are two Phrases and Expressions which are used both together in the Text A Wilderness and a Land of Darkness and the Lord does deny himself to be guilty of either of these to his people He has neither been one nor t'other to them Not a Wilderness which is an expression of unprofitableness Not a Land of Darkness which is an expression of uncomfortableness In a word he does here plainly profess that he hath been no way wanting in any supply which might be requisite or necessary for them neither have they served him for nought or to no purpose in all their attendances upon him This is the Point here before us That God's people they do not serve him in vain and for no profit neither are they any loosers at all by their servings of him He is not one that is defective in the rewarding or recompensing of them for whatsoever they do upon his account Thus we have it in Mal. 1.10 Who is there among you that would shut the doors for nought neither do ye kindle a fire upon mine Altar for nought He speaks it to his own people and it is that which is evident and manifest from daily experience and observation so to be And it is founded upon God's Nobleness and Royalty and Magnificence Generous and magnanimous persons they do not love to be in any mans debt that they should do them service and not to pay them for it no but will recompence and requite them to the full They think their own honour is much ingaged and concerned in it and therefore they will not here be defective or wanting to themselves And so it is here with God Therefore accordingly it concerns us to be right opinionated of God and to be well perswaded of him to this purpose It is that which a great many are not as even the Scripture it self informs us which say What is the Almighty that we should serve him And what profit should we have if we prayed unto him Job 21.15 And so again Ye have said It is in vain to serve God and what profit is it that we have kept his Ordinances and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of Hosts Mal. 3.14 Such people as these they make as if God were a Wilderness and a Land of Darkness to his servants but indeed it is no such matter and they are convinced of the contrary from God's own Declaration and Protestation here in this Text which we have now before us That which makes them to be so perswaded is First Because God is pleased sometimes to suspend and delay the expressions of his goodness to them Because he does not reward them presently therefore they think he will not reward them at all Because they do not see the fruit of their labours out of hand therefore they imagine as if God would be altogether barren to them But this is a very great Errour and mistake in them For the Lord he does every thing in the best and fittest season and the longer that he stayes before he rewards them the more does he reward them at last so that they shall have no cause in conclusion to complain of him Secondly Because God does not alwaies reward them in that way and kind as they desire and expect from him It may be he may heap upon them Spiritual blessings but he does not so follow them with Temporals or it may be with Temporals in such a kind but not with Temporals in another And this through their perverseness they judge to be as good as nothing at all But those who are Experienced Christians they should learn to be of another mind as it is here propounded to them And from hence to take heed of being disheartened and discouraged in God's service which Satan their Spiritual Enemy does endeavour all he can to do with them being as the Accuser of the Brethren to God so the Accuser also of God to the Brethren we should not be in this case ignorant of his devices nor unwary of his suggestions but rather arm and strengthen ourselves against them all we can and beg of God himself to strengthen us There is no unprofitableness in the service of God but there is unprofitableness in the service of Satan and in the service of Sin This will be sure to be a Wilderness to us yielding us nothing but bryers and thorns And this will be a Land of Darkness to us Will the Son of Jesse give them Vineyards c carrying us even into utter Darkness if we take not heed of it What fruit had ye saies the Apostle in those things whereof ye are now ashamed for the end of those things is death that 's the wages and reward of sin Rom. 6.21 23. But being made free from sin and become servants to God ye have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life c. And that 's the first Emphasis which is considerable of us in this expression namely as it hath the force of a self-acquittance or Justification wherein God does clear himself of all suspicion of unfruitfulness or unkindness towards his people Have I been a Wilderness or a Land of Darkness to Israel That is indeed I have not been I disclaim it The Second is as it hath the force of a Remembrance or seasonable Intimation Have I been a Wilderness c Nay rather indeed I have been the quite contrary I have in reality been a Paradise It is a kind of an Ironical Speech wherein the contrary is intended to whatâ—s exprest and that for the greater conviction of the persons to whom it is spoken It serves to declare unto us the great goodness and overflowing bounty of God towards his people who is so far from being wanting to them in any thing which is necessary as that he does oftentimes abound to them in all things which can be desired of them There are some of his servants more especially amongst the rest who have large experiences of his provision for them in all particulars in blessings of Heaven above and in blessings of the Earth beneath whom he does daily load with his Benefits as the Psalmist expresseth it Psal 68.29 And they are to him as a watred Garden This it proceeds in him from his own free love and grace Bounty and liberality it needs no other motive than it self for the expressing and manifesting of it He has mercy upon whom he will have mercy and he has bounty for whom he will have bounty and he takes delight in making some persons more than others to be the ubjects and objects of it And to make known the riches of his Bounty upon the vessels of mercy Rom. 9.23 As we see it is sometimes in the world with great and wealthy persons they now and then take some content in it to make others partakers of their Beneficence Even so does this great and mighty God in his
here a duty which is to be performed and put in practice by all other sinners besides and that is to labour to work themselves to such a shame as this is That which is here spoken of these Romans it is not spoken of them only in a way of simple Narration as signifying how they were affected but also in a way of tacite commendation as praising them for being affected in that manner and so it does implicitly exhibit a duty to us that we should labour to be so our selves Next to the shunning and avoiding of sin is to be ashamed and grieved for committing it Now this does justly come home to the Consciences of abundance in the world there are many which are perfrictae frontis of a bold and hardened forehead which have no shame nor relenting in them at all which can sin one sin after another in the highest and hainousest manner that can be and yet never be once wrought upon for it or ashamed of it the unjust knows no shame as it is Zephan 3.5 The Heathen could say he was lost that had no shame The Prophet Jeremy has set forth such as these in their colours to us Jer. 6.15 Were they ashamed says he when they had committed abomination nay they were not at all ashamed neither could they blush c. This is the exact temper and disposition even of many in these days and in this land in which we live which are past all shame whatsoever they have no shame at all in them never more of the occasion and never less of the affection And I speak not only of that spiritual shame and holy blushing which belongs to Religion and is within the compass of Christianity it self which is taken from religious Grounds and spiritual Arguments and Considerations but I speak now of that natural shame which God has planted in all men by Creation an is not lost but in the height of wickedness and abomination it self This is that which many Monsters in this age are devoid and destitute of both men and women I should be exceeding sorry if I should have need to say much of it here in this place only I cannot but by the way take notice of it that I may testifie and bear witness against it as that which I look upon as one of the saddest symptoms of Gods wrath and indignation against us and if it be not timely prevented by those whom it concerns to reform it will not only be reckoned by God as the sin of some particular persons but also of the whole Nation it self which will be charged with it That impudence and boldness and undauntedness in sinful courses which many people are come unto which are so far from being ashamed of sin as that they rather boast of it and as the Apostle speaks glory in their shame This is the humour of too many in the world that which should most humble them and abase them and cast them down and lay them low in the sight of God and men and themselves is that which commonly most exalts them and swells them and puffs them with pride so far are they from this temper of the Romans of being ashamed And so now ye have the second particular for the Expression of sins inconvenience taken from the dishonourableness of it Whereof ye are now ashamed The third and last is taken from its perniciousness For the end of those things is death This is that which hits the nail on the head and brings all here indeed and 't is that which is very considerable forasmuch as the end is all in all and such an end as this which is here spoken of so more especially if the other two evils had been spared yet this alone were enough to deter us though there were some gain and honour in sin as we have shewed there is none yet whiles there 's death in it that 's enough against it and that there is The end of those things is death This Death here is to be taken by us in the latitude namely in each kind of it whether natural or else spiritual and eternal First For natural death which we call the death of the body that 's the end of sin and that which sin procures though not that which the sinner intends By sin death came into the world as the Apostle speaks Rom. 5.12 This is so in a double Explication First In the nature of the thing and as the effect immediately flowing from the cause And secondly by the just judgment of God who in his Providence does so order and dispose it and himself does inflict death for it First It is so in God's Pvovidence and Judgment How many do we read of in Scripture whom God himself has in an extraordinary manner stricken dead for their sins Er and Onan and Nadab and Abihu and such as these the end of of their ways was death and that in a more eminent manner There are some more gross and notorious sinners which God has not patience to suffer them and let them alone here in this world but to prevent Atheism and contempt of his Majesty will be presently avenged upon them Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days says the Prophet David Psal 55.23 and Eccles 7.17 Be not overmuch wicked neither be thou foolish why shouldst thou dye before thy time Intimating and implying thus much that such courses and ways as those do provoke God many times so to do Again secondly In the nature of the thing it self and as the effect immediately issuing from the cause Sin it ends in death so as we see by daily and common experience How many are there which by their passion intemperance lasciviousness uncleanness and such courses as these are hasten their own end and not only hazard their souls but likewise expose their lives and so in that regard are no better than self-murtherers It is true they do not always think so nor as I said intend it but yet it is that which follows upon it and in the event is consequent there unto there 's many which might have lived longer if they had lived better and had had a comfortable old age in conclusion if they had not had a dissolute youth going before The end of those things is death if we take it but for natural death the death of the body But secondly It is true also and especially of spiritual death the death of the soul and eternal death the death of soul and body for ever in Hell This is that death which is the wages of sin more particularly for spiritual death Sin it defaces God's Image in us it alienates us from the life of God And whatever Grace is already wrought in us if it does not kill it actually yet it tends to the killing of it and destroys it all it can it takes away a Christians vigor that liveliness and loveliness which should be in him and makes him little better than a
servants but because he will so far gratifie us as to be served by us And then take occasion from thence so much the more to reward us where the goodness of God to his people is observable in two contrary dispensations both in preserving their lives to them and in taking of their lives from them As long as they have any work to do he preserves their lives to them that they may do their work and when that work is done he takes away their lives from them that may they may receive their wages I shall not dye but live and declare the works of the Lord in ver 17. of this present Psalm Thirdly for the good and comfort of others which are their Christian Friends and especially Ministers for the good of their people Thus St. Paul takes notice of it in himself in respect of the Philippians Phil. 2.23 24. I am in a straight betwixt two having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better nevertheless for me to abide in the flesh is more needfull for you And having this confidence I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for the furtherance and joy of your Faith That your rejoycing may be more abundant in Christ Jesus for me by my coming to you again The Apostle it had been better for himself to have left the world That so he might have had his Crown and his reward and have been with Christ Oh but the Church of God could not spare him The Philippians they could not be without him but needed such a faithful Moniter to be continued to them and to abide still amongst them and for their sakes did he so order it to them as one who intends the end does fit the means sutable to them And so as it is in Ministers to their people so in one Minister to another and one friend to another As we live one in another so we live one for another and are preserved in reference hereunto Thus St. Paul notes it of Epaphroditus Philip. 1.26 27. He longed after you all and was full of heaviness because that ye had heard that he had been sick for indeed he was sick nigh unto Death but God had mercy on him and not on him onely but on me also lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow In which passage of Scripture there are divers things observable of us to our present purpose First Here 's Epaphroditus's Danger and the extremity which he had been in He was sick nigh unto death which is that which God does often bring his servants to for sundry reasons Partly thereby to awaken them and to make them to clear up their accounts partly thereby to try them and to see the frame and temper in which they are partly to try the good-will and affection of others towards them for these and the like considerations does he sometimes bring them to the pits mouth when as yet he does not take them away as he did here with Epaphroditus Secondly Here was his recovery and preservation from that death which he was so nigh unto The providence which is here celebrated in the Text by the Prophet David and this has its Character put upon it as a Dispensation of mercy But God had mercy on him for so it is in his own nature and simply considered Thirdly Here 's the extent of the mercy not to Epaphroditus onely but to St. Paul not on him onely but on me also On thee as a friend it is a mercy to have our friends continued on me as a Minister it is a mercy to have our fellow-laboures continued On me also as a Believer It is a mercy to have our Christian Brethren continued as members of the same body with us Then last of all Here 's the end and motive of all this lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow why sorrow upon sorrow why because the Apostle was now in bonds and under many afflictions besides in which cases Friends are alwayes most pleasing and acceptable to us A Friend is born for adversity now to have lost such a friend as this had been a very great loss indeed and God was tender and shy of it so far to press upon his heart and to lay too heavy a load upon him Thus some of the afflictions of God's people are assured to them against others who otherwise would happen to them They should suffer more if they did not suffer so much already Where we may observe a difference betwixt God and men men they oftentimes delight to add affliction to affliction where they see any under sorrow to increase their sorrow upon them and to make it more as the Lord himself complains of the Heathen in their carriage towards his people Zech. 1.15 I am very sore displeased with the Heathen that are at ease for I was but a little displeased namely with my people and they helped forward the affliction Men they help forward the Affliction but God he does not love to do so He will not add sorrow to sorrow Fourthly God does also sometimes preserve the lives of his servants and not deliver them up to death for the greater Disappointment of enemies and persons ill-affected to them who hope and wait for their death God loves to cross and frustrate base and vile affections and in his Providence to go contrary to them Many an one had been dead if they had not been wisht to dye the ambition and covetousness and sometimes malice of some kind of persons in the world have kept many a man alive who had been otherwise in his grave God will not so far gratifie sinfull and unworthy desires as in such cases to comply with them but rather by their mis-carriage and dissappointment in the event shew them the vanity of them This David takes notice of himself in another place upon this occasion in Psal 41.5 Mine enemies speak evil of me when shall he dye and his name perish an evil disease say they cleaves unto him and now that he lyeth down he shall rise up no more but thou O Lord art merciful unto me And then it follows verse 11. By this I know that thou favourest me because mine enemy doth not triumph over me Thus we see how upon several considerations God keeps his servants from coming to their death This is first of all matter of incouragement to the servants of God and may hearten them and strengthen them in his service and keep them from perplexity and disquiet forasmuch as there is such a carefull Providence watching over them and preserving of them it should shut out all needless fears and distractions in them which in some cases they are subject unto and especially in some difficult enterprises whereunto now and then they may be called to comfort themselves in this consideration That God will not lightly and easily and for no cause give them over to death There 's a great deal of mistrustfulness oftentimes in the best
