expression of a fearlesse heart a heart fixed a heart established a heart not moved You have it likewise excellently set out in Daniel 3. in an example the 16. vers in the story of the three children being sentenced to be cast into the fiery furnace they came before the great King Nebuchadnezzar and hee spake big to them and tells them what they must trust unto if they will not fall down and worship his Gods Mark now how their fearlesnesse and dismayednesse is expressed We are not carefull to answer thee in this matter our God whom we serve be will deliver us See what a disposition this fearlesnesse is and then what is the ground of it We are not carefull to answer thee in this matter here is a true fearlesnesse if when ever evill comes men can say it matters not we are ready for it And look into the root of it and you shall finde it in their answer our God is able to deliver us that made them so carelesse in so weighty a thing Our God whom wee serve he will deliver us Secondly what it is we should not fear I answer first we should not fear God himself as to do us any hurt fear him with awfull reverence we must A Believer that is the servant and chosen of God need not fear that God will do him any hurt It is God that justifieth therefore it is not God that will harm thee The heart of God is to his people My bowells are troubled for thee saith God to Ephraim Can he hurt them while he is troubled for them Secondly they must not fear their own sins I do not say they ought not to fear to commit sinne but they ought not to feare what hurt their sinnes can doe them seeing they are blotted out If a man have subscribed unto and sealed a hundred Bonds and all these Bonds be quite cancelled and blotted out he need not fear no hurt these Bonds can do him Paul in the 7. of Rom. complaineth indeed of a body of death and the power of sin but in the closure of the Chapter he shews how little he fears any thing that sin could doe Thanks be unto God through our Lord Jesus Christ What doth he thank the Lord for that though his firts were so great yet they could not do him any hurt nor any of Gods people Look into the beginning of the 8. Chapter it is plaine There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ who walke not after the flesh but after the Spirit For the Law of the Spirit of life that is in Christ hath freed me from the Law of sin and death For what the Law could not do in that it was weake through the flesh God sending his owne Son in the likenesse of sinfull flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh What hurt can this do Now beloved give me leave to tell you if you be Believers and weak in faith I dare bee bold to say nothing cuts the heart so much in respect of fear of evill as the sins you do commit these will be swords to your hearts But if you be