but seldome that he envyeth such a man because this denoteth a thought that such a man is Superiour to him and that is against the natural pride in every man Secondly Those are subject to this sin of envy who are in a similitude of condition estate trad or profession or where there is any competition for one thing and both cannot have it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 One tradesman envyeth another of the same trade or profit thus one Scholler one Gentleman one Favourite another one Co-partner in Government another The reason why Lycinius grew so desperately mad against the Christians whom he had formerly defended was because Christians in their meetings prayed for Constantine and not him the ground of Saul's envy and hatred to David was because the women sang Saul slew his thousands and David his ten thousands Phil. 1.19 Some preach Christ out of envy These were teachers that out of envy to Paul who had all the glory took the occasion now he was imprisoned and could not preach to set forth Christ and they thought Paul like themselves ambitious of glory and esteem and therefore that this would grieve and vex Paul but such was his grace that he could rejoyce in it Thirdly Such are subject to Envy who because they cannot abide the good of others they therefore study all the wayes to disparage and obscure the name and excellency of such If they have any failings if there be any weaknesses they rake in them talk of them neglecting the good as the Kite that flyeth over the pleasant meadows and delights upon the dunghills and Carrion therefore an envious man discovers himself by his talk his words though such a man hath never so much worth and excellency in him yet that he will never mention or if he do it 's only craftily that others may not think he doth it out of envy Thus where charity covereth a multitude of sinne envy covereth a multitude of graces Vse 1. Of all envyings take heed of that which is against men because they are godly because they live more holily then thou dost their lives condemne thy life their purity thy uncleanness their pure worship of God thy superstition and this makes theâ— as full of poyson as a Serpent Oh if there were an opportunity Never did Paul once or Bonner or any persecuter more greedily destroy those that fear God then thou couldst Never comfort thy self that thou dost not envy or hate them for their godliness but thou condemnest them for this fault and that fault for the Pharisees that were so moved with envy against Christ they said it was not for his good works they pretended he spake blasphemy he broke the Sabbath you see they had religious pretexts Take heed of this sinne that bordereth so near upon the unpardonable sinne it's too rife it 's too common amongst men if God give thee not grace to be godly thy self if God give thee not a heart to be holy yet let not the Devil so farre fill thy heart as to make thee envy rage and blaspheme at godliness in other Oh there is a great deal of difference between that sinner whom carnal pleasures or love to the world doth keep from godliness and that sinner whom envy and a secret rancour against godliness makes keep off from the practise of it Vse 2. You that are godly especially take heed of this How contrary is this spirit of envy to that love Christ hath put into you He prayed most earnestly as the great thing before his death that the godly might be one How then comes envyings and bitter thoughts among you you that ought to have one heart one mind yea to lay down your lives for one another How comes this divelish sinne to be in you How come doves to have gall Christ that thought it no robbery to be equall to God yet became in the forme of a contemptible man for the godlyes sake and hast thou so much glory or honour to deny thy self in as he had Grudge not one against another or sigh not as the Greek is no godly man should have the least bitterness or inward sighs and discontentedness against another Jam 5 9. Let us in the next place consider the aggravation of this sinne and howsoever the heathenish Poets have described it in such an ugly loathsome and deformed shape that all may see the unloveliness of it yet they being matter only of fancy and witty invention we shall draw the pourtraiture of it from the Word of God which is a two-edged sword and every arrow from this quiver may justly strike to the heart of it First The wickedness of this sinne may be excellently illustrated by that admirable good it is opposite to for this is a rule That privation is the worst whose habit is the best that is the greatest evil which is opposite to the greatest good Now there is a three-fold good that envy doth oppose as fire water and darkness light 1. The infinite goodness in God 2. The inestimable goodness in Christ 3. The admirable goodness in the grace of love or charity So that if you would know how great an evil envy is say it is as great an evil as God is good as Christ is good it opposeth Gods goodness so that phrase implyeth Is thy eye evil because God is good Mat. 20 15. that is not intensively but privatively for envy doth take God and Christ from me my neighbour from me and my self from my self it maketh Gods goodness and thy neighbours goodness to be his evil who envyeth this bitterness upon thy heart is because God is such a fountain of goodness that he communicates his mercies freely Were envy able to fall upon that pure and spotless Majesty of God he would not have created the world nor made such glorious Angels nor give such excellent perfections to some in the world for many times God loseth his glory by this meanes when they do not praise him but dishonour him yet for all this behold the goodness of God that doth so liberally diffuse it self though his glory be obscured thereby Oh! if it lay in an envious man to make men great or admired or despicable and contemptible how quickly would he make the world a poor Hospital that he might have all the glory Behold then the venemous poison of this sinne of envy which doth grudge and repine at the glorious Attribute of God his bounty and liberality that which David is so ravished with himself and calls upon Angels and other creatures to praise God for viz. His mercy which endureth for ever this the envious man is vexed at There was a seed of this bitter wormwood in Jonah how discontented and grieved was he that God did not destroy that populous City of Ninevâ—h on a suddain and how patiently did God expostulate with him and confute him by his own Gourd that he was troubled at because consumed by a worme on a suddain Jon. 4.10 Oh if an
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
in our hearts that our gifts may be successefull that our graces may flourish And that the Spirit of God dwels in you The first sort of the Spirits inhabitation in us viz. by Gifts hath been dispatched We now come to the more noble and excellent way which doth inseparably accompany salvation and that is the sanctifying graces of Gods Spirit By which indeed we may gather That God dwels in us For as when Daniel could so wonderfully open and interpret the Kings dreames they said The Spirit of the most high God was in him So if you see a people heavenly mortifying sinne walking in close communion with God you must needs conclude the Spirit of the most high God is in that man It 's not nature or moral virtues could raise him up to such an high Pinacle as this is And before we come to the particular effects of Gods in-dwelling after this manner it 's good to observe the Emphatical expressions that the Scripture useth equivalent to this of dwelling in us As Rom. 8. there it 's called Being in the Spirit as here The Spirit is in us So there we are in the Spirit Now that phrase is very emphatical and doth denote that all our lusts and sinnes yea our very selves are as it were swallowed up and nothing but the Spirit of God works and moveth in us To be in the Spirit denoteth the great efficacy and powerfull dominion in us as men are said to be in sinne because they no longer live but sinne nothing but sinne doth appear so it should be with the godly The Spirit of God not flesh not corruption not carnal or worldly principles should appear in them As the Prophets in the time of their Prophesie were said to be in the Spirit in an extasie minding no earthly or worldly thing Thus ought we to be emptied of our selves and filled with the Spirit of God Therefore John 3. it 's said Whatsoever is born of the Spirit is Spirit in the very abstract We have also Gal. 4 pregnant expressions To live in the Spirit to walk in the Spirit to be led by the Spirit Oh let such expressions as these make you ashamed to see so much of a man or carnal affections stirring in you What believer hath these things in the full power thereof But to the Particulars First The Spirit of God dwels in us after a saving manner in the general By way of sanctification of the Spirit soul and body even the whole man 1 Thess 5. This is the general Every man is all over unclean filthy polluted full of enmity to what is holy Now the Spirit of God that makes an universal sanctification of all these Hence by way of Office it 's called The Spirit of sanctification and the holy Spirit as Creation is appropriated to the Father and Redemption to the Sonne so Sanctification to the Holy Ghost So then as Christ in respect of his body is said to be conceived by the Holy Ghost there was a preparing and sanctifying of it for the Personal Union and the work of Redemption So the Spirit of God sanctifieth the soul of every godly man it makes every part and faculty prepared for holy Duties in an holy man for as the soul is the life of the body that can doe no vital action without it So the Spirit is the life of the soul and that can doe no spiritual action without it Oh then consider this all ye that heare and ponder it in your hearts