were all their life-time subject to bondage Heb. 2.14 15. And then likewise that he might sanctifie Death to all Believers and take away the sting and curse of it That 's one thing which is here intimated to us That Christ was amongst the dead The second is That he rose again from the dead he was begotten among the dead that is he was raised from death to life And this the Scripture also mentions in sundry places to be profitable and beneficial to us both in point of justification and in point of sanctification likewise The former we have in Rom. 4.25 where it is said expresly That he rose again for our justification And the latter we have in Rom. 6.4 where it is said That Christ was therefore raised from the dead by the glory of the Father that so we might walk in newness of life The third and last Point and which comes more home to the Text is That Christ was the first-begotten of the dead Thus he is call'd here in this place and also in some other Scriptures as in Col. 1.18 He is said to be the beginning and the first-born from the dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This he is said to be according to a twofold Explication First In regard of order And secondly In regard of influence In regard of order as being himself the first in the resurrection In regard of influence as being operative and efficacious in our rising again First I say Christ was said to be the first-begotten of the dead in point of order as being first in the glorious Resurrection Therefore he is call'd in another place the first-fruits of them â—â—â—t sleep 1 Cor. 15.20 Christ is before any other in this particular And this again in a twofold respect First As to the principle of his Resurrection And secondly as to the terms of it For the principle first In that he alone rose by his own proper virtue and power others they rose from the dead but they were raised by the Power of Christ Christ he rose purely of himself Thus Joh. 2.19 Destroy this Temple and I will in three days raise it up he spoke of the temple of his body And so Joh. 10.18 I have power to lay down my life and I have power to take it again This was the Power of his Divine Nature which from hence did manifest it in him And therefore in Rom. 1.4 he was said to be declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead Secondly As from the Principle of his Resurrection so likewise from the Terms of it Christ was the first that rose from Death to Life eternal and so to Glory Though Lazarus and some others rose from the dead before Christ yet they rose from natural death to natural life and so as to dye again but Christ so rose as never more to dye Rom. 6.9 Christ being raised from the dead dyeth no more death hath no more dominion over him c. Thus now Christ is the first-begotten of the dead in point of order which is the first Explication The second is in point of influence so far forth as Christ's Resurrection was operative and efficacious to ours as indeed it was Christ's rising again from the dead is a cause of rising again to all his Members who rose in reference to him by way of Merit by way of Efficiency and by way of Pattern or Example Again which we may refer hereunto he is said to be the first-begotten of the dead in regard of that authority which he has over the dead obtained by his rising again We knew amongst the Jews he that was the first-born and eldest in the Family he had many priviledges and preheminences above his brethren as Lordship right of the Priesthood a double portion c. even so has Christ the like priviledg over those whom he is pleased to call his brethren And so the Apostle himself sets it That in all things he might have the preheminence But more expresly in Rom. 14.9 To this end Christ both dyed and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of dead and living Which he is therefore said to be because in his rising again he entred into the possession and exercise of that Lordship which he had purchased over us and which did now of right give this Denomination unto him Christ was Lord of us before he rose again as he was also before he dyed and in dying it self but his Resurrection put him into the actual possession of this Lordship and was a fuller and clearer discovery and manifestation of it This is a Point of singular comfort and encouragement to God's Children and that especially against the fear of Death and the horror of the Grave wherein notwithstanding they belong to him as the head of them God is in this sense not only the God of the living but of the dead and Christ is likewise their elder Brother and as the first-begotten amongst them There is an inseparable and perpetual Union betwixt Christ and every Believer and that not only in regard of their souls but also of their bodies which as they are the Temples of the Holy Ghost so they are likewise the Members of Christ as it is in 1 Cor. 6.15 And God has made a gracious Covenant with them likewise in Christ to be their God even for ever and ever and in death it self which they shall at last be also raised up from upon the account of Christs Resurrection as it is in 1 Pet. 1.3 4. He hath begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you And so I have done also with the second General Part of the Text which is the description of Christ taken from his Office of Priesthood in those words The first-begotten of the dead The third and last is from his Regal or Kingly Office And the Prince of the Kings of the earth Christ is not only a Prophet and a Priest but likewise a King Act. 5.31 The God of our Fathers hath raised up Jesus c. and exalted him to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins not only a Saviour but likewise a Prince yea a Prince of all Princes as he is here and elsewhere called Thus 1 Tim. 6.15 Who is the blessed and only Potentate the King of kings and Lord of lords who only hath immortality c. And so Rev. 19.16 He hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written King of kings and Lord of lords This Christ is said to be upon a twofold Consideration First In reference to his Nature Secondly in reference to his Office For his Nature first of all as he is God so together with the other two persons in the Sacred Trinity hath he justly this Title put upon him as being the Maker
handled this Proposition consisting of two Branches that where God will give peace to a Kingdom none shall hinder it Where he will deny the same peace none can procure it We took this Proposition asunder and handled each Branch by it self c. THe Second reference of these words is as they respect a particular Person a man onely and so are to be considered of us at this present time and accordingly they have this proposition which is exhibited in them That when God will give a man quietness none can trouble him when God will hide his face from him none can uphold him where we see that the Proposition in this reference as well as that which we had before consists of two Branches and so together with that is distinctly to be handled by us Wee 'l begin in order with the former and that 's this That where God gives a man Quietness none can make him Trouble And this again may have a double sense in it either First Thus where God gives inward and Spiritual peace a man shall suffer no great inconvenience from outward trouble Or Secondly thus Where God gives inward and Spiritual peace a man shall there be kept and preserv'd from inward Trouble either of these may be here understood First I say where God gives inward and Spiritual peace a man shall suffer no great inconvenience from outward Trouble that which seems troublesome to others and also is so in the nature of the thing yet shall not be troublesome and molesting to such a Person Trouble to speak properly of it is not so much from the Condition as the Affection It is not so much from the State as the mind we see in ordinary Experience that one and the self same thing which one man makes a great deal of stur with another is not troubled at all with it So then this is the result of this Busines That no Condition shall be troublesome to that Person which is in favour and peace with God When he gives quietness c. Where a man has peace and quietness of Conscience he is so far forth provided against all trouble and disturbance whatsoever whether Publique or Private This the Scripture does abundantly reach forth to us in several places As Psal 23.4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of Death I will fear none Evil for thou art with me thy Rod and thy Staff they comfort me And Psal 27.1 c. The Lord is my Light and my Salvation whom shall I fear The Lord is the strength of my Life of whom shall I be affraid Though an Host should Encamp c. So Psal 46.1.2 God is our refuge and strength a very present help in Trouble Therefore will we not fear though the Earth be removed and though the mountains be Exalted into the midst of the Sea And Psal 112.7.8 Speaking of a Godly and Righteous man Surely he shall not be moved for ever c. He shall not be affraid of Evil Tidings his heart is fixed trusting in the Lord. His heart is Established he shall not be affraid untill he sees his desire upon his Enemies These and the like Testimonies there are to make this truth good unto us And the Grounds of it are these First Because he which has peace and atonement with God he has that within him oftentimes which does swallow all outward sadness and trouble whatsoever Those which are full of Comfort a little trouble is not troublesom to them but is easily swallowed up in them and they do not regard it Now thus is it with those which have this inward and Spiritual peace they are so exceedingly ravish't and transported with joy that lesser Evils are in a manner and in Comparison nothing with them Look as it is on the otherside in the terror and trouble of Conscience those which lye under the pressures thereof and have the Arrows of the Almighty sticking in them they take but little Content or delight in any outward refreshment Those things which others are taken with they are all nothing to them even so is it also here in peace and quietness of Conscience those which have the sweetness of this it makes them to forget and to despise any outward trouble whatsoever This Comfort of a good Conscience is like the Wine which has wont in times past to be given to Malefactors when they were going to Execution Prov. 31.6.7 Give strong Drink to him that are ready to perish and wine unto those that be of heavy Hearts Let him drink and forget his Poverty and remember his misery no more Even thus is it with this wine of the Spirit it causes a forgetfulness of those Evils which are upon us Thus it was with the Martyrs in former days they needed not Cordials and comforting Potions to sustain them and chear them in those Conditions No but they had that within them which was Enough to do it alone even the peace and Comfort and Tranquility of their own Consciences this was to them as a continual Feast and which made them to forget that Misery which their Enemies and Persecutors cast upon them And so it is still to the Saints of God in those Conditions which they now fall into They have so much joy and Comfort within doores as it makes them slight all the Trouble without Si fractum c. Secondly He which has peace with God there is nothing which is able to trouble him because that which is the main ground and Occasion and Foundation of trouble is removed and taken away from him And that in one word is Sin and guilt and the anger of God Affections are not so far forth troublesome to speak off as they are displeasing to Nature or rather as they are reflecting upon Conscience The Sting of Death says the Apostle is Sin and that which he says of Death is also true of every other affliction which is tending thereunto It is Sin which puts a bitterness and Malignity into it Now where God is pleased to give quietness this is removed I say and taken away that is to say in regard of the guilt and condemning power of it Thirdly Where God gives this Quietness and Peace whereof we speak there is also an intimation and assurance of all those Evils and outward Calamities as working and making for our good Though they take impression upon us according to the apprehension which we have of them and as we may conceive and imagine either good or evil comming to us from them we make a great deal of difference in our selves detwixt the wounds which are made by a Souldier and the wounds which are made by a Chyrurgian Because the one we know strikes to Kill whereas the other strikes to Cure Evils are there less troublesome to us when we look upon them as meanes and Conducements to further good Now thus does a person reconciled upon all the troubles and Miseryes and Calamities which he meets with here below he looks
world Thou art he that tookest me out of the womb Secondly The Blessing of the breast in his nursery and first sustentation in the world Thou madest me to hope when I was upon my mothers breasts Thirdly The Blessing of the Cradle in the tutelary care of his Orphanage and desolate condition Vpon thee was I cast from the womb And lastly The Blessings of the Covenant in the continued and mutual interest which he had in God and God in him Thou art my God from my mothers Belly We begin with the first The Blessings of the womb which David does here acknowledge in his his Birth and first coming into the world Thou art he that took me out of the womb Where we see it is a Duty which lyes upon us to acknowledge the blessings of his Birth It is a mercy to be well-born bene nesci and accordingly to be acknowledged This is that which David does here and also in other places As in Psal 71.6 The parallel place to this Thou art he that tookest me out of my mothers bowels my praise shall be continually of thee where the latter words refer to the former Thou tookest me out of my mothers womb my praise shall be of thee That is it shall be of thee for taking me c. Where when David blesses God for his birth as he does also here in our present Text. we are not to take it simply and absolutely for a meer entrance and coming into the world no more but so though that hath its mercy in it to but we are to take it in the whole latitude and reach and comprehensiveness of it in all the several appurtenances which are attendant and belonging unto it As to instance in the chiefest of them which are to be observed by us First As it hath attendant upon it the Blessing of Life David blest God here not onely that he was meerly born but born alive that he was not still-born that the womb was not his grave but that God in goodness and mercy to him gave him the liberty to see the light This is that which many do not partake of which is so much the greater ground of thankfulness and acknowledgement to those which do Life is a very great blessing which hath a great deal of sweetness in it in the nature of the thing it self A living dog is better than a dead Lyon Eccles 9.4 .. But then moreover it is further a mercy as it is the ground-word and foundation of all the rest which he receives with it All other comforts besides which God hath given us whether natural or spiritual they are all founded in life and from thence take their use as concerning the activity of them One of the greatest and chiefest excellencies of all is that it proves an opportunity to us for the working out of our eternal salvation whiles we live we have an advantage for this and to God some special service in the places wherein he hath set us to glorifie him that made us who hath given us all things that pertain to life and godliness as the Apostle Peter speaks and in whom as the Apostle Paul sayes we live and move and have our being And this is one thing herein included Thou tookest me out of the womb that is thou tookest me out of the womb alive That was a great mercy to him And then further for th amplification of it with life not onely to himself but also to his Parent There 's many a child born into the world which like a Viper proves the death of the mother The life and birth of the child falls out sometimes to be the destruction of the Parent which bare it and brought it forth As ye know it was with Benjamin to Rachel He was Benoni and so she styled him the son of her sorrows But it was otherwise here with David he was not so And it is otherwise also with many others which is to be acknowledged by them both Parents and children as being great and special favours and mercies to both But to this here may be haply Objected That Birth and so also life is not so great a blessing indeed as we would seem to make it to be for the Scripture it self in some places speaks otherwise of them As Eccles 7.1 The day of death is better then the day of ones birth And Eccles 4.2 3. Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more then the living which are yet alive yea better is he then both they which hath not yet been who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the Sun Again 't is said of Judas Mark 14 20. It had been good for that man that he had not been born To these I answer First For those Saints of God which have sometimes curst the dayes of their birth it hath been a weakness and infirmity in them arising out of the strength of passion and inordinate sorrow in them which is no disparagement at all to the mercy it self nor their example to be followed by us as being sinful and unwarrantable in them Then as for Judas of whom it is said that it had been good for him if he had never been born It is not spoken as any diminution of birth in its own â—â—tufe consider'd but onely as it was improv'd by him wickedly to his own destruction and eternal damnation And indeed in this sense a man had better never been born indeed He that is not new-born he had better been still-born He that is not born again he had better he had not been born at all He that is not changed from his natural corruption has not a new nature put into him has not the image of God renewed in him is not converted and brought home to God either sooner or later but lives and dies impenitently and in the wayes of sin it had been a great deal better for that man that he had never seen the light nor had known what life had ment and in this respect is it said of Judas that it had been good for him if he had nor been born Again for those places in Ecclesiastes to answer them To the first where t is said the day of Death is better then the day of Birth The day of Birth is not simply diminished but the day of Death prefer'd before it and that not absolutely and indefinitely neither but respectively and Secundum quid as we use to speak To wit as the day of Death put an end to those worldly miseryes which Birth makes a man capable off and further as to the Children of God it is the beginning of future Happiness and Glory and the Birth day of Immortality it self Thus is the day of Death better but if we speak of them in Eodem genere comparing Life and Death together in the same Consideration so the day of Birth is better c. For the other place where the Preacher praises the Dead which are already dead more
