Angels behold thee with delight for the Lord takes pleasure in them that fear him in those that hope in his mercy Psalm 147.11 3. A third priviledge is thou shalt serve and glorifie God in an acceptable manner Hebr. 9.14 How much more shall the bloud of Christ who through the eternall Spirit that is his Godhead offered himself without spot to God purge your consciences from dead works to serve the living God namely in an acceptable manner Revel 7.14 15. These are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the bloud of the Lambe therefore are they before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his Temple and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them that as the waters of the Sea though they be salt and brackish in their own nature yet by running through the veines of the earth loose their brackishness and become pure and sweet so though our service we perform to God be weak and polluted with sin yet being presented through the intercession of Christ and persumed with his merit it becomes pleasant and acceptable to God and that as David loved lame Mephibosheth for Jonothans sake even so will God take in good part thy weak service for Christs sake 4. I told you in the fourth place that Christ washeth us with the saving grace of the holy Ghost This Use still serves to comfort all such whom he hath thus washed For first he will give thee a new and a tender heart Ezek. 36.25 26. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you a new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh This is an excellent fruit of his spiritual washing you it is a greater blessing than a house full of gold David earnestly desired God to create a clean heart in him happy for ever art thou that hast a tender heart forthy service performed to God will be pleasing to him thou art freed from the dominion and damnation of sin thou art more fearful to offend God and more careful to please him than others 2. Now thou shalt be able to walk in Gods wayes and to keep his Statutes verse 27. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgements and do them This is a great happiness for the wayes of the Lord are right and the just shall walk in them but the transgressours shall fall therein Hosea 14.9 and blessed is every one that feareth the Lord that walketh in his wayes for these are wayes of pleasantness and paths of peace carnal people know not these wayes neither can they walk in them but God hath given thee life to walk in them without weariness and fainting for the way of the Lord is strength to the upright now thou walkest with God and to God thou shalt go at thy latter end 3. God will be thy God and will bless thee Ezek. 36.28 29. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers and ye shall be my people and I will be your God I will also save you from all your uncleannesses and I will call for the corn and will increase it and lay no famine upon you He is God Almighty and can do more for you than you can ask or think he is God infinitely merciful and pittiful and therefore will do more for you than any enemy can do against you if you have him to be your God what can you desire more he is the God of all grace mercy and glory all happiness is in him he is the fountain of all blessedness happy is that people that is in such a case happy is that people whose God is the Lord. 5. I told you in the fifth place that Christ washeth us by gentle corrections sanctified to us This Use still serves to comfort all that be cleansed by afflictions sanctified to them For first Christ will keep thee safe in the midst of great calamities and dangers thou shalt be mediis tranquillus in undis Job 5. 20 21 22. In famine he shall redeem thee from death and in war from the power of the sword thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh at destruction and famine thou shalâ— laugh neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth He will shew his power most in preserving thee when thou art exposed to extream calamities as he kept the Israelites at the red sea the three Children in the fiery furnace Daniel in the Lions den and though Christ works not miracles ordinarily now yet he can preserve thee by ordinary means as well as by miraculous meanes let the meanes be what it will be yet thou hast the same almighty power and fidelity of Christ to save thee 2. Thou shalt have peace with his creatures Job 5.23 For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee that is all creatures who are ingaged in the quarrels of their Maker shall now stand in good terms with thee and joyn together to thy use and service the blessed Angels have a charge too keep thee in all thy wayes Psalm 91. so they delivered Lot out of Sodom and Peter out of prison they saved Jacob from Esau The starres in their courses fought against Sisera and helped Deborah and Barak Judges 4 and 5. the waters of the red Sea gave way to the Israelites to passe over safely now you are at peace with the master of the family all his servants shall be at your service 3. Thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace and thou shalt visit thy habitation and shalt not sin Job 5.24 that is thy family shall live peaceably with thee and one with another all thine shall be safe and all thou hast shall prosper thou shalt look into the state of thy family requiring an account of thy children and servants how they have carried themselves and how things committed to them prosper and thou shalt not be deceived of thine expectation but shalt find things as thou thinkest and as thou wouldest have it and that thine have been faithful and thy affairs prosperous 4. Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great and thine off-spring as the grass of the earth Job 5.25 that is thou shalt live to see thy childrens children and shalt leave a great posterity behind thee like the grass on the earth for a good man being in covenant with God leaves Gods blessing for a legacy to his children when wicked men leave Gods curse to theirs 5. Thou shalt come to thy grave in
a full age like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season that is as full ripe corn is made into shocks and carried into the bâ—rn so thou shalt die in peace and shalt not be as wicked men cut off in their sins thy last day shall be thy best day and the day of thy death will be better than the day of thy birth whosoever closeth thy bodily eyes at thy dissolution the eye of thy soul shall see Christ in his glory whosoever bears thy body to burial the blessed Angels shall bear thy soul to heaven Vse 3. For direction I told you in the first place that Christ washeth us by baptisme This Use serves to direct us how to get our soules washt by baptisme First remember what a solemn promise we made in our baptisme and how often we break it this will be a good meanes to humble us and to make us more carefull to keep our covenant 2. Repent for the frequent breach of it else it will lie very heavy upon your consciences at the hour of death we would be ashamed to break our peace so often with man as we have done with God let Gods faithfulness to us make us be ashamed of our perfidiousness to him 3. Labour to feel the efficacy of your baptisme by faith in Christ indeavour to feel corruption mortified through the power of Christs death and your soul quickened with grace through the spiritual efficacy of his resurrection then you put on Christ to your eternal comfort 2. I told you in the second place that Christ washeth us by his Word This Use still serves to direct us how to get our soules washt by it First We must hide it in our hearts Psalm 119.11 Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee and when it cleanseth thy heart which is the fountain then it will cleanse thy words and actions streaming from it 2. Hear it with a purpose to practise it Psalm 119.33 Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes and I shall keep it unto the end verse 34. Give me understanding and I shall keep thy law yea I shall observe it with my whole heart what good will the best meat do to an hungry man if he eat it not Or what good will an excellent plaister do to a wounded man if he apply it not So what is a man better for hearing and reading Gods Word if he do it not Micah 2.7 Do not my words good to him that walketh uprightly but if he walk not uprightly they are not like to do him good 3. Make use of it upon all occasions then as Christ said John 15.3 ye shall be clean through the word spoken to you obey the precepts of it apply the promises and stand in awe of the threatenings that your profiting may appear to all live by the rules of it walk in the light of it that you may be such as God would have you 3. I told you in the third place that Christ washeth us by the merit of his precious bloud This Use still serves to direct us how to get our soules washed by it that must be by faith Rom. 3.25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his bloud to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God We read in the New Testament how our blessed Saviour healed many that beleived in him there is mighty efficacy in a true lively faith to cleanse the soul by applying the merit and efficacy of Christs bloud beleive stedfastly in the Lord Jesus with all your heart and you shall find the strength of sin dying in you 4. I told you in the fourth place that Christ washeth us with the saving graces of his holy Spirit This Use still serves to direct us how to get our soules thus washed First Get a clear sight of the worth and necessity of them then you will pray to Christ with Peter Lord wash not my feet onely but also my hands and my head there is no desire of a thing unknown grace is so exceedingly sweet and lovely that the spiritual sight of it will set the heart a longing after it 2. Hunger and thirst exceeding fervently after grace and you shall be satified and washed Christ is very bountiful of his blessings now he is in glory for Revel 22.17 he freely invites us And let every one that is a thirst come and whosoever will let him take the waters of life freely The more you thirst after