the Sabbath yea even to the neglect of this outward rest from our owne workes on that day If you compare 2 Chronicles 36.21 with Leviticus 26.34 35. you shall finde this noted for a chiefe cause of that miserable captivity that Gods people did endure in Babylon Because the land did not rest in your Sabbaths saith the Lord when yee dwelt upon it And Nehemiah telleth them so much after their returne from that captivity Nehemiah 13.18 that God did bring all the evill that was come upon them and upon Ierusalem because their fathers had prophaned the Sabbath so as they then did How was that Surely they suffered men to tread wine-presses on the Sabbath a work that is not in use among us but our grinding of corne and making of malt is equivalent unto it and they suffered men to goe in and our with burdens and carriages and to buy and sell wares upon the Sabbath as you shall finde Verse 15 16 of that Chapter And these are the things of which hee saith Verse 18. Did not your fathers thus and did not our God bring all this evill upon us and upon this City And looke what hath beene said of every Church and Kingdome that the flourishing estate or ruine thereof dependeth greatly upon the observation or neglect even of this outward rest the same may be also said doubtlesse of every towne and family and particular person that their welfare and undoing dependeth much upon this Never was any man made the poorer by the strict observation of the Sabbath Day by refusing to buy or sell or doe any of his worldly businesse upon that Day But the more conscionable any man is in resting from all his owne workes upon that Day the more plentifull a blessing hee shall be sure to receive from God upon the labours of his calling in the six dayes And it is not thine owne labour or toyling but the blessing of God that maketh rich when all is done as Salomon teacheth us Proverbs 10.22 I know well that the worldly man cannot believe this but thinketh this would be the way to undoe him How should I live saith he if I should do no businesse on the Sabbath Day I cannot maintaine my charge by going to Church and doing nothing for a whole day But marke I pray you how God answereth these men Leviticus 25. The Lord gave his people then a commandement to keepe every seventh yeere a Sabbath all the yeere long thus farre forth The seventh yeare shall be a Sabbath of rest to the land saith the Lord there verse 4 5. a Sabbath for the Lord thou shalt neither sow thy field nor prune thy vineyard no nor reape and gather that that grew of it owne accord to thy private use for so the 5 verse is to bee understood And if ye shall say and object saith the Lord verse 20 21. what shall wee eat the seventh yeere As if he should say How shall wee live then that yeere seeing wee shall neither sow nor reape As indeed they had much more reason to object this against the keeping of one yeare in seaven then wee have against the keeping of one day in seven for a Sabbath the Lord answereth this verse 21. I will command my blessing upon you in the sixt yeare and it shall bring forth fruit for three yeeres So may I say to thee Keepe the Sabbath conscionably remember the Sabbath day before it come and cast for it by dispatching before hand all that thou hast to doe as neither thou nor thy servant may have any thing left to be done upon that day and the Lord will command his blessing upon thy labours in the six daies accordingly so as thou shalt not bee impoverished ever a whit but enriched by it On the other side the Lord hath beene wont to reveale his wrath from heaven upon townes and families and upon particular persons as much for this one sinne of profaning the Sabbath as for any other And namely by that fearefull judgement of consuming fire by which specially and by name hee hath in his Word threatned to punish this sinne If you will not hearken unto mee saith the Lord Ieremy 17.27 to hallow my Sabbath day and not to beare a burden even entring in at the gates of Ierusalem on the Sabbath day then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof and it shall devoure the pallaces of Ierusalem and it shall not bee quenthed And thus have I shewed you in this one particular how highly God is pleased with the strict observation of the Sabbath day And if it please him so well to see men rest from their owne workes upon that day which yet as I told you is but the least thing that belongeth to the right observation of it you may bee sure hee is much more pleased to see men spend that day in doing of his workes in exercising themselves in those duties of piety and mercy which hee hath appointed to bee done upon that day especially in seeing them keepe his Sabbaths spiritually and conscionably Certainely they that doe so shall bee sure to bee blessed and rewarded of God for it To this purpose it is worth the observing that as our Saviour saith Marke 2. â—7 that the Sabbath was at the first made for man for the great benefit and behoofe of man Man could not no not Adam in his innocency have beene without it but with great danger and losse unto him So the Holy Ghost saith that twice of the Sabbath Gen. 2.3 and Exodus 20.11 that hee never said of any other day that the Lord blessed that day that is appointed it to bee a meane of a greater blessing to man if hee keepe it as God hath commanded him to doe then any other day or any of the ordinary workes of any other day can possibly bee Two sorts of blessings there be which the conscionable observer of the Sabbath shall be sure to receive by it The first are spirituall And they indeed are the chiefe blessings of all because they are durable and everlasting and because they concerne the soule which is the chiefe and most precious part of man And for these was the Sabbath chiefly ordained that God might by it in the use of his ordinances inrich our soules with spirituall blessings in heavenly things So the Lord saith Ezekiel 20.12 that hee gave his Sabbaths to his people to that end that they might know that hee was the Lord that sanctified them Wee shall know and find that the Lord will sanctifie us both begin and increase saving grace in our hearts if we keepe the Sabbath conscionably Yea the Lord hath promised Esa. 56.6 7. to every one that keepeth his Sabbath from polluting it that he will make them ioyfull in his house of prayer And Esa. 58.13 14. that if a man shall keepe the Sabbath heartily and spiritually then hee shall delight himselfe in the Lord. By these two places it appeareth that God hath bound himselfe