then the Living which are yet alive c. He does not prefer Death and annihilation before Life and being absolutely but onely order to such a time and season of it He does not say I praysed the Dead which are already dead more then the living which have been formerly living but more then those which are now alive And he does not say better is he then both which never shall be but better is he then both which hath not yet been viz. Till these Miseries and Calamities are gone and over past So that still the injoyment of Life and so Birth is to be acknowledged a Blessing and to be counted so by us But here a Question may come in by the impertinent to this present argument in hand Whether it be lawful and warrantable for a man to celebrate his Birth-day or no to commemorate the day wherein he was born That which seems to make against it is that we never read of any in Scripture which did so but wicked men and Infidels and unbelievers and such as were never acquainted with the Mystery of Original sin which defiles our birth as for example Pharaoh in Genes 40.20 He made a feast on his birth-day And so also Herod in Matth. 14.6 His Birth-day was kept but for others which were Godly and holy men we have no instance or example of them for such an Observation To this I anser That notwithstanding we have no example for it yet forasmuch as we have nothing absolutely against it nor yet which by way of consequence may be inferr'd in opposition to it the thing in it self is such as may be lawfully practis'd but still with this caution that in regard of the frequent abuses which have crept into it through men's corruption in its corporal observation that therefore men had need to be more watchful over themselves in it And especially to let their hearts run out in the spiritual observation of it rather then in any thing else to wit in thankfulness to God for their Creation Birth Education and other mercies received An examination of their life past and a renewing of their Covenant with God for time to come to walk more carefully and exactly before him In such things as these especially does this business consist but as for other matters wherein men chiefly express their rejoycing at such times as by feastings and gifts and the like being they are things which are less material and impertinent to the main thing of all there is the less respect to be to them and perhaps as circumstances may carry it may be as well omitted as perform'd And so much of the first and main Benefit which is attendant upon his mercy and for which it is to be acknowledg'd as a Birth The Blessing of life Now besides this there are other Mercies also which belong hereunto which are to be acknowledged herein likewise by those which are partakers of them As for Example soundness of Constitution a good Temper and Natural frame and Healthfulness of Body when men are blest with this Vita non est vivere sed Valere He does not live that Breathes but that lives Healthfully and t is a very great mercy of God considering the manifold miscarriages and weaknesses which are in this kind when it pleases God to give us a good habit and Composition of Health Secondly Due proportion of Parts and Limbs and Senses and such as these we see how many deformed mishapen and monstrous Births there are sometimes in the World Blind and Deaf and Halt and Creeple and the like such defects and imperfections as these as makes life oftentimes a burden and weariness to those which have them These its a very great mercy to bee freed and Exempted from And this Holy man David seems to bless God here inclusively for these yea indeed he does it expresly in another place as we may see it there at large in Psal 139.13.14.15.16 Thou hast covered me in my mothers Womb I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made Thirdly Wit and Understanding and Ingenuity and natural Capacity such as these are also here to be taken in as matter of Acknowledgment There are some which are born Idiots and Fooles and Dullards and void of common reach There are others which have crabbid Natures and Crooked and untoward Dispositions now where ever there is a freedom from these it is also a mercy And so I might proceed at large in these several Appurtenances but so much may suffice of the first particular which David here mentions The Blessing of the Womb in his Birth Thou art he that tookest me c. The Second is the Blessings of the Breast in his Nursery and sustentation being born Thou madest me to hope when I was upon my Mothers brests Madest me to hope How are we to understand this Infants have not the exercise of reason and therefore have not the exercise of Hope which is an act of reason how would then David say here Thou madest me to hope For the understanding of this we must know that he speaks not of the Mind but of the Estate Thou madest me to hope that is thou puttest me into an hopeful Condition thou gavest me Ground and Foundation of Hope from thy carriage at that time unto me And that as it may be further explain'd in these two Particulars First By Protection and Preservation Secondly By Provision and Sustentation Gods goodness in each of these particulars made David to hope First By Protection and Preservation God did then defend and preserve him from many Evils which he was subject unto and so some translate the present word Mavtictu Thou keepest me in safety as ye may see in the Margent of the Text. There are many Evils and Dangers which are kept and preserved from them You know what was the ill hap of Mephibosheth the Son of Davids friend 2 Sam. 4.4 His Nurse slipt and let him fall that he became a Cripple ever afterwards And the young Children which Herod slew in Bethlehem they were some of them killed upon the Breast and the blood of the child mingled with the milk of the Mother There are others which have been kept from Diseases and Sicknesses which they have been here liable unto the Nurse sometimes infected and yet the Infant free'd and escaped When we consider the many Mischances and Casualties which this first condition of Life has attendant upon it of Starving of Overlaying of Smoothering of Infecting and such as these we have very great cause to bless God that preserved us when we hung upon the Breasts And further to make it an argument of depending and trusting upon him him still for following times This is the Scope and drift of this Text and Scripture which we have now in hand and for which also I have the rather made choyce of it to handle at this present time to uphold us against the Fears and Dangers of the days we now live in
not some Light ones onely but such as were very Irksome and hard to be born That is Chastening me sore First I say in this Expression we have the Frequency and Reiteration of these Chastenings even again and again This is one thing which God is pleased sometimes to do with his Children when he has Chastened them once to return to it and Chasten them a fresh and to renew his Chastenings to them When Sin is repeated Punishment is repeated likewise and when we return to our Transgressions God himself returns to his Corrections and Chastisements of us as is most requisite and Convenient for us Look as it is with Physitians in regard of the Body when the same Distemper comes again they give the same Physick to remove it and to take it away even so does the great Physitian in reference to the Soul Relapses into Sin will cause Relapses into Sickness or into any other trouble for Sin which it is a ground and occasion of The one follows upon the other in Gods most wise and prudent Dispensations Secondly Here 's the Multitude of Corrections He hath Chastened me in Chastening that is he hath sent one Affliction upon another this is another thing here observable in Gods proceedings towards the Sons of men one Deep calls to another Psal 42.7 Deep calleth unto Deep at the noise of thy water-spouts all thy Waves and thy Billowes are gone over me And so Job in Job 16.14 He breaketh me with breach upon breach he runneth upon me like a Giant Thus did the Lord with that Holy man he had Messenger upon Messenger of Evil tidings which hapned unto Him of the Chaldeans and Sabeans c. Thou renewest thy Witnesses against me and Increasest thine Indignation upon me in Job 10.17 Thirdly Here 's the Greiviousness of the Correction Repition implies Intention and so here he hath Chastened me in Chastening that is He hath Chastened me sore as our own Translation here gives it Thus God oftentimes does likewise he layes heavy Afflictions upon his People Thus the Church complains to God Psal 44.19 Thou hast sore broken us in the place of Dragons and covered us with the shadows of Death And Psal 80.5 Thou feedest them with the Bread of Tears and givest them Tears to drink in great measure Job The arrows of the Almighty were in him Heman His wrath lay hard upon him Paul He was Prest above measure and so of the rest And there 's very good cause for it God sees it to be necessary for us oftentimes to deal thus with us as simply to Chasten us so now and then to Chasten us sore and that especially that Patience may have its perfect work in us and that the Cure may be throughly wrought in us For strong Humours require strong Physick to purge them out Where Corruption is deeply rooted in the Heart there it is not a light or small matter which will serve the turn to work it out No but there must be a great deal of stir and adoe which is to be made with it The Use which we should make of it is therefore from hence to learn to understand the Providences of God in this particular to be satisfied in them and prepared for them we are apt to think our troubles to be such as none were ever before us see here how it is with David Chastened me sore And as I said there is cause for it that God may be clear when he Judges there are some Natures and Dispositions which a small or light Correction will doe no good upon him but they are apt to despise it and therefore God sees it necessary to deal more severely with them and to take a sharper Course to mend them And so I have done with the first General part of the Text which is the Condition it self The Lord hath Chastened me sore c. The Second is the Qualification of this Condition But he hath not given me over to Death which words are to be considered of us two manner of ways First in their Connexion with the words that went before And Secondly In their absolute Consideration as taken alone by themselves First In their Connexion and so I say they are a Qualification of those that went before and they serve to shew unto us the manner of Gods dealings with his people which is to mitigate his Afflictions of them and to Correct them still in measure he Chastens them but does not undoe them Thus 2 Cor. 6.9 As Dying but behold we live As Chastened but not kild And so 2 Cor. 4.8.9 Troubled on every side but not Distressed Perplexed but not in Dispair Persecuted but not forsaken Cast down but not destroyed And 1 Cor. 10.13 God is Faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which ye are able but will with the Temptation find a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it Though he cause Grief yet will he have Compassion according to the Multitude of his Mercies Lam. 3.32 And so here now in this present Scripture Though he Chastens yet he gives not over unto Death The reason of it is this because Gods Ayme and Intent is not Destruction but Reformation which Death doth hinder and prevent the opportunities of unto us Though it is true that even in Death it self God can work much to this purpose as to the Changeing and bettering of the Heart yet for the outward Life and Conversation and the reforming of that this by Death is taken away Secondly As God does thus mitigate his Corrections in Wisdome so also in Mercy because he is a Gracious God and he continues still so to be without alteration Lam. 3.22 It is of the Lords Mercies that we are not Consumed because his Compassions fail not They are new every Morning great is thy Faithfulness And Malach. 3.6 I am the Lord I change not therefore ye Sons of Jacob are not Consumed The Lord is full of very much tenderness in this particular as it is related Concerning the Israelites that though they carried themselves perversely towards him Yet he being full of Compassion forgave them their Iniquities and destroyed them not Yea many a times turned he his Anger away and did not suffer his whole Indignation to arise for he remembred that they were but Flesh a wind that passeth away and cometh not again Psal 78.38 39. And Psal 102.13.14 Like as a Father pittieth his Children so the Lord pittieth them that fear him for he knoweth our frame he remembreth that we are but Dust in Psal 103.13.14 And again Esay 57.16 I will not contend for Ever neither will I be always wrath for the Spirit would fail before me and the Souls which I have made God stands very much upon this to prevent Discouragement in his Servants This should therefore First of all teach us to acknowledg Gods Goodness in this respect and to praise him for it as David Psal 119.75 I know O Lord that thy
Judgments are right and that in Faithfulness thou hast Afflicted me For indeed he does wonderfully moderate Himself in these his Corrections He punishes us less then our Iniquities deserves as Ezra makes Confession in Ezra 9.13 And although we do not always think so yet he always Corrects us in measure as himself declares unto us in Scripture thus in Esay 27.8 speaking concerning his Vineyard that is his Church In measure when it shooteth forth thou wilt debate with it he stayeth his rough Winds in the day of his East-winds And Jer. 30.11 I am with thee saith the Lord to save thee though I make a full end of all Nations whether I have scattered thee yet I will not make a full end of thee but I will Correct thee in measure and will not altogether leave thee Vnpunished Mark how these two are very happily joyned together I will not altogether leave thee unpunished and yet I will correct the in measure God will not leave his people altogether unpunished that he may the better rule them and keep them in awe and yet he will punish them and correct in measure that so he may keep them from Discouragement and Dispondency and dejection of Spirit Therefore I say let us observe Gods dealings in this particular and acknowledg his goodness in them It should teach us to entertain good thoughts of God and to look for such dealings from him as for time past it should draw out our thankfulness and so for time present it should strengthen our Patience and so for time to come incourage our Faith and Hope and Expectation That he that hath delivered will deliver and though he may Chasten sore yet will still mitigate his Chastenings to us that they shall not altogether overwhelm us and swallow us up but that we shall finde relief in them Indeed we cannot always expect it in the letter of the Text as to an absolute Freedom from Dissolution for that must come and will come at last after all our preservations from it upon such and such particular occasions Recovery is at the best but a Repreive and so must be accounted by us and what ever Evils we do escape there 's no escape of this comming to Death but yet under this phrase here we have signified Gods General inclination for the mitigating of his Corrections to us And therefore Secondly it teaches us also Bowels and Compassions in our selves in imitation of this goodness of God There are some kind of people in the world whom nothing will serve their turn but absolute ruine and destruction Like those two fierce Disciples in the Gospel presently calling for fire from Heaven or like the children of Edom in the Psalm concerning Jerusalem Raze it raze it to the foundation down with it down with it to the ground yea but these are taught better here from the Example of God himself who does hold and restrain his hand in the chastisements and corrections of his people This is still his manner of dealings especially where there 's any hope of proficiency for time to come He will not there presently make an utter end but spare them in much mercy As in Isa 65.8 When the new wine is found in the cluster oh destroy it not for there 's a blessing in it so will I doe for my servants sake c. And so much may be spoken of these words consider'd in their connexion The first part of the verse with the second as qualifying of it Now Secondly let us look upon them in their absolute consideration the latter clause of the verse distinctly and alone by it self He hath not given me over unto death We see here how God does graciously preserve his servants from Death and destruction he keeps and maintains their lives This David often makes mention of in other places of the Psalms besides As Psal 30.3 Oh Lord thou hast brought up my soul from the Grave Thou hast kept me alive that I should not go down to the Pit So Psal 116.8 Thou hast delivered my soul from death mine eyes from tears my feet from falling This the Lord is pleased to doe upon sundry considerations First out of his Goodness and Mercy and Love unto them thus David sets it forth in that place Psal 116.5 6. Gracious is the Lord and righteous yea our God is mercifull And what follows hereupon The Lord preserveth the simple I was brought low and he helped me So in verse 15. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints And Psal 72.14 He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence and precious shall their blood be in his sight It is not an indifferent matter with God the death of his Servants neither does he lightly take away their lives but where there 's good cause and reason for it and in order to some greater good to them Secondly Because he hath work and service for them to do In death no man shall praise thee and who shall give thee thanks in the pit Psal 6.5 And Again Isa 38.18 19. The Grave cannot praise thee death cannot celebrate thee The living the living he shall praise thee As long as God has any work for any man to do so long he is sure to live and abide in the world Here 's a double goodness of God manifested to us First In designing us to service and the work it self And Secondly In preâ—erving our lives that so we may serve him and doe the work he has design'd us to This should so much the more incourage us in fruitfulness before him we cannot take a more expedient way to prolong our lives than by doing as much good as we can in them Useless and unprofitable persons which live idly and out of any imployment they doe but stand in the room of those which would do better then themselves and they provoke God oftentimes in Judgement to remove them and to take them away As the barren Figtree in the Gospel it was cut down that it might not cumber the ground But those that are active and serviceable they are a great delight and content to him and he takes a great deal of delight in thinking upon them as himself also expresses it in Malach. 3.16 17. They shall be mine sayes the Lord of Hosts in that day when I make up my jewels and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him A man loves all his children as children and from his Relation to them Oh but those who are of his Trade and which work to him those he loves and tenders more especially and would be lothest to part with them of any other besides and so is it here with God his sons that serve him their death is more precious with him of all the rest neither will he easily give them over to it Not that he simply needs any work or service of ours who when we have done all we can are at the best but unprofitable