these living waters the faster will they flow into you 3. Labour to grow in these graces that you may be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect and holy as he that calleth you is holy think not that a stock of grace at your conversion without daily growth will bear you out to your latter end as many in their youth provide worldly riches enough to maintain them in their old age you must be alwayes adding to your stock if a child were no bigger at twenty yeares old than when its new born how could it help it self how could it maintain it self defend it self against dangers so if you grow no better after the receit of Gods abundant mercies and in particular under the plentiful meanes of grace how will you be able to serve please and glorifie God how will you be able to suffer for Christ to work out your salvation with fear and trembling therefore grow in grace and then you shall be more clean from iniquity 5. I told you in the fifth place that Christ washeth us by afflictions sanctified to us This Use still serves to direct us how to get our selves washed by them First Labour to know the right cause of them this course is prescribed in Lamen 3.39 40. Wherefore doth a living man complain a man for the punishment of his sins Let us search and try our wayes and turn again to the Lord that is let us not repine at Gods hand in correcting us but let us search and try our wayes to find out our sins our personal and particular failings which provoked God to afflict us this course if we take we may find cause enough in our selves to justifie Gods righteous hand in afflicting us 2. Let afflictions drive thee to repentance to make thee a partaker of Gods holiness Hebr. 12.10 But he for our profit that we might be partakers of his holiness then they are sanctified to thee and will tend to the health of thy soul as physick that works kindly proves healthful to the body let crosses make thee more penitent more holy more heavenly more upright then it will be comfortable to thee in thy latter end 3. Pour out earnest prayers and hearty suites to God in miseries this course Gods people took formerly Isaiah 26.16 Lord in trouble they have visited thee they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them pray to our Redeemer to be with thee in
and abillity he makes Gods will the rule of his and his word the rule of his life God puts every godly man into a general and particular calling and teacheth him how to behave himself in these callings this makes him a man after Gods own heart as David for this cause was so called Acts 13.22 4. Because every godly man is Gods factour he lies ligier for God as Merchants have their factors beyond sea to lie ligier for them to truck and barter for them so doth every godly man for God he trades for him all he can Rom. 14.8 For whether we live we live unto the Lord and whether we die we die unto the Lord Phillip 1.21 For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain that is the end and scope of my life is to honour and exalt Christ 5. Because a godly man is best fitted and prepared for Gods work and service he is one of Gods peculiar people zealous of good works Titus 2.14 Gods work is a pure and cleanly work and should be done with pure hearts and clean hands in the time of Moses Law the Priests onely might offer sacrifice and before they did it they might wash their bodies so a godly man is washt with the bloud of Christ and the grace of the holy Ghost by vertue whereof he is the fittest to do Gods work it is not for slovenly clowns to wait upon great men the work of the devil is filthy nasty and beastly wicked men delight in it and are the fittest for it 6. Because onely the heart of a godly man will bow and bend to Gods work it is a work requiring much labour and self-deniall one must stoop low to take up this burden he that loves God truly loves him with all his heart and strength onely the godly man doth this he that serves God truly is fervent in spirit serving the Lord onely the godly man doth this he that keeps Gods Commandements aright hath respect to all his Commandements and Gods Commandements are not grievous to him onely the godly man doth this The Jews say there be three hundred sixty five negative precepts in the Law according to the number of dayes in the year and two hundred forty eight affirmative commanding precepts according to the number of bones in a mans body whereby they would signifie that we must no day do those things which God hath forbidden and that with all the bones and members of our body we must do all those things which God hath commanded onely the godly man endeavours and desires to do this 7. Because God can trust none but the godly man for the godly man is the faithful man let an hypocrite have excellent parts of knowledge he will set up himself and seek his own ends as the Pharisees Mat. 6. gave almes prayed and fasted but did all to be seen of men like an idle unfaithful servant that works one hour for his master and two for himself but the godly man resolves to defend Gods cause to