they cannot want instruction if they will go for it to almost every Church about them or to their knowing Neighbours and desire to be instructed It 's one of these two or both that undoes all the World uncatechised Head and an unmortified Heart He that hath an honest Heart and a willing Mind cannot want the knowledge that is necessary to Salvation and wo to them that want this knowledge for the Lord Jesus shall shortly be revealed from Heaven in flaming Fire to take Vengeance on all that know not God Shun Ignorance therefore for he that knows not God cannot Remember him Thirdly Flee Inconsideracy for next to Ignorance this is the great impediment to this Remembrance and your own Happiness Wherefore hath God given thee a Faculty to consider and bestowed Reason on thee Wherefore hath he set his Word and Works before thee Doth he not mean to draw forth thy thoughts thereby that thou mayst consider and reap the benefit and give God the Glory The most concerning weighty truth will do no good and never affect thy Heart unless they be considered Though you know and believe that God is the Spring-head from whence all your Mercies come and that he hath redeemed you by his Son and offereth to save you by his Spirit and Word if you will but come unto Christ by Faith yet if you consider not these things no wonder if you make light of Christ no wonder if you trample his Blood under your Feet and go your â—way one to his Farm another to his Merchandize and take the happiness the World will afford you though it be at the Plow and Cart in rising early and sitting up late and in the hardest Toyl and Labour rather than believe in the Son of God or spend an hour in Prayer or reading the Word of God that you may Remember him that hath made all things and to whom all the World is but a shadow Though you believe that the wicked shall be turned into Hell and all that forget God and that all that die in impenitency shall be sentenced to the Eternal Flames yet if you shut these thoughts out of your minds and will not consider them what wonder if you live as if there were no such things What though you believe that the hour is coming in which all that are in the Grave shall hear the Voice of the Son of God and come forth they that have done good to the Resurrection of Life John 5.28 29. yet if you consider not what God hath prepared for them that love him no wonder if you be weary and faint in the way Consideration openeth the Eye and softneth the Heart and maketh you feel the force and power of truth If you shut your Eyes by inconsideration the most taking Objects will never move you and the most fearful sight will never fright you Though it is impossible to perswade a Man whose Eyes are open to run into the Fire or Water or throw himself down a Precipice yet going on and shuts his Eyes will not long escape one mischief or another you will go with the Ox to the slaughter and with the Fool to the correction of the Stocks if you consider not that it is for your Life O how many are now roaring in the unquenchable Fire that would never have come there if they had but considered O how many forget God and their own Souls day after day that would not that could not do so if they did but seriously consider What madness hath filled the Heart of Man that he should be backward to nothing more than to consider whilst it may do him good and when every thought will cut his Heart he will follow the work close and do nothing else but reflect upon and bewail his misery As consideration if it be timely followed and wisely managed is the best and usual instrument on mans part to bring a foolish careless senseless sinner to his wits again So Consideration when it is too late is the greatest instrument to put him quite out of his Wits and to fill his Heart with raging down-right madness for ever You will not be perswaded to consider now what you are doing and whither you are going and why God hath made you and given you life and time but mark what a Prophet tells you that cannot be deceived 〈…〉 In the latter days you shall consider it perfectly and no tongue shall be able to perswade you to the contrary As corrupt Nature is backward to nothing more than consideration whilst the day of mercy lasteth so he is prone to nothing more after this day is past and gone and as he will not consider now so he shall not then avoid it Lord when thy hand is lifted up they will not see but they shall see and be ashamed 〈…〉 If you would therefore Remember God to your comfort and not to your terror shun Inconsideracy and fill your Hearts with matter from the daily observation of Gods Word and Works to feed your consideration I might insist more largely upon the hindrances and shew you what impediments 1. Pride 2. Discontent 3. and Worldliness are to this Remembrance but I wave them and proceed to the positive Directions First If you would get a comforting worthy Remembrance of God into your Heart then get your Heart deeply affected with the mischief that sin hath done you and the love and compassion that Christ hath shewed to you If you understand not what God made you at the first and for what an honourable high and noble end and how much your Nature is distorted and though you could not help it that you took such a perverse Nature from your Parents yet you have too much given your Actual Consent in that you have not bewailed and lamented your case in any considerable measure to this day If you know not what ever sin deserveth nor see so much evil in it as that it should deserve the penalty that God hath threatned nor consider what number of sins you have been guilty of and to what a degree of guilt they have been aggravated by you and what a necessity there was that you should perish everlastingly unless God should deny himself which the Apostle tells us he cannot do â— Tim. 2.13 and suffer his Justice Wisdom and Holiness to lie under disgrace and reproach if Christ had not undergone the wrath of God and so stop'd the mouth of Justice vindicated the Law of God made Transgression odious and ingag'd to bring the sinners to Repentance that should partake of the Fruits of his Death and to humble them in the sense of their former wickedness and to restore the Image of God in them again and to bring them to the love of his service again which before their Repentance and Conversion they do naturally hate and abhor If you do not understand what Christ hath done for you already and what he will do by his Spirit to the changing of your Hearts If
of him may be our sweetest daily Exercise and Imployment But without Consideration you cannot approach him nor get any transforming reviving sight of him His Ways are in the Seas and his Paths are in the deep Waters and Foot-steps cannot be known nor track'd without frequent Exercise of your Considering Faculty Psal 77.19 Secondly As we have the matters of greatest importance and necessity to Consider so we have many special advantages to excite and awaken Consideration One would think the worth and weightiness of the Object should be spur enough to quicken us to this Work and command our thoughts if there were no other motive to prick us forward but we have many current helps many a loud call from the Word of God set on by his appointed Servants that are sent forth on purpose upon this Errand Many providential help both sweet and terrible and something besides the common course strange and unusual and therefore more fit to set the Mind a thinking from what cause they come and what they drive at The veryest Atheist is sometime blank'd at some strange and unheard of events and knows not what interpretation to make of them nor whether to refer them for having denied the true Author of them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They become vain in their imanations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And their foolish Heart is darkned Rom. 1.21 Yea that arch Opposer of Providence Epicurus himself had not made such a progress in Forgetfulness of God and the denial of a Deity governing and over-ruling the Affairs of the Earth but that he was so startled by some effects that he observed that he could not utterly wipe the notion of a Providence out of his Mind When a Blasphemer is struck dead in the very Act of his Blasphemy and Vengeance lights upon another with a fearful imprecation in his Mouth and some effects are so anomalous and besides the course of Nature that it is no thanks to the most Atheistical to bring in their Witness and to confess the Wisdom and Power and Justice of God Let a Man that truly worshippeth and feareth God in such a time of dreadful and publick Calamity as this is applaud the Justice of God and freely confess his handy work and assign the notorious publick allowed and encouraged sins of the City and Nation for the meritorious and provoking Cause It may be a purblind thick sighted Beast whose God is his Belly and whose Glory is his Shame that is drunk with Sensual Pleasure Phil. 9.13 will tell you that such a mortality comes about in the revolution and circle of so many years and will rake the Kennel for the Cause and ascribe the effects to the naughtiness of the Streets rather than to the naughtiness of their Hearts or look up to the true efficient to whom these causes they usually fasten upon are but subservient and all that they might hide their shame and that they might perswade themselves and others that their sin hath no hand in bringing such a scourge upon us but yet for all that when the Judgment comes a little nearer to them and begins to find them out and awaken them to Consideration which they had no time for when they were running from one brutish pleasure to another then they begin to see and to be confounded with shame They cannot now laugh out of their Hearts all serious thoughts of a Life to come nor make a jest of a Holy Life as they did in the day of their delusion but would give a World if they had it to die the death of the Righteous No wonder that strange and extraordinary Providences whether they be of Mercy or Judgment jostle the most sottish and inconsiderate Mind and awaken it to think other thoughts of all things than they did before and enforce an Heathenish Earthly Mind that spent all its thoughts upon vanity before to say that all is but vanity and God's Favour is the only ground for true Contentment if this good fit would last which Consideration hath brought him to But alas â—o sooner is the Providence over that brought him to Consider but he grows careless again and sleeps into Atheism and whilst things run in a constant Channel and keep a constant course God is not in all his thoughts Psal 10.4 Now they think that Repentance and Faith and Self-denial are the work of Cowards yes and such as believe that God hath as great hand in the orderly course and motion of things as when they go out of order and Water that is a fluid body and should run stands still and Fire that should burn doth not Let but a Man consider and it 's as easie to believe that it s as great a power must enable the Sun to run it's race as to stand still or go backward to preserve the Societies of Men as destroy and waste them with a devouring Plague All the difference is Men now consider that would not before and conclude at least that it 's the safest course to live the Life of the Righteous though there were no God and oh that all would so conclude and hold fast such a conclusion and live accordingly then they would quickly see more and more evidence of God in the Word and the necessity of his Service and the excellency of his ways and rise up to a higher conclusion That when as before they could say it was the safest way to renounce worldly Pleasure and to mortifie their Lusts and to addict themselves to the Love and Service oâ— God now they would be able to say that it 's perfect madness not to take this course It 's a Wisdom to be laughed at to be wise for this Life and neglect the Life to come A little Consideration would shew the nakedness of such pretended Wisdom and among other helps this of Publick Calamity where Plague or Famine or any extraordinary Judgment sweeps away thousands calls the rest to come and behold the works of the Lord what Desolations he hath wrought among us Psal 46.10 Be still and know that I am God I will be exalted among the People I will be acknowledged by these careless and Atheistical Sinners ver 11. And if the Lethargy of Mens Minds be not great they will consider those that were even lost before for want of attention to the Word and Works of God will awaken now or it 's too much to be feared never shall I call it therefore a Judgment or a Mercy which the compassionate God hath sent upon this Nation that gives us so much advantage to come to sober thoughts Doth it not give some check whether we will or not to the external acts of Pride Luxury and Uncleanness whereby the inward Acts are weakened and we have time to reason with our selves and are better disposed to consider when freed from the clog of worldly cares and from the fumes of a surfeited Body overcharged with Meat and Drink and from the flattering Friend that make us