greater Guilt upon them and a secret Curse also cleaving to them for their abuse and perverting of thess Mercies And so much of the thing it self here signified for the main Gods Deliverance and preservation of David He hath not c. Now we may further here take notice of the Phrase and Expression which is here used He hath not given me over to Death It is not simply he hath not killed me or taken away my life from me though that be principally intended But he hath not given me over to Death This is true of the Servants of God even there where Death seases upon them yet they are not under the power of it It does not at last prevail upon them which holds true in a twofold regard First Not under the Curse of it it being sanctified to them for their Good Death to the servants of God is a Conquered Enemy it is a Serpent without a sting O Death where is thy sting O Grave where is thy Victory The sting of Death is Sin the strength of Sin is the Law But thanks be to God who hath given us the Victory through our Lord Jesus Christ as St. Paul in his Heavenly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 15.55.56 God hath not given his Children over to Death but rather hath given Death over to his Children therefore Death is said to be theirs not they to be Death's 1 Cor. 3.21.22 All things are yours and amongst the rest even Death it self Death is under the power of the Church and in a sort at her Command forher Benefit and Advantage as an Entrance for her into Eternal Glory To me to live is Christ and to Die is gain says the Blessed Apostle of Himself Phil. 1.21 Which is true also of any other Beleiver Christ has redeemed us from Death as it is a Curse the Saints they are not under that Secondly As the Saints are not under the Curse of Death so neither under the Contrivances of it and so in that respect not given over to it as being at last made partakers of a blessed and Joyful Resurrection As our blessed Saviour Christ Himself who seems also to be tipified in this Psalm it is noted of him Acts 2.24 That God raised him up from the Dead having loosed the pains of Death because it was not possible that he should be holden of it As it was not possible for him so neither is it possible for any of his Members it was not possible for him to be detained many days Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy one to see Corruption For it is not possible for his Members to be absolutely and always detained but shall at last be loosed from it As Death had no dominion over him so neither over them This Corruption shall put on Incorruption and this Mortal shall put on Immortality and Death it self shall be swallowed up into Victory as the Apostle has it 1 Cor. 15.45 This is a point of singular Comfort to the Children of God and that which may satisfy them in the thoughts and Meditation of their Mortality that though they may and shall die at last yet they shall not be given over to Death It shall not tyrannize nor Dominear over them Indeed it is the Happy advantage of people that they are given over to no Evil whatsoever whether Spiritual or Temporal neither to the Evil of Sin nor to the Evil of Punishment though they be Capable and sensible of both and liable to them First Not to the Evil of Sin and Satan not given over to that As for wicked and ungodly persons it is their Misey to be so Satan rules in them God gives them over to sinful Courses as it is noted of the Gentiles thrice together in one Chapter the First of the Romans God gave them over He gave them over to Vncleanness and he gave them over to vile Affections and he gave them over to a reprobate Mind still he gave them over But he does not so with his own servants though for just and holy reasons he suffers them to be troubled with Sins while they live here below in the world yet he does not give them over to it Sin shall not raign in their mortal Bodies Iniquity shall not have Dominion over tkem nor presumptuous Sins especially shall not prevail upon them nor given over to the Evil of sin No nor Secondly To the Evil of Punishment neither not given over to that and in particular to this of Death As for wicked men and such as are none of Gods Children It is said they are like Sheep laid in the Grave and Death shall feed on them Psal 49.14 Death shall feed on them that is have it's fill and glut of them and shall do what it list unto them Yea but with the servants of God it shall be otherwise as David there makes the opposition in his own Person but God will redeem my Soul from the power of the Grave for he shall receive me Selah He was not given over to the power of Death And as not of Death Temporal so especially not of Eternal neither God did not give him over to this of any other whatsoever could be thought off God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtain Salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Thes 5.9 God will be sure to keep his Children from this and does order all things to them in reference hereunto even Corrections and Afflictions themselves as I in part hinted before Chastens them here that he may not Damn them hereafter so that the Connexion holds very well here in this sense which we have now before us The Lord hath Chastened me sore but he hath not given me over to Death as a Mercy consequent to this his Chastening and Correcting of me And so we have done with both the parts of the Text The Condition and the Qualification of that Condition to him in this whole verse The Lord hath Chastened me sore but he hath not given me over to Death SERMON XXVI Psal 133.1 Behold how Good and Pleasant a thing it is for Brethren to dwell together in Vnity It is the great advantage of Vertue that it carries it's Evidence within it self whereby it becomes lovely and amiable in the eyes of all that observe it and behold it and take notice of it And as other Vertues and Graces besides so amongst the rest the Grace of Love and peaceableness and Unity and brotherly concord It is such as is very eminent and illustrious and which commends it self to all mens Consciences in the sight of God This is that which is here exhibited to us in this present Scripture before us in the Testimony of the Prophet David wherein we have a lively representation set before us of the Benefit of the Communion of Saints which is a main and Principle Article of our Belief and Christian Faith And so an argument very sutable and agreeable to the present occasion of our Assembling and coming
his Works of Judgment How he made a way to his Anger spared not their souls from death but gave their life over to the destruction Psal 18.50 Thus do the Nations forget God according to each of these Explications and are here threatned with Punishment for it And so we have these persons here adjudged in each Description and Representation of them whether Comprehensive or Emphatical The Wicked and all the Nations that forget God And so much for the Point it self Now that which remains in breif is the Use and special Improvement which is to bemade of it First We see here what 's the Doom and Sentence which is past upon all such Persons as we have hitherto described Yet not only upon Persons considered distinctly but upon whole Nations considered joyntly That being wicked and Forgetfull of God They shall be turned into Hell That is both for ever be deprived of Gods Glorious and Beatifical Presence and also filled with unspeakable torment both in Body and Soul Now therefore let this serve for the Terror of all such Persons as these are By considering what a sad condition does Betide them and belong unto them whilst they remain and continue in such a State as this is What is it for People to injoy a little seeming pleasure here but for a moment and to be condemned to infinite misery to all eternity Now this is that which is here discovered and declared unto us Wicked men after all their jollity and vanity and temporary prosperity which they have here partaked of in the World they shall all in a little while and space of time be for ever adjudged to Hell This is that which the Holy Ghost himself does here expresly assure them of if they will take notice of it And it is not amiss by the way to observe the Phrase and manner of Expression where it is said of such Persons as these That they shall be turned into Hell which is very Emphatical in several regards First They shall be so forcibly and irresistably whether they will or no. Turning It is a word of Violence Secondly They shall be so tumultuously and promiscuously without any order Turning it is a word of Confusion They shall be turn'd that is they shall be hurried Thirdly They shall be so justly and regularly upon the account of their demerits and as an effect of that Righteous sentence which is past upon them Turning it is a word of Execution They shall be turned that is they shall be returned as the Hebrew word Jathuvou properly signifies And as they came from Hell in their Principles so they shall return to Hell in their Punishment To the place whence they came as the Place of Sin to that which is the place both of Prison and of Execution This is that which is here Emphatically signified These are dreadfull and fearfull things and which accordingly should have answerable influences upon Peoples Affections in the receiving and entertaining of them The thoughts of no more but Death it self they are Awaking thoughts and such as should be effectual with them But when Judgment and wrath is joyned with it and accompanying of it this serves so much the more to aggravate it And I looked and behold a pale Horse and his name that sat on him was Death and hell followed with him and power was given unto them over the fourth part of the Earth to kill with sword and with hunger and with death and with the beasts of the Earth Rev. 6.8 Where Death shall go before and Hell shall follow after But Secondly It may serve also for a use of Caution and Admonition to prevent us from coming into such a Place and State as this is by taking heed of such ways and courses as these are which lead thereunto and by labouring to be so qualified and disposed as may keep us therefrom There 's a possibility of keeping from it though not of coming out of it Where there are two things which are pertinently to be commended unto us The one is that we look to our general State and Condition And the other is that we look to our particular Lives and Conversations First As we desire to be kept from this dreadfull place which is here mentioned It will concern us to look to our General State and Condition in Grace That we be such as are truly in Covenant with God in Christ and by Faith united to Him For whosoever are not members of Christ they are children of Hell and Heirs of Damnation whosoever are so they are delivered from it and made Heirs of eternal Salvation He that beleiveth on the Son hath everlasting Life and he that beleiveth not the Son shall not see Life but the wrath of God abideth on him as it is expresly told us in Joh. 3.36 And again the verse before the 18th verse of that Chapter He that beleiveth on him is not condemned but he that beleiveth not is condemned already because he hath not beleived in the name of the only begotten Son of God This is the first thing to look to our General State and Condition The Second is To our particular Life and Conversation For as there is a State of Wrath so there is a Curse of Wrath also and that is a Course of Sin and wilfully proceeding in it It is said of the Harlot that Her house is the way to hell going down to the Chambers of death Prov. 7.27 And that Her guests are in the depths of hell in Prov. 9.28 And so it is likewise with many other Examples besides and with all such persons as give themselves liberty in sinful and wicked Courses They are in the High Way to Hell and their end is Destruction Therefore the way to be kept from that is to keep from these and to take heed of them And if any be for the present surprized in due time to withdraw and to put a check upon themselves The Wicked are turned into Hell that is which remain and continue still to be so But if any shall in due time consider and repent and recollect themselves If the wicked shall forsake his ways and the unrighteous man his thoughts and shall turn unto the Lord he will have mercy upon him and to our God and he will abundantly pardon Isa 55.7 And so as for Particular Persons so for General and whole Nations here 's an Item which reaches to them also for reformation and amendment of Life And especially to us of this Nation amongst the rest in the midst of that great wickedness which does dayly grow upon us in all Particulars To take heed of any farther progress and proceeding in it but rather seasonably and speedily to restrain it and to depart from it We have cause to do it for the preventing of Temporal Judgments and those Calamities which in that respect do hang over our heads but we have cause to do it for prevention of Eternal Judgments especially the Judgment of Hell which is
That whosoever he be that forsakes his sins and wicked courses his evil ways and his evil Thoughts there is Mercy and Forgiveness for him which does most assuredly belong unto him This is the Truth which is here exhibited to us We see here how the Proclamation is layed in general Terms without any Exception at all of any person whosoever he be the Wicked indefinitely and the Vnrighteous Man indefinitely without any Limitation If these shall forsake their Vanities and Wickedness the Lord will then have mercy upon them This is the sweet Doctrine of the Gospel which we are sent withal in Commission to proclaim that whosoever repents and believes he shall be saved that is whosoever forsakes his evil Courses he shall find mercy As I live saith the Lord I desire not the death of a sinner God takes pleasure in no Man's Destruction but desires rather that he should live by walking in such ways as tend and conduct to Life and to Eternal Salvation And accordingly put men upon such ways as tend thereunto Let no man says St. Chrisostom despair of his own Salvation Sin is not from Nature but from Lust. Art thou a Publican Thou mayest become an Evangelist Art thou a Blasphemer Thou may become an Apostle Art thou a Magician Thou mayest become a Worshipper of Christ Art thou a Robber Thou mayest surprise even Paradise it self Grace is able to make a perfect Change in thee and Repentance will make amends for all vid. Tom. 5 p. 189. lin 35. What does this for the use of it come to but accordingly to perswade men to put this present Duty in practice which is here commended unto them Seeing they may have Mercy upon this condition so that they will leave and forsake their evil Ways what should ail them but that therefore they should forsake them and have nothing more to do with them Who would now lose his Soul to keep his Lusts Or would not rather part with his Lusts for the keeping and saving of his Soul Seeing God is pleased to propound Mercy to poor Sinners upon such terms as these are what a shame is it for them now to neglect it and in a manner to put it away from them And how are they herein otherwise than guilty of their own Ruin and Eternal Undoing How may God now say unto them and to every one of them in this their Obstinacy Perditio tuo ex te Thy Destruction is of thy self but in me is thy help I would have healed and saved you but ye your selves refuse to be saved Surely there cannot be so much sweetness in Sin as there 's sweetness in Mercy And who then would hold the one so as to loose and forego the other But here it may be happly interposed Are these these things in a mans own Power Can a man that is addicted to any sins or sinfull courses be rid of it when himself pleases In that the Prophet here expresses it Let the wicked forsake his ways c. To this I answer breifly First By way of Concession That it may be perhaps very hard and difficult especially for some kind of sinners to leave their sinfull courses These who have been a long time accustomed to Sin and continued for any time in it they are not so easily reclaimed from it For Custom it is a Second Nature and a Tyrant which does very much Rule and Domineer there where it prevails The Scripture it self has hinted as much unto us in Jer. 13.23 Can the Aethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his Spots then may ye also do good who are accustomed to do evil that is there 's much difficulty in it Again as there is a Difficulty from Custom so also from Spiritual Obduration and a Judicial Hardness of heart The Lord having often knocked at the door of such a man's soul and called upon him to leave his Evil Ways and he still persisting in them he may be so far provoked by him as from henceforth very much to give him up to the Command and Tyranny of Satan for such a time and to the power and strength of his own Lusts Again yet further It is not so Possible neither for a man of himself to leave his Sins absolutely nor savingly to convert himself to God without the special work of the spirit of God upon his heart helping him and inabling him hereunto Faith it is not of our selves it is as the Apostle Paul stiles it the Gift of God Eph. 2.8 And so Repentance and Reformation it has also O Lord I know says the Prophet Jeremy that the way of man is not in himself It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps in Jer. 10.23 All this we acknowledge But then farther Secondly We add withall thus much hereto First That every man has a common Power which by Common Grace is vouchsafed unto him for the avoiding of some sins Absolutely that is that he need not except he will to be defiled with them Namely such sins as are opposite and contrary to Civil Conversation as Whoring and Drinking and Swearing and such as these Those that are free from these sins they have some power still to keep from them and those that are involved in them they have ordinarily some power to leave them except where they have forfeited this Power for such a Season by the Just Judgment of God upon them as I hinted and intimated before which is an Impotency contracted Secondly Every man has power also more or less to avoid and shun the Degrees of Sin that is he need not to be altogether so bad and wicked as he is unless he please He may put a Check and Restraint upon himself if he will and not let loose the Reins of sin in him Thirdly There is a Power also in Wicked Men to forsake the occasions which lead unto sin as well as in part the sins themselves As Idleness and Evil Company and an Evil Eye and the uttermost Use of things indifferent Such things as these are which do open as it were the door unto sin there is some power in men to take heed of and so consequently to leave and to forsake the sins themselves Fourthly and Lastly There is also a Power in Wicked Men to put themselves upon such Ways and Courses and to make use of such kind of means as from whence sin may be forsaken by them And this is that which they are principally here enjoyned when they are required to leave and forsake them And accordingly it is that which in these cases should be now done and practised by them Let the wicked forsake his ways that is let him do that whereby he may come to forsake them As First Let him seriously meditate of the great Evil and Danger of them let him propound to himself God's Wrath and Indignation against them and consider of the just and certain Punishment following upon them Where these things are made real to the Soul he will