that he looked for no comfort Therefore is this oft mentioned as the justest and soundest ground of all true comfort Comfort yee comfort yee my people saith your God it is the Lords speech to his servants and messengers Esa. 40.1 2. speake ye comfortably to Ierusalem How should we do that may Gods servants say Cry unto her that her warrefare is accomplished that her iniquity is pardoned No sound comfort can be had till then and when once that is knowne nothing can make a mans state uncomfortable So speaketh our Saviour to the poore man that had the palsie when he saw him dejected in mind and uncomfortable he saith not sonne be of good comfort thy palsie hath left thee thou that couldst not have come hither if foure men had not brought thee Marke 2.3 shalt be able to take up thy bed and walke home without any helpe but how doth he comfort him Matth. 9.2 Sonne be of good comfort thy sinnes are forgiven thee So when he would comfort Mary Magdalene that was so full of trouble of mind and sorrow that she was able with her teares to wash his feet Luke 7.38 he saith unto her vers 48. Thy sinnes are forgiven thee As if he had said thou hast no such cause to weep so thou hast cause to be comfortable and cheerefull for thy sins are forgiven This peace of God that is the comfort and joy that riseth from the knowledge of the pardon of our sins and reconciliation with him is said Phil. 4.7 to passe all understanding No heart can conceive how comfortable and blessed a thing that is but that which hath felt and enjoyed it Thirdly The man that truly knoweth what sin is desireth and longeth after nothing so much as the pardon of his sin is not so earnest and importunate with God in any suit as in this If God should now have said to David as after he did unto his sonne Solomon 1. Kings 3.5 Aske what I shall give thee Certainly this should have beene his petition Lord that my sins may be forgiven yea see how earnest he is here with God for this To such men Christ who is our propitiation and only meanes to procure and purchase our pardon is pretious as the Apostle speaketh 1. Pet. 2.7 To you that beleeve he is precious yea so precious that in comparison of him and of Gods favour through him they esteeme basely of every thing else Phil 3.8 I do count all things but dung that I may win Christ. Fourthly and lastly The man that truly knoweth what sin is thinks he hath even enough when he hath gotten his pardon though God should deny him all things else and saith of it as Iacob when he was sure Ioseph was still living Gen. 45.28 It is enough Yea he counts himselfe to be a happy man if once he have obtained this So we see David here maketh this his only suit and saith in another place that this is enough even to make a man happy Psalm 32.1 2. Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven whose sinne is covered blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity Nothing can make that man miserable whose sins are forgiven Now the reasons and grounds of this Doctrine are principally two being taken from the true and sound consideration of the nature of sinne And for the nature of it we will goe no further then to that description that David maketh of it in these two verses and to those two comparisons whereby he doth here resemble it First he compareth sin to debt in these words verse 1. Blot out my transgressions Our sins are our debts as our Saviour teacheth us to call them and account of them in the fift petition of the Lords prayer Matth. 6.12 Forgive us our debts First The obedience God requireth of us in his Law is no more but just and due debt we are bound and ought to performe it and in case we performe it not the penalty and curse which the law inflicteth is most justly due unto us We stand bound to performe either the one or the other To this obligation every mans conscience hath set his hand and seale and will acknowledge it and say Amen unto it one day God requireth in his Law that so soone as his people should come into the land of Canaan the curses of this law this bond and obligation should be read in the hearing of them all men women children and that all of them should say Amen to it Deut. 27.26 Cursed is he that confirmeth not all the words of this Law to doe them and all the people shall say Amen The copy and counterpane of this bond betweene God and us every man hath in his owne conscience which will acknowledge it to be most true and just as the Apostle speaking even of heathen men saith Rom. 2.15 which shew the worke of the Law written in their hearts Secondly These debts of ours though we be apt to forget yet the Lord will never forget The Lord hath sworne by the excellency of Iacob saith the Prophet Amos 8.7 Surely I will never forget any of their works Hee keepeth a debt booke wherein he hath set downe in writing every one of them Esa. 65.6 Behold it is written before me And our owne conscience also scores up every one of our sinnes and sets downe the time and place when and