happiness is it not unreasonable for any man to doubt whether there be that in God which may give him full and compleat satisfaction in all estates and conditions whatever 7. As there is full satisfaction to be had in God so true rest and contentment is to be had no where but in God Take every creature upon the face of the Earth a-part or take them all together adorned with all their excellencies and if you consider them abstracted from God and Christ they are all vanity and vexation of spirit Eccles 1.2 Vanity of vanities saith the Preacher vanity of vanities all is vanity Eccles 2.17 All is vanity and vexation of spirit This judgment and determination concerning what is in all creatures was given by Solomon one of the wisest of men that ever lived it was given by Solomon that had as much as his heart could wish of the things of this world and made it his work business to search into and study what was in the Creatures that might delight and content the heart of man Eccl. 2.3 and in this his scrutiny he tells us V. 10. Whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them I withheld not my heart from any joy Yet after all his diligence and all his experiments to try what was in the creatures he gives this account All is vanity and vexation of spirit yea which is more than what hath been said He was a Pen-man of holy Scripture he was inspired by the Holy Ghost when he gave this judgment of the creatures that all is vanity and vexation of spirit Now what wise man would seek for his rest in that which is vanity and vexation of spirit As it was with Noah's Dove when gone out of the Ark Gen. 8.9 The Dove found no rest for the sole of her foot and she returned unto him into the Ark. So it will be with us though we seek for rest every where we shall find it no where but by returning to God in Christ It is said of the Jews Jer. 50.6 They have gone from Mountain to Hill they have forgotten their resting place If we think to find rest in any place or any condition and do not seek it in God we do but delude our selves with vain hopes for it is to be found only in him Mat. 11.28,29 Come unto me and ye shall finde rest for your souls Seeing then that satisfaction is to be had in God and no where else 〈◊〉 in God it is impossible that any man should have â—…nd lasting contentment that doth not take up his 〈◊〉 in God and therefore whosoever would learn to be content in all estates must learn how to satisfie himself in and with the Lord and that is the next thing I am to enquire into namely How we may come to take up our rest and satisfaction in God in all Estates and Conditions 1. We must get acquaintance with God We must acquaint our selves with his greatness his transcendent goodness his infinite mercy and loving kindeness and the rest of his glorious attributes Raised and right apprehensions of God lay a good foundation for our taking up our rest in God Job 22.21 Acquaint thy self with him and be at peace and thereby good shall come unto thee John 14.8 Shew us the Father and it sufficeth us We can desire no more in order to our satisfaction than to be filled with all the fulness of God Now the knowledge of Gods loving kindeness conduceth much towards the obtaining of this fulness Eph. 3.19 And to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God 2. We must oft-times set our selves in a solemn and serious manner to meditate upon the glorious attributes of God the more we think and contemplate upon God the more sweetness and satisfaction we shall finde in him Psal 63.5,6 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness when I remember thee upon my bed and meditate on thee in the night watches Psal 17.15 I will behold thy face I shall be satisfied Psal 104.34 My meditation of him shall be sweet Our contemplating on God will change us into the image of God and make us like God 2 Cor. 3.18 We all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Now the more of Gods image is found upon us the more like we are to God the more satisfaction we shall finde in him Psal 17.15 I shall be satisfied with thy likeness But here it will not be amiss to mention two or three cautions to be observed when we set our selves to contemplate on God as 1. We must not be curious to pry into Gods Essence but must content our selves to contemplate on his Attributes When Moses desired to see the Glory of God he tells him Exod. 33.20 Thou canst not see my face which many expound thou canst not see or know my Essence and in way of answer to Moses his request he proclaims his name and thereby discovers his Attributes Exod. 33.19 Exod. 34.5,6,7 which teacheth us that if we desire a sight of God the best course that we can take to behold him is to take a view of his glorious Attributes whereby he hath discovered and made known his name to us 2. We must regulate all our conceptions of the Attributes of God by the Scriptures This caution is necessary because Satan can transform himself into an Angel of Light and present false Idea's or Representations of God to our mindes instead of true ones he dealt thus with our Parents in innocency he mis-represented God to them as though he had envied their happiness and were not a God of his Word Gen. 3.1,4,5 and he will much less fear to try us with the like temptation in our fallen estate It is necessary also because of the vanity and corruption of our mindes which are apt to form strange idolatrous notions concerning God divers instances might be given of this Some have thought God to be altogether such an one as themselves are Psal 50.21 Others have fancied God to be like the Birds or Beasts Rom. 1.22,23 But when we conceive of God according to that revelation which he hath made of himself in his word then we may be sure we conceive of him aright 3. We must contemplate on God according to that discovery which he hath made of himself in Christ Jesus of which the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 4.6 God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ for we cannot finde sweetness in God out of Christ it will fare with us when we consider God out of Christ as it did with the Psalmist Psal 77.3 I remembred God and was troubled A man that hath been a finner can take no comfort in God