of no other Argument though I could produce several if he died for such as deny him and crucifie him to themselves afresh and finally perish then he died no question for the rest but that he tasted Death for such is plain Heb. 10.29 Having in the verse before shewed the miserable end of those that despised Moses's Law he infers by way of interrogation Of how much sorer punishment shall he be thought worthy of that hath trodden under foot the Son of God and hath counted the Blood of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despight to the Spirit of Grace and yet plainer 2 Pet. 2.1 There shall be false Teachers as the Apostle gives them warning that shall bring in damnable Heresie denying the Lord that bought them So that hence it is evident that Christ laid down his Blood as a price to redeem them that ungratefully deny him And if Christ had not died for all it could not be the duty of every man to believe in him But there is nothing more unquestionable than that every one is bound to believe and such as refuse are threatned with a more fearful destruction because they wickedly frustrate as much as in them lies such a wonderful Grace of God and withstand the highest motive to Repentance and a new life 1 Cor. 6.20 Ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie him in your Body and in your Spirit which are his The Apostle speaketh to the Corinthians in general among whom there were many unbelievers And what 's the Argument he useth to perswade them to Faith and newness of Life but because Christ hath shewed such love to them as to die for them Since he hath offered up his Body upon the Cross for you do you offer up your Souls and Bodies unto him to be instruments of Righteousness to do him service is the force of the Apostles Argument We see then that the Death of Christ and the Gift of the Spirit are obligations upon all that hear the Gospel at least to a thankful Commemoration of the love of God and a Remembrance of him There are none that live under the sound and influence of the Gospel but have the love of Christ expressed in his Incarnation Life and Death for them to move them externally by way of Argument and the powerful Spirit inwardly to check their Corruptions and prompt them to obedience in some degree and measure and if they will not think upon the one nor submit to the other but slightly regard the one and stubbornly resist the other and stiffle every good motion which they feel and keep off from any serious thoughts of the death of Christ and will not be perswaded to consider the Blood that was shed for them nor suffer his love to be shed abroad into their hearts by the Holy Spirit Let such know that their forgetfulness of God is the more heynous because it hath so fast an obligation as this to the most necessary duty of remembrance the Word also as well as the Spirit What are all the passages of Scripture but such as prepare for or directly stir up to such a Remembrance You may observe some parts of Scripture more remotely conduce to this grand duty of remembring God other parts do more immediately serve to produce it where it is wanting others to reduce and recover it when 't is lost So that one of these three ways either by conducing to it or producing or reducing of it all the parts of Gods Word conspire io this principal duty The main division of the Scripture is into the Old and New Testament But what is the design and drift of both these but to rescue or preserve a Memory of God in the World Our Saviour sums up the Old Testament in these two heads the Law and the Prophets Now what doth the Law serve for if not to mind us of the great Law-giver and to beget an awe of his Soveraignty upon the World And the main end of the Prophets and their Prophesies was to reproduce this Remembrance of God when the ungrateful People had forgot him And what can be the end of that Light that hath shined to us in the Gospel but to teach us to deny all ungodliness 〈◊〉 Forgetfulness of God and to live soberly and righteously and godly in this present evil World which we can never do without frequent and effectual Remembrance of God and our Lord Jesus Christ I might more particularly insist here and shew how all the Precepts Promises and Threatnings which are the three essential parts of Gods Word are intended to this end and will leave the Soul inexcusable that forgets him or how the several Books of the Old and New Testament which are the integral parts of God's Word oblige to this Remembrance But I think the case is so plain and clear that none of these ways of demonstration is needful to convince us That the whole Word of God is no little impulsive but presseth earnestly to this Remembrance and is therefore another great Aggravation of the sin of Forgetfulness I shall only chuse to set some of those Texts of Scripture before you that are fullest of Affection and most Pathetical and that shew how unwilling God is to forget poor sinners or that they should perish as they must needs do in their Forgetfulness of him Esay 48.18 19. With what passion doth the Lord mourn over the poor forgetful Israelites that had even now brought utter ruine upon themselves O that thou hadst hearkened to my Commandments then had thy Peace been as a River and thy Righteousness as the Waves of the Sea Thy Seed also had been as the Sand and the off-spring of thy Bowels as the Gravel thereof and Hos 11.8 When the ten Tribes were got to such a degree of wickedness that God was not remembred by them any longer but they had divorced him from them by their Idolatries and could bear no longer without disparagement to the Truth and Justice of God with what unwillingness doth he throw them off How shall I give thee up O Ephraim How shall I deliver thee Israel How shall I make thee as Admah How shall I set thee as Zeboim My Heart is turned within me my Repentings are kindled together What heart that is not desperately sick of stupidity can hear this sound and not return and recover the remembrance of him whom before he had forgot O that my People had hearkened unto me and Israel had walked in my ways I should soon have subdued their Enemies and turned my Hand against their Adversaries The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him but their time should have endured for ever He should have fed them also with the finest of the Wheat and with Honey out of the Rock should I have satisfied thee Ps 81.13 14 15. Thus you see how these and such like Scriptures Numbers of which might be gathered together and as the parts of
such thoughts Such as these have their Hearts frequently filled with Laughter and their Tongues with Rejoycing Psal 126.2 Hence those unimitable strains of David so frequent in the Psalms I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live I will sing praise unto my God whilst I have my being My Meditation of him shall be sweet I will be glad in the Lord Psal 104.33 34. The more bright and glorious the Object is upon which the thoughts do dwell the more it doth exhilerate and refresh In a word The more God is in thy Remembrance the more of Content and substantial Joy thou shalt feel in thy Heart So much for the means by way of consideration to help forward in this duty I now come to the means by way of Exercise or the more practical Directions And these are either more positive and such as directly concern the Duty or else negative and such as comprize the hinderances which are to be carefully avoided And as these are first in practice so they shall be first in the directions First If you would get the pleasure of these Thoughts into your Heart you must not allow your selves to live in any known sin whatsoever because such sin is of an oblivious nature and will extinguish the Memory of God The love and voluntary entertainment of an Enemy and Traytor will not consist with the Love and Loyalty we owe to God and which a worthy Remembrance doth imply Even Men will question your Love and Friendship and take you for a double dealer and a false hearted dissembler if you take an utter Enemy of theirs into your Fellowship and use him as your Intimate and Companion And though it may consist with Friendship to fall into the company of one that is an Enemy to your Friend now and then when it is not your choice and seeking but surprize or some other reason drew you into his company not any special love to or complacency in his Person and you are glad when you have an opportunity to be rid of such a Guest yet you plainly violate such Love and Friendship and are like to lose all interest in your Friend if you chose his known Adversary for your allowed ordinary Companion And as Love will not consist with such allowance and tolleration of that which is destructive of the thing or person which you love so much less is Loyalty and true Subjection consistent with wilful and allowed Contradiction to the command of him that hath just Rule and Authority over us A discret Master will not take him for a Servant but for a Rebel that will ordinarily oppose and cross his Just and Righteous Command Neither will a Parent that doth not dote take that for an obedient Child that lives in the constant violation of a reasonable Command And thus it is in all Government here on Earth and there can be no true Subjection where there is such perpetual Contradiction in any one particular that falls within Bond and Obligation and is plain Duty Though the case is otherwise if the point be disputable and it is no Rebellion if any one case there be 1. No Command 2. No right to Command if a Servant does that to which he believes he hath no contrary Command or humbly refuseth that which his Master hath no right to command him his Credit is still good notwithstanding in any mans account that judgeth Righteous Judgment I know it argues a Rebellious Inclination and some degree of Disloyalty to question that Command where it 's plain and evident yet where it 's certain we have no Command from God it 's as certain that we are under no Obligation But there is a deeper taint of Rebellion in the Heart and more of enmity to God that lives in the constant breach and violation of a known Duty and allows himself in the practice of that which he knows God is displeased with This will not suffer him to live in the Remembrance of God whom he doth daily provoke If you are therefore such as can live constantly in known sin you will thrust all thoughts of God out of your mind as those which will but create fear and terror in you But if you have a sincere though not a perfect respect to all Gods Commands you may take Comfort and Pleasure in the Thoughts and Remembrance of God though you do fail if you allow it not but oppose your sin and confess it and pray and strive against it this will consist with the Love of God which must be in the Heart that will worthily Remember him Secondly As you must in the General resist all known Sin so in Particular Ignorance or want of the knowledge of God is an utter Enemy to this Remembrance and therefore must be carefully avoided Can a Man think that which he hath no knowledge of and love where he sees no Beauty and obey he knows not whom nor why He that knows not the Holy Nature of God and what a Perfection and Happiness it is to be like him yea what an absolute necessity there lies upon every man to be like him if he will be happy must make haste and get a cure for such Ignorance or else he can never perform the Duty we are upon If you know not that you are indebted to God for all that you have that he gave you your Being and Reason and expects Obedience and will judge you according to your present Life and Conversation and that he doth spy out the thoughts of the Heart and knows all your Imaginations If you know not what bowels of Compassion are in him and how much he taketh pleasure in your welfare and what course he hath taken to bring it to pass If you know not what Christ hath suffered for Sin and Sinners that God might pardon it without any Dishonour to his Justice and Holiness if the Sinner do repent and beg mercy you can never Remember God aright and therefore Ignorance is fearfully threatned in Scripture as the Mother of all Ungodliness And the Prophet Esay complains of this sin in the Jews and pronounces a heavy Sentence on them for it Esay 27.11 It is a People of no understanding saith he what then therefore he that made them will not have mercy and he that formed them will shew them no favour If you love your selves and have any compassion for your own Souls or do believe a Life to come take heed of this sin for without knowledge the Soul cannot be good Prov. 19.2 There are so many and excellent Books that are fitted to the cure of this Distemper that will shame this sin one day and leave it without all excuse The truths that are necessary to Salvation are so few and so plain and so agreeable to the very light of Reason and are pressed so much in the writings of so many that he or she that can but read cannot miss instruction yea they that cannot read though their case be sad yet