where we committed them and so came into Gods debt further and further And though it be like a sealed and clasped booke for a time that we cannot looke into it which maketh us thinke wee are little or nothing in Gods debt yet these bookes will one day bee opened Revelation 20.12 I saw the dead small and great stand before God and the bookes were opened and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the Bookes according to their workes and then it will appeare our debt bookes agree fully with Gods debt bookes our scores with his scores According as the Apostle saith Rom. â—15 â—6 that the consciences of men shall beare witnesse with God in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Iesus Christ. Thirdly These debts of ours if we get not in time a discharge and Quiâ—â— est from them will be exaâ—tâ—d every one oâ— them at our hands The Lord I tell you is such a creditor as will looke to have his owne Eccles. 1.9 Know thou that for all these things God will bring thee to judgement And 1â— 14 The Lord shall bring every worke into judgement with every secret thing whether it be good or evill Fourthly these debts of ours are growne to such a huge summe as we are never able to satisfie and pay them and therefore they are compared to a debt of ten thousand talentâ— Matth. 18.24 a summe which there was never any merchant or King in the World so rich as was able to pay it Fiftly Now consider well of this reason To an honest
Psal. 37.25 I have not seene the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging their bread But even to those that are spirituall and eternall And that not onely in this respect that by this meanes thou wert borne in the Church of God which is no small priviledge Psal. 87.4 5. and didst enjoy the meanes of saving grace the Word and Sacraments a high priviledge certainely Rom. 3.2 hadst the benefit of a religious education of the prayers and good example of thy Christian parents a meanes of great efficacy and power Pro. 31.1 2. but in this respect principally that by this meanes thou maist have more hope to obtaine saving grace and eternall life if the fault be not in thy selfe and if thou apply thy selfe to the meanes of grace then any other even for this cause because thou art the child of such parents as feare God For thou hast the promise and covenant of God for this Gen. 17.7 I will bee thy God and the God of thy seed And Esa. 44.3 I will poure my spirit upon thy seed and my blessing upon thin off-spring So as thou maist in thy prayers put the Lord in mind of the promise made to thy parents and even make claime unto it as Moses did Deut. 9.27 Remember thy servants Abraham Isaac and Iacob and looke not to the stubbornesse of this people And Solomon 2 Chron. 6.16 O Lord God of Israel keepe with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him And this is the benefit thou hast received from thy parents if they be godly But admit thy parents be not religious yet doest thou receive that benefit by them as thou canst never requite with al the duty thou art able to do unto them I speak not of their care and charge in nursing thee and giving thee thy breeding and education for it may be some parents have either beene unwilling or unable to do much that way And yet I must tell you to such children as have received this from their parents even this is a great bond unto duty as appeareth plainely by that complaint the Lord maketh Esa. 1.2 I have nourished and brought up children and they have rebelled against me but this I say 1. Thou hadst thy life and being from them in this world without which thou couldst never have come to eternall life in the world to come according to that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 15.46 that was not first which is spirituall but that which is naturall and afterward that which is spirituall That is the end that God aimed at in giving us life and breath and all things saith the Apostle Acts 17.25 27. that we might seeke the Lord. 2. Thou hast from thy parents thy well being in this life For as the blessing of well being and living comfortably in this world is promised to them especially that are dutifull to their parents according to that Ephes. 6.2 3. Honour thy father and mother that it may be well with thee and that thou mayest live long on the earth So hath God given power and authority to thy parents how poore soever they be yea though they have no grace nor can pray for themselves to blesse thee that is to pronounce and bestow this blessing upon thee And the blessing that they from the comfort they receive by thy dutifull carriage towards them shall give thee God will ratifie in heaven For so are the words of the fift commandement to be read Exod. 20.12 Honour thy father and thy mother that they may prolong thy daies in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee Now having thus prevented the abuse of this Doctrine let us come to shew the right uses that it serveth unto And those are two 1. For humiliation 2. For exhortation And the use of humiliation concerneth 1 all of us in generall 2 such of us as are parents For the first This Doctrine teacheth us that none of us have cause to glory in or to be proud of our parentage and birth we have much more cause of humiliation in it before God then we have cause of boasting of it before men For 1. whatsoever we have received from our parents be it precedency and esteeme in the world or beauty and strength and a good constitution of body or wit and courage and a generous mind all that is but momentany and of no continuance 1 Pet. 1.24 All flesh is as grasse and all the glory of man is as the flower of grasse the grasse withereth and the flower thereof sadeth away 2. We have received as wee have heard in this Doctrine that contagion and corruption of nature from our parents how noble soever they were as maketh us base and vile in Gods eyes and will make us miserable for ever if we be not borne againe verily verily saith Christ to Nicodemus Iohn 3.3 and that which he saith to Nicodemus he saith to every soule that is heere I say unto you except a man be borne againe he can never see the kingdome of God If we get not a better birth then we had from our parents it may be said of us as it is said of Iudas Matth. 