Have you thus been conceived and borne of the Spirit of God Thy other birth will availe nothing though borne rich or noble Yea Couldst thou be borne a thousand times in a naturall way thou wouldst still be a miserable wretched man What is a good or ingenuous nature What are excellent and choice abilities if thou art not sanctified by the Spirit of God Doe not thinke these things are fancies and notions The Spirit of God may as well be called a fancy as his operations fancies But more particularly The Spirit of God dwels in a saving manner First By Illumination and opening of the darke minde of every man Every man is darknesse it selfe he cannot discerne of spiritual things revealed in the Word till the Spirit of God enlighten him Therefore the worke of Gods Spirit is great upon the minde and understanding of a man it convinceth the soul of a man of those things it never believed before John 16.9 of sinne it makes a man see the woefull and damnable estate he is in It 's so plaine that he cannot deny it he believed and judged no such thing once in him but now such light shineth in his breast that he is a very dung-hill a very hell to himself and then he convinceth of righteousnesse viz. a Gospel-righteousnesse by Christ Now all his workes all his good duties are dung and drosse all that Religion he put confidence in is abandoned by him the Spirit of God convinceth him of a glorious righteousnesse without him which onely is able to cover his nakednesse Againe Another special worke on the understanding is To teach to guide and leade into all truth We cannot say Jesus is the Christ without the Spirit as you heard 1 Corinth 12.3 Spiritual things must have a spirituall ability to discerne them It 's true he leadeth in and by the use of meanes appointed but yet he onely doth efficiently dispell the darknesse and worke faith to holy Truths So then we see it 's the speciall worke of Gods Spirit not humane ability to be directed into truth And we must not onely study Books but pray to God and take heed of such sinnes which may drive Gods Spirit from us for then we are as a wilde horse without a rider like a ship in the midst of the sea without a Pilot. Secondly The Spirit of God quickens and reviveth those graces that by Regeneration were infused to us compared therefore to the winde as the blowing of that makes the flowers of the Gardens to send forth their sweet smels So it 's here It 's not enough to have the habit and principles of grace within us but we need a fervent and vigorous actuating of them And therefore is the Holy Ghost compared to fire and hence that phrase To be filled with the Holy Ghost which is applied to the godly sometimes doth as learned men observe denote some actual and vigorous impression upon their hearts Their graces were now put forth in a lively vigorous way Oh this is a blessed life when a Christian is constantly filled with the Holy Ghost that doth actually make his heart fervent and burning in all its duties towards God! If this were the life of the godly man there would not be such complaints such feares such doubts Oh they cannot tell what to say to themselves They are dull heavy earthly Alas all this is because the Spirit of God filleth not thy heart if this were working thou wouldst be like Ezekiels wheeles that
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
that to repine or to be discouraged is to say in effect Why is not God wiser Why doth he not order things with more perfect knowledge Oh but as long as faith worketh as long as that puts forth it self so long it beholds matter of wisdome and admiration in all Gods proceedings Secondly It represents the tender love and bowels of God as a Father so that all those strokes they come from love It 's his very pity for a while to break and bruise them that they may be healed more effectually Is the Artificer angry with his plate when he breakes it and throweth it into the fire No it 's for to make it more compleat If so be that we were wholly without corruption if we could walk without sinne then God would no more afflict us here on earth then he doth the glorified Saints and Angels in heaven but our corruption is such that God did not love us or regard us if he did not chastise us Thirdly Faith represents the soveraignty and supream dominion which God hath over the hearts of his children therefore he is called the Father of Spirits Now neither man himself nor all the Angels of heaven are able to give such a composed frame As God only knoweth the hearts of men so he only fashioneth and frameth them If you ask How is it possible that David should be thus immoveable What could keep in his corruption and flesh from repining and disturbing I answer it 's God with whom all things are possible It is this that faith suggests though thy heart be impatient though thou canst not command the waves thereof to be still yet God in heaven can Oh it 's easily confessed that it is not flesh and blood that can make such quiet calmness of soul No it must be an omnipotent work of the great God Did not God put terrour into Cain's heart that though he had built Cities though he did all he could to allay his spirit yet still he trembleth and cannot but tremble Thus on thâ— contrary God he puts joy into the heart of a believer he bids it lye down and be content and although never so many Hornets come buzzing to sting him yet faith keepeth them off â—o that that very frame of heart which even a godly man thinketh it impossible for himself ever to have that he finds sometimes and wonders how it should be so it's God that either layes load on or takes burdens off from the spirit So that the very same sinnes and temptations which formerly they could not apprehend without even faintings and swoundings of the soul now they can remember and bless God with joy for the pardoning of them Vse 1. of Instruction to distinguish between carnal security and godly confidence You have many a prophane man will say the words in my Text I will lye down and sleep it may be at the very Sermon time howsoever under the apprehension of their pleasures and profits they will with Dives bid their soul take its ease But can they say for the Lord taketh care of thee No but it may be this night the Devils will fetch thy soul It may be this night thou must be arraigned at Gods Tribunal Oh how many are sick of this spiritual lethargy How many men lye down securely to sleep that may awake in hell But the godly mans confidence ariseth from spiritual Motives insomuch that though death and the day of Judgement appear yet he may and ought to be thus affected The Difference between Carnal and Gratious Confidence We have heard that it is the property of faith depending on God in a vigorous manner to compose and quiet the heart in the midst of all calamities as if there were none aâ— all Now because even in wicked men there is a carnal senseless spirit that though the anger of God be upon them though their sinnes have found them out yet they can take their ease and pleasures and lay nothing to heart and this is an Epidemical disease It is good therefore to search into the bottome and difference of a gracious confidence from a carnal Now there are two sorts of these carnally confident and secure men under their troubles First There is the Stoical man of whom Senecae and others of that sect do much boast They speak great and swelling words about that man who shall fully have received their principles and confirme himself therein They commend in such a man an indolency and an impassibility that let him be dashed upon by never so many decumane waves yet for all that he stands immoveable like a rock and is not troubled Hence is that speech of theires so famous that their wise man if he were burning in Phalaris his Bull he would cry out Dulce est ad me nihil pertinet Thus the Stoical Philosophy would serve to set forth as admirable and composed a spirit under tribulations as the Christian Religion But Let us discover the sinfulness of such a Stoical stupid spirit And First Although the Stoicks did thus Thrasonically boast in their Books and Seneca speakes high and transcendent speeches in this matter yet when they came to practise they were feeble and effeminate So that they were nothing but words and empty expressions witness that Stoick who in his health had maintained that pain was nothing it was but a fancy when he was grievously tormented with the Gout cryed out of his errour acknowledging when he said so he did not know what pain meant But now if we look upon the godly in the midst of their exercises we shall find they did really put forth such calm and joyfull spirits under the heaviest pressures David you heard said he had done thus as well as he would do so and the Apostles went out rejoycing from the Councel where they had been persecuted because they were accounted worthy to suffer for the name of Christ Act. 5.41 And thus the many thousands of Martyrs they did though not in Phalaris his Bull yet in as great torments cry out Oh how sweet and comfortable is this So that no sect in Philosophy the Stoicks nor none else are able to bring such a multitude of Martyrs as the Christian Religion hath Therefore it 's only Gods Word and the Spirit of God that can enable us to rejoyce and take our rest under sad afflictions Secondly The Stoical discipline did teach a brutish stupidity and senslesness under miseries They would destroy the very passions of grief and fear from a man Thus they make a man to be no better then a stock or a stone that is sinking under the hammer and axe that comes upon it but Christian Religion doth not take away affections but it moderateth and ordereth them David you see though thus calme in his spirit yet he is affected with his calamity he goeth bare foot covereth his head and weepeth as he goeth and Christ himself wept at Lazarus his death It 's the Scriptures rule neither to despise