meaning whereof was no more but this hereby to commend unto them an Evenness and Intireness and Sincerity of Conversation in the whole course of their Lives so to follow the wages of Vertue as to declare the paths of Vice and so to affect that which was commendable as to avoid that only which was sinful and contrary to his Divine Commands There being nothing more usual among Hypocrites than to mingle and jumble and confound these two one with another for their own Advantage as covering and palliating their wickedness with some pretences and appearances of goodness This was that which was the Temper of these people the people of the Jews whom this Prophet Jeremy had to deal withall here in this Chapter They enjoyed the Ordinances amongst them and did in some sort attend upon them and approach unto them and from hence they gave themselves Liberty in their sinful and abominable courses crying The Temple of the Lord The Temple of the Lord The Temple of the Lord are these c. THE Text is nothing else but God's Expostulation with the Jews for that Great Guilt which was upon them and it is reducible to two heads whereof it consists First Their Abominable Hypocrisie And Secondly Their Notorious Stupidity Their Hypocrisie that is in these words Will ye steal murther c And come and stand before me c Their Stupidity in these And say We are delivered to commit all these c. We begin with the first of these viz. The Hypocrisie of these Jews which consists in the mixture and conjuncture of their Prophaneness and Formality together Their Prophaneness in theft and murther and adultery and perjury c. And their Formality in coming and standing before God in his House c. That whiles they were guilty of the former yet they did so confidently apply themselves to the latter Now the words may be consider'd of us two manner of waies Either first of all in their Absolute and Positive sense as is imply'd or secondly in their Interrogatory and Expostulatory sense as is exprest First Take them positively and absolutely as is here implyed This Question it hath an Assertion involved and included in it Will ye do thus and thus that is indeed ye do so and so it hath the form of an Accusation which the Prophet Jeremy by Direction from God does charge this people withall that they were guilty of these and these Miscarriages of Prophaneness and Impiety in their Breach and Transgression of both of the Tables of the Lew of the second Table in stealing and murthering and whoring and of the first Table in perjury and superstition and idolatry of formality in resting themselves satisfied in the external acts and performances of God's worship in coming to Church and presenting themselves before God and nothing else of Hypocrisie or if ye will of Presumption in the mixture of these two together My purpose at this time is not to speak of these Crimes in their Distinction but rather in their Conjunction which is the proper scope and drift of the Text. The mixture of the prophaneness and formality one with the other as it was here in this people And so again there are two things which are here considerable of us First Their Consistency they are such as may go together it is that which is possible Secondly Their Concomitancy they are such as do go together it is that which is usual Both of these are here implyed First To look upon them in their Consistency they are such as do very well sute and agree together prophaneness and formality It is possible for these two to meet in the same subjects and persons Men may steal and murther and commit adultery and play such pranks as these and yet come and stand before God in his house c. And men may stand before God in his house yet be guilty of such crimes as these are This is taken for granted ab esse ad posse valet consequentia That which is it is clear it may be And the reason of it is this because the bare external works of Religion have no influence at all upon the heart for the changing and altering of it or making of it better There is no man that is absolutely secure from any acts of sin and impiety though never so vile any further than there is a restraint upon his heart and inward man Where the heart is unmortified the life is there very much exposed and the conversation capable of pollution Now outward acts and performances of Religion simply considered they never reach to this A man's heart may be what it will be for all these as false and deceitful and unclean as ever it was and whiles it is so they are easily consistent and agreeing with such kind of practices and abominations Again on the other side neither do those corrupt affections which do tend to such wicked practices restrain these religious duties as to the external performance It is no way any hinderance or impediment from theevishness or revengefulness or lasciviousness now and then to go to Church and to appear in the Publick Assemblies Nay there are too many who now and then take occasion from their meeting in such places as these are to further and promote their opportunities for such kind of practices who therefore come and stand before God in his house that they may steal and murther and commit adultery with the better advantage They make the frequenting of the Ordinances an occasion for the satisfying of the lusts so that we see plainly there 's a consistency It is possible for those two to go together But further secondly there is also a Concomitancy as it was here in these people before us It is very usual and ordinary to be so that those who are the one are the other It is no rare or strange business for men which are never so prophane yet to be now and then in the outward Duties of Religion for those who for the general are of leud and vicious lives yet at least for some time to be conversant in Religious performances so far forth as they shall extend no further than the outward man And there 's a double Ground for it which may be assign'd as an Account of it the one is thereby to blind the eyes of men and the other is thereby to stop the mouth of conscience First To blind mens eyes there 's oftentimes that in it The out-side of Religion it hath a kind of speciousness with it and makes a glorious shew in the sight of the world And thus it doth oftentimes incourage some kind of people to come off unto it that so they may the better lye hid under those great and manifold enormities which they are guilty of in the course of their lives that they may sin with the greater freedom and liberty otherwise they will be now and then in those External Devotions Secondly To stop the mouth of their own consciences
wantonly and they desire sawcily and they desire it perversly as it seems here to be intended Well but what 's the lot and condition of such kind of Persons Here 's a Woe denounced against them as signifying them to be miserable creatures and such as are most deeply involv'd in Gods judgments of any others besides Those who to the rest of their wickedness add this of scoffing at Gods judgments either in this world or that which is to come they are such as are exposed to the greatest tuine and destruction that can be and whomsoever God spares else he will be sure not to spare them Now therefore be not Mockers lest your bands be made strong says he Isa 28.22 Surely he scorneth scorners Prov. 3.34 And those that despise him shall be lightly esteemed 2 Sam. 2.30 God will judge them though they scorn him and he will judge them because they scorn him their scorning it shall promote their condemnation and hasten that really which they desire should be hastned feignedly We see here there is nothing which the nature of man does commonly more abominate than contempt and how can we think then that the Lord himself will put it up How will he endure to be contemned either in himself or else in his Servants and not rather pour forth the fiercest of his wrath upon such kind of persons As he threatens there in that place Prov. 1.24 25 26. Because I have called and ye have refused I have stretched out mine hand and no man regarded But ye have set at nought all my counsel and would none of my reproof I will also laugh at your calamity I will mock when your fear cometh As wicked men mock at Gods threatnings so he also mocks at their punishments and as they laugh at his intimations so he laughs at their destruction He that sits in heaven shall laugh the Lord shall have them in derision Psal 2.4 The Lord shall laugh at them because he sees their day is coming Psal 37. 13. Be not deceived says the Apostle God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap Gal. 6.7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not sneered at as the word properly signifies it is an expression of scorn which cannot be fastned upon God He is not mocked that is he is not mock'd effectually nor he is not mocked that is he is not mock'd securely mock'd he is in regard of mens endeavour he is mock'd on their part but he is not mock'd on his own part and in regard of the thing it self Those that mock him they do not escape or go away with their mockery of him This is a point which falls heavy upon the times in which we live from the great guilt which is in them in this particular in that there are so many people that make a scoff of the most serious things that are in the world that make no other use of the Word of the Lord than to despise it not of the Judgment of the Lord than to deny it nor of the day of the Lord than to deride it and to scoff at it which seem with these people here in the Text to desire indeed the day of the Lord but with a tang of Atheism and Profaneness putting it far from them at such time as they draw it near unto them drawing it near with their lips when-as their hearts in the mean time are far enough from it or rather drawing up the lip against it in a kind of scorn and detestation of it Well let all such as these look to it in time lest they hasten Gods judgments upon themselves a great deal sooner than themselves are aware of which such courses as these do tend to And that 's now the second explication of the passage here before us Wo unto you that desire the day of the Lord that is that desire it scoffingly because ye do not believe it Thirdly Wo unto you that desire the day of the Lord that is that desire it desperately because ye do not fear it And here now the word desire is to be taken in a qualified sense and not so much actively as passively Ye desire the day of the Lord that is ye care not though that day should be not that they did absolutely wish for it but out of an hardned and obdurate and desperate spirit which was in them they did not matter it though it were but were content to run the hazard of it This is another sense which we may likewise put upon this present expression There are some people who are so far addicted and given up to their lusts which do possess them and prevail upon them especially some kinds of them above the rest as Voluptuousness and Sensuality and Intemperance and love of the World that for the injoyment of them they care not what becomes of themselves but are content to venture even the loss of their Souls for ever which defie the judgments of God shoot up arrows of provocation against Heaven sell themselves to do wickedly commit all uncleanness with greediness and resolve to do whatever they have a mind to in despight of Hell it self yea even of God himself who threatens them with it which cry God damn them and let him do so it is all one to them These are sad and lamentable creatures as any alive monsters rather than men yet such as this latter age of the world hath more especially brought forth which accordingly may be taken notice of by us This woe here in the Text it reaches such as these especially in the fullest latitude and extent of it being such as of all others are most irrecoverable inasmuch as they cast away the means of recovery from them and choose death rather than life to be administred unto them Such as these they are in the nearest condition even to the Devils themselves and are in a manner even in Hell it self before their time from the beginnings and initiations of it And thus we have had the threefold explication of this present expression and a threefold wo which is here denounc'd against three sorts of persons Wo wo wo to such inhabitants of the earth To those that desire the day of the Lord rashly because they do not consider it And to those that desire the day of the Lord scoffingly because they do not believe it And to those that desire the day of the Lord desperately because they do not fear it To those which desire it either in jest or desire it in earnest which desire it in jest because they mistrust it and which desire it in earnest because they mistake it And so now I have done with the First General Part of the Text which is the awaking Commination in these words Wo unto you that c. The Second is the convincing Expostulation in these To what end is it for you Lamah-zeh lakem Ad quid hoc verbis And there are two things especially here in this First here
he must dye for all these This night shall thy soul be taken away from thee This we have set forth unto us in Ps 49.6 and so forward They that trust in their wealth and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches none of them can by any means redeem his Brother nor give to God a ransome for him that he should still live for ever and not see corruption for the redemption of their soul is precious and it ceaseth for ever So in Eccl. 8.8 No man hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit neither hath he power in the day of death and there is no discharge in that war If no man hath power not the rich man not the wealthy man not the man of a great estate let him get as much as ever he can grasp yet he shall never see death he shall never be able by his wealth to free himself from that All a mans riches are not sufficient to preserve his life Again not to save his soul When a man is to appear naked before the dreadful Tribunal of Christ and to give account of all the actions which he hath done whether they be good or evil It is not a whole world which will avail him or do him any good The treasures of wickedness profit nothing in Prov 10.2 Riches avail not in the day of wrath in Prov. 11.4 When God shall set home sin upon the conscience and proclaim his fierce wrath and judgment against a poor wretch when he shall pronounce a sentence of cursing and condemnation upon such a soul as has walkt perversly against him all the riches and estate and wealth which such a man is able to make they can never help him to peace There 's nothing but the blood of Christ apply'd here by Christ's Spirit which is here able to avail when a man 's going out of the world the world it self will then be made appear to be wholly insufficient and they now and then to have the least contentment from it which have the most portion in it Oh that I could but sufficiently fasten these things upon your hearts If riches cannot save a man's soul why should men hazard the loss of their souls to come by them why should men take so much pains and care as they do to obtain them why should men put so much trust and confidence and reliance in them surely men do not consider what their precious souls are Thou fool thy soul shall be taken away from thee Methinks this one word it should strike a serious horror and amazement into every mans conscience What is the hope of the hypocrite though he hath gained when God taketh away his soul In Job 27.8 What is a man profited though he gain the whole world and lose his own soul in Matth. 16.26 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul as it is there also in that place All the tidings could have been brought were not answerable for sadness to this They shall take away thy soul from thee because that this taking away it was not a meet taking away but it had somewhat else at the end of it Take it away to punish it and take it away to torment it and take it away to inflict vengeance upon it It was not so much the separation of the soul from the body as the separation of the soul from the Lord that was that which was terrible and fearful and hideous indeed This is the first observation All the wealth a man has is not able to preserve his soul Secondly We may observe this that God takes away mens lives many times when they least suspect it This covetous wretch in the Text. thought least of death then when it was nearest unto him He was thinking of many years when he had not behind many hours he was thinking of his barns when he had a foot in his grave Thus it has been also with many others besides when they have been pleasing themselves in their enjoyments God has then taken away their souls when they have been promising and forecasting some great things to come to themselves God has then been preparing their deaths Thus it was with Belshazzar in Dan. 5.5 Whiles he was drinking Wine and praising the Gods of Gold and of Silver it is said in the same hour there was an hand writing came out against him and in that very night was Belshazzar King of the Chaldeans slain So likewise again Herod when he was sitting in his Pomp upon his Throne in his glorious apparel and priding himself in the shout and applause of the people it is said that immediately the Angel of the Lord smote him because he gave not God the glory in Acts 2.23 Thus it was also with Sisera whiles he was sleeping securely in the Tent Jael came upon him with an hammer and stroke a nail through his temples that he died And so I might instance in many other examples besides there 's nothing almost more usual This God will have to be that he may teach us that we are dependant creatures and that our times are in his hands that no man might think of himself more highly than he ought to think but think soberly and meekly therefore he usually disappoints men in their greatest expectations where they do not take him to counsel There 's nothing a surer evidence and fore-runner of any ones miscarriage than an absolute and peremptory determination upon any thing without reference to God No he will have us to know our selves to be but men and accordingly think of our selves This should therefore teach us to take heed of boasting of to morrow or of promising our selves any certainty and assurance in any thing below Alas for ought we know we may be stript and depriv'd of our lives and we know not how soon There 's nothing more ordinary among men than to resolve long before hand and to project to themselves what they will do for time to come And there is nothing more ordinary than for men in such cases as these many times to have their lives taken from them when men settle themselves in a condition as I may so speak and think when they are come to this they shall now be sure to make their mountain strong and think they shall never be moved as David said then 's the very time usually for God to disappoint them Therefore take heed of this setling and resolving afore-hand of any thing I know there 's a lawful forecast and providence which ought to be used and it is such as is both needful and commendable but take heed of this Soul take thy rest take heed of thinking thou hast goods for many years take heed of saying with Peter It is good to be here for then in all probability and likelihood art thou going away God will not have us to dream of rest in a place of disquiet nor God will not have us to think of certainty in a condition of