the utmost of his power and to bring all the glory he can to God Numb 12.7 Moses was said to be faithful in all Gods house the Martyrs would not for fear or favour of the world betray Gods cause but parted with their lives liberties and estates to glorifie Jesus Christ 8. Because none will doe Gods work so well as the godly man none have so much care to please God as he hypocrites slubber over the Lords work in prayer they draw near to God with their lips but their hearts are far from him when they hear his Word their hearts goe after their covetousness in receiving the Lords Supper they discern not the Lords body but receive onely the outward signs but a godly man prayes in prayer as Elias did James 5 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his heart is fixed with David trusting in the Lord in hearing the Word his heart burnes with holy zeal in him he will be careful and studious both to hear the Word and do it in receiving the Lords Supper he will examine himself before he eat of that bread and drink of that cup he will doe Gods work according to Gods will Vse The Uses I shall spin out of the Reasons the first reason is Because every godly man is a god-like man the first Use springing out of this Reason will be for consolation to all that be truly godly its ground of great comfort to thee that thou art like to God now thou mayest be assured of Gods dear love that he hath loved thee with an everlasting love which is better than life likeness is the cause of love this godliness is an infallible fruit of thine election and once elected alwayes beloved as earthly parents most affect those children which resemble them most so will thy heavenly Father exceedingly love thee for being so like to him the world derides and hates thee for godliness but be not dejected for godliness will be thine eternal honour and comfort 2. It may serve for admonition take heed of despising any man for being like to God for in despising him for godliness you despise God because godliness is his image Many excuse themselves and say they hate not a godly man for his godliness but for his hypocrisie I answer 1. Why doest thou not hate hypocrisie in thy self and in others who make no shew of godliness but live in hypocrisie and openly declare it 2. Godliness with some hypocrisie is better than hypocrisie without any godliness at all as corn with chaffe is better than chaffe without corn gold with dross is better than dross without gold you have more reason to love and honour them for their godliness than to hate them for hypocrisie because they hate hypocrisie and strive against it but they love godliness and labour to grow in it 3. It may serve to exhort you all to endeavour to be like to God in godliness both in heart and life Consider 1. what an honour it will be to you it will make your memories blessed when the names of the wicked shall rot very honourable and precious to this day are the names of Abraham for faith Moses for meekness Joseph for chastity Job for patience David for zeal Daniel for integrity of life Paul for love to Christ Peter and Magdalen for godly sorrow 2. Consider what a comfort it will be to your consciences when you follow God as dear children so that God is in you of a truth it was a greater comfort to blessed Hezekiah that he had walked before God in truth with a perfect heart than that he was honourable and wealthy none have so much cause to rejoyce and to be of good chear as the godly man for he is the friend of God his sins are pardoned Christ is his treasure the holy Ghost is his Comforter and heaven is his inheritance Psalm 32.11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoyce ye righteous and shout for joy all ye that are upright in
heart Vse 2. I told you the second reason was because every godly man sets his heart upon God The Uses arising out of this Reason serve first for information to let us see the reason why Gods children enjoy such precious peace of conscience and rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory namely because they set their hearts on God and their entire love to him will assure them of his eternal love to them Prov. 8.17 I love them that love me now this is the principal ground of true peace and joy worldly favour makes carnal people merry outwardly and feeds them with vain hopes it makes them build Castles in the air and puts them into a fooles paradise but the assurance of Gods love fills the heart of the upright with such joy as no man can take from them John 16.22 wicked men may take their lives from them their estates from them their liberty from them but true peace and joy they cannot take from them for they set their hearts on the God of hope who fills them with joy and peace 2. It may inform us one reason why Gods children will not be drawn away from him and his wayes because their hearts are set upon God and they account it their best way to draw near to God all the wealth and honour of Egypt could not draw Moses from God and his People the King of Babylon with all his power terrour and pollicy could