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
them therefore he concludes The rest will I set in order when I come 1 Cor. 11. ult So that herein also is a great work the labouring to instruct and bring people to a full conformity to all that heavenly order and godly course of life which Christ hath commanded We see men have quickly submitted to the doctrine of Christ who yet do not in their lives to the Laws of Christ men may have a sound faith but a rotten and unsound conversation Oh this is the blemish and reproach of Christianity to this very day Herein is great work still for the Ministerial employment Though we are planted gardens yet they are so full of noisome weeds and poisonous herbs that there must be daily inspection Hath God planted thee and watered thee for this only to become a weed or a bramble The work of the Ministery is necessary as long as there is one bitter root growing up amongst us Esau a prophane man is called a bitter root Heb. 12.15 And so indeed every wicked man is a bitter root bitter in himself he is in the state of gall and wormwood he is not a Naomi but a Marah though he doth not feel it yet his soul is full of all misery and then he is bitter to others both actively and passively actively in grieving and troubling the soules of those that are godly and passively in being grieved at the godly their doings their actions make heavy the hearts of the godly as it was in Lot by the Sodomites Now then what care is here required that there may be nothing in our Assemblies that may offend the pure eies of Gods glory Fourthly This watering lieth in the stirring up of men to fruitfullness in their places and relations The end of watering is to make fruitfull and thus all the spiritual plants in Gods garden though they have deep root yet need this outward watering Barrenness is a great sinne even amongst the godly they may all fear God hath a controversie with them Oh the decayes and consumptions that are upon Christians graces Now how may these withered plants be restored to health and strength again but by the daily watering of the Ministery these spiritual clouds are to drop fatness upon them the barren heart under these waterings is made like the tree planted by the rivers side Here are fountaines to refresh the thirsty soul How distastfull unto God unfruitfullness and unprofitableness is appeareth partly by those terrible curses Never fruit grow on thee more and at another time Cut it down why cumbers it the ground And partly by that enraged anger against that servant who hid his talent in a napkin Mat. 25. Consider then it 's not enough to receive the Truths of God it is not enough to be once planted by him but there must be fruit and still more fruit brought forth by thee Therefore God as he hath appointed watering so he hath an hook also to cut out all the weeds to prune off all the branches and these are afflictions and chastisements so great a matter is it to have people fruitfull and profitable in their places to make the best they can for God and the advancing of his Kingdome At the day of Judgement it is not commission of sinnes but omission of duties for which they hear that dreadfull sentence of departure into everlasting torments In these things mainly doth consist this duty of watering Let us consider Why there is such daily need of those quickening means of grace And First It doth arise from the heart which is an unnatural soil to grace and supernatural things The temporal curse to the ground to bring forth nothing but thornes and thistles is likewise spiritually true in us of it self there come nothing but evil thoughts corrupt affections distempered lusts it 's like an hell from whence are unquenchable sparkes of lusts Were it not therefore for this daily watering and spiritual inspection the soul would immediately degenerate into a barren heath Oh therefore call often for these waterpots thy graces will quickly wither thy heart is no kindly soil As some grounds will bring cockle instead of wheat such is thy heart if not daily dropt upon unless it be alwayes fenced it will bear no crop Secondly The temptations that are so frequent and many do likewise wonderfully destroy and wither all if this constant watering be not As there are Pauls to plant and Apolloes to water so there are also the Devils to plant and his instruments to water men in wickedness Seeing therefore thou art in a daily expence of thy oil thy lamp will quickly go out if there be not daily supply you had therefore need of quickening need of thriving when there be so many obstructions so many hinderances all is little enough to put thee forward the Devil the world thy own heart draweth thee back therefore thou needest daily drawing forward Thirdly There needs watering because of that indispensable duty to grow to grow both in light and heat to grow in head and heart grow in the knowledge of God and in grace 2 Pet. 3.18 It being then a great sinne to stand at a stay to be dwarfes alwayes to be Babes alwayes God having appointed this as the way to grow it behooveth thee the more diligently to wait on this watering Vse of Exhortation To try whether you grow up into more knowledge and grace or no Are ye more acquainted in the wayes of Religion and Piety Know it 's your duty not only to be planted but to grow up exceedingly Oh it 's to be feared that many are dead at the very root at the very heart all the watering the preaching the exhorting makes them not stirre forward If a man water a plant dead at the root or a dead stump of the tree though he do it a thousand times over yet no leaves or fruit will ever grow on it so when you see a people after much preaching many exhortations to be as ignorant as prophane as ever Oh say these are dead at the very root something would sprout forth if there were life Vse of Admonition To the children of God to prize the Ministery and means of grace Be you as the thirsty land and the Ordinances like streames of water fruitfulness and flourishing in godliness is expressed for this end We preach and you are to hear Let the things that are dying be strengthened Let thy decaying love be revived Oh how will formality and deadness trouble thee at thy last hour the barrenness of thy life will be terrible to thee But God gave the encrease The Apostle as you heard doth excellently joyn these two things togeher which the world is so apt to sever The Ministry and Gods efficacy therby We may not rest upon the Ministery so as not to depend on Gods efficacy we may not expect Gods efficacy but in the Ministery Here may be a sweet subordination mans corruption makes the opposition so that this Text as it
no increase Oh! consider thy account is drawing on Thy decay and the Day of Judgment is approaching God will not let his Word fall to the ground It will be for life or for death Sigh then and strike upon the breast and thigh Cry out Oh! my leanness my leanness My barrenness my barrenness Help Lord for I am perishing Pray to God that the Blessing upon man kind to Increase and multiply may be fulfilled on every Sermon for thy good But God gave the increase We have out of the former part handled the two-fold ministerial Imployment of Church-Officers to Plant and Water We continue a further amplification of the peculiar Operation attributed unto God in all this with that opposite distinction But God gave the increase The Metaphor as you have heard is taken from natural things where though the industry and skill of the Gardener and Husbandman is required yet God gives all the Increase As is more to be shewed Now this followeth à minori ad majus If in natural things the Husbandman cannot make an Apple or Cherry or the least grain of Corn much less in spiritual things can he make the nature of Grace and goodness He cannot work the heart to believe though he make a sound in the ear Yea it 's good to observe that God in this spiritual industry doth more give the Increase then in natural For in all the fruit and profit of natural things God doth not exclude nature from some kind of co-efficiency as the earth hath some inward power to help to the producing of the fruit thereof But in this spiritual increase God doth wholly exclude all natural ability Grace doth not fructify by the Ministry as Herbs and Corn do in the ground for the ground is the Mother and hath a kind of vivifical influence into them But here God works all and solely So that neither the Ministry without or the natural power and freewill of man within hath any joynt efficacy with God And although the Apostle saith We are workers together with God 2 Cor. 6.1 that is not to be understood of the immediate efficiency of grace for that cometh from him only as the Beames of light comes immediately from the Sunne But in respect of the outward Ministry they make the external application of the remedy but the power of grace giveth the quickning Even as men may say on the contrary by sinne Original corruption that plants sinne temptations they water it and the Devil he giveth the increase So then it 's not the learning the eloquence the efficacy of the Ministers words but Gods secret and invisible power which doth accompany it that makes a glorious change From whence observe what was formerly taken notice off but further to be enlarged That it is God only who makes the Ministry and all Spiritual Meanes of Grace successfull and prosperous If God cloathe the grass of the field and make the Lillies to grow how much more doth he cause the Ministry to fructify and bear fruit At the first creation God gave the word of Command which worketh to this very day Increase and multiply So it is here God doth all from the beginning to the end of Grace If we cannot turn the colour of an hair much less the torrent and custom of lives If this had been in the Prophets power Jeremy Isay and others they had not made