of it to set his Heart on a little fading Beauty Lying Honour Perishing Riches or unsatisfying Pleasure or Carnal Wisdom to be guilty of the greatest Folly that he may swagger a little while So it makes as wide difference in the Means and prevails with some to humble them that God may in his due time exalt them to emyloy their thoughts how to mortifie their Affections to the World how to strengthen the Love of God to root their Faith more deeply by a more frequent Exercise of it and how to get their Hearts more affected with the wonderful love of Christ This makes them so frequent in Prayer so attentive upon the Word so intent upon all Christs appointed Means that they may increase in Spiritual Understanding and Love when the Inconsiderate can dispence with these for a little worldly Gain or Ease and prefer Earthly Toyl and Labour before a little pains to get the true Wisdom and to save their Souls In the Name of God therefore I beseech you to consider if you would not be guilty of the greatest dotage and miscarry in the choice of your End and consequently of all the means If you would not take a Dream for Happiness and spend your Strength for nought and be forced to confess your Folly when you come to die Force your selves to Consider especially when you have the best advantages to promote Consideration when you have Time Leisure Health seasonable Instruction from the Word and Providence of God and you feel more sensible Conviction of the worth of God's Favour and the vanity of all things then consider and set it home and drive on to a Resolution to forget God no longer Consideration will help you to do this if you will follow it and encourage your selves to it and not check your Minds when they are thus employed Plead not your Ignorance and Unskilfulness do it as well as you can and use will make you more expert much less plead your Impotency and pretend that you are utterly unable If a little Worldly Trouble come upon you you can consider how to get out or shake off the Trouble If you are under a Reproach and a little Contempt of Men you can Consult and Consider how you may wipe it off and vindicate your Name and Credit But oh what thoughts of Heart and wise and deep Consideration to secure Life it self and the Comforts that are nearest and dearest to it These are Signs that we have the Faculty and can Consider about those things that we value or have any love to That Men are therefore so Inconsiderate in the Concernments of their Souls and about the matters of another Life It 's an evident Sign they value them not they care not for them to awaken such therefore and put them upon this great and necessary Work I shall suggest these following Proposals Incentives to Consideration FIrst You have matters of the greatest importance and necessity to Consider If it were only to live happily here and to escape the miseries of this Life it 's worth Consideration to bring this about but it is an Everlasting Life and Happiness that we are to provide for which if we do not compass it 's not the loss of this that will be our only Misery though it be an unspeakable unvaluable Loss But you must bear also the Wrath of God that will kindle on you like a devouring Fire and the Fury of a guilty awakened Conscience that will fall upon you like a Tempest and fright your Soul into Everlasting Dread and Horror And doth it not mightily concern us to Consider how to escape all this If thou hast any love to thy own Soul when the Qustion is whether thou shalt live or die for ever thou wilt Consider and thoroughly resolve thy self If thou hadst lost a dear and powerful Friend on whose Favour all thy Worldly Hopes did depend thou wouldst not refuse to let thy Thoughts run upon such a Subject as this is neither would it be tedious to thee to Consider how thou mightest obtain thy Pardon and regain his Favour The case is Ten thousand times worse incomparably more sad You have lost the Favour of God and are fallen under his Displeasure and you are like to perish for ever unless Consideration bring you to bewail your loss and sin which is the cause of it and bring you to Repentance and so prepare you to believe in Christ If you had some great business to dispatch intricate and doubtful you would endanger your Estate or Life if it were either neglected or imprudently managed who would not summon up all the Reason that he hath and consider well how he may dispatch it as successfully as he can And do you not perceive how absurd it is to be careless how your present Life is ordered that must decide the Case and Detriment how you shall live for ever and not to Consider and that to purpose how you may get Christ for your Friend to procure your Acceptance with God how to get the Holy Spirit of Promise to dwell in you to turn the stream of your Affections from Earth to Heaven and to subdue your Corruptions and to fortifie and encourage you against Temptations to put you upon your Duty and to enable you to a right Performance You will lay by such works as this or do it in a mad and careless fashion if you do not Consider why and how it must be done It 's Consideration that must shew you the truth and certainty of the Life to come the Glory of Heaven and what an intollerable loss it is to fall short of it It 's that must shew you what a Debter you are to God and to your Redeemer and the worth and excellency of your Soul and the necessity of a renewed Holy Nature and of an Humble and Self-denial Life Consideration I say must needs shew these things and affect your Heart with them and make you sensible how much they do import and how nearly they do concern you or you will never do them you 'll rather take the brutish Enjoyments that Inconsideracy will make you relish and chuse the Pleasures of Delirancy and Madness rather than pay so dear for true Wisdom as you must if you are a stranger to the fore-mentioned Consideration I say pay dear in respect of the Flesh and it's sinful Contentments which must lose their Lives in the Service of God and your own Souls though it will be unspeakably cheap when you have paid the most in this kind O how doth it import us to know God as our Maker Lord and Governour in such a manner as doth affect and captivate our Hearts to a voluntary and wilful subjection to him as our only Felicity How much doth it concern us to get such a clear sight of his amiable lovely Nature and most transcendent Persections as may possess our Souls with the highest Reverence of him and kindle the strongest love to him that the Remembrance
him and lift up thy heart to him with reverence nor feel the fire kindle in thy heart and thy self willing to be offered up as a whole Burnt-offering in that fire To offer up Body and Soul with all their several faculties and actions as a living Sacrifice to him is but thy reasonable service Rom. 12.1 As it is his end why he made thee so it should be thy end to have his works continually in thine eye his Word ever in thine heart and his praises everlastingly in thy mouth This was the resolution of David and should be thine I will sing unto the Lord saith he as long as I live I will sing praises to my God whilst I have my being My meditation of him shall be sweet I will be glad in the Lord Psal 104.33 34. Consider that he hath infinite wisdom and therefore is fit to rule thee and all the world he hath infinite power and therefore its stark madness for such a Worm to resist him one word of his mouth will undo the Body and Soul for ever one angry frown of his Countenance will make thee wither and turn that moving body of thine into a dead and lifeless Clod yea and send thy Soul into eternal misery Didst thou but consider the holiness of his Nature and how much he abhorreth all sin and wickedness wouldst thou dare to commit it with so much boldness Didst thou but consider what a piercing eye he hath to whom the darkness and the light are both alike Psal 139.12 wouldst thou think to cover and conceal thy Sins from him or use craft and subtilty to blind his eyes Thou dost not consider what he is whilst thou usest such silly shifts as these are they do but provoke a wise man that hath but a Beam of Gods infinite wisdom how much more are they like to provoke him There 's nothing like ingenuity and plain dealing and humble confessing of thy Sin when thou hast to do with him Consideration of the Divine Purity and Justice would be a very effectual defence against all unjust and unrighteous practices If thou dost but consider what antipathy there is in Sin to the Divine Nature and what an affront it is to the Majesty of Heaven and Earth it would not go down so easily nor be such a sweet morsel to thee When men begin to take off the eye of their Consideration from God then they begin to walk in darkness and know not at what they stumble What makes men so vain and wicked in their imaginations and practices but because God is not in all their thoughts by Consideration What makes the ungodly to prefer the pleasures of Sin which are but for a season but because they do not eye and consider the recompence of reward What makes men either to neglect to come to God by prayer or to put up faint and cold supplications to him but that they consider not that he is and that he is a rewarder of all them that diligently seek him Thou wouldst not murmur and repine at any of Gods Providences towards thee if thou didst but consider what Equity Wisdom and Mercy there is in all his dealings towards thee thou wouldst endure the Cross and despise the shame if thou didst but seriously consider the joys that are set before thee thou wouldst be stedfast and unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord if thou didst but consider thy labour cannot be in vain in the Lord. I advise thee therefore to consider and think more frequently what an impartial righteous Judge thou hast to do with in thy actions and how dear thou shalt pay for thy Sin one of these days if thou wilt commit it and this would spur thee forward to thy duty when thou wouldst neglect it and keep thee backward from Sinful practice when thou wouldst commit it Let my counsel therefore be acceptable to thee have God more frequently in thy Meditations consider that he seeth and knoweth thy ways that he abhorreth all wickedness both of heart and life that he is the Governour of the World to whom all these things are as nothing that commandeth the Beings of Heaven and Earth that hath the Winds and the Sea and Men and Devils in the Chain of his Providence that was from all Eternity and is the same for ever and ever but thou art of yesterday and knowest nothing Job 8.9 Thou mayst resist the will of his Command and Precept because it is to try thee but thou canst not withstand the will of his purpose what he doth will peremptorily shall come to pass The Counsel of the Lord standeth for ever the thoughts of his heart to all Generations Psa 33.11 If thou lovest thy own Soul let God be continually before thy eyes it is because thou knowest him not that thou art so unlike him it is because thou art not acquainted with him that thy heart is so void of love to him it is because thou understandest him not that thou dost so little fear and reverence him And why hast thou so little knowledge and understanding of him but because thou considerest him not Didst thou but well consider his Omnipotency thou wouldst fear him more than all the world beside Didst thou but consider his Veracity thou wouldst take his word for the greatest security and give more credit to it than if thou hadst the word and Oath of the most trusty and sufficient men thou wouldst certainly believe the threatnings thereof and foresee the accomplishment of the promises thereof as if they were already made good and steer thy life according to the most wise and excellent precepts thereof Consider but his faithfulness and thou wilt see no reason to distrust him They that know thy Name saith the Prophet David will trust in thee for thou Lord hast never forsaken those that trust in thee Psal 9.10 Thou wouldst venture thy life and all thy comforts upon his Word come what will thou wouldst trust in the Lord and do good Psal 37.3 And whilst thou art intent upon thy duty wouldst not fear though men and Devils should combine against thee and the more experience thou hast the more thou wouldst be confident and say It 's better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man It 's better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in Princes Psal 118.8 9. Do but consider that he is a Spirit and thou wilt abhor a meer bodily service and tremble to let thy lips go when thy heart imagineth deceit and is not imployed in his worship and thou wouldest worship him in spirit and in truth John 4.23 24. Therefore men worship him they know not how nor care not in what manner because they worship they know not what Ver. 22. Men would not dare to offer up to him the Sacrifice of fools if they did but consider with whom they have to do Eccles 5.1 Neither would they come with dead hearts before the living God This is the