26.24 It had beene good for us if we had never beene borne 3. and lastly The greatnesse of thy birth and parentage through thy corruption maketh thee more uncapable of grace and salvation then other men are that are not so nobly borne as thou art You see your calling brethren saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 1.26 and surely so may we now how that not many great men not many noble are called Even greatnesse of birth and nobility is a bar oft-times to keepe men from salvation and life eternall though blessed be God some great men are called yet they are but few O then the madnesse of them that rest and glory in their first birth in this that they were borne of such parents and never seeke to be borne againe to be borne of God That receive honour one of another as our Saviour speaketh Ioh. 5.44 glory in the titles of Gentlemen and Squires c. and seeke not the honour that commeth from God alone Why what is that honour that commeth from God Whom doth he account to be honourable I answer 1. 1 Sam. 2.30 They that honour God them will God honour 2. They that are Gods favourites Esa. 43.4 Since thou wast precious in my sight thou hast beene honourable 3. They that love the Word and obey it Acts 17 11. They of Berea were more noble then they of Thessalonica in that they received the Word with all readinesse of mind Secondly This Doctrine serveth for the humiliation of us that are parents surely our childrens sins and the corruptions that break forth in their lives their pride and stubbornesse their profanesse and aversnesse from God their drunkennesse and uncleannesse ought to be a cause of sorrow and humbling unto every one of us that are parents A foolish son saith Solomon Pro. 10.1 is the heavinesse of
to be good for thee he will be a sheild to thee when the evill day shall come In the time of trouble he will hide thee in his pavillion as David speaketh Ps. 27.5 When a thousand shall fall at thy side and ten thousand and at thy right hand as the Prophet speaketh Ps 91.7 he can so hide thee that the judgement shall not touch thee Thus he did hide diverse when he sent his destroying Angell to smite the city and other parts of the land with the pestilence and thus he can hide thee when he shall send his destroying Angell to smite our land with the bloudy sword if it please him Nay thus he will hide thee if he shall see that good for thee he will be a sheild unto thee Pro. 2.7 He is a buckler to them that walke uprightly But if he will not be a sheild he will certainely be a sunne unto thee he wil be a comforter to thee in that day Vnto the upright there ariseth light in the darknesse saith the Prophet Psal. 112.4 As when there was palpable darkenesse in all the land of Egypt all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings Exod. 10.23 So in times of greatest misery and perplexity that shall come upon the land certainely God will be a sunne to them that walke uprightly to the upright there shall arise light in darkenesse they shall find comfort in God even in that day yea more then then ever before Thus you have seene how God will doe good to them that are upright in heart in outward things But that is not all he will be better to them then so he will do good to them also in spiritual things Three speciall blessings of this kind hee hath promised them First Such shall never fall away nor loose his favour and grace O continue thy loving kindnesse saith the Prophet Psal. 36.10 and a propheticall prayer hath the nature of a promise as I told you before unto them that know thee and thy righteousnesse to the upright in heart And Psal. 112.6 Surely he shall not be moved for ever Thou art oft much disquieted with the feare of this that thou shalt never be able to hold out to the end thou fearest that thou maist fall that thou shalt fall before thou dyest labour to be upright in heart and God will continue his loving kindnesse unto thee he will love thee to the end surely thou shalt never be moved Though the seed was lost upon all the other three sorts of hearers though they all fell away and lost those beginnings of grace they had received yet he that had an honest and good heart as our Saviour speaketh Luke 8.15 he kept it If thy heart be not â—ound thou that makest profession of the truth with greatest forwardnesse and zeale maist become a Papist before thou diest and a persecuter of that truth which thou now professest and thou that seemest to be most reformed and sanctified in thy life maist prove a most profane and debaushed man The Prophet speaking of those Israelites that perished in the wildernesse who though they had made a most zealous profession as you may read Deut. 5.27 Speake thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speake unto thee and wee will heare it and doe it yet afterward became some of them grosse Idolaters some of them beastly adulterers the Prophet I say giveth the reason of this Psal. 78.37 why they were not more stedfast in his covenant for their heart saith he was not right with him and verse 8. They were a generation that set not their heart aright and whose spirit was not stedfast with God even then when they made the best shewes their heart was never right Thou canst not be sure to be preserved from any sinne how foule soever it be and how much soever thy heart seemeth now to abhorre it pay thou shalt be sure to fall fearefully one way or other if thy heart be not upright 2 Chron. 