such complaint for their barren Ministry as they did To clear this Consider Wherein this work of God to give Increase doth consist And First In that spiritual Revelation and Illumination or opening of the eyes whereby the mind understands and perceiveth the things of God The word is compared to light only God by this works above all light For the Sunne though it gives light yet it doth not give a blind man eyes He that cannot see the Sunne the Sunne though never so visible will not give him eyes But now God by the Word doth not only propound light but gives inward light That the soul cryeth out with more joy then that blind man cured by Christ For now it knoweth what it did not know Now he seeth terrible objects before his eyes as Balaam at last did If he had gone further he had perished in the pit irrecoverably A greater work then it is and mighty from God the Father of Spirits when a man can say O Lord I was as blind as senseless as obstinate as any Yet Oh! the glorious light of the Gospel that hath shined in my dark heart This then is a part of Divine Increase when God maketh the morning Starre to rise in thy soul Thou that once didst not perceive thy own misery or Gods mercy Thou didst not either know thy Disease or the Remedy Hast now found God saying Let there be light upon the dark confusion of thy soul Should thou hear a thousand and thousand of powerfull Sermons yet thou perceivest knowest and understandest nothing at all experimentally till God give this seeing eve Therefore you must know the Scripture speaks a strange Paradox to humane reason Having eyes they see not ears they hear not hearts they perceive not That which the Scripture attributes to dumb Idols it applieth to every natural man Hath God given thee a spiritual sight Art thou not rather like the Owle that seeth in the night but not in the day Thou hast understanding in worldly earthly things Thou canst tell how to make thy wealth and earthly advantages to good but thou hast no knowledge in spiritual things Who would think it possible under so many Instructions Informations Convictions that thou shouldst be so blind so sottish but God hath not given any Increase to thee Oh! though God give thee outward increase he maketh the Lands and the Cattell and the Corn to yeeld increase but if not the Ministry to be likewise so to thee though thou blessest thy self yet God curseth thee Secondly Gods giving increase lyeth in removing the negative incapacity and the positive contrariety in all mens heart to the Word preached As the Husbandman he first prepareth the ground by stocking up all those Bryers and thornes and removing all the stones that lie in the way whâ—ch would hinder the Corns growth So it is here God takes away all that cursed and serpentine nature which is in thee Thou art naturally a Beast a Devil and till God change thy nature thou shewest thy self no better to the Meanes of Grace Look upon the Prophets and Apostles in their Ministry Were men any better then mad Dogs and Lyons against them till God changed them The Prophets did plough and sow upon rocks till God made their Hearers the good ground The Ministers of God cannot do otherwise All mens hearts are rocks You may sooner get water out of hard flints then any godly sorrow or compunction out of their hearts No wonder then if God only give the increase because he only can alter the nature of mens hearts He maketh the stony
done is but thy duty God need not reward thee or might have bestowed a less reward 6. What work thou doest as it is a due besides God doth not need it It addeth nothing to him if thou art righteous that doth not better him it 's thy happinesse not Gods Lastly All thou doest is but for a little time that the little work thou hast done for God should be rewarded to eternity Here is matter of wonder So that all these considerations should teach deep humility O wretched and foolish Pharisee Thou fastest thou prayest and thinkest by this to be saved O pray for eye-salve to have thy eyes opened Let this 1. Drive people out of self-righteousnesse and trusting in their workes I would this sinne were onely among Papists Oh no it 's too much imbred in the hearts of Protestants How can the civil righteous man die without roaring and trouble of spirit lest he be an hypocrite an unregenerate person one that never felt the power of godlinesse but only he hath a secret confidence of the goodnesse of his heart such and such things he hath done and there are many worse and this doth exceedingly harden him 2. Be not slack or grudging in Gods work Oh how unreasonable is it that thy heart should be so unwilling so listlesse so repining Why dost thou not remember what a reward God hath laid up for those that labour for him Oh when thou comest to enter into thy Masters joy thou wilt think if it had been ten thousand times more it had been too little Verse 9. For we are workers together with God THis ninth verse is a further amplification of Pauls intent which is to presse unity against factions and divisions and it 's a declaration of his Argument before which was The planters and waterers are one but God gives the increase This he further illustrates in the beginning of this verse For we are workers together with God We are all in Gods vineyard and labour unto him So that this expression doth as much extoll the office of the Ministry as the former did seem to depresse it For how great a glory is this to be workers together with God Omnium divinorum divinâ—ssimum est saith an Ancient It 's the divinest work that can be to be instrumental to bring a rational soul to its first principle which is God from whom it hath apostatized But First The words most be explained then the sense We are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Labourers or Workers with The Vulgar Translatours Dei adjutores we are helpers of God but that is very unsafe For to help supposeth weeknesse and infirmity Yea some dislike the expression Gratia adjuvans as if God did not change the will but onely help it as Lactantius also blamed the Heathens for calling Jupiter â juvando But God hath appointed the Office and Gifts of the Ministry not out of need but from meer love to us dealing with us in a suitable and accommodated way to our nature The Apostle useth the same expression 2 Cor. 6.1 We as workers together with him c. If we interpret the word thus then in what sense can this be made good And First of all The Apostle doth not here speak of every particular man in respect of his conversion as if we did work with God in that by our own power and free-will There were some Divines called Synergists from the word in the Text because they did hold That mans will did co-operate and work together with God in turning to him But this is nothing to the Apostles meaning in this Text for he speaks of ministerial labours and Gods blessing them Neither in the second place is the meaning though of the Ministers As if they with God did work faith and repentance in the hearts of the hearers No the Apostle said before That God only gave the increase Baldwin the Lutheran upon this place putteth the Calvinists and Swenckfeldians together because the Calvinists hold That the Ministry reacheth only to the outward man the words thereof not being able to reach to the heart but they do greatly differ from the Swenckfeldians who do make the verbum externum nothing and runne wholly to the verbum internum whereas we hold the necessity of the external Word though ehe efficacy thereby be solely to be attributed unto God Neither in the third place is the meaning of it as if the Ministers of God in what they laboured did it by their own power No when the Apostle said I laboured more abundantly than they all he addeth yet not I but the grace of God which was with me 1 Cor. 15.10 Therefore God first inables them to work They are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before they be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sub-operatours before co-operatours But the sense in the first place though not generally received may be this We are Gods workers together in his vineyard or for him So that the Preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will not have relation to God but to fellow-labourers as Paul cals others his fellow-labourers Timothy is called his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 16.21 But Secondly Take it as generally set down the sense is God who onely giveth increase hath yet appointed the Ministry in an external manner to be dispenced So that we work with God in that we preach the Word and apply it to men though God onely give the virtue Even as the Apostles might be said to work with God when they wrought miracles they touched the diseased man they speak to him but the miraculous cure is wholly of God Hence Mark 16.20 God is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the Apostles because he wrought mighty signs and wonders by them Observe That the Ministers of the Gospel are workers with God for the conversion of mens souls So 2 Cor. 6.1 In what sence they are you have heard not by immediate producing of any spiritual effects but by the external application of the Ministry to the people As Gehezi carried his Masters staff and touched the child with it but that did no good till Elisha came himself God in Creation did use no instruments at all Yea some Schoolmen dispute That no creature can be used as an instrument in Creation because it cannot work but about something whereas the forme of Creation is nothing But in these divine effects which are also a spiritual creation and no less impossible to humane power God will have the Ministry as a necessary antecedent means unto the conversion of men Hence the Scripture doth so often attribute this mercy unto the preaching of the Word yea and increase of grace afterwards In the first place consider What Reasons may be for this Why God will use such workers with him he needeth not the parts or gifts of any It 's but his word and all things by it are wrought in Heaven and Earth Yet both in the Old Testament and New he hath appointed some by whose outward