for what the World will give thee instead of it thou shalt consider when it is too late and say with that unhappy King that sold away his Kingdom for a draught of water Alas must I for so short a pleasure lose so great a Kingdom Ninthly Another thing that it concerns thee much to roul about and consider with thy deepest thoughts is the horrour and confusion of those that must be banished for ever from the face of God and sentenced to everlasting misery There 's none that escape that place but those that frequently think on it and believe it it s well worth thy serious Consideration to preserve thy soul from such a fearful destruction Many a man whom God hath awakened to believe those terrible endless torments have retired themselves from all worldly noise and disturbance that they might live under the power of these thoughts as the best preservative against these torments And is not thy Soul as dear and precious to thee as their's to them and deserve as much compassion from thee Surely though it is not thy duty to think actually of the woful and miserable estate of unbelievers all the day long Yet it 's of absolute necessity that some serious thoughts should be spent on that subject till the fear thereof make void and prevail over all Carnal worldly fears whatsoever And make thee more industrious to prevent that misery than thou art to escape the scorn and and reproach and all the sufferings and miseries of this life otherwise thou art never like to escape it And methinks thou should'st easily believe that Hell is more to be feared than all the Calamities of this Life and the loss of this Life it self But thus it will never be if thou art not one that dost often represent it to thy thoughts A danger though it be never so great yet if it be both out of sight and mind also will fright no body nor have any the least influence upon our endeavours to escape it The evil must be before the eye of our sense or understanding that works upon us to take the best course for our security and defence And the nearer we apprehend it to be the more hast we make to get away from it And whether a wicked man hath no reason to think his woful misery near even at the door I leave any man to Judge that hath any competent use of his understanding what can you name almost that 's more uncertain then this Life and so soon as ever it ends then begins his distress that shall never end But yet let him not be too confident that it shall not begin before Many a man hath felt the torments of Hell on this side the grave and this Judgment hath commenc'd before his life hath been concluded some mens sins go before them to Judgment saith the Apostle and some mens follow after 1 Tim. 5.24 There is some men feel the Vengeance of a righteous Judge even in this Life Spira professed that he felt the consuming fire of Gods wrath in his heart and Conscience whilst he was alive and openly blasphemed his Maker wishing that he was above him for he knew as he said that he would have no mercy on him O Sirs the intollerable pains that every impenitent Sinner must speedily undergo are well worth the pains of a few hours Consideration to prevent and if you think it not so you may spare your pains a little longer till your lamentable experience shall put you quite out of all doubt If indeed the diversion of your thoughts from so sad an object were the way to secure your Souls and to keep out of that devouring and unquenchable fire then you might well excuse your selves from troubling your minds with such thoughts as these But though you may quench the spirit of God that moveth you to Consider of this and to let it sink into your heart that you may seek for mercy whilst it may be had yet you cannot quench the flames of Hell nor extinguish that fire that must feed upon your soul and body for ever O how much better is it cooly to Consider the intolerableness of Gods wrath then to feel the burning heat and extremity of his indignation when there is no remedy If it were indeed but a flea bite you might slight it and keep your thoughts for something of more weight and moment Or if it were unavoidable perhaps you might do wisely not to torment your selves before the time nor invite such a guest till it comes of his own accord 'T is to no purpose to think of such sufferings which thinking will not prevent But believe it it is no flea-bite nor a matter to be slighted Fire and Sword and Rack and all the inventions of Cruelty that were ever found out are but Sport and Recreation to the Judgment and Condemnation of the Life to come And because the loss of God and Heaven seems such a tolerable punishment to these Vessels of wrath Let me tell them that there 's no part or member either in their Soul or Body that shall not be racked with perpetual and eternal pain And can thine heart endure or thine hands be strong when he shall come to deal with thee Ezek. 22.14 Thou would'st eat thy bread with trembling and drink thy drink with terrour and astonishment if he should pour out on thee some few bitter drops of his displeasure now in this life Thou even thou saith the Psalmist to Almighty God whose Judgments thou despisest art greatly to be feared and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry Psal 76.7 what trembling eyes and what a failing heart have they whom God doth a little terrifie with some frowns of his anger here on earth you may hear them cry out in the morning would God it were evening and in the evening would God it were morning for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear and for the fear of thine eyes which thou shalt see Deut. 28.6 51 67. How dolefully doth Job complain under his outward sufferings though he had Integrity to support him and the root of Comfort was within him Job 19.28 Death it self it seems would have been welcome to him under the heavy pressures which he felt as we may see in Job 3.20 21. c. Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery and life to the bitter in Soul which long for death but it cometh not and dig for it more than for hid treasures which rejoyce exceedingly and are glad when they can find the grave Why is life given to a man whose way is hid and whom God hath hedg'd in for my sighing cometh before I eat and my roarings are poured out like water And how David was ready to faint away many a time under the apprehensions of Gods displeasure it 's the design of many a passage in the Psalms to tell you Psal 51.8 Make me to hear of joy and gladness that the
bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce So Psa 22.14 15. what a sad Lamentation have you I am poured out like water and all my bones are out of joynt my heart is like wax it 's melted in the midst of my bowels my strength is dried up like a Potsheard and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws and thou hast brought me into the dust of death So Psa 31.9 10. Have mercy on me O Lord for I am in trouble mine eye is consumed with grief yea my Soul and my Belly for my life is spent with grief and my years with sighing my strength faileth because of mine iniquity and my bones are consumed But if you look into the 88 Psal the case of Heman seems there to be far more sad because it was more constant and uninterrupted than David's was vers 14 15 16. c. Lord why castest thou off my Soul why hidest thou thy face from me I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up whilst I suffer thy terrours I am distracted Thy fierce wrath goeth over me thy terrours have cast me off they came round about me daily like water they compassed me about together Lover and Friend hast thou put far from me and mine Acquaintance into darkness And how pitifully doth the Church complain under the effects of Gods sharp displeasure as you may see in the Book of the Lamentations So that you may perceive by these few instances that the wrath of God even on this side Hell is not to be slighted and if a drop or two light so heavy upon men that had such grace courage and fortitude to bear up under it how heavy must it needs be when it falls with its whole weight upon men in the state of torments Wo be to them on whom it falls it will grind them to powder If a little sickness be so sharp and terrible sometime that it makes a stout heart to speak trembling and turns a fresh coloured face into paleness and makes the beauty thereof to consume away like a Garment fretted by a Moth How will men speak and look under the pains of the second death How restless are men under some Acute Distempers they toss up and down and tell the hours and watch for the Morning Light in hope the Sun should rise upon them with healing in its wings And if men roar under a Fit of the Gout or Collick what then shall they do in Hell And as the torments of Hell are no Flea bite nor to be slighted by any the stoutest heart so neither are they unavoidable for then I should not recommend them to your Consideration But when the misery of that place cannot find a tongue to utter and express it nor set forth the greatness of it and Consideration is such a certain way to escape it who but a Mad-man or one that doth not believe it will refuse at least some time to think seriously on it till he hath some well grounded hope to escape it I will take it for granted that that man is resolved to try his strength and see how well he can bear it that will not endure the sober deliberate thoughts of it in his mind O Sirs if when an Angel of light descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the mouth of the Sepulchre where our Saviour was buried and sate upon it the guilty Keepers for fear of him did shake and became as dead men Mat. 28.2 4. How will such as are condemned to Hell shake and tremble when Angels of Darkness shall continually appear before them That horrible sight together with the inward terrours of their own despairing Consciences will fright them into everlasting trembling and fearfulness If thou hast a mind to escape that place of perpetual darkness and despair consider it well now and let it sink into thy serious thoughts Lastly Consider the infallible truth and certianty of all this I confess there is something that is dubious and uncertain in every one of these particulars but yet there is something also that is of the highest certainty something that you may well make a question of but yet something that 's past all controversie and question among Christians Let me give you a brief Recapitulation 1. There 's nothing more certain than that there is a God and that he is Infinite in all perfections that he hath made all Creatures and that he is the absolute Lord and Governour of Mankind and his principal Benefactor Thus much is unquestionable But it is a very great question whether thou dost acknowledge him sincerely for thy Owner Soveraign and one that hath every way obliged thee and art truly devoted to him in heart and life 2. It 's most certain that he hath made thee for no lower Ends than his service and that he hath given thee a Law to teach thee how he will be served and that he expecteth thou shouldest be heartily subject to him and obedient to his Laws and that thou should'st believe and patiently wait for his rewards in so doing But it is a matter of Enquiry and Self-examination whether thou hast answered this Intention of God in thy Creation and obeyed his Laws in a confident expectation of his Rewards 3. It is past doubt that thou hast broken the Law of thy Creation corrupted thy Nature lived in Disobedience and cast off the Yoke of thy Creator that thou hast by Original and Actual Transgressions forfeited thy life and all thy other mercies and deserveth to be dealt with as a Rebel and a Traytor to thy Soveraign Lord and Ruler But it is a matter of doubt and therefore should be seriously enquired by thee whether thou dost acknowledge from thy heart and art sensible of thy sin and misery thereby All the world are miserable but they are but few that are affected with their misery 4. It is certain that Christ hath shed his Blood to redeem all Mankind and that Pardon and Remission is offered to all that do heartily repent and believe That God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life John 3.16 That none are excepted in this Act of Oblivion and Free-grace but such as refuse the Mercy offered and continue in wilful impenitency and unbelief You will not come unto me that you may have life John 5.40 But it is a matter of very great doubt and question whether thou hast any sincere Repentance towards God and Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ whether thou hast sufficiently bewailed thy corrupt Nature that was born with thee into the world and thy Rebellion against thy Maker in the course of thy life and wilful transgression of his Laws and whether thou art so deeply wounded with the bitter sense of thy sin as to submit to the Yoke and Government of Christ that he may deliver thee from the bondage of thy sins For though Christ be offered to all and