not make the three Children worship his Idol nor restrain Daniel from praying to God 3. It serves to exhort you all to get your hearts fixed on God let out all your love to him in as ample a manner as you can let your love be so hot as many waters cannot never quench it nor flouds drown it To move you to it consider first how infinitely amiable and perfect God is when you understand that from everlasting to everlasting he is God without beginning mutation and end strive to love this eternal God when you consider that God fils heaven and earth yea inhabiteth eternity no place can comprehend his incomprehensible essence set your selves to love this omni-present God when you see how easily powerfully and wisely God made heaven and earth with all things else strive to love this omnipotent God when you see how God pitties releives and succours his people in their misery and gives them help in their time of need O set your heartiest love upon this merciful God 2. Consider how eternally and unchangeably he hath loved thee Jerem. 31.3 I have loved thee with an everlasting love before thou wast born he loved thee yea when thou wast his enemy he loved thee and he will love thee for ever nothing in this world nor in the world to come shall separate thee from his love 3. Consider what comfort thou shalt have by loving God 1 John 4.16 God is love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him happy is that soul that hath such a guest for God will make any place a heaven to it Prov. 8.17 I love them that love me thy true love to him will assure thee of his love to thee which worldly wealth and honour cannot do Psalm 91.14 Because he hath set his love upon me therefore will I deliver him God will be thy defence against danger he will be a wall of fire about thee Rom. 8.28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God nothing shall fall out amiss to thee but God by his wisdom and power will give thee an holy comfortable use of all mercies with an holy use of and a comfortable issue out of all miseries Vse 3 I told you the third Reason was because the godly man indeavours to do every thing that God commands him The Uses springing out of this reason serve first to inform us the reason why the godly man is a man after Gods own heart namely because he sets himself to do all Gods will for this cause David was so called Acts 13.22 I have found David the son of Jesse a man after mine own heart which shall fulfil all my will O that every one of us had an heart to do all Gods will then we should be such as God would have us to be a hypocrite doth but some part of Gods commands therefore he is not a man after Gods own heart 2. It informes us one Reason is why God so willingly heares and grants the prayers of his people that is because they indeavour to do all Gods commands 1 John 3.22 And whatsoever we ask we receive of him because we keep his commandement and do those things which are pleasing in his sight Humanity teacheth friends to grant one anothers suits when they please one another much more will the God of nature grace and glory graciously answer the prayers of his people that study to please him 2. It serves to exhort us to endeavour to do all that God requires us to do Motives 1. All his commands are holy just and good Rom. 7.12 Prov. 30 5. Every word of God is pure though carnal nature may cavil against some of Gods commands because they crosse it yet there is no defect in them but the Law of the Lord is perfect 2. To do all Gods will is the ready way to prosperity Job 36.11 If they obey and serve him they shall spend their dayes in prosperity and their yeares in pleasures God is the best Master to serve his work is the best and his pay is the best And above all Gods commandements I exhort you all to keep the Lords day holy because he in the fourth Commandement bids us remember to keep it holy 2. Because in Isaiah 58.13 14. he makes it an excellent way of honouring him and promiseth spiritual and temporal prosperity to such as do it but if that place be meant of an extraordinary Sabbath that is a fast appointed by man then doubtless the Lord would have us much more keep holy the ordinary Sabbath appointed by God If any object Col. 2.16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat or in drink or in respect of an holy day or of the new moon or of the Sabbath dayes verse 17. which are a shadow of things to come c. I answer he meanes he would not have them observe the Jewish ceremonial Sabbaths of dayes as the three great feasts Passover Pentecost and Tabernacles and the feast of blowing the trumpets and the feast of expiation he would not have them observe the Sabbath of yeares which was every seventh year Levit. 25,4 5 6. nor the Sabbath of sevens of years the Jubile verse 8 9 10 11. which returned every fiftieth year but he speaks not here of the Sabbath day that is morall 1. Because the word is in the plural number Sabbaths 2. If he had meant the moral Sabbath and consequently the Lords day now observed then it would follow that it is unlawful to observe the