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
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
who have got a Bird tyed to a string they make themselves sport with her and when she thinketh to fly here and there they pull her back again Thus God hath an over-ruling wisdome and an over-ruling power over all men their counsels and their actions Which made an Heathen call man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Tennis-ball that the Providence of God playeth withall and handeth hither and thither Thus the Scripture excellently expresseth it by putting an hook into mens nostrils and a bridle in their lips Isa 37.29 The Providence of God is the Rider or Sessor upon all the wise mens counsels and actions and they are over-ruled by God as we do our Horses to turn them this way and that way backwards and forwards And this is the chief scope of the Apostle in the words following as will then more particularly appear First therefore God makes this wisdome foolishnesse in a passive sense in that he did not vouchsafe to use it as an instrument to propagate the Gospel He disdained to take the wise and learned Oratours or Philosophers of the world Now wherein could a greater scorn be put upon the wisdome of the world then in this particular that God would not so much as own it or take notice of it in the plantation of the Gospel Paul doth often mention this 1 Cor. 1. It pleased God by the foolishnesse of Preaching to save men when the wise men of the world would not acknowledge God by the creatures And at another time Paul renounced the cunning and deceitfull waies of humane wisdome They did not come in such words And why That their faith might be in the power of God 1 Cor. 2.5 So then if you regard what Instruments God did at first choose to diffuse his Gospel truths you will find he slighted and passed over the great wise men of the world and chose the poor foolish and contemptible Instruments Herein God did demonstrate his wisdome that so all power and greatnesse might be acknowledged to be in and from him only What a reproach did Haman account it that all the Royal robes and honour should be put upon Mordecai his great enemy and he laid aside No lesse did this inrage the wise men of the world to see that by such contemptible Instruments so great and mighty changes should be wrought upon the hearts and lives of men This is the first instance Yet this is not so to be understood as if God did not sometimes use the wise men of the world for he chose Cyprian Nazianzen Basil to the latter whereof Libanius the great Scholar in those daies but an Heathen wrote that he did so admire his judgment that he did all over swete and tremble to think on that time when he should read his Epistle and passe his censure of it But though God did use such wise men yet this was not the chief and principall thing whereby they propagated Faith but rather the Gospel simplicity They did it not quà sapientes quà Oratores but quâ credentes As Sampson wrought those great and wonderfull things not by the strength of his armes but by his hair that so the effect might be attributed to God and not to Sampson Secondly Herein God make it foolishnesse that as he doth not use it for the enlarging of his Gospel so he taketh very few of such men to bestow on them spiritual and soul saving graces Few of such doth he call doth he justifie doth he sanctifie doth he reveal the mysteries of grace unto Oh what a wonderfull instance is this of the foolishnesse of this worldly wisdome There are few of that ranck to whom God will communicate grace and salvation That whereas of many prophane and grievous sinners he hath chosen many to salvation of worldly wise men very few The Apostle 1 Cor. 1.26 doth industriously take notice of this Not many wise men after the flesh hath God chosen Yea Christ solemnly gave thanks to God that he had not revealed heavenly mysteries to the wise but to babes Mat. 11.25 So that there is little cause for men to boast of their worldly wisdome and prudence that they are crafty and subtile in their generation for this is both a cause and a sign also that thou art not one to whom God will reveal himself Not that God calleth none of such but not many viz. comparatively to those of a more contemptible way whom he doth set apart for himself Take heed thou be not too wise too proud of thy parts and therefore God will passe thee by Thirdly Herein also God will make it appear to be folly in that he takes the foolish things of the world and makes them confound the wise things When Pharaoh said Let us deal wisely to suppresse the Israelites the foolish Midwifes did confound him so that he brought up one by his own bread and at his own charge who should be his ruine and deliver the Israelites If we read in the Scripture you shall find nothing more ordinary then God by foolish things to confound wise and by weak things to overcome strong And well may it be called the confounding of the wise for certainly there cannot be a greater astonishing and confounding of men worldly wise then by such foolish instruments As Abimelech was enraged at the heart that it should be said A woman had killed him Thus by Frogs and Lice and such contemptible vermine did God plague the great Pharaoh of Aegypt Fourthly Herein doth God make the wisdome of the world foolishnesse because all that wise men do is a vain work They are not able to acomplish their ends to bring about their designes especially those which are to overthrow the Kingdom of Christ and rooting out his Church and People This hath been often attempted by the wise men of the world but it hath been a vain thing Psal 2. you see it was of old prophesied Why do the Heathens rage and the people imagine a vain thing It 's applyed to the chief Priests and other Grandees among the Jews but it was a vain thing It could not be effected And truly for many hundred years the Devil hath been attempting this by all kind of Instruments and by all manner of waies to root out the faithfull ones of Christ his Truth and Gospel but it hath been to them as God said to Paul in the heat of his persecution Thou kickest against the pricks What wise man would with his bare heels kick against the sharp points of iron and yet all the wise men of the world that have set against Christ and Godlinesse have been such fools Fifthly God makes the wisdome of the world foolishnesse because what they work is not only a vain work but a deceitfull work They are wholly frustrated in their expectation They find the clean contrary to what they intended Such foolishnesse doth God make the wisdome of the world The wicked worketh a deceitfull work saith Solomon Prov. 11.18 Compared therefore
perseverance in the state of grace that they shall never totally and finally fall off from the favour of God For this is the greatest thing that might be feared not the losse of riches honours or our estates but the losse of grace is to be feared Oh if left to my self I may prove a Prodigal become destitute of all holinesse There is nothing should more make the godly afraid than this Hence they are commanded to have a godly trembling about it He that standeth let him take heed that he doe not fall 1 Corinth 10.12 Works out your salvation with fear and trembling Philip. 2.12 Blessed is he that feareth alwayes Prov. 28.14 Now though there be such a godly fear required yet the godly at the same time are to be perswaded that what grace God hath begunne he will perfect and therefore this fear is promised as a means to preserve them Jer. 32.40 I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me So that we have many glorious promises for our continuance and stedfastnesse in the way of God that neither the subtil devices of false prophets shall be able to deceive them nor open and violent persecutions shall take them out of Christs arms for they must be stronger than Christ that can do this Lastly Death which is surely to come upon every one even about that the godly need not be troubled You heard it was their gain it was the time of their redemption it was Jacobs Chariot Now although it be so yet the most godly have trembling thoughts about it Christ himself as he was a man had a natural fear of death and many of Gods children are tempted about it lest they should have no comfort be filled with despair or not able with readinesse and willingnesse to resigne themselves into Gods hands But the Scripture doth excellently fortifie against this The righteous hath hope in his death Prov. 14.32 And 1 Cor. 15.55 O death where is thy sting And Psal 4.15 see what an expression there is The Lord will strengthen him on the bed of languishing and the Lord will make all his bed in his sicknesse All his bed Do not then fear to be left comfortlesse at that hour This must come and it will come blessed unto thee And as for the things to come in the world to come they are so theirs that they are prepared onely for them Here riches and honours the good have them and the bad have them but there onely the godly do possesse the good things of that life Now what tongue of men or Angels is able to speak of them The Scripture cals it Life eternal life Glory and immortality The Kingdome of Heaven A Crown that never withereth nay whatsoever may be said of it comes short because it may be said Then we rightly esteem of it when we account it inestimable Now this everlasting glory is so sure though to come that they are said to have it already He hath already passed from death to life 1 John 3.14 He is already set down with Christ in heavenly places Ephes 2.6 And Heb. 1. They have faith which is the substance