acknowledgeth And therefore Origen Arnob. Tertulian Justin Martyr Athanasius Clemens Alexandrinus Athenagoras Lactantius with the rest that dealt with the Heathens do make the pure Excellency of Christs Doctrine above all other Doctrine whereby it promoteth Holiness and Justice and order in the World and strongly opposeth all impious and unrighteous Practises in which the Devils are delighted whereby their Kingdom is very much weakened and in some places utterly ruined one of the main Arguments for the Christian Faith Would the Devil ever set any seal or give any confirming Testimony to such Precepts as command that which he hateth to such Promises as encourage Men every where to hate and oppose him to such threatening as tend exceedingly to discourage and bring to repentance all his Confederates Would he helpon such a Doctrine that teacheth Men What a filthy malicious Spirit he is and from what a Happiness he fell and what a design he driveth on against God and whatsoever hath the Face of Goodness and how he hateth Mankind and would bring all Men into the same cursed condition with himself Would he have Men know his devices least he should come upon them unawares And would he have them abhor and tremble at the mention of his very Name These are the effects that this Doctrin is like to have upon Mens Minds And therefore it 's past doubt that if the Devil could work Miracles he would never do it in the present case nor give the least Countenance to such writings But if he were Master of such a Seal and had that Faculty he would rather lend it to the Sects that seek to disparage undermine and cry down these Writings in the World He perfectly hateth that parity that runneth in every vein of the Christian Doctrine which made Aeneas Sylv. say ut Plat. p. 328. Christiana Fides si Miraculis nonesset approbata Honestate suâ recipi debuit And therefore it would be a wonder indeed if he should do a Miracle to confirm it The Miracles therefore that were wrought in Attestation of this Doctrine never came from him He had no more hand in the Miracles than he had in the Doctrine they bore witness to or than he would have in the overthrow of his own Kingdom And therefore Mr. Stillingfleet Orig. Sac. l. 2.10 well makes it a Test or Criterium of Miracles wrought by a Divine Power where they tend to the overthrow of Satans Power in the World And this Argument taken from Miracles conjunct with the Holy Doctrine which they ratifie and attest is such a demonstration of the Truth of the Mosaical Religion before Christ and to the Christian Religion since that to attribute these Miracles to the Devil which could not possibly be wrought by any other Power than the Finger of the Holy-Ghost is now commonly thought by the most learned and judicious Divines to be The Blasphemy against the Holy-Ghost c. The unpardonable Sin Thus Athanasius Episcopus and Dr. Hammond thought and Mr. Baxter hath demonstratively shewed in his Treat of Infidelity The only Exception that can have any shew of Pretence to invalidate this Argument is that the matters of fact seem to be Questionable 1 Some may possibly question whether ever such Miracles were wrought to confirm the Scriptures or whether ever there were such a person as Christ that did such Mighty works that dyed and rose again from the Dead and poured forth a Holy and Miraculous Spirit upon his Followers for the Conviction of Infidels Answer The matter of Fact can be questioned with no more Reason than whether there be such a City as Rome or Constantinople by the Persons that never saw them or whether there ever lived such a Person as Julius or Augustus Caesar For there is the same or greater Evidence for THOSE than these is for These But there is none that will question these And the Reason is because this their Assent is grounded upon Two Principles that will not suffer any dissent The first is It 's impossible that so many Men in so many Ages should meet or combine in a Lye when they get nothing by their Lye Nulla ratam testis debet habere Ovid ubi premia falsi ibidem The second is It 's not possible the sences of so many Men should fail them and that they should all mistake and be deluded that were eye and Earwitnesses of the matter of Fact and both saw and heard the Authors of those Writings and the Miracles which they wrought to confirm them See Pet. Hart. de Mendozâ Phys disp 8. de Animâ Sect. 3. and Sect. 23.4 5. pag. 570. And the same Author to This Question what sort of Evidence is that by which I believe that there is such a place as Rome upon the witness of so many Men asserting it Answereth It is Physical For it is impossible even in a Physical sense that so many Men in so many Ages should so lye so that I have no less Evidence that there is a City called Rome than that all Fire is heating Thus he See Mr. Baxter's Spirits witness to the Truth of Christianity pag. 68. The same or as infallible Physical Evidence have we of the Truth of the Miracles by which the Holy-Ghost did witness to the Truth of the Christian Faith For First It 's naturally impossible that so many Churches in so many Countries of the World at such a distance should combine to lye in telling the world that the Holy-Ghost was given and Tongues spoken and Miracles done amongst them for so many Years if it had not been so Secondly Man hath a Nature as well as a Free-will and the understanding naturally enclines to Truth and the will hath naturally and of Necessity Good as Good for its object And man as well as Brutes hath a Nature that cannot but love it self and desire its own wellfare and abhor death and Misery Temporral and Eternal And therefore tho here and there a Man in some desperate Passion may make away himself yet we are Physically certain that it must be a thing which they do indeed believe that must perswade Cities and Countries of People in their wits to cast their Estates and Lives into the Hands of Bloody Tyrants and utterly ruin their worldly hopes And especially when they do all this in hope of a Blessedness in the Life to come Where it is impossible that so many Men of Reason should expect to be blessed for conspiring in a Lye but rather to be everlastingly cursed and miserable by the justice of that God from whom they expect their Reward I conclude therefore that the Case being resolved into Mans Natural Principles and inclinations so clearly as it is There is natural Evidence of the Truth of these Miracles This infallible Certainty that we have or may have is grounded upon Vniversal Tradition whereby Vniversal is not meant the Consent of all Men in the World no more than all the world is meant by Vniversal Church
endeavoured to suppress them They had certainly perished in the Flames long before now if God had not walked in the midst of Fire with them How did the Jews on the one hand and the Heathen Emperours on the other conspire both to root out the Men and the Doctrin which they published and taught You know what General Persecutions there have been at once of all the Christians throughout the World and how many Thousands have been slaughtered by the Roman Emperours Commands I need not tell you that there were Ten of these General Persecutions and yet all would not do Julian strictly prohibited all Christian Schools thinking by that Means to root Christianity out of the World and yet the Success was not answerable to his Malice Antiochus Epiphanes commanded all the Holy Writings should be burnt as the History of the Maccabees will inform you 1 Macc. 1.59 yet God preserved them And Dioclesian Author of the Tenth Persecution commanded by Proclamation the Holy Scriptures to be burnt where ever they were found throughout the Roman Empire as Euseb relates l. 8. c. 3. If the Scriptures had not been the Word of God they had never surviv'd so much Malice and the vigilant Endeavours of so many subtil and potent Enemies to destroy them out of the World nor escap'd the combined furious Attempts both of Jews and Gentiles to blot them out of the Memory of Mankind Moreover If all that were hitherto produced were not enough to demonstrate the Divine Authority of Scripture and to satisfie and confirm the Mind in this weighty Truth I might add by way of Accumulation other Proofs from the Majesty Purity and Efficacy of this Word which so far excels all Humane Writings in these particulars And also from the Profession of Men and Martyrs that did and were ready to dye for it Men of great Parts and Integrity that would not have parted with their Lives without a sufficient Cause As also from the destruction of the Grand Opposers of it And the Consent of so many Men in all Ages and those that had the greatest Advantages throughly to scan and know the Truth and the Assent of very Adversaries All which do prove ex super abundanti that the Scriptures are the most Sacred Word of God and Written by Divine Inspiration To conclude therefore with some little Exhortation in a Point of such Weight and Moment Remember in your Meditations to strengthen this Intellectual Grace which lies in the Firm and Active Belief of the Divine Authority of Scripture Get and keep such Clear Evidence and Demonstration of its Divinity that may satisfie your Soul and enforce the most practical Assent That you may read the Threatnings with Reverence and a suitable Fear as those that God will certainly make good and execute upon those that fall under them That you may read the Promises with full perswasion of their Accomplishment to those that have their part and interest in them and so feel the forcible power of them to quicken you to your Duty That you may read the Precepts not as idle Storys but as the Commands of God Look that you evidently see the Name of God upon the Doctrin and History thereof and it will have another Effect than a bare opinionative or implicit belief grounded upon the bare word of Man could produce Your Assent will be suitable to your Evidence and the Effect and Influence it hath upon your Heart and Life will be suitable to your Assent It 's time well spent to read over and consider those Treatises that convince the Divine Authority of Scripture The better the Ground-work is laid the more firm will the Superstructure be When once thou art solidly and throughly perswaded that God is the Author of the Scriptures thou wilt expect a Treasure there that is not to be found in any Humane Writings any farther than they contain this Doctrin in them If you delight in Falshood and Lyes and love Darkness rather than Light search not here nor expect that Scripture should gratifie you But if thou art a Lover of Truth a Lover of Wisdom then come hither and dig into these Mines and God that was the Author will open thine Eyes if thou truly desire to be informed Some Considerations to help on the daily Exercise of Faith in Christ or Subjection to the Sovereignty of our Redeemer Scriptures that require Faith in Christ and shew us its Nature 1 John 12. As many as received him to them gave he power to become the Sons of God even to them that believe on his Name John 3.16 God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting Life Verse 18. He that believeth on him is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God Verse 36. He that believeth on the Son hath Everlasting life that is quo ad jus or Inchoative And he that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him John 5.40 Ye will not come unto me that ye might have life Luke 19.27 Those mine Enemies that would not that I should reign over them bring hither and slay them before me Heb. 5.9 And being made perfect he became the Author of Eternal Life and Salvation to all them that obey him Matth. 11.28 29. Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest Take my Yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest to your souls John 5.22 23 24. For the Father judgeth no Man but hath committed all judgment unto the Son That all men should honour the Son as they honour the Father He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which sent him Verily verily I say unto you he that heareth my Word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting Life and shall not come into Condemnation but is passed from Death to Life BEfore I come to the Motives that should animate us to the frequent and delightful Exercise of Faith which must be daily kept in the Mind and Thoughts or some of the like Nature it 's necessary that we well understand the Nature of that Faith which is of such daily Use and unspeakable Advantage in the whole Christian Life For the better and more distinct Understanding whereof we must take notice that in the Word of God we are informed of a Twofold Kingdom of God 1. The First as Creatour 2. The Second as Redeemer And both these have their different Constitution and Administration Whilst Man stood in his Integrity he was under the Laws and Government of his Creatour and then Faith in God as his Creatour and Sovereign was the Radical and Fundamental Virtue which whilst it did continue firm and inviolate he was happy in the Favour of God and never