12.14 He did evill because hee prepared not his heart to seeke the Lord that was the cause of all Rehoboams lewdnesse he professed the true religion and made excellent shewes of goodnesse for three yeares 2 Chron. 11.17 but he fell fearefully hee had no care of his heart his heart was never right The Apple that is rotten at the Core though it seeme never so beautifull will quickly putrifie and so will every professour that is unsound at the heart But if thy heart be upright feare not certainely thou shalt hold out and persevere to the end Secondly Such as are upright in heart shall have strength given them of God to endure any tryall he shall be pleased to bring them unto The eyes of the Lord saith the Prophet Hanani 2 Chron. 16.9 run to and fro throughout the whole earth to shew himselfe strong in the behalfe of them whose heart is perfect towards him When thou thinkest of the fiery triall that all Gods people may be brought unto thou tremblest much and fearest that so weake a wretch as thou art shall never be able to endure it But looke thou to thy heart that that be upright and sound and certainely though thou be so weake God will shew himselfe strong in thee when that triall shall come What a measure of strength and courage shall we find in the booke of Martyrs that a number of weake and simple women and children did shew in the time of that fiery triall More a great deale it is to be feared then would bee found now if the like triall should come Wee have much more knowledge now then they had but they had better hearts then we have Feare not thine owne weaknesse if thy heart be upright For as it is not any strength that is in thee that can make thee stand in such a triall In his owne might shall no man be strong saith Anna in her song 1 Sam. 2.9 if ever we be strong at such a time it must be in the Lord onely and in the power of his might as the Apostle speaketh Ephes. 6.10 so the sense we have of our owne weakenesse is no hinderance to the Lords strengthening of us but a furtherance unto it rather His power is made perfect in weakenesse 2 Cor. 12.9 As if he had said it useth to shew it selfe most in them that have most sense of their owne weakenesse Out of weakenesse saith the Apostle of the Martyrs in the time of Antiochus Hebrewes 11.34 they were made strong Thirdly and lastly Such as are upright in heart shall be sure to have a comfortable issue and a joyfull deliverance out of all their tentations Marke the perfect man saith David Ps 3â— 37 and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace Thou art oft subject to grievous tentations and spirituall desertions that maketh thy life wearisome and burdensome unto thee Thy well-beâ—oved is gone thou hast no sense of Gods favour Thou art apt to say with Zion Esa 49.14
away even as they are led as the Apostle speaketh 1 Corinthians 12.2 and according to the opinion they have of their teachers gifts Certainely this Motive should bee of great force with us in these dayes wherein wee are in such danger to bee seduced and drawne into errour For our land swarmeth not onely with Papists those grievous Wolves that the Apostle speaketh Acts. 20.29 that spare not the flocke but even of our owne selves as hee speaketh in the next words verse 30. doe men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them They want disciples poore men they are not followed so much as they thinke themselves worthy to bee I doe not perswade you all to seeke for that measure of knowledge that you may bee able to reason with every Papist or with every seducer I could wish with Moses Numb 11.29 would to God that all the Lords people were Prophets that they were able to doe this But that measure of knowledge is not to bee looked for in all Christians Nay God requireth it not of every Christian to dispute and reason with seducers Hee forbiddeth it rather Avoid them saith the Apostle Rom. 16.17 Turne away from such 2 Tim. 3.5 As if hee had sayd reason not with them read not their bookes But even this you will never bee able to doe you will never with that detestation as yee ought avoid and turne away from such as seeke to pervert you unlesse you have knowledge unlesse you bee upon good grounds assured that it is indeed the truth of God which yee have learned and received and professed all this while And this is that which Solomon teacheth us Proverbs 19.27 Cease my sonne to heare the instruction which causeth to erre from the words of knowledge As if hee should say Reason not with him heare not that man read not that booke that would draw thee from the truth of God from that which thou knowest thou hast learned out of his word Fourthly and lastly Hee that hath knowledge walketh boldly confidently and comfortably whereas hee that wanteth knowledge unlesse he bee also senslesse must needs bee full of doubts and feares continually When thou goest saith Solomon Proverbs 4.12 speaking of this benefit of knowledge thy steps shall not bee straitned and when thou runnest thou shalt not stumble As if hee had said When a man knoweth himselfe to be in the right way and that he hath good warrant in Gods word for that which he holdeth or practiseth hee may bee bold to runne in that way hee need not feare being too forward or zealous in it And hee giveth a good reason for this Proverbs 22.12 The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge As if hee had said The Lord will have a speciall eye to him that doth that which he doth upon knowledge to preserve and protect him from whatsoever danger hee may incurre for doing of it On the other side Hee that is ignorant walketh at all adventures and must needes bee in doubt and uncertaine whether that hee doth please God or no. Hee that walketh in darkenesse saith our Saviour Iohn 12.35 knoweth not whither hee goeth And consequently hee must needes bee full of feare If a man walke in the night saith our Saviour Iohn 11.10 hee stumbleth because there is no light in him Lecture C. On Psalme 51.6 Octob. 