and evidence of things not seen So that were the godly for the present to lie under all imaginable misery yet that which is to come would make amends for all Thus Paul We account these light afflictions not comparable to that eternal weight of glory 2 Cor. 4.17 It 's no matter what is for the present so that what is to come be so glorious Now let us passe from the Mount of Blessing to that of Cursing Let us see how it is with the wicked man in respect of what is to come And First How rich and pleasant and full their condition is for the present yet they may expect fulnesse of wrath to come upon them every day Jam. 5.1 Go to now ye rich men howl and weep for the miseries that are to come upon you God storeth up vengeance he hath a treasure of it and the ungodly may tremble every hour lest it fall upon them Therefore thou that art now jolly and confident fear what is to come what the next day may bring upon thee Sodome had a fair morning but fire and brimstone quickly fell upon them In Deut. 28. we have the curses of a wicked man described That in the morning he should wish for evening and he should be in continual fear of what may come upon them Even as Cain went up and down fearing every one would kill him So that all the curses in the Word all the wrath of God may justly be feared by thee every day thou arisest or walkest abroad Secondly Although they have the good things of this life yet they are rather to tremble then to be confident thereby For the Parable of Dives and Lazarus instructeth us of Gods proceedings herein Luke 16. Abraham told Dives He had received the good things of this life and therefore was to have the evil things of the life to come As Ishmael had part of the earthly possessions of this world but nothing of Canaan or the promise Thy misery and confusion hereafter will be the greater by how much the rather thou hast been accustomed to ease and pleasures and the longer God keeps off his wrath the more heavy and weighty will it be when it shall come Vse 1. Of Instruction He only is happy who shall be so in the world to come Judge not of a mans blessednesse by this moment our lives are shadows that passe away what shalt thou be to all eternity Say that to thy soul Oh prophane Atheist that crieth Give me the present and let others take the future Thou doest not believe the great things coming therefore thou thinkest and speakest so Oh what a vast difference will there be between thy laughing here and thy roaring in hell thy pleasures here and thy torments there Oh that this eternity coming that this world to come should not be more in your minds and hearts Vse 2. Of Consolation to the godly who may say Soul take thy spiritual ease If they may not who may lay themselves down and sleep if not such for whatsoever fals out it shall be well with them They have a promise for the future and therefore it 's their weaknesse and unbelief if they torment themselves saying what if this be and that be How shall I do if such things come upon me What shall not such promises as I have named quiet thee Mayest thou not trust God upon his Word Vse 3. Of Terrour to the wicked Do not with Agag rise up comfortably and walk delicately saying The worst is past No God reserveth his bitter gall to come All the grief pain and misery thou hast had in this life is nothing to those dregs thou must drink up hereafter Break off thy sins quickly by repentance think what will those cost me hereafter How do the damned in hell think of those wicked wayes
so that the King be safe Thus let honours creatures self and all perish so that God and Christ be exalted Every man even he that seemeth to be the best hath cause to search whether he be yet above creatures as well as sinne The Demonstrations of this Truth that no man Vnregenerate can ascend any higher then to some earthly content and Happinesse And first This will palpably evidence it that every man by nature hath lost the Image of God which only did elevate man and made him qualified for the enjoyment of God as his suitable Object God made man after his Image which was righteousnesse and true holinesse so that as he made a woman like man for man to delight in so man was made like God to delight in him Then Adam desired no other good but God While he continued he was above the creatures in his affection as well as in dominion He that had power given him to rule over all creatures could also rule over all his affections He did not over-love any creature or delight in it but subordinately to God Oh glorious and blessed estate But now we have lost all this this Image is defaced Now Sampson hath lost his hair Now the Bird is deprived of her wings Now we are not able to lift up our hearts to him Hence is that expression of Jehoshaphat 2 Chron. 17.6 His heart was lift up in the waies of the Lord. You see even a regenerate man hath much adoe to raise up his dull frozen and earthly heart to enjoy God in Christ He doth like the Artificer that with some Engine and great drawing gets a peice of timber up to the top of that House he is a building such heaving and pulling and tugging is a godly man forced to use to get his heart up to God An unregenerate man then who hath nothing of this Image of God repaired in him no wonder if he hath an heart like Nabal's even a very stone that sinketh down heavily within him This losse of Gods Image is that which beateth downward and makes the earth to swallow us up as it did Dathan and Abiram As the body deprived of the soul presently falls flat to the ground and there it lyeth thus doth every man destitute of Gods Image Secondly This Image of God being thus lost in the room thereof succeeds Original pollution For this light cometh an universal darknesse and confusion Now this native pollution that is a depravation of the whole power and all the faculties of the soul puts the soul off its hinges it takes off the Charriot Wheeles It makes man love where he should hate rest where he should move It makes Princes go on foot and Servants ride In a word the soul is now turned upside down God the Object whom he should with all his soul and might delight in now he loveth not at all and what he is allowed to love in measure and subordination that he doth over-love So that who so doth duely consider what disorder and confussion Original sinne hath put the heart into he will see it cannot be that God should be duely honoured and esteemed by a natural man This curious Watch is now broken all in pieces And as you see a Paralitical hand is weak and quaking not able to fasten upon any thing so is now the soul of man towards God Insomuch that Ambrose complained of it as our great misery that Cor nostrum non est in nostrâ poâ—estate our heart is not in our own power but is carried hither and thither up and down as the force of original corruption doth drive it How abominable then are those Doctrines that advance the power of nature Some determining that a man is able by nature to love God above all things and that it 's as easie to do things in reference to God as the creature If saith Molina no mean Jesuit I have power to throw my money into the Sea why cannot I as well give it to a poor man out of love to God Such presumptuous Doctrines as these arise from the ignorance of that horrible confussion and disorder which is now upon all by nature Thirdly If a godly man though regenerated and partaking of the Divine Nature do yet grapple and conflict with this sinne of creature affection above God then certainly an unregenerate man is over-mastered with it For this we may conclude on that what all the regenerate men are combating with that is victorious and predominant over all natural men It 's true the regenerate men differ in their fightings and conflicts some do find it a greater difficulty to loose and wean their affections from one thing more then from another and so the natural man one is more easily captivated to one earthly good then another yet in the general As â—here is no unsanctifyed man but one creature or other reigneth or ruleth in his heart so there is no godly man but something or other it is that he can hardly mortâ—fie some secret and subtile motions of soul he hath So that did not grace check and withâ—tand that creature that object would damn him at last If Eve though in a state of Integrity could be tempted by an object alluring sense how easily then may we be ensnared You read when our Saviour spake that amazing sentence That a Cammel might as well go through the eye of a needle as a rich man be saved they made this unversal exclamation Who then can be saved What rich man might have been a proper consequence but they say in the general Who then implying there is no man no not a godly man but if God should not keep down that Cammels bunch he would have some creature or other to be as affectionately and prejudicially to his salvation carried out unto as the rich man to his wealth I then the godly man can so hardly say Whom have I in Heaven but thee and in earth in comparison of thee no wonder if the earthly man fall down to the ground as the Aegyptians like a stone into the Sea That which is fighting and active in a regenerate man must needs be conquering in an unregenerate Fourthly That sinfulnesse which cannot be rooted out and conquered by those things that are above nature and are in the next degree to grace that certainly will abide prevalent till grace it self come That which Elisha's Servant nor his Staff will do but Elâ—sha must come himself that is hardly cured Now thus it is an unregenerate man may have great abilities may have the common gifts and graces of Gods Spirit he may be admirable in the whole way of Religion and yet this man who hath God and Christ so often in his mouth may have the world and creatures more in his heart So that he may in his heart say Who will shâ—w me any good when yet at that time he may say Lord lift up the light of thy countenance For this latter is not