a one that hath unsearchable Wisdom to Rule us infinite Power both to protect us and break our Enemies in pieces and is not profited by our Service Job 22.2 Can a Man be profitable to God as he that is wise may be profitable to himself Thou owest thy hearty Subjection unto God He made thee and is thy rightful and absolute Sovereign and when thou hadst turn'd Traitor to him He hath not set thee up as a Monument of his terrible Wrath and Vengeance But hath laid the Government upon his Son so nearly allied to us by the Assumption of our Nature and relaxed the Rigour of his Law promising to accept sincere Service and Love though perfect Obedience be due O what a◠Aggravation will this be of our Sin if we still continue it after the Grace of God hath so much abounded towards us Rom. 6.1 and persist in our Rebellion we know too well what it is to be Rebels against God our Redeemer but we little imagin what it is to be sentenced and condemned for Rebels at the great and terrible Day 2. Secondly Every Unbeliever hath the Guilt of all his former Sins fast bound upon him not one of them is pardoned every Commission yea and every Omission every idle Thought and Word and Action with all their several Aggravations stand still upon Record uncancell'd God hath pass'd an Act of Indempnity and Oblivion and proclaimed wonderful Grace and Mercy to penitent Sinners but the Unbeliever whilst such hath no share nor portion in it The Blood of Christ hath infinite virtue to cleanse sinners from all unrighteousness 1 John 1.9 but it 's only such as do believe The Law of God the Creatour or Covenant of Works which threatneth Death to every Sin is still in Force to such as are not the sincere Subjects of Christ by Faith the wrath of God abideth upon such John 3.36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Every violation of the Law makes it due to the sinner and Faith in Christ is the only means to remove it but where that is wanting there it continues and abides If one sin unpardoned will sink the Soul of the transgressour into everlasting condemnation into what unspeakable misery and horrour will that vast Number that he hath committed force the sinner who will not come unto Christ nor submit himself to his Redeemer Look to thy self and answer it as thou canst that wilt not come unto Christ to be thy Advocate and answer for thee stand upon thy own Legs as well as thou art able that wilt not bottom thy self by Faith on Christ endure the storm of God's wrath as well as thou canst that wilt not anchor thy Soul upon the Redeemer of the World Thou seest the worst of it if thou canst make light of it it 's but bearing all the Sins thou hast committed upon thy own Body and Soul and the Wrath of God due to them And if thou takest this to be a tolerable and a light Burden continue still in thy unbelief 3. Thirdly If thou art no true Subject of Christ by Faith in him thou art a Slave of Satan and a Vassal to thine own Corruption There are but two principal Masters Christ is one whose Right it is And Satan is the other though an Usurper If thou wilt not devote thy self to him who is thy lawful Lord and Master thou wilt be under the Commands of a Cruel Tyrant There are but two Generals Christ the Captain of our Salvation Heb. 2.10 and Satan the Ring-leader to destruction and one thou must fight under There are but two sorts of Servants either thou art the Servant of Righteousness or else thou art the Servant of Sin Rom. 6.16 If Christ do not dwell in thy Heart by Faith Ephes 3.17 Satan hath got possession and thou art a Member of that wicked Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. that efficaciously worketh in the Children of Disobedience Ephes 2.2 He formeth thy Conceptions frameth thy Discourses animateth all thy Actions steereth thy whole Conversation and when there is need instigateth thee to any Wickedness though thou art secure and little suspectest 't is he that prompteth thee in all thou goest about If thou hadst an eye to see what influence he hath upon all thy Actions it would make thee to abhor all thou doest Indeed there are wicked Habits and Dispositions that strongly move and hurry thee into the same wickedness which the Devil would have thee to commit for if thou wert meerly passive it would be thy Misery but not thy Sin But now having no part in Christ thou art at once led by thy own Corruption and the Enemy of all Goodness into all Sin and Mischief No Turkish slavery comparable to this wherein the sinner is wounding and tearing and wracking himself every day and yet though he feels the smart sometime perceives the mischief he doth himself he cannot nor will forbear You would look with pity upon a Madman gnashing and cutting himself and bless God that you are sober when you see the pernicious Effects of Madness And yet if you are impenitent unbelievers you are guilty of far worse Cruelty to your Souls 4. Fourthly If thou art a Unbeliever thou art not sure to be one Day longer out of Hell and Eternal Misery thou hangst over the Pit of Destruction by the single Thread of thy Life and if the Twine break as it is a Miracle it doth not every hour all the World cannot save thee Let not a deceived Heart turn thee aside that thou canst not by Faith in Christ deliver thy own Soul nor say is there not a Lye in my Right Hand Esa 44.2 Thy Riches and thy Honours cannot prevent thy Death much less can they procure a Release from it least of all can they Ransom thee from Destruction thou art hasting to it every Moment and thou knowest not what one Day or Hour may bring forth Prov. 27.1 As sure as thou livest so surely thou shalt dye for ever if thou go forward in unbelief when once thy Breath is departed from thy Body and how many ways that may be stop'd who knows And wilt thou yet stand out against the gracious Offers of thy Redeemer and linger in Infidelity and run the hazard of Eternal Destruction Nay it s no hazard but as undoubtedly certain as the Word of God is true O that unbelievers would ponder this that they would but consider their latter End what a few Breaths more they have to fetch before they are turned into Everlasting Despair How dare you lye down to sleep lest you should awake in Hell How dare you rise lest it should be to Judgment and Condemnation How can you enjoy your Life one Moment that know not but that the next Moment you must exchange it for Endless Torment and Misery And how will you do to give up the Ghost
that have not given up your Names to Christ Your foolish Friends may flatter you and your own fraudulent Heart may cheat you but the Word of God tells you plainly what will be your doom if by Faith in Christ you do not escape it How can you do to read such a Text as that in Luke 12.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This Night shall they require thy Soul of thee 1 by a usual Hebraism shall thy Soul be required of thee for when there is no Nominative Case go before the Verb it 's taken impersonally 5. Lastly God is thine Enemy and that contains all the Misery that can be thought or spoken Who can do a worse turn to himself than to make God his Enemy Who can befriend that Man that hath God for his Adversary or plead his Cause for him When Saul in distress comes to Samuel as he thought for counsel what a sad Answer doth he return him Wherefore dost thou ask of me seeing the Lord is departed from thee and is become thine Enemy 1 Sam. 28.16 And it was the bitterest part of Job's suffering that he thought God was his Enemy Wherefore hidest thou thy Face and countest me for thine Enemy Job 13.24 Thou even thou art greatly to be feared and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry faith the Psalmist Psalm 76.7 We may bear the Frowns of a Mortal Man though he were never so great yea though all the World should frown there 's some Refuge against that If all Men and Devils should storm and rage against us it 's possible for a Soul to comfort it self against this and find out a shelter But whither wilt thou fly when God pursues What will you do in the day of visitation and in the desolation which shall come from far To whom will you fly for help saith the Prophet to the wicked Israelites that had provoked God to be their Enemy Isaiah 10.3 There 's no flying from him Whither shall I go from thy Spirit Or whither shall I flee from thy Presence If I ascend up into Heaven thou art there If I make my Bed in Hell behold thou art there If I take the wings of the Morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the Sea even there shall thy hand lead me c. Psal 130.7 8 9 10. There 's no escaping his hand If he come to tare in pieces there can be none to deliver Psalm 50.22 Stay a little thou that art an impenitent unbeliever and consider a while what this importeth viz. To have God for thine Adversary I 'll tell thee in brief It implys these three Things 1. First All the Attributes of God are against thee and feel it thou shalt either sooner or later 2. Secondly All the Creatures will set against thee first or last 3. Thirdly Thine own Conscience shall side with God against thee and to make thee perfectly miserable shall fall upon thee with the greatest Fury and Madness 1. If thou reject the gracious Offers of Mercy by the Gospel and refuse to have Christ reign over thee all the Attributes of God are engaged against thee The inflexible Justice and Wisdom and Holiness his infinite Power and never failing Truth and Veracity will all combine to make thee everlastingly miserable Shall not the Judge of all the Earth do righteously Gen. 18.25 Will Infinite Power let such Contempt of his Grace which hath stooped so low go unrevenged Will he suffer the proud Sinner to Spit in the Face of his Son for unbelief and rejecting him is no better and not wipe off that aspersion by the eternal ruin and perdition of the sinner Will it consist with the perfect Wisdom of God to look down upon the unbeliever and see him trample such amazing Love and Mercy under his feet not once nor twice but so many Years together as make up the Number of his Life and not recompence such base Ingratitude and wicked Presumption according to its desert If there be Truth and Faithfulness in God thou canst not scape He cannot deny himself 2 Tim. 2.13 Dost thou believe it If thou believest not yet he abideth faithful and let me tell thee again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he cannot deny himself He hath spoken and will not alter the thing that is gone out of his Mouth He that believeth not the Son shall not see Life John 3.36 Nay he that believeth not 〈…〉 already because he hath not 〈…〉 the Name of the only begotten Son of God John 3.18 I know he delighteth not in the misery or ruin of any of his Creatures and therefore is slow to Anger and proceeds leasurely to Judgment and strikes not till there is no Remedy after he hath used all the Methods of Mercy and Pity to reclaim the sinner and hath invited him time after time year after year to have compassion upon his own Soul and accept of Christ and pardon with him yet when no Means will succeed and the case of the sinner is quite desperate neither will he be drawn to believe however he speed Judge now what a disparagement this would be to the Wisdom Justice Holiness and Veracity of God not to pass Sentence upon such a sinner and then what a one it must be you may easily understand If they that despised Moses Law died without Mercy of how much sorer punishment shall he be thought worthy who hath troden under foot the Son of God c. Heb. 10.28 29. c. If God strike he hath a hand like himself 2. Secondly All Creatures will set against thee for they are his Armies and he is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lord of Hosts All thy Friends and Acquaintance will come in and bring their Witness and Accusations against thee even thy bosom Confederates shall cry shame on thee and add Affliction to thy Misery O what a killing Consideration will it be then and I would it were so now if possibly it might prevent that woful day to be overwhelmed with Misery and Desperation and when thou shalt cry out with Job Job 19.21 Have pity upon me have pity upon me O my Friends for the hand of God hath touched me and he shall find none near him to speak one word of ease to him but all his bitter Enemies This will cut him to the quick and bring down his stomack when it is too late Then if it were possible to believe in hope how earnestly would he wish to see one of the days of the Son of Man Luke 17.22 3. Thirdly To compleat his Misery his own Conscience shall fall upon him with the greatest violence It will upbraid him with wilful stupid unbelief and the most monstrous ingratitude It will bring to his remembrance the kindness of his Saviour such a one as was never heard of It will tell him of his Blood and Sufferings and how fain he would have washed him and embraced him with Mercy and he flew away and scorn'd Deliverance and slighted all