14. 1628. IT followeth now that wee proceed to direct you unto the Meanes whereby this found and sanctified knowledge may be attained This then wee must now understand that God hath appointed meanes whereby the simplest of his people may attaine unto knowledge in religion yea unto a cleare and certaine and sanctified knowledge if they shall use them diligently For this wee have Gods expresse promise Prov. 2.4 5. If thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hid treasures if thou seekest grace and piety diligently and desirest it more then any other thing then shalt thou understand the feare of the Lord and find the knowledge of God And Hos. 6.3 Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord. As if hee had said If we give not over the diligent use of those meanes that God hath sanctified to breed and worke it in our hearts we shall certainely attaine to a cleare and certaine knowledge of God and of his will Now these meanes that God hath sanctified to bring us to saving knowledge by are seven principally whereof the first two are but preparatives unto the rest First He that would attaine to saving and sanctified knowledge in the matters of God must first discerne his owne ignorance and blindnes in these things This is the Apostles rule 1 Cor. 3.18 Let no man deceive himselfe If any man among you seemeth to bee wise in this world let him become a foole that hee may bee wise As if hee had sayd Hee must first become in his owne sense and apprehension a foole hee must discerne how ignorant a foole hee is that hee may become wise These are the onely persons whom the Lord calleth and receiveth to be his schollers to be taught of him Prov. 9.4 Who so is simple let him turne in hither And these are the onely persons that are capable of heavenly and spirituall knowledge The testimony of the Lord is sure saith David Psalme 19.7 making wise the simple And whom meaneth the holy Ghost by these simple ones Surely not so much such as want understanding as such as doe discerne and feele their owne ignorance and want of understanding in heavenly things Let no man then that is in this case bee discouraged or despaire of attaining unto knowledge Nay let him comfort himselfe in this that though it commeth from the corruption of his nature that hee is so ignorant yet the sight and sense of his ignorance commeth from grace and not from corruption and maketh him more apt to bee taught of God then another man is On the other side The conceit that most men have that they have knowledge enough is a maine hinderance of their salvation and barre unto saving knowledge As is plaine by that speech of our Saviour unto the Pharsees that had asked him Are wee blind also Iohn 9.40 41. If yee were blind saith hee yee should have no sinne but now yee say wee see therefore your sinne remaineth Why were they not blind and ignorant Yes verily and so our Saviour calleth them Matth. 23.26 but hee saith here they were not blind because they discerned not their owne blindnesse and therefore their case was so fearefull So that I may conclude this first point with that speech of the Apostle 1 Cor. 8.2 If any man thinke that hee knoweth any thing he knoweth nothing yet as hee ought to know As if hee should say If any man bee conceited of his owne knowledge and cannot discerne and bewaile his ignorance certainely hee neither hath any saving knowledge at all nor is capable of it Secondly Hee that would attaine unto
reward them oft that serve his providence in his justice for the ruine and destruction of men though they have no goodnesse in them at all it is no marvell though he reward them much more who by some goodnesse that is in them doe serve his providence in the preservation and welfare of men Secondly These civill vertues must needs be good things and such as God doth love and will reward because they are such things as God hath in his law commanded The Gentiles saith the Apostle Romanes 2.14 15. doe by nature the things contained in the law and shew the worke of the law written in their hearts As if hee should say These things doe evidently shew and declare that the law of God is written in their hearts You see then Beloved wee doe not discommend civill honesty wee doe not discourage naturall men from doing good workes wee doe not condemne all the workes of naturall men nor say that whatsoever they doe that are not religious is abominable and naught Nay wee heartily wish there were much more civill honesty in the world then there is Hee that is truly religious would bee ashamed that any naturall man should bee more honest then hee True religion is no enemy to civill and morall honesty nay it is a great nourisher and increaser of it It is a dangerous errour that most men are growne now unto to thinke it indiscretion and want of learning and judgement in a Minister to stand much in pressing of points of morality in his Sermon or in particular reproofe of such faults as are committed by men in their buying and selling and such like passages of their ordinary conversation and dealings one with another It is thought now adayes there is no divinity in this they goe besides their Text when they deale in these things No no beloved bee not deceived Those points that God in his Word standeth most upon wee must presse most in our ministery and those are these matters of your common practise It is a strange thing to observe how plentifull and particular and precise the Holy Ghost is in pressing men to deale justly in all their dealings with men even in weights and measures of all sorts You shall doe no unrighteousnesse in judgement saith the Lord Levit. 