desired heartly nor is he indeed weaned and set loose from other things The New-Testament is full of such sad Instances Take Judas a famous Apostle eminent in Gifts and Miracles often in communion with Christ yet he never got his heart above the bagge all the Sermons all the Prayers all the conference with Christ did not make him ascend higher So that a mans duties and expressions may be high even when his heart is as low as the earth yea when corrupt ends may put a man upon zeal and fervency It 's a creature that gives fire to all this heat Thus the third kind of hearers that received the word with joy it was the deceivablenesse of the creature that undid them Demas cleaveth to the present world and that makes him forsake Paul either totally or in some special service If then an immoderate heart to the creatures may consist with duties gifts and many inlargements and much asistance in holy duties if these are not able to cast out these Jebusites no wonder the natural man cannot Fifthly That a natural man cannot set his heart higher then upon some creature appeareth in the true nature of Conversion For that is not only turning from sinne but the creature also Excessive love to lawfull things otherwise is no more consistent with grace then to unlawfull things For if any thing have thy heart but God let it be what it will be thou art yet a natural man When the Apostle Col. 3. discovered that the godly are risen with Christ he makes these Inferences First Set your affections on things above and not on things below And then Mortify your members which are upon the earth reckoning up several sinnes No man then is converted till he goeth out of all sinnes yea and all creatures and cleaveth to God himself Therefore the Command is to turn to God even to God he only is the terminus ad quem of our Conversion If a man leave off his grosse sinnes take upon him a religious Profession yet if he be not lifted above the world as well as his former sinnes he is not Converted It 's not to God even to God So that a man must be undone not only in respect of his sinne but all worldly hopes he must with the Prodigall begin to account the whole world but an husk as that which will do him no good if God be not his Father Therefore those in the Parable though invited to the Feast yet refused to come it was not any grosse sinne hindred them it was not unlawfull lusts that did outwardly entangle them but those creatures which might have been lawfully enjoyed and yet they have gone to the Feast also I have bought a Farm I have married a Wife These were not inconsistent with godlinesse but in the immoderate desire after them Oh is not this the Millstone about many a mans neck I have a Shop I have a Trade and I cannot come Oh then set this home upon thy self Hath thy Conversion taken thee off from all creatures as well as thy sinnes thou darest not love Husband Wife Houses or life it self more then God Thou doest esteem the favour of God and the light of his countenance above all these things Thou canst truly say with David as it followeth Thou hast put more gladnesse in my heart then they have had when their best things encreased Many a man steppeth from his sinnes but into the world and so falls short of Heaven The right understanding of true Conversion makes it plain that no natural man can go beyond the creature Sixthly It may be demonstrated from the restlesse and unquiet heart of every natual man that doth like the Bee fly from flower to flower to get some Honey but stayeth not long on one place So that these in the text will every day complain Who will shew us any good Should God grant them their desire and give them the good they would have yet that would not satifie still they would be craving still they desire something more As you see Haman though he had never so much honour yet the want of something still he desired made him tormented within himself Solomon writeth an whole Book to shew that all these things are vanity and vexation of spirit and though he set himself on purpose to find out happinesse in the creatures yet he grew weary of all Now certainly if a natural man could center his heart upon God could put into that Haven he would never suffer himself to be tossed up and down in tempests and stormes as he is never having any rest There is no natural man that is contented with any creature he enjoyeth Let him propound to himself such and such a condition if he had such and such advantages when he hath them he is as far from solid contentment as at first Zacheus his shooe can never fit Goliah's foot As a man would think that the Heavens seem to touch the earth at such a distance and if he should ascend such high mountains he could go no further but when he cometh there he seeth the Heavens as far from him as before And therefore the godly man whose heart is united and hath taken God for his Portion for his Shepherd for his all as David professeth he can lie down and sleep he can take his rest fearing nothing in the world So that godlinesse drawing the heart to God is the best Antidote against all discontents whatsoever He that can say God is better then ten Husbands then ten thousand creatures he is not disquieted but is the same in all conditions because his God his Father his Portion is alwaies the same As he in the Ecclesiastical Histiory when one brought him word his Father was dead he said Desine blasphemias loqui Pater enim meus immortalis est So thy Husband thy Wealth thy Friend thy Portion is the immorâ—al God who cannot die but it 's not thus with the ungodly He is like a tree in the wildernesse and like the dust blown with every wind So that the troublesome restlesse and discontented thoughts of every natural man argueth that he doth not and cannot ascend up to God Seventhly It 's demonstrated thus that if at any time natural men make their applications to God those very approaches do declare that they love something more then God For it might be an Objection Why cannot a natural man be above the creature Do they not in distresses in times of calamity seek unto God May they not fast and humble themselves It 's granted but even these duties demonstrate they have only a natural carnal heart making use of God only to satisfie their earthly desires Hos 7.14 God there by the Prophet complaineth that they did not cry unto him when they howled on their beds They assemble themselves for their corn and wine You see they were as carnal and as earthly in their Fast-daies and publique Humiliations as in their worldly affairs and
God Doth not God require we should love him with all our might all our strength So that he will not allow any love to any thing else but him Indeed when we desire any creature in subordination to him as a meanes of glorifying him and thereby brought nearer to God this is not a-against God The Schoolmen say That it 's the same gracious habit of love that carrieth us out to love God and our neighbour because of him and so it is of every creature else As we say such a great House is such a mans Now though he have many servants dwelling there yet we say it 's his House not the Servants because they are for and under him Thus if God do chiefly dwell in our hearts then though we love other things yet because this is wholly in reference to God we may truly say We love none but him But now when the love of the creature opposeth God makes us contrary to him or makes us love him or holy duties the lesse then we are to conclude That this cannot stand with godlinesse So that not only grosse sinnes practised but any creature habitually and excessively delighted in above God is also incompatible with it Thirdly Take heed of this estate because it 's a wofull snare and temptation to thee He that is inordinately affected with any earthly comfort this will upon all occasions bring him into the foulest sinnes that can be imagined He will do any thing damn his soul over and over to obtain it As Judas because he was immoderately set upon gain he betrayeth Christ though he was admonished of it though he was told in particular he was the man Though heard what a fearfull condition such a man was in that should betray Christ yet nothing can stop him but he will satisfie that corrupt appetite of his Oh then take heed again and again of such an inordinrate appetite It will be thy poyson and damnation It will one time or other put thee upon such horrrible actions as will make the hearts of others to tremble when they hear it yea such as thou wilt abhor before they are committed As it was in Hazael Am I dog said he that I should do so And truly it is very sad when God by his Providence shall suffer such advantages for thy lust to fall out us Judas had a bagge Hazael a Kingdom all which were like spaâ—kes to that tinder The Devil findes the room then garnished and swept for him Let a man professe never so much love to God and be never so forward in Religion yet if he be not mortifyed to every creature there will come a fire from without and consume this bramble Fourthly This is a fearfull estate because the word of God though preached never so powerfully and pressed over and over again yet it cannot do any good while such a temper is on thee This is the Dalilah that will alwaies entice thee Intus existens prohibet alienum You see even in our Savious preaching though none ever taught as he did Though this was accompanied with astonishing Miracles yet the Pharisees who loved the world and the glory of men they derâ—ded him Yea our Saviour told the very Disciples themselves Joh. 5.44 How can ye believe if ye seek glory of one another And therefore at another time he took a little child setting him before them that if they did not become like such they could never enter into the Kingdom of Heaven As long therefore as any thing sits too close to our hearts we cannot