good success When Solomon was building the Temple it is said 1 Kings 6.11,14 The word of the Lord came to Solomon so Solomon built the house and finished it So he built the house and finished it that is he was strengthened and encouraged by the word of the Lord that came to him to go on with and finish the building 9. While you are busily employed in building your own houses do not forget or neglect the building up of Gods House Hag. 1.4 Is it time for you O ye to dwell in your cieled houses and this house lie waste Solomon setting his heart to the building of Gods House prosperously effected what ever came into his heart for the building of his own house 2 Chron. 7.11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the Kings house and all that came into Solomons heart to make in the house of the Lord and in his own house he prosperously effected When I stir you up to build Gods house whilst you are building your own I do not only or chiefly mean places for publick Worship though that also be a very good and laudable undertaking the Centurian who erected a Synagogue was highly respected and extolled by the Jews for this pious work Luke 7.4,5 When they came to Jesus they besought him instantly saying That he was worthy for whom he should do this for he loveth our Nation and hath built us a Synagogue but that which I chiesly intend is that you build up your selves an habitation of God through the Spirit Every true believer is styled Gods house Heb. 3.6 But Christ as a Son over his own house whose house are we if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoycing of the hope firm unto the end All true Believers are Gods Temple 2 Cor. 6.16 Ye are the Temple of the living God as God hath said I will dwell in them and walk in them They are Gods habitation Eph. 2.22 In whom you are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit Now after the foundation of this spiritual building is laid by the souls being drawn to Christ there must be constant and consciencious endeavour to be built up in grace and holiness 2 Pet. 3.18 Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 1.5 Besides this giving all diligence add to your faith vertue and to vertue knowledge c. If you ask what shall we do that we may be built up a spiritual house unto the Lord I answer 1. You must lay a good and a right foundation The foundation of this spiritual building is Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 3.11 Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is Jesus Christ see also Isa 28.16 Eph. 2.20 The fundamental graces which are wrought in the soul that is built upon Christ are faith and repentance Heb. 6.1 Therefore leaving the principles of the Doctrine of Christ let us go on unto perfection not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith towards God When God had given you repentance for your sins and faith in the Lord Jesus then the foundation of this spiritual building is laid in your souls 2. You must be daily carrying and casting away the rubbish that hinders the progress of this spiritual building After faith and repentance are wrought in truth there remain several relicks of the old man which we must be daily purging away we must make it our work to destroy our sins if we would be built up in grace 2 Cor. 7.1 Having therefore these promises that is ye are the Temples of the living God I will dwell in them and walk in them of which he had spoken in the former Chapter ver 16. dearly beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God We cannot go on to perfect holiness unless we do in good earnest set upon cleansing our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit 3. You must be daily looking to Christ and going to him to carry on and finish that work of grace which he hath begun in your souls Heb. 12.2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our Faith 1 Per. 2. To whom coming as unto a living stone ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house Do not only go to Christ but rest upon him for the perfecting and finishing of what he hath begun in your souls and to that end ponder upon such Scriptures as these Psal 138.8 The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me Phil. 1.6 Being confident of this very thing that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ The Lord Jesus taketh a great deal of pleasure not only in beginning but in finishing the work of grace in our souls John 4.34 Jesus saith unto them My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work 4. After you have received Jesus Christ you must not only believe in him but walk in him and by so doing you shall come both to be rooted and to be built up in him Col. 2.6,7 As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk ye in him rooted and built up in him By walking in and with Christ you shall keep his presence with your fouls for he hath said If we abide in him he will abide in us John 15.4 Abide in me and I in you and 2 Chron. 15.2 The Lord is with you while ye be with him Now by keeping Christs presence with your souls they will be built up in grace Cant. 1.12 While the King sitteth at his table my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof When the owner dwells in the house it is kept in good repair if he leave it and it stand empty all things go to decay As Martha said unto Christ John 11.21 Lord if thou hadst been here my brother had not died The like may a deserted soul that findeth it self fallen to decay upon Gods with-drawing of himself say unto God Lord if thou hadst been here these ruines and desolations had not come upon my soul 5. Prayer performed in a spiritual manner is a great means of building up our souls in the grace of God Jude 20. But ye beloved building up your selves in your most holy faith praying in the Holy Ghost Though praying in a slightly dead-hearted customary formal manner availeth little yet praying in the Holy Ghost that is by the help and assistance of the Holy Ghost and stirring up and exercising the graces of the Holy Ghost in prayer as faith fervency reverence humility c. is an effectual means to build up the soul in the grace of God 6. Converse much with the word of God read it frequently treasure it up in your hearts make it your meditation night and day that is the way to be built up a spiritual house unto the Lord 1 Pet. 2.2,5 As