19.35 36 in mâ—â—eyard in weight or in measure Iust ballances just weight a just Ephah and a just Hiâ— shall ye have I am the Lord your God that brought you out of the land of Egypt And againe Deut. 25.13 16. Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights of one kind hee meaneth a great and a small Thou shalt not have in thine house diverse measures a great and a small one to buy by another to sell by But thou shalt have a perfect and a just weight a perfect and just measure shalt thou have that thy daies may bee lengthened in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee For all that doe such things and all that doe unrighteously marke it I pray you all that doe unrighteously in what kind soever are an abomination unto the Lord thy God Marke also I pray you how much the Apostles in the New Testament doe presse upon Gods people in their exhortations that they would bee carefull to walke honestly Walke honestly towards them that are without saith the Apostle Paul 1 Thess. 4.12 And the Apostle Peter 1 Pet. 2.12 Have your conversation honest among the Gentiles And the Apostle Paul againe Phil. 4.8 Whatsoever things are honest think on these things As if he had said Be not forgetfull or carelesse of such things And Rom. 13.13 Let us walke honestly as in the day And in the following words he instanceth in some speciall points of dishonesty he would have them to take heed of It is dishonesty to be drunke yea to use rioting idle-company-keeping haunting and sitting at the ale-house to drinke or to game though a man bee never drunke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith he It is dishonesty to use chambering and wantonnesse secret familiarity and dalliance with a woman lascivious speeches and gestures though a man never commit whordome Yea it is dishonesty saith the Apostle for a man to live in strife and envying to be a contentious person unpeaceable unquiet though he never oppresse or defraud or wrong his neighbour any other way Provide things honest saith he againe Rom. 12.17 In the sight of all men The word he useth there is worth the observing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As if he had said Cast for this before hand take care of this that you do nothing that is dishonest that you faile not in any point of honesty by no meanes And he professeth Heb. 13.18 that this was a thing himselfe tooke much comfort in that he had a good conscience in all things willing to live honestly And what meaneth he by honesty Surely such duties of the second table which the light of nature teacheth men to make conscience of And why I pray you doe the Apostles stand so much upon commending honesty unto Gods people Surely for two causes First Because they knew that nothing would grace religion so much and win it credit in the eyes of all men as this would doe when they see that they that professe it are of honest conversation just men and faithfull and courteous and meeke and patient and humble and kind and mercifull men This reason the Apostle giveth 1 Pet 2.12 Having your conversation saith he honest among the Gentiles that where as they speake against you as evill doers they may by your good workes which they shall behold that is by your honesty such workes as they by the light of nature know to be good workes glorifie God in the day of visitation Secondly Because they knew that on the other side nothing doth make religion so odious and contemptible in the world nor so much harden the hearts of men against it as the want of honesty in such as doe professe it that they are guilty of such things as even by the light of nature all men may discerne to bee grosse and vile When the Canaanites and Perizzites had seene what the sonnes of Iacob had done to the Shechemites how they had broken their promise and covenant with them how cruelly and barbarously they had used them and all under a colour of zeale for their owne religion this made Iacob and his religion though alas he was farre from approving or consenting to this that they had done stink among the inhabitants of the land as himselfe saith Gen. 34. â—0 You see beloved what moved the Apostles to commend honesty so much unto Gods people in their times and surely the same reasons have moved mee to speake so much in the commendation of it unto you at this time Never was it more neglected by some professours of religion then now it is never did the Gospell receive more dishonour and reproach through the neglect of it then now it doth I beseech you
by promise to them that keepe his Sabbath not onely to worke sanctification increase of holinesse and power over their corruptions which hee professeth in that former place of Ezekiel was the very end hee gave his Sabbath for but also by his spirit of adoption to increase in their hearts a lively sense of his favour assurance that he heareth and accepteth their prayers peace of conscience joy in the Holy Ghost which are blessings the Christian soule prizeth above all things in the world Why may you say may not a man receive increase of grace and spirituall comfort in the use of Gods ordinances on any other day but onely on the Sabbath I answer Yes verily but these promises may give him assurance to receive them more richly and plentifully upon the Sabbath then on any other day The second sort of blessings that the conscionable observers of the Sabbath receive by it are temporall For concerning them also wee have a promise Esa. 58.14 that he that heartily and spiritually keepeth the Sabbath God will cause him to ride upon the high places of the earth he shall have honour and esteeme in the world so farre as it shall be good for him and he will feed him with the heritage of Iacob that is he shall continue and abide safely in the land of Canaan which God promised to Iacob for his inheritance Gen. 28.13.48.4 Yea the Lord will nourish and feed them he shall eat the good things of the land as the Lord promiseth Esa. 1.19 to all that yeeld willing obedience unto him Lecture CXXXVI On Psalme 51.7 December 29. 