of an hungry Man with Grace and Virtue or something that 's purely Spiritual as fill the Soul and Spirit of a Man with Earth and Earthly Things or any thing of a gross or corporeal Nature because there is so little Likeness and Proportion between the Appetite and the Food Prov. 27.20 Hell and Destruction are never full so the Eyes of Man are never satisfied Eccles 1.8 As the Horse-leach hath two Daughters that cry Give give Prov. 30.15 which some understand of its forked Tongue that hath two Suckers at the end of it so there is in Man by Nature first an eager desire after these worldly things and secondly an unquietness or want of content when he hath gotten them and a more burning desire after them which is worse than the former As that Thirst is always worse which proceeds from too much drinking than that which proceeds from a total want of drink These shews what unsatisfactory things they are in that they do not quiet and content but rather more enrage our desires and vex and discompose the Heart Eccles 5.10 He that loveth Silver c. Secondly Because they are so short and limited in their virtue and operation It 's commonly but one or two Necessities that one Creature can supply and those but very imperfectly But all together cannot supply the one half of the Wants and Necessities that Man is subject to Fire may relieve one that is cold but cannot fill the Belly of an hungry Man Company may a little refresh him that is weary of Solitude but real Sickness and Pain it cannot remove And all other Creatures have their stint and measure Let but a Man be distressed in Conscience and frighted with the Thoughts of Death and terrified with sad Expectations of Judgment afterwards and even confounded with the Thoughts of Hell and the Torments thereof And all the World cannot help him in such a streight Nay Thirdly They are such winged transitory things that they are worthy to be contemned What speed do they make to get away when we have the fastest hold of them They make as much hast as a Ship that saileth with the advantage of Wind and Tide Who can name the Comfort he hath had on Earth that hath lasted to the small Measure and Extent of an Hundred Years Nay I may confidently say to half a hundred 'T is not one in Twenty that lives to Fifty Years And when Life 's gone all is gone Who is there that enjoys Health twenty Years together without some interruption Scarce one in a Kingdom But for the most part Men are like their Ley-fields as they are called that it may be rest one year and are ploughed another Let the mad and distracted World prize and prefer such a fading Flower as is the Glory of this World before Heaven and an Eternal Life with God Let the World take the World and they that are dead in Trespasses and Sins take these dead momentary and insipid Pleasures It 's Life and Substance that a wise and sober Man will thirst after and something that will last beyond the Term of this present He that believes to purpose the Life to come would not be condemned to a brutish sensual and voluptuous Life nor the Pleasures that distracted Men are mad after who then laugh most when God is farthest from their thoughts and then have the sweetest Dreams when Faith and Reason are in the deepest sleep Fourthly As all the Comforts here on Earth are fugitive and passant so they are most uncertain They lye open to so many Accidents and Casualties that no one hath security enough that he shall keep them one hour Quod cuiquam accidere cuivis potest They are liable to a double uncertainty 1. The one is from their own fluid perishing Nature and Inconstancy 2. The other from the fickle and corruptible Nature of the Owner First Their inconstancy and mutable Nature doth appear in that they may and do change 1. Their Nature even whilst the Owner lives 2. Their Master even whilst the Owner lives 1. They may change their Nature Land may change its Fertility and become barren and good for nothing while the Owner stands by and looks on or else if his Fruit grow up and raise his expectation there 's a thousand Accidents may intercept it before it come into his Store-house and be laid up for his immediate use it may be suddenly smitten with a blast from Heaven it may be parched with excessive heats or nipp'd with cold and drowned with intemperate showers Or if it scapes all these the Lord may command his Armies the Locusts and Caterpillers or some Vermin to devour it There are Ways enough past finding out which the Wit of Man cannot foresee or if it could cannot prevent by which the Hopes of the present Master or Incumbent may be blasted The place where a Man lives that was once commodious and a comfortable Residence may suddenly become inhospitable by reason of the corrupted Air or Persons amongst whom we live The House that shelters us may be soon turned into Ashes by a devouring Fire Or 2. They may change their Master They may be taken away by Fraud or Violence Every one that hath but Mind enough to what we have and Wit enough to contrive how to get it into his possession and Wickedness enough to execute what he hath contrived and Grace too little to restrain him may quickly alter the Property of what we have and be Master of our best Enjoyments And it 's sad to think what a great part of Mankind they be that have all these Hellish Properties Or if all this will not load the fickle things of this World with disgrace enough and they may scape all the forementioned Casualties yet Secondly The Owner may be taken from them Who can say that his Pulse shall certainly beat an hour longer Such a vapour is the Life of Man that there scarce can be any more uncertain Tenure When his Mountain stands strongest yet he is in the hands of him that set fast the Mountains who is girded with power enough to overturn them with one Word or Beck My Times are in thy hands saith David Psalm 31.15 Yea to superadd one more Disparagement Thirdly Whilst the Enjoyment and Enjoyer both continue together a Man may want an Appetite and so rellish nothing that he hath Eccles 8.1 2 There is an Evil And then no wonder if he starve in the midst of Plenty and pine away from day to day whilst he hath the most nourishing restorative Food that Earth can set before him It will then be no marvel if Leanness enter into his Soul though God hath given him all that his Flesh can desire Psal 106.15 If the Rich Man's Pallate be but a little feaverish through the Distempers of his Body or Mind his great Revenues his stately House his beautiful Wife his numerous Off-spring all his Flatterers and the rest of his Accommodations signifie nothing to him
return home should bring in his Accounts So much spent in Meat and Drink so much in Apparel so much in Entertainments and other Recreations and when he came to the main point in hand the Business on which he was purposely sent could give none or but a slight and careless Account thereof would you not account him a foolish Factour and that Merchant a worse Fool that should imploy such a one again without any Signs of Repentance and hopes of his Amendment Shall I liken their Folly to this yea it is incomparably greater that come hither into the World on purpose to serve their Maker and live in obedience to his Laws and yet do nothing less Should God call thee now to an account Is it not the plain truth that thy Thoughts have been upon this Vanity and that Vanity And thine Affections have run after every Shadow And thy time hath been spent in the drudgery of the Flesh in providing for thy Carcass And the main Design upon which thou art sent into the World shamefully neglected I know it is duty to think upon and labour after Temporal things and in the sweat of thy face to eat thy bread Gen. 3.19 But is it not damnable Folly to labour after the Food that perisheth more than that which endureth To spend thy days in sinful foolish Merriment and then to go down to the place of Eternal Misery Can that Man go for any other than a Fool in thine account that will not be perswaded to consider that for his good now which he must unavoidably consider to his hurt and mischief hereafter It 's one known difference between a Wiseman and a Fool that the one provideth for a Mischief while time serveth and the other would do it when it is too late And it is another undoubted Character of a Fool to prefer the chacing of a Feather before the lading of himself with the richest Treasure such a Fool is every sinner that wilfully displeaseth God to satisfie a vain and inordinate desire And therefore what more common in the Scripture than to find Folly put for Sin and the Sinner for a Fool It 's needless to cite places in a Case so known and obvious Now consider how oft hast thou thus play'd the Fool And is it not time to return to thy Wits again How much hath sin befooled their understandings that refuse a little pains and self-denial to get the Everlasting Crown and Kingdom Much more that take so much pains to get into the place of Torment and Misery as some will undergo Will not the Toyl that some Worldlings will dispense with to get a little Worldly Treasure convince the one of Folly And the shifts that Men will use to escape a Temporal Misery rise up and condemn the other of stark Madness We see Men rip up the Bowels of the Earth and dig into the Entrails of craggy Rocks and take incredible pains to get a little Silver and Gold They will break their sweetest sleep to accomplish an ambitious desire They will spend their Patrimony their Credit their Bodies and their very Souls for a drop of Swinish Pleasure and Carnal Delight What 's the matter that we cannot be content to spend a few earnest Thoughts to use a little serious Diligence for the purchase of so great a Glory as Christ doth promise to his Servants for the Riches of Heaven For the Promises of this Life and that which is to come for a Dignity not inferiour to Angels for a Sea of Delights and Pleasures that ravish the Heart of God himself Alas we are surely ignorant of the Pleasures which our Lord calleth us to or else we are Fools indeed to stop our Ears Our carnal besotted Hearts imagine that there is nothing better than to eat and to drink and to satiate the Body with that which tickleth the Senses Certainly if Men did believe that the Joyes of Heaven are as far beyond all the Happiness of this Life as Heaven is beyond Earth they could not they would not forsake the Service of Christ for some little discouragements as sometimes they must meet with Let such faint-hearted Cowards as these remember what Sufferings Christ himself underwent and Contradiction of Sinners he endured that they may not be weary and faint in their minds Heb. 12.3 And let me say to such as Christ said of himself in another Case to his yet ignorant Disciples O Fools and slow of Heart to understand and believe ought not you chearfully to suffer these things and to enter into glory Luke 24.24 25. And for the other sort that take so much pains to undo themselves Let me but appeal to their own Judgments and ask them whether it is not palpable Folly to refuse to do that for to make themselves everlastingly happy which they will not refuse to do to make themselves eternally miserable Ob. But they will say