inconstancy nor God will not have us to be peremptory there where we are meetly dependant We are but tenants at will and so we must carry our selves to this great and mighty Landlord of Heaven and Earth This the Apostle James enforces and sets on upon us in Jam. 4.13 14. Go to now ye that say to day or to morrow we will go into such a City and continue there a year and buy and sell and get gain whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow For what is your life it's even a vapour that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away For that ye ought to say if the Lord will we shall live and do this or that Thus in every particular we must be dependant still upon the Lord the preserver of our lives And thus as it must be in our lives so also in every thing else friends husbands wives children and the like The more men make account of them the less hold they have of them and they are then taken away when they are most of all expected to remain God loves to discover to us what vain creatures we are and how our whole subsistence is in him This is the Second Proposition The Third has some affinity with it and that 's this Thirdly The life of man lies open to innumerable hazards they shall take away thy soul we in our translation read it passively Thy soul shall be required of thee but in the Greek it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is impersonable and also indefinite to signify to us how many things are able to do it They cannot be numbred and therefore they cannot be named They that 's indeed All there 's nothing whatsoever but is here at God's command Where then are those which boast in their youth and their health and their strength and their vigorous constitution as if nothing could mar them but a disease or old age Alas there are an hundred thousand things besides They shall take away thy soul If men could covenant with sickness yet they cannot covenant with chance and casualty and unexpected accidents there are more of these than diseases This should teach us therefore to be always in readiness and preparation seeing eternity depends upon our lives and our lives are so full of hazard how should we then be careful to look to our selves A Christian with the Apostle Paul should dye daily and look upon every day as that which might be his last for ought himself knew And for this purpose be often in converse and communion with God that so that which is so obvious when it comes may not be tedious not a strange and uncouth thing It will be no such difficult matter for that man to go to God at his last day who converses with God every day Seeing life lies open to so many evils and dangers it should teach us to be more in preparation and disposition for our departure Further we may here see what a little distance there is betwixt wicked men and hell They use to put away from them the evil day and to think it a great way off and far from them but ye see they are neer it as they are subject to so many casualties This should frighten men out of their natural condition and perswade them to make their calling and election sure who would be uncertain of his salvation so long as he is uncertain of his life who would not labour to find himself to be a Christian who considers himself to be one Oh the madness and folly of men in this particular methinks we should not sleep quietly nor eat nor walk about the streets whiles they remain in their unregenerate estate because that wheresoever they go or whatsoever they set themselves about they go not only in danger of their lives but likewise in danger of their souls they are not only exposed to death but exposed to damnation if they should dye in that condition Again we here see how much we are bound to the providence and goodness of God towards us and what cause we have to be thankful that seeing so many things might take us away yet so few things do Oh! we little think what an eye waits over us and rescues us from many evils which we were subject and liable to in our infancy and in our childhood when we were unable to help our selves how God protected us and kept us and gone along with us and how have we cause to bless and praise his name for it This is the Third Proposition Fourthly Ungodly men their souls are taken from them by force It shall be required of thee that is it shall be drawn by compulsion The children of God although they have the reluctancies of nature which others have yet they sweetly resign their souls into the hands of the Lord as our Blessed Saviour for a pattern Father into thy hands I commend my spirit And the Apostle Peter to this purpose in 1 Pet. 4.19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing as unto a faithful Creator This is the excellency of the Saints that they can commit their souls to God and deposite them with him as a man does any thing of value and esteem with some special and some faithful friend Thus the Apostle Paul in 2 Tim. 1 12. I know whom I have believed and am perswaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day Thus I say 't is with believers and the children of God but for the wicked their souls are forced from them they are pull'd and haled out of the world whether they will or no. Not as if any one were to hasten his own death himself we mean not so but wicked and ungodly men God in a manner turns them out of doors and bids them be gone His own children when they perceive their lives once out they give up their lease themselves upon his intimation without any more ado But men of the world they stand out till they have a writ of Ejection They shall take thy soul from thee For this we have a notable place in Job 27.19 c. The rich man shall lye down but he shall not be gathered he openeth his eyes and he is not Terrors take hold on him as waters and a tempest stealeth him away in the night The East-wind carrieth him away and he departeth and as a stone hurleth him out of his place And this is the Third General The threatning and menacing tidings This night thy soul shall be required of thee The last General Head is the expostulatory inference Then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided Which words contain in them a double signification First a note of resolution and Secondly a note of ambiguity whose shall these be That is first of all they shall not be thine that 's once take that for granted
besides If Heaven were a meer Fancy if Glory were no more but an Imagination it the state and condition of Believers hereafter were but an empty dream if there were not such glorious Mansions provided for us as are sometimes hinted to us certainly we should have been acquainted with it from Christ himself If it were not so I would have told you That 's the second General viz. The Rational Illustration The third and last is the Additional Encouragement in those words I go to prepare a place for you This is a very comfortable passage and such as deserves very much to be regarded and taken notie of by us as giving us an account of Christs departure and removal to Heaven now at this time it was for the god and benefit of his Church that he might promote their intererest and do that which was most expedient for them We see here where Christs chiefest thoughts were when he was now leaving the world they were not so much upon Himself as upon his poor Disciples how to comfort and encourage them and how to cast and provide for them that it might be well with them however it went with him They were loth now to part with him and were much troubled at the thoughts of it and now he satisfies them and pacifies them with this That he went away for their sakes He did not go away first to take away the place from them and to prevent them by going before no but to take up the place for them and to make room for them against they came themselves There were three special acts of Christ whereby he might be said to prepare a place in Heaven for Believers by his Death by his Ascension and by his Intercession First by his Death he prepared for them by that so far forth as the merit of that did reach and extend hereunto Christ by suffering of death and therein satisfying the Justice of God did obtain unto all his Members a right unto everlisting Life and Glory Thus 1 Pet. 3.18 it is said that Christ hath once suffered for sins the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God being put to death in the flesh but quickned by the spirit Bring us to God how is that namely by reconciling us and re-joyning us to him again and so giving us an entrance into his glory according to that in Heb. 2.20 It became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sons unto glory to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings And so likewise in Heb. 9.11 12 15. Christ being become an high Priest of good things to come not by the bloud of goats and calves but by his own blood he entred in once into the holy place having obtain'd eternal redemption for us And for this cause is he the Mediator of the new testament that by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions under the first testament they that are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance that is the eternal inheritance which was promised From these and the like places it is clear that Christ by his death did prepare Heaven for his people But if this be so it may be demanded What one may think of the Fathers that lived under the Old Testament and before he coming of Christ into the World If Christ by dying did prepare Heaven for Believers in what place were they who left the World before the death of Christ The Papists in answer hereunto tell us that they were in Limbo a place distinct from Heaven and in the confines of Hell which they have intended and devis'd for them But there 's no need at all for such a Device or Imagination as this is We say that they were even then in Heaven and that also by vertue of the Merit and Efficacy of the death of Christ which is of an infinite and eternal extent and reaching both forward and backward Forward to the salvation of all Believers that came after it backward to the salvation of all Believers that went before it Hence is Christ sometimes said in Scripture to be a Lamb slain from the foundation of the world not as to actual accomplishment which was perform'd in the fulness of time but as to virtual efficacy and extent as reflecting upon all Ages and Generations indefinitely and redounding to the special good and benefit of them as many as believed in them This is that which hath prepared a place in Heaven for all Believers under Both Testaments even the Death and Bloud of Christ According to that again of the Apostle Heb. 10.19 20. Having therefore brethren boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus by a true and living way which he hath consecrated for us that is to say through the veil of his flesh and having an high Priest over the house of God let us draw near c. This serves so much the more to magnifie and advance the great love and kindness of Christ unto us that was pleased to take such a course as this was for us that he might procure and promote our happiness that was willing himself to die that we might live and to be crowned with a Crown of Thorns that we might be crowned with a Crown of Glory He went to prepare a place for us Went that is went unto the Cross And went that is went into the Grave he prepared it by his death and sufferings and the Virtue and Merit thereof That was the first way of his Preparation Scondly By his Resurrection and Ascension He prepared Heaven for us by going into Heaven before us After going to his Cross so also by going to his Grave When he had overcome the sharpness of death when he had by himself purged our sins he sate down on the right hand of the Majesty on high Heb. 1.3 he did open the Kingdom of Heaven to all Believers Opened it by himself entring into it There was the opening of Heaven Christs Personal taking possession of it And it was the opening of it for us also who are said upon that account to be our selves already entred into it namely in Him who is our Head and hath entred into it afore us and in our behalf according to that of the Apostle in Ephes 2.6 He bath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ This was that whereby our Saviour desired at this time to satisfie the minds of his Disciples as concerning his departure and present going away from them that it was in order to their greater good He left Earth that so he might go to Heaven and he went to Heaven that so they might come to Heaven after him and come to Heaven by him as he signifies in the verse immediately following And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you unto my self that where I am there ye may be also
to make the Captain of our Salvation perfect through sufferings Our sins had wholly obstructed and stopp'd up the way to Heaven and made it unpassable to us now Christ by his death hath opened it and made way for us The Blood of Jesus Christ hath cleansed us from all sin 1 Joh. 1.7 Having taken our nature upon him and in that nature suffer'd in our behalf he hath now made us capable of partaking of eternal happiness This is that new and living-way which we find mention made of by the Apostle in Heb. 10.19 20. Having therefore Brethren boldness to enter into the Holiest by the Blood of Jesus by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the vail that is to say his flesh And having an High Priest over the house of God Let us draw near c. This is the benefit which we have by Christ's death and the satisfaction of God's Justice for our sakes not only that our sins are pardoned but also that we have favour and grace to be entituled to eteral life This in the discharge of Christ's office of Priesthood He is the way first of all so The Second is in discharge of his Prophetical Office He may be said to be the way also thus so far forth as he hath revealed and made known this way unto us which he hath done for us This he did in his own person whiles he was here upon earth He went about teaching in the Synagogues and preaching the Kingdom of God as we may see in divers places of the Gospel Joh. 1.18 No man hath seen God at any time The only begotten Son which is in the bosome of the Father he hath declared him He hath declared him he hath declared God himself and he hath declared the way of coming to God as being privy to God's mind in this particular This he did whiles he lived here in the World And since that he is gone up into Heaven he hath done it also and still does it by his Ministers and Embassadors whom he hath sent to this purpose to prepare the way of the Lord and to make his paths known The Preaching of the Gospel it is no other than the way of Christ which he hath consecrated for us as a means to bring us to Heaven and Christ himself may be said to be the way in reference to it Thirdly As to his Kingly Office he is the way to Heaven also thus He is Via Regia so far forth as he does cause this way to be laid out for us and does order us and regulate us in it When we have found out the right way to Heaven yet being left to our selves we are apt to stagger and stumble in it and ever and anon to be wandring and running out of it Now this is a part of Christ's Government which he does exercise over his chosen to reduce them and keep them right To make strait paths for our feet lest that which is lame be turned out of the way and that it be rather healed as it is in Heb. 12.13 And then also by the same Kingly Power he does likewise remove and take away any thing that may hinder and obstruct us herein Oh there are a great many difficulties in our passage to Heaven which are hindrances and impediments to us many lusts and temptations and afflictions and enemies of all sorts as so many Pyrats and Robbers which we are to grapple withal Therefore Christ is fain to be our way as to the removal of these difficulties from us which he does as our King To all this we may further add his conduct and guidance of us by his own pattern and example He is thus far the way to Heaven as himself hath walked in that way in the tenour of an holy conversation So the Apostle Peter expresses it 1 Pet. 2.21 22. Christ hath left us an example that we should follow his steps who did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth Our Saviour's life whiles he was ere upon earth it was an heavenly life and favour'd of that blessed place which he was tending and going to and thereby shewed us what ours should be too He chalk'd out the way to Heaven for us for the direction of us And therefore the Scripture still calls us to the following and imitation of him and walking in his ways Thus Matth. 11.29 Learn of me for I am meek and lowly c. Joh. 13.15 I have given you an example that ye should do as I have done to you Phil. 2.5 Let the same mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus And 1 Joh. 2.6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk even as he walked Thus still is Christ himself propounded as a Guide and Conduct to us And thus in all these respects is he very fitly and properly termed the way This is a Point of great comfort and satisfaction to us that there is such a way as this is which is found out for us to everlasting Salvation which whiles we are careful to enter into and to persevere and hold on in we may at last come to the enjoyment of it That it is not only provided for us but also discovered to us as it is now here in this present Scripture That Christ himself who is it is pleased to shew it and to acquaint us with it as here he does Every man by nature is a stragler and has lost his way We all like sheep have gone astray and have turn'd every one to his own way as the Prophet makes complaint Isa 53.6 But here there is a way opened for us which it concerns us therefore to attend unto and not to depart from it This is the way walk ye in it It is our concernment so to do especially if we shall consider the divers properties and excellencies which are in it There is nothing which is desirable in any way but it is to be found and observed in this way whereof we now speak As to instance in some sew particulars First it is a true way A way that comes perfectly home to the journeys end And therefore as I hinted in the beginning some have thought the word Truth to be added in the Text. by way of special denomination He is the way and the truth That is he is the true way There There are a great many ways which men sometimes do dream of in the World as whereby to come to happiness but they all fall short of home and do not attain it yea but Christ he is the way indeed so as those that lay hold on him shall be sure never to miss Our way to happiness when time was lay in another tract to wit in our selves when Adam was entrusted with it for himself and all his posterity But that we parted withal of our own accord But now there 's a new and living way provided for us which is a great deal better and that is