be Christs Disciples You see those hearers that went so farre as to receive the Word with joy and to bring forth some fruit yet it was the deceivablenesse of riches that did choak all Never then expect that any Ministry or any Preaching should ever do good to thee while this or that creature is so enammouring of thee Fifthly Take heed of this creature-affection because it 's a tormenting sinne It is not only a sinne but a torment and vexation withall Some sinnes bring a sweetnesse with them though they leave an Hell hereafter but this sinne for the most part brings an Hell with it What man is there inordinately afected to any thing that you may not call the Devils Martyr he endureth and suffereth so much He is under many vexations and through many tribulations he goeth to Hell In what a fiery Furnace was Haman though exalted so high above others And doth not Solomon the wise man pen an whole Book to inform of this that all is but vexation of spirit And what the Apostle speaks of one particular is true of all 1 Tim. 6.9 Those that will be rich they fall into many temptations and peirce themselves through with many cares They are as one Martyr in Gods cause that was by his Scholars stabb'd all over to death by Penknives Thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Insomuch that if you could see the naked soul of any man inordinately affected to the creature you would see it all over wounded and scourged full of tormenting cares and fears never in any quiet or safe content at all Oh then consider what an enemy thou art to thy self Godlinesse would be great gain to thee It would make thee glad and rejoyce in the Lord It would teach thee how to have all things and how to want but while thy heart is vassalized thus to the creature no quietnesse can be in thy bones And what a folly is this to be miserable here and miserable hereafter Sixthly They are miserable who are thus craving after worldly good things because the Scripture represents all these things but as vanity As that which is a meer lye Called therefore often a Shadow which the foolish child catcheth at as some reall substance when it is but as was said a black nothing Therefore you see Solomon expostulating after this manner Why dost thou set thy eyes upon that which is not Prov. 23.5 That which at another time the wise man saith It answereth all things and calls it a defence yet here he saith It is not Even as the whole Creation may be said to be non ens comparatively to God And therefore God is called Jehova He is said to be I am what I am All creatures have not a being comparatively to him If then the best and most usefull of creatures be such a nothing to God even whole Nations are but as a drop or dust yea they are said to be lesse then nothing Isa 40.17 What folly is it to leave the Fountain of all happinesse and to catch after the shadow Oh then let the godly soul which enjoyeth God when tempted by the creature to immoderate love say as the Fig-tree and Olive-tree Shall I leave my sweetnesse Shall I part with my happinesse and blessednesse I have in God and go and tear my self with bryers For so indeed when we seek to the creatures for refuge in any distresse we do with the
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
much inordinate affections and desires even to lawfull things this makes God jealous And for this thou shalt not have the comfortable light of his countenance The Church appeared with the Moon under her feet All sublunary things ought to be under the heart of a godly man But as the Sunne is sometimes eclipsed by the interposition of the Moon so is the favour of God too often obscured by minding these earthly things You see then how difficult a thing it is to keep this fire alwaies upon the Altar To keep this Lamp from going out Therefore the prophane man who never watcheth to these things who doth not seek the Kingdom of Heaven in the first place cannot have this light of Gods favour Lastly Thy quiet and peaceable conscience is not from Gods favour but because never assulted by the Devil never checked by doubts and oppositions from within David had the comfortable beames of Gods favour shining upon him but he had also sad wrestling within How often did he chide and rebuke his soul for being so inordinately cast down within him It 's a saying acknowledged by all Divines He that never doubted never believed O Lord I believe help my unbelief Though doubts are not a duty yet they will be necessary companions as corruptions to our graces Of the Joy of Saints in God and heavenly things as one Effect of the Light of Gods Countenance The Nature of it and the Preeminences of it comparatively to all other Pleasures whatsoever PSAL. 4.7 Thou hast put more gladness into my heart then they have had when their Corn and Wine encreaseth THis text declareth a Reason why David desires the light of Gods countenance above any earthly things why his wish is contrary to those of the world And the Reason is deduced from that blessed and admirable effect of it upon David's heart God being reconciled put more gladnesse into his heart then all the pleasures of the world could amount unto So that in the words we are to consider the Benefit or Priviledge it self Gladnesse It 's a rule That Omnis vita est propter delectationem all life yea all operations are for delight So that Gladnesse and Joy is the soul in its highest felicity It 's the action of the soul in flourishing Characters It 's the soul in its glory It 's Arras unfolded and spread open 2. There is the Original and Efficient Cause of it God Thou hast put Gods comforts and joy they are like himself infinite pure unmixed there is no fear or sorrow accompanying such 3. There is the manner of participation Thou hast put it into my heart This sheweth the efficacy and irresistiblenesse of Gods comfort He puts it into the heart men cannot They can only suggest they cannot put into the heart If God puts comfort in all the troubles and sad temptations which arise in the soul cannot be able to withstand it no more then the night can hinder the day from dispelling of it 4. There is the Subject or Vessel receiving it My heart The worlds joy is but in the mouth or in the phansie this is in the heart Lastly There is the aggravation of it by a comparison with all earthly joy and that the greatest which can be More then when their Corn and Wine encreaseth Judea was a Land that abounded with Corn and Vineyards And the Scripture when it would expresse a great joy calls it the joy of Harvest Yet David's joy is greater then this Now though the text instanceth in these two yet we are to understand all kind of joy The joy of the rich man of the great man of the voluptuous Let the joy be what it can be in any earthly thing an heavenly heart hath from God a better joy It 's true some Interpreters make this the sense as if David did here professe his joy because his enemies whom he reproved in the beginning of his Psalm did thus encrease As if he would say Though they hate and oppose me yet I am so farre from bearing ill will to them that I rejoyce in their abundance Yea some Popish Interpreters make a mysticall meaning as if here were a Prophesie of the delight of Gods people because of the Sacrament consisting of Bread and Wine Yea Oyl is added in some Copies of their Translations as if their extream Unction were also intended But this is indeed to make the Scripture a Nose of Wax as they call it sometimes Therefore the Hebrew Preposition Min though it sometimes signifie Of yet in many places it 's to be interpreted comparatively For rather And thus it is here Observe That the godly have more joy from God and heavenly things then all the men of the world can have in their earthly delights If a wicked man did but know what the comfort and consolation is that doth accompany an holy life he would judge all his earthly pleasures to be like the Prodigals husk He would cry out of his madnesse Oh foolish and unwise that have left this spiritual joy to partake of humane and worldly 1 Pet. 1.8 It 's called unspeakable joy and full of glory Such a joy that it can never be expressed As a Father or a Mother cannot expresse their natural affections It 's a joy which the godly that feel it cannot declare unto another but when they have said all they can still they feel more Though out of their abundance the heart speakes yet it cannot speak all it's abundance And as a godly man cannot expresse it so neither can a natural man believe any such thing he cannot be perswaded that there is such joy in it As he that hath not tasted Honey cannot judge how sweet it is Neither can a blind man think what a glorious creature the Sunne is Let us therefore first open the absolute nature and dignity of this Joy then speak of it comparatively And in the first place The glory and dignity of this joy is from two particulars in the text First It is from the Original As there is a wisdome which comes from above that is heavenly and a wisdome fleshly and devilish so also there is a joy which comes from above that is pure and excellent and there is a joy that is of the world and the flesh and this is indeed devilish But the joy which a godly man receiveth it 's from Heaven from God himself and so hath a pure and choice excellency in it It differs from worldly joy as the elementary fire from the culinary The elementary fire needs no pabulum no wood to maintain it it will not perish but the kitchen fire that must have wood or coales it will not last any longer then this fewel Thus all worldly joy that must have daily sticks and coales put to it If Friends die if Wealth be lost Pleasures denyed this joy is gone but this joy from above abides the same As long as God abides in Heaven so long that continues unlesse we by our
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
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