They intend it not They think to make themselves happy by such Toil and Pains An. You much mend the matter by this Objection and wipe off the Aspersion For if thou art not a Fool the one way thou art another Canst thou imagine unless thou wert guilty of this Accusation that to rise up early and sit up late and eat the Bread of Carefulness to get a little more of the World and the Pleasures of the Flesh when God's Service is neglected is the way to make thy self happy Thou couldst not think thus if thou wert not ignorant and wholly bereft of thine understanding Consider therefore before it be too late what Folly thou hast been guilty of in forsaking God and following the ways of thine own Heart And humble thy self at last and pour forth thy Tears before God in the sence of thy foolish sinful disobedience And lift up thy broken Heart to him for Pardon in the Name of thy Redeemer And this is the way to recover thy Wits again and to come to thy self as the Prodigal did when he returned to his Father and confessed his sin Thirdly Consider There is no spark of true Ingenuity left in that Heart that refuseth to lay to Heart the Transgressions he hath committed against God Doth not thy Heart smite thee and â—ell thee how shamefully thou hast done in provoking him to whom thou art so wonderfully endebted Doth not thy Heart bleed at all for the Wounds and Dishonour thou hast done to his Name Nor is it a burthen to thy Soul that thou hast wearied him with thy rebellions and made him to serve with thy sins Isaiah 43.24 Doth it seem a small matter to thee that thou hast slighted his Word neglected his Service prophaned his Sabbaths despised the offers of his Grace taken part with his Enemies and preferred every foolish Delight before his Love and and Favour Be it known to thee thou art of a base and sordid disposition and utterly forsaken of all Reason and Ingenuity God deals not with Men in a way of Violence and Constraint He could
2. Majesty 3. Glory 4. Lordship 5. Immutability Fifthly The Measure of all his Attributes is Infiniteness that is They have no Stint nor Measure As the Measure of his Being is Immensity Sixthly The Crown of all his Attributes is his Eternity Of these in order 1. His Bounty the Scripture thus expresseth Psalm 145.15 Thou openest thy hand and satisfiest the desire of every living thing Matth. 6.28 29. Consider the Lilies of the field they toil not neither do they spin and yet I say anto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these And Psal 104.27 28. These wait all upon thee speaking of the several living Creatures that thou mayest give them their meat in due season Thou openest thy hand and they are filled with good 2. His Justice in the Righteous Government of all things the Holy Ghost thus sets forth Psalm 89.14 Justice and Judgment are the Habitation of thy Throne And Psal 9.8 He shall judge the World in Righteousness and minister Judgment to the World in uprightness Jerem. 32.19 Thine Eyes are upon all the Ways of the Sons of Men to give to every one according to his Ways and according to the Fruit of his doings Gen. 18.25 Shall not the Judge of all the Earth do right Rev. 15.3 Just and true are thy ways thou King of Saints 3. His Veracity is thus described Numb 23.19 He is not as a Man that he should lye Hath he said it and spoken it and shall it not be made good Rom. 3.4 God is true and every man a lyar Heb. 10.23 God is faithful who hath promised 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He is to be credited or believed Psalm 138.2 I will woriship towards thy Holy Temple and praise thy Name for thy Loving-kindness and for thy Truth for thou hast magnified thy Word above all thy Name Psalm 86.15 But thou O Lord art plenteous in Mercy and in Truth 4. His Mercy and Compassion to all Rational Creatures is thus expressed John 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Ezek. 33.11 As I live saith the Lord I have no pleasure in him that dyeth or in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live Turn ye turn ye from your evil ways For why will ye dye 1 Tim. 2.4 There it 's said that God would have all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the Truth Besides 1. All those Scriptures that express the Death of Christ for sinners without limitation serve to this purpose such as 1 Tim. 2.6 Who gave himself a Ransome for all Men c. 2. All those Scriptures that contain a Commission to Preach the Gospel to all the World without Exception magnifie this Attribute to the full and make it shine forth gloriously such as Matth. 28.19 Go ye therefore and teach all Nations c. 3. Likewise all those Scriptures that promise Pardon and Salvation upon the Conditions of Repentance and Faith not excluding any from these Terms are a lively demonstration of this lovely Attribute such as 1 John 12. As many as received him to them gave he Power to become the Sons of God even to them that believe in his Name 4. So likewise all those Scriptures that set forth the Patience of God towards sinners in general may be reduced hither and serve under this Head 5. Lastly All those Scriptures that insist upon the Common Providences of God towards wicked Men and his veriest Enemies in supplying all their Necessities and giving them such a large portion of these outward Comforts bear ample Testimony to this Attribute and do very much exalt it such as Matth. 5.45 where God is said to make the Sun to shine upon the Evil and upon the Good and to send Rain on the just and on the unjust 5. His Special Love to Believers the Holy Ghost thus describeth Deut. 33.29 The Lord is the shield of their help and the sword of their excellency Psal 94.14 God will not cast off his Saints nor forsake his Inheritance And Psal 149.4 The Lord taketh pleasure in his people and will beautifie them with salvation And Psal 1. last The Lord knoweth i. approveth the way of the Righteous Isa 49.16 There they are said to be graven on the Palms of his Hands and their Walls are ever in his sight And Vers 15. It 's said God cannot and will not forget them Moreover 1. All those Scriptures that entitle them to Pardon Reconciliation Adoption and Glory Comfort in all Conditions and a blessed Issue out of all their Troubles be they more or less and that entail a Blessing upon their Seed and Posterity are a sufficient proof of God's special Love to Believers and set it forth illustriously such as Psalm 97.11 Light is sown for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart Psal 37.37 Mark the perfect man and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace Eccles 8.12 13. Though a sinner do evil an hundred times and his days be prolonged yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God which fear before him c. Psal 102.28 The children of thy servants shall continue and their seed shall be established before thee Rom. 8.1 There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus that walk not after the flesh but after the spirit Psal 125.1 2. They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Sion which cannot be removed but abideth for ever As the mountains are round about Jerusalem so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth and for ever Rom. 8.28 All things work together for their good And Gal. 4.6 Because they are sons God will send forth the Spirit of his Son into their hearts 2. All those Scriptures that contain their special relations unto God and Priviledges founded thereupon do lively set forth God's special Love to them Sixthly His Almightiness the Scripture thus expresseth besides the places where he is expresly styled Almighty Ephes 3.20 He is able to do abundantly above what we can think or speak Job 26.14 The thunder of his power who can understand Prov. 21.30 There is no wisdom power nor understanding against him Jerem. 27.5 He hath made the Earth and all that therein is by his great power Isa 40.22 23. It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth and the inhabitants thereof are as Grass-hoppers that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in That bringeth the Princes to nothing and maketh the Judges of the Earth as vanity Heb. 1.3 God is there said to uphold all things by the word of his power All those Scriptures that assert the Creation of the World or any part of it by God The Division of the Sea or other Waters miraculously The strange Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha
whose death the sting of death is taken out and by whose Resurrection ours is secured even the Resurrection to Life to all his true and faithful Members And as the First-Fruits were as it were the Pledge and Earnest of the Harvest that was to follow after so the Resurrection of Christ is the Gage and Assurance of ours 4. Having not spared his Son but given him a ransome for us he hath with him given us all other things we receive Mercies without number from him every day And that 1. Privative in guarding us from the many Mischiefs that the desert of our sin and the desire and endeavour of our Enemies would bring upon us And 2. Positive in bestowing on us the good things which we deserve not and which the malice of our Enemies would keep from us How many dangers have we oft-times escaped which we have both known and feared but they are far more that we have escaped which we have neither known nor feared We see not the Enemies that lurk continually about our Paths and Beds and that are always plotting and endeavouring to devour us which the secret Power of one that 's stronger than they hath hitherto prevented How oft hath Satan thirsted for our Blood and desired to sift us as Wheat But Christ hath interceded for us and infatuated all his Counsels that they have not prospered hitherto When he hath dug low to hide his Counsel from the Lord and laid his design deep and covered it with the greatest cunning and secresie when he hath thought certainly now he should prevail and swallow us up he hath miss'd his purpose and gone away disappointed and God hath shewed us a way how to escape Every Beam of Light that shineth on us every Breath we fetch every Minutes Health we do enjoy every Bit we eat and are refreshed with the House that covereth us the Air that we suck in the Bed we lye on the Friends that comfort us every Sweetness that we tast either in the Acts of Sense or Understanding together with the continuance of all our Faculties In a word every Comfort that befriendeth us is a distinct Mercy of God vouchsafed to us in Jesus Christ What shall I say How numberless are these which I have but generally touched If I should insist upon the several Circumstances and Degrees of them with the frequent Repetition of every one of them But these are not the one half of what our Redeemer doth bestow The Mercies that concern our Souls are far more numberless So that though I have seemed to name but three or four Instances of the Bounty of God towards us yet these are all so comprehensive especially those of Creation Redemption and Providence that they contain more under them than can be reckoned up in the Individuals by any humane Art or Skill There are some few of those infinite ways whereby God's goodness is demonstrated to us I might further shew how much the goodness of God is manifest towards us in all our Sufferings Streights Necessities Afflictions Sickness Death which breed the only quarrel between us and the goodness of the Lord and will not let us speak out and acknowledge it freely as we ought It's easie to vindicate the goodness of the Lord even in these to such as will but bring an impartial ear Neither doth his Wisdom and Power towards us come much behind his goodness Doth it not require infinite Wisdom and Power to govern such a perverse piece as sin hath made Man to be And to make him serviceable either willingly or without his Will to the glorious Ends of Order and Government in the World And that both in his Commerce 1. with God 2. with Men 3. with other Creatures either bridling or conquering his Corruptions without any impeachment of his liberty that they do not confound and destroy all Piety Justice and Sobriety out of the World It must be no less than the Power of God that must bring down the Proud that would otherwise trample all under feet That must govern the Savage Nations and tame and restrain the barbarous and bloody minds and make the wretched devices of the Enemies of his Church to be of none effect It must be a mighty Power indeed that must turn a furious persecuting Saul into an humble penitent and faithful Saul What a wisdom is seen in making Man so great and yet so little in designing him for so high an end and yet training him up for it by such low and despicable means But I will run out no further on this Argument lest I find no end FINIS