as he is God but as he is God-Man as he is the Mediator and Head of the Church in which sense we are here to understand it And so he is variously exprest in Scripture as the Tree of Life as the Bread of Life as the Water of Life Christ he is every way and in all respects Life unto us both in reference to Grace and Glory I am come says he that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly Joh. 10.10 Christ he is both the Author of our life and the matter of our life too He is the root and spring of it in whom it is and from whom it slows unto us And he is the substance of it in whom it consisteth because he only is the propitiation for our sins 1 Joh. 2.2 He is our life as that which we feed on and are sustained and nourished by as a man is by his natural food in the life of nature His flesh is meat indeed and his blood is drink indeed and conveys life indeed by it There 's a threefold life which Christ does convey to all those who are true Believers First the life of Justification Secondly the life of Sanctification And Thirdly the life of Glory And in the conveyance of each of these unto them he is said to be emphatically the life as also in another place The life was manifested and we have seen it in 1 Joh. 1.2 First Christ is the life of Justification as to the pardon and forgiveness of our sins Persons that are condemned they are so far forth said to be dead namely as they are appointed to death they are dead in Law And this is the state and condition of us all by nature by reason of our first transgression there was a sentence of death past upon us and we were adjudg'd thereunto In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely dye Gen. 3.17 Now Christ he hath reverst this sentence and removed this death from us by dying for us By his obedience and suffering he hath satisfied the Justice of his Father and thereby hath reconciled us and put us into a state of life again Thus Col. 2.13 You being dead in your sins and the circumcision of your flesh hath he quickned together with him having forgiven you all trespasses Mark He hath quickned you by forgiving you I orgiving it is a kind of quickning because it makes a man a child of life who was before a child of death And this is that which Christ hath done for us he hath quickned us thus so far forth as he hath absolved us and set us free from condemnation by taking our guilt upon himself and that 's called a Justification of life Rom. 13.18 Now this it hath another life which is pertinent and belonging hereunto and consequent from it which therefore we may look upon under the same head with it And this is a life of peace and spiritual comfort For as by reason of sin we are plainly and absolutely dead and have a sentence of condemnation past upon us So from hence where it is discovered to us and we are made sensible of it we come to be dejected and cast down in our selves We are not only all dead but we are all a mort likewise Therefore as answerable to one death of sentence we have need of a life of absolution So answerable to the death of despair which is apt to follow upon that death of sentence where it does not appear to be remitted we have need of a life of consolation to be bestow'd upon us And this is Christ also unto us He is our Peace as the Scipture stiles him not only in the thing it self but also in our own consciences not only as to our state but as to our spirit not only as to our state to make it justifiable but as to our spirit to make it comfortable And in that respect also our life Being justified by Faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ and rejoyce c. in Rom. 5.1 c. Secondly As Christ is the life of Justification so he is the life of Sanctification likewise When God pardoned our sins through the Blood of Christ he gives us Grace and Holiness from the Spirit of Christ as a fruit and consequent of that pardon and reconciliation And Christ himself does impart and communicate his Spirit unto us for this purpose He is of God made unto us wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 The law of the Spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death Rom. 8.2 Not only from the law of death as to matter of guilt and condemnation but also from the law of sin as to matter of filth and pollution and hath put a new and another law into me which is the law of Grace and holiness of the Spirit This is the method wherein we partake of this spiritual life that it is first of all subjected in Christ and from him derived unto us The Spirit of God first sanctifies the humane nature of Christ and from thence sanctifies us and conveys a new nature unto us Christ lives in us by his Spirit Gal. 2.20 And therefore call'd a quickning Spirit 1 Cor. 15.45 This Life is further considerable not only in the principle of it but in the activity of it not only as that whereby we are simply enabled and made capable of doing our duty but also are made vigorous in it Christ is our life so far forth as we have a livelihood in any thing which is good And thus also the life of Sanctification Thirdly The life of Glory Christ is that likewise so far forth as he makes all his Servants to be partakers of it For so he does he raises up their bodies from the grave and he possesses both body and soul with eternal happiness And so the Scripture informs us Thus Joh. 11.25 Jesus said unto Martha I am the resurrection and the life he that believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he live And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never dye c. Christ is the life of the resurrection forasmuch as his resurrection hath an insluence and effect upon ours and is the cause of it Whatsoever is done to us it is done first of all to him He lives and we live in him He is risen again and we shall rise again by him and from him According to that of the Apostle in 2 Cor. 6.14 God hath raised up the Lord and will also raise up us by his own power And again 2 Cor. 4.14 Knowing that he that raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus and shall present us with you And again Phil. 3.22 Who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like to his glorious body according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself Thus is Christ the life
action in us are by our fall miserably depraved what therefore can be expected concerning the actions which do proceed from them These principles are the several faculties and powers of the soul of man which are distinctly to be examin'd by us to this purpose First The mind and understanding of man is sadly darken'd If the understanding be bad the will cannot be good as much depending upon the understanding and following the ultimate and punctual dictates of it The sight of the body is the eye says our Blessed Saviour If therefore thine eye be single thy whole body shall be full of light but if thine eye be evil thy whole body shall be full of darkness And if the light which is in thee be darkness how great is that darkness Matth. 6.22 23. Where from the sight of the body is argued to the sight of the soul Because what the eye is to the body the same is the understanding to the soul Now the understanding of all men by nature is very much corrupted and left in the dark This St. Paul speaks to the Ephesians Ye were sometimes darkness but now ye are light in the Lord Eph. 5.8 Sometime when was that namely in the time of your natural condition and before conversion not only dark but darkness it self And so concerning the Gentiles he says that they were darkned in their understandings through the ignorance that is in them that is which is inherent in their natures Eph. 4.18 The mind of man through corruption does lye under a double ignorance Frist of the true and chiefest end and Secondly of a fit application of the means to this end It is ignorant of the true and chiefest end namely of God himself to whom all humane actions are chiefly and ultimately to be directed And it is ignorant also of the means which tend to this end or if it have at any time some general apprehensions of them whereby it knows them as we say in Thesi yet in hypothesi pro hic nunc upon this particular occasion and in these present and particular circumstances so it knows not the manner of applying those means to the end as it ought to know And this depravedness and corruption of the understanding does the Scripture every-where declare as Rom. 1.21 22. They became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkned Professing themselves to be wise they became fools 1 Cor. 2.14 The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned 2 Cor. 3.5 We are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to find it out by our reason namely in spiritual things but our sufficiency is of God Gen. 6.5 Every imagination of the thoughts of man's heart is only evil and that continually Rom. 8.5 6 They which are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit For to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace Where the very understanding of the flesh is said to be enmity against God and death it self This for the corruption of the understanding But Secondly The will it is no less corrupted or depraved neither but has also a proper and peculiar depravation belonging unto it so that though the understanding should judge of things a-right yet without a peculiar work upon it as it now stands by nature and without a special work of Grace upon it it would not yet follow the dictate of the understanding truly enlighten'd but by a strange perversness would reluctate and hold off from it The will which is the governess of all our actions and the commander of the whole person is as much depraved as to the desire of good as the understanding is to the knowing of it and refuses to do that good which the understanding is sometimes convinced of and shews that it is to be done by it being desperately carried and enclined to all manner of evil From the corruption whereof together with the corruption of the understanding with it this business of free-will it must of necessity fall to the ground As because it is necessary for a man to go on both his legs therefore he must needs limp if he fail but only in one of them but if both his legs fail him he is then downright lame indeed and a perfect cripple Even so is it here the blindness of the understanding were enough to take a man off from the doing of what is good consider'd alone but the perversness of the will joyned with it does perfectly disenable him indeed Now this is here further observable and considerable of us Jer. 17.9 The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it Eph. 2.3 We all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind we all that is in the state of corrupt nature and doing the wills of the flesh and of the mind whereto may be referr'd that Gal. 5.16 Walk in the Spirit and do not fulfil the lusts of the flesh And so Rom. 2.24 He gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts Ye see then the force of the argument An evil tree cannot bring forth good fruit as I have shewed before Now an evil tree is an evil man or an evil will as Austin interprets it Now the will by original sin is turn'd from God to the creature and so altogether indisposed and disenabled to any spiritual good Thirdly The higher and superior part of the soul namely the understanding and will which are the principles of humane actions being wholly corrupted and depraved this poyson it does farther spread it self to the inferior faculties Hence is that great strise betwixt the sense the appetite and reason which the Apostle Paul himself complains of Rom. 7.23 I see another law in my members rebelling against the law of my mind and leading me captive to the law of sin which is in my members See here rebelling or fighting against a word of wars And again leading me captive a word of triumph Hence all the affections in man since his fall do not follow the commands of reason but rather prevent reason it self bind it and tye it up and lead it captive whithersoever they are carried Now let us lay all these things together The understanding hath lost its light and is overshadowed with darkness The will hath lost its rectitude and is fill'd with perversness The inferior appetite hath lost its subjection and delights in rebellion And so the whole man in this latitude is spiritually dead How then can he possibly thus dispose himself to any thing which is good or by the power of his own free-will produce any spiritual good action Surely as every natural
in their natural condition they are such as being out of Christ are therefore without Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is separated from Christ as we find this expression used of the Ephesians before their conversion Ephes 2.12 that they were at that time without Christ c Now for such as these we have accordingly also shewn how they are able to do nothing As the branch cannot bring forth any fruit in the course of Nature where it is separated from the Vine so the Soul cannot bring forth any fruit neither in the course of Grace where it is separated from Christ The second sense or notion of the words is that which is to be handled by us by God's assistance at this present time which is to shew that without Christ that is without influence from him and dependance upon him we are able to do no good neither in a spiritual and supernatural way as may conduce to salvation All our strength and ability as to the doing of any thing of this nature is to be fetch'd and drawn from Christ For the better and more distinct opening of which Point of Doctrine unto us we may take notice of three things especially which are requisite to any Christian performance each of which we do and must receive from Christ as tending to the accomplishment of it First a Spiritual life as the general grand work and foundation Secondly a Spiritual power slowing from this Spiritual life and answering to that particular Duty for the kind of it which God does require of us And thirdly a Spiritual activity or operation for the reducing of this Spiritual power into particular action of life As it is to explain it to you by a resemblance in Natural Motion There are three things which do make up this to us There 's the principle of Natural life there 's the Locom-motive faculty founded in this life and there 's the Walk it self which is produced and effected by this Faculty And as each of these are from God as the Author of Nature so each of the other are from Christ as the Fountain of Grace First There is a Principle of Spiritual life as the general Ground-work and Foundation of every Spiritual good work that comes from us Look as a man that is naturally dead cannot do any thing which belongs to Nature so a man which is spiritually dead also he can do nothing which belongs to Grace because Actus non excedit vires suae potentiae the Act cannot go beyond the Principle as we use to speak Now this Principle of Spiritual life we do derive wholly from Christ as the Branches derive life from the Root and the Members from the Head In which respect we are said not so much to live our selves as Christ is said to live in us in Gal. 2.20 Look as the First Adam was the Spring and Root of Natural life to all his Posterity so is the Second Adam the Spring and Root of Spiritual life to all his Members Therefore unless Christ by his Spirit do first change our hearts from that state of Spiritual death and corruption which we are in by Nature and put a contrary and better Principle of Spiritual life and holiness into us we can never be able to do any thing considerable to the purpose This I have in part declared already in our former Exercise and therefore shall not insist upon it now But secondly besides this Spiritual life whereby a Christian is qualified in general for the bringing forth of the works of new obedience namely the work of Grace and Conversion wrought in him by the Spirit of Christ there is moreover a Spiritual power slowing from this Spiritual life whereby a Christian being renewed by Grace hath some ability communicated unto him for the doing of such and such Duties as in particular in such and such cases are required of him And this is another thing which we do receive also from Christ without whom we are able to do nothing Of his fulness we all receive and grace for grace Joh. 1.16 that is answerable to grace in Christ grace in us We know that besides the common principle of Regeneration in general there are several habits of grace in particular according to the several kinds and distributions of them which have each of them their several abilities and qualifications belonging unto them as Faith enabling us to believe Love enabling us to embrace Patience enabling us to endure and so of the rest Now these particular Graces in specie as well as the work of Grace in general are communicated unto us from Christ and upon his account who is the Treasury and Storehouse of all Grace whatsoever for us It is true indeed that it is God in Scripture who is proclaimed to be the God of all grace 1 Pet. 5.10 but we must understand it still of God in Christ and in the mediation of the New Covenant out of which and out of whom God hath no intercourse at all with us nor we with him This is our state and condition now in the Covenant of Grace and a blessed state and condition it is that all our Grace and Comfort and Ability it is originated and founded in Christ who having taken our Nature upon himself and therein satisfied the Justice of God and being by Faith apprehended by us and united and made one with us is from hence a fit person for the conveying of all Grace unto us which we have need of and occasion for in the whole course of our lives Therefore it is profitable for us to understand and to take notice of the right method which is here in this particular used with us and wherein we come to be made partakers of this grace whereof we now speak and that 's this That the Spirit of God first of all sanctifies the Humane Nature of Christ and from thence sanctifies us who are Members of him The same Spirit that sanctified that blessed mass of his Body in the Womb of the Virgin and the same Spirit that sanctified his whole Nature both of Body and Soul which is now in Heaven the same Spirit does now also sanctifie his Mystical Body which abides still on earth and which is made partaker of Grace by communication and derivation from him As the Oyl which was upon the head of Aaron it ran down to the skirts of his garments which were upon him so the Spirit which is upon the Head of Christ and which he is said to have received without measure it runs down upon all Believers and they have it no otherwise than as he conveys it and transmits it unto them We see then here in what sense we are said to do all things by Christ and without him to have power to do nothing namely so far forth as he gives us grace for the doing of them The Faculties of the Soul are three the Vnderstanding and Will and Affections and such as these but the sanctifying of all