1629. IT followeth now that we make some application of that which wee have heard touching the Sabbath and so proceed unto the two last particulars of those five which I have proved to be in many a man that is no better then an hypocrite And that which I have to say by way of application is first of all more generall and concerneth all other persons and places as well as this secondly more speciall and concerneth this place principally Of all I may say ô that God would give us hearts to beleeve that which wee have heard taught us concerning the observation of the Sabbath day out of the Word of God by which wee must bee all judged at the great and dreadfull day as our Saviour assureth us Iohn 12.48 O that wee could beleeve that the surest way to make our Church and State to flourish to secure us from enemies abroad and Papists at home to maintaine Gods Gospell and the purity of his religion amongst us that the surest way to make our Townes and families and persons to prosper and do well were to keepe the Lords rest upon his holy day If we could beleeve this then would wee bee the more carefull to keepe the Sabbath better our selves and then would wee doe what lieth in us that it might bee better kept by others also I know our corrupt hearts are apt to have in them many reasonings against the strict observation of the Sabbath day And these imaginations and reasonings that wee have in us against the truth of God the Apostle 2 Cor. 10.4 5. calleth strong holds and high things that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God But of all these strong holds and high things I may say as our Saviour saith in another case and another sense speaking of the faith of miracles Matth. 17.20 If wee had but as much faith as a graine of musterd seed but a little faith to beleeve the promises and threatnings that we have heard concerning the observation or neglect of the Sabbath we might easily remove all these mountaines out of our way Diverse notable good lawes we have had made of late yeares for the better observation of the Sabbath day Some to restraine men from doing their owne workes some other to compell men to doe the Lords worke by frequenting diligently the Church assemblies upon that day And blessed be God that hath given that heart to our King and State to make such lawes In respect whereof it may be fitly said of them as Deborah speaketh in another case Iudg. â— 9 My heart is towards the governours of Israel that offered themselves willingly among the people Blesse ye the Lord. The hearts of all Gods people should be towards the governours of Israel for shewing themselves so willing to provide for the sanctifying of the Lords Sabbath we should all blesse the Lord for them The whole land I nothing doubt fareth the better and hath had the tranquility thereof lengthened the rather even by the zeale that our governours have shewed in this point towards God and towards his house But that which is said of the daies of King Iehosâ—phat 2 Chron. 20.32 33. may fitly be applied to our times Iehosaphat did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. Howbeit the high places were not taken away for as yet the people did not prepare their hearts unto the God of their fathers Our gracious King in Parliament hath done that which is right in the sight of the Lord in making these good lawes Howbeit the Sabbath is still in most places shamefully profaned these good lawes are not executed for the people do not prepare their hearts unto God they have no heart to his honour or service at all And indeed in nothing doth it better appeare that the hearts of the people generally are not prepared unto God but utterly alienated and estranged from him then in this that when they have but the least colour and semblance of law to justifie any of their unwarantable practises whereby they may trouble any of their brethren and devise deceitfull matters against them that are quiet in the land as the Prophet speaketh Psal. 35.20 there they will seeme wondrous zealous for the lawes and presse them hotly they frame their mischiefe by a law as the Prophet speaketh Psal. 94.20 they pretend nothing so much for their deadly hatred against others that are innocent as that they doe not obey the law This was Hamans outcry against Gods people in his time Est. 3.8 These keepe not the kings lawes And of Daniels adversaries against him Dan. 6.13 He regardeth not thee ô king nor the decree that thou hast signed And of those lewd fellowes of the baser sort which we read of Acts 17.5 7. against Paul and the brethren with him These all say they doe contrary to the decrees of Caesar. Whereas I say to colour their malice against God and his people they seeme zealous for the law for the Magistrate Let the Magistrate make lawes that tend most directly to the honour of God that concerne the weightiest matters of Gods law as our gracious Iehosaphat hath done for the observation of the Sabbath for the punishment of swearing for the suppressing of the multitude and disorders of ale-houses the very chiefe nurseries of all profanesse and impiety these lawes you shall find they have no zeale