to help us and that 's one encouragement so he hath likewise Will and that 's another For to be told that we are able to do nothing without such an ones assistance and withall to hear that it were such an one as had no good will or affection for us nor any mind at all to help us this would be little comfort to us But now this is here such encouragement that we do not more need his help than he is willing to send his help unto us and to concur with us that so we may be the more effectually perswaded to have recourse to him for it This is done in the exercise of two Graces more especially in us to wit of Humility and Faith First Humility whereby we are emptied of our selves and any conceits of our own sufficiency Those that think they can do well enough by any power of their own they will never once look after Christ for such is that desperate pride and stubbornness which is in our hearts by nature that we care not to be beholding to Christ more than needs if we can any thing shift without him we never care to come to him But when we see that without him we are lost and that there is no help for us this will make us to apply our selves to him as much as we can Lay this then for a ground which is here the Doctrine of this Text That without Christ we can do nothing Secondly The Grace of Faith let us also stir up that in us which is that whereby we suck and draw from Christ that which is in him and apply it and bring it home to our selves Without Christ we can do nothing and without Faith we can do nothing neither even there where Christ of himself is both able and willing also to do any thing for us This is that which like the Womans touch of the them of his garment draws forth strength and virtue out of him both for the stopping of the issue of sin and for the walking in the ways of Piety Therefore let us be sure to exercise and set this on work and that according to those two great Mysteries which are eminent in him his Death and his Resurrection Fetch by Faith power from Christ's Death for the mortifying and killing of sin in us which is very agreeable and appliable to this purpose And fetch by Faith also power from his Resurreâ—â—on in the raising up to newness of life and to the practise of all the works of new obedience which are to be performed by us Now further that we may still do it more successfully let us be advised on this which is much conducing and tending hereto and that is That we be careful to keep in good terms with Christ and to walk in all well pleasing to him forasmuch as without him we can do nothing It concerns us very much to take heed that we be no ways offensive to him or do any thing which may alienate his affections from us which is the ground of his assistance of us We see how it is ordinary in the affairs here of the world such persons as men do absolutely depend upon for all that is to be done by them such without whom they are able to do nothing which is of any concernment to them they will not offer to displease them of all other persons besides but labour and endeavour to give all the satisfaction to them that possibly they can give Even so should it now also be with us in reference to Christ we should take heed of grieving him because we do all things by him and are able to do nothing without him The more dependant we are upon him the more serviceable should we be to him And especially take heed of presumption and rebellion against him to take heed of quenching the motions of his Spirit of turning his grace into wantonness of rejecting or refusing that help which he does at any time offer unto us either for the shuning and avoiding of evil or for the doing and working of good for then we provoke him to withdraw his assistance from us and to give us up to the power of Satan and the vanity of our evil hearts When Christ shall offer to heal men and they will not be healed to help men and they will not be helped this does sadly provoke him even to deny his help unto them at such time as they shall most of all desire it and stand in need of it This is a very lamentable condition if it be duly thought of when Christ shall at any time deny men the benefit of his assistance either the benefit of his Intercession and speaking a good word for them without which they can obtain nothing in matter of request or the benefit of his co-operating grace and effectual winning of them without which they can do nothing neither in a way of Christian and Spiritual performance Either of these cases are very sad and such as are to be shunn'd by us by giving all content to Christ And so now I have done with these words in both the senses and acceptions of them whether as to matter of Interest or Influence Without me that is without union to me and Without me that is without assistance from me and dependance upon me can ye be able to do any thing which is good SERMON XXV ACTS 1.7 It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power We are now this very day by the good hand and providence of God according to the common style and computation of time amongst us entred upon another new year And that after all the fears and dangers and hazards and calamities which have been upon us both in the City and divers places of the Kingdom for the year now past we have arrived to that year which hath been so much spoken of before-hand a great while ere the coming of it 1666. Many Prognostications there have been in the World concerning it many Characters and Significancies put upon it and many strange surmises and expectations have been had of it and what may be in the bosome or bowels of it we cannot tell We hear of wars and rumors of wars we hear of plagues and pestilences we have heard also of earthquakes and tempests and strange commotions These are such as do shew the World to be in a fading and declining condition and do bespeak the consummation of it But yet they are such as do not amount or come up to a full determination nor give us any warrant to make any absolute judgment or conclusion upon it They serve to awaken and humble us but they do not serve to dishearten or discourage us nor especially to take us off from that work which is to be done by us but rather so much the more eagerly and earnestly to put us upon it And therefore I have made choice of this Text at this present time as
therefore we should do all we can which may be useful and successful hereunto this we may be according as we do more effectually set home this point which indeed has so much comfort in it as in the place before-cited the Apostle gloried in nothing more than he did in this as being that indeed which is the chiefest matter of glorying and which does contain the greatest sweetness and comfort in it and that may be laid open to us in sundry respects First As keeps Christs death us from the wrath of God and purchases peace to us with God the Father for that it does as we may see in Col. 1.19 20. It pleased the Father that in him all fulness should dwell And making peace through the blood of his Cross to reconcile all things to himself c. So Isa 53.5 6. The chastisement of our peace was upon him and by his stripes we are healed Again Rom. 5.10 we are said to bereconciled unto God by the death of his Son what greater happiness can befall us than for God and us to become friends who were once at variance one with another this is purchased by Christ crucified and we have now boldness to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus as it is in Heb. 10.19 and Rom. 3.25 Whom God hath set forth as a Propitiation through faith in his blood c. Secondly It obtains to us peace with Angels and all other Creatures besides whether in Heaven or Earth whiles we remain in a condition of sin as God himself is our enemy so every thing else besides is ready to take up his quarrel against us and all the Creatures have hence an enmity to us but now by the Blood of Christ there is peace made for us with these also as we may see in that place above alledged It pleased the Father by the blood of Christ to reconcile all things both in heaven and in earth This makes us to be at league with the stones of the earth and with the beasts of the field c. as it is in Job 5.23 c. Thy Tabernacle shall be in peace c. Thirdly It frees us from the power and dominion of sin The Blood of Christ purgeth us from all sin not only from the guilt but the stain 1 Joh. 1.7 Christ by his death hath weakened and debilitated sin in us that it should not now have that strength in us This the Apostle hath fully intimated unto us Rom. 6.6 Knowing this that our old man is crucisied with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that we henceforth should not serve sin There is a power in Christ crucified to crucifie and kill sin in us Now therefore look what comfort there is in this as there 's a great deal to those who are sensible what sin is the same comfort is there in such a Doctrine as this which does mention and declare this unto us Fourthly It frees us from the power and tyranny of Satan He has hereby spoiled principalities and powers and made a shew of them openly triumphing over them in his Cross Col. 2.15 The Papists put a great deal of efficacy in the Material Cross and the signing of their selves with the figure of it as if that had such a power in it for the driving away of unclean spirits nay but this rather invites them they laugh at such a foppery as this That which terrifies them indeed is the vertue and power of the Cross and that conquest which Christ by his death hath obtained over them so that now Satan himself is but a vanquished enemy Indeed he may for a while molest them for their exercise and trial in the world and therefore we are still said to fight against Principalities and Powers but as for excluding them from eternal salvation this he is not able to do God shall tread him under our feet Rom. 16.20 c. Fifthly From bondage and thraldom to the Ceremonial Law Christ crucified frees us from hence Blotting out the hand-writing of Ordinances c. Col. 2.14 And again that no man may judg us for meats c. So Act. 15.28 We have nothing now but necessary things upon us and such burdens as these are are taken off from our shoulder Sixthly It frees us from the inordinate fears of death and final dissolution thus 1 Cor. 15.55 Oh death where is thy sting O Grave where is thy victory Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ c. And again Heb. 2.14 He hath destroyed him that had the power of death the Devil and delivered them who through fear of death were all their life-time subject to bondage c. Christ has taken out the sting of this Serpent and drunk the dregs of this cup. Now this Doctrine containing so much sweetness and comfortableness in it what does from hence follow but that accordingly it should be a principal part of our Ministry to dispense it The Apostles still aimed at the joy and comfort of Gods people 1 Joh. 1.4 These things I write unto you that your joy may be full And my joy is the joy of you all 2 Cor. 2.3 c. And that 's the second Consideration as it is a Doctrine of the greatest comfort Thirdly As it is a Doctrine of the richest and most abundant Grace for it contains in it the exceeding love of God towards mankind and the hight of his mercy towards us In Christ crucified there 's a combination of all the riches and mysteries of the Gospel it was his love to be incarnate to be tempted to be persecuted for us yea but his Passion it was the accomplishment and perfection of all the rest Greater love than this hath no man that he should lay down his life for his friends Joh. 15.13 There was never any thing wherein God more magnified his love and pity towards the sons of men than in giving of his Son to death for them Hence the Apostle to the Romans Chap. 5.8 God commended his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us And 1 Joh. 3.16 Hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us And Joh. 3.16 So God loved the world that he gave his only begotten son for the redemption of it Thus we see it carries in it the riches of Gods Grace Now therefore accordingly it is the main work of our Ministry which the Apostle Paul calls the Ministry of Reconciliation 2 Cor. 5.20 And this as a third Consideration For the Application of the Point reflects first upon us which are Ministers and Teachers as our duty in this particular for the ordering and disposing of our Doctrine Desire to know nothing amongst our people but Jesus Christ and him crucised But what 's the meaning of this must nothing else be Preached but one point what is it then to Preach Christ crucified For answer hereunto we must know thus much That the meaning hereof is not
this that we should Preach of no other subject but only of the death of Christ for there are many other points besides which it is necessary for a Minister to speak of and for a Christian likewise to hear of But when we are commanded to Preach Christ crucified and to make this the object of our Ministry there are these things included and involved in this expression as to be understood by us First For the matter of our Preaching as I have already shewn that we are to preach this principally and to make people sensible of this point more especially above any other because the hinge of the Gospel turns upon this point and we are Ministers of the Gospel therefore to beat more upon this than any other Secondly For the order of our Preaching to do all in reference to this then we preach Christ crucified not only when we discourse of this Argument for the particular subject of it but likewise when we preach of such points as are introductive and preparatory hereunto or which are superstructed and founded hereupon When we shew men their own corruption by nature and the necessity which they have of a Saviour And when we teach men to live holy lives and to be crucified in their affections and lusts then we preach Christ crucified as well as when we discourse of the thing Thirdly For the manner of our Preaching we then Preach Christ crucified when we Preach Christ and the Doctrine of Christ in a grave and sober fashion this is clear by the opposition which the Apostle Paul himself there sets 1 Cor. 2.2 where he sets this Preaching of Christ crucified as opposite to the excellency of humane speech I came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom declaring unto you the testimony of God For I de termined not to know any thing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified As who should say the one would not consist with the other They that profess themselves to be Preachers of Christ crucified they should abstain from all kind of looseness and affectation and flanting in their Preaching as a manner which does not agree with the matter Suppose now that any one were to paint a dying or crucified man would he paint him in a garment of colours or in a garment of black surely in the most grave and solemn attire that could be even so it should be likewise with us whiles we Preach Christ crucified we should endeavour to set him out after a crucified manner not in the wisdom of words lest we make the Cross of Christ of none effect but in the evidence and demonstration of the Spirit which may have conviction and power with it And thus we see what it is to preach Christ crucified Again further Here 's that which may satisfie Ministers as for those things which oftentimes they are subject unto and that scorn and ignominy which is many times cast upon them it is but futable to the Doctrine it self which they teach namely Christ crucified and therefore it should satisfie them in it and make them more willing to endure and to bear with them whiles they Preach Christ crucified to be content to be crucified and to meet with the same entertainment which he did in the world The Disciple is not above his Master nor the servant above his Lord. Besides The Doctrine it self is odious A stumbling-block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles as we shall hear God willing hereafter And therefore they must be needs odious that bring it and so for the most part they are as the Apostle professes of himself 1 Cor. 4.9 c. But then secondly Here 's somewhat not only for Ministers but people and not only for Preachers but hearers as first to teach them what Points and Doctrines they should chiefly affect and look afer We live in such an age at this present as tha the wholsome and savoury points of Religion are of no esteem with us but we loath them and are weary of them but we must have every day some new-nothing to be brought unto us we do not like this Doctrine of Christ crucified but must have somewhat else given us for our lusts as the Israelites for their bodily food Now here we are better instructed in this present passage of the Apostle wherein he tells us That he preached Christ crucified That which is the main object of the Ministers Preaching is the main of our hearing also And therefore let us take heed of this same itch which is abroad in the world in this kind I hope I shall not need to say much here in this place to this purpose but only this in a word First This is a cause why many people are so formal in Religion and have so little of the power of Godliness in them because they look rather after notions and speculations than solid Truths Their strength is according to their sustenance Secondly This is the cause of so many Errors and false Doctrines amongst us men first turn their ears from the truth and then are turned unto fables as it is in 2 Tim. 4.3 4. Thirdly This is the cause of so much strife and division amongst us because every one stands more for the devices of their own brains than they do for the Truths of Christ Now there 's this Use which may be made of this Point to all Christians namely that seeing Christ crucified is the chief Argument of a Ministers Preaching it should be also accordingly the chief rule of a Christians practice The Preaching of Christ crucified should teach us to be crucified with Christ that so the labours of the Ministers may be digested into our lives When we preach Christ crucified it is not only by way of narration to tell you that such a thing is done but it is rather by way of information to perswade and work upon you for living answerably hereunto And 't is not only to work upon mens fancies and to stir their passion a little for a while in a Frier-like manner but to mollifie and soften their hearts and to bring their spirits into a temper suitable hereunto This Doctrine of Christ crucified it should crucifie us more to sin to the world and to our own selves as we shall have occasion hereafter to show And as this Point should always take with us so especially should we now more meditate and think upon it as is that which is especially tendered and exhibited to us in the Sacrament which we have so often partak'd of The Sacrament of the Lords Supper it was instituted in remembrance of Christs death and to assure us of the great love of Christ to us in this particular This is not only to be thought of us at the very instant and time of receiving but upon all occasions all the days of our life which we are to regulate and to frame hereunto And so I have done with the Apostles Doctrine it self Christ crucified How farther this
is amplified to us from the entertainment which it has differently in the world on the one part as a Doctrine of offence Vnto the Jews a stumbling-block and unto the Greeks foolishness and on the other part as a Doctrine of Acceptance But unto those which are called c. But this I must leave to be handled in the next Sermon SERMON XXX 1 Cor. 1.23 But we preach Christ crucified unto the Jews a stumbling-block and unto the Greeks foolishness It is a part of the faithfulness of an Embassador and Commissioner here in world who is intrusted with any business of state and transaction of special importance to abte nothing of his Errand nor of the message which is committed unto him but whether it please or displease to deliver it with all integrity and boldness And surely it is no less likewise the duty of those also which are the messengers of the Churches as the Scripture sometimes calls them and Embassadors of God for Christ They are to express the like faithfulness and sincerity in their employment namely to exhibit their Message and that Doctrine which they are intrusted withal howsoever the world stands affected or disposed unto it And this is tha which we may here observe to be done by the Apostle Paul he had to deal with two sorts of people in the course an dispensation of his Ministry and such as both of them were very much prejudiced against that truth which was to be delivered by him but yet for all that he is not hindered or restrained in the delivering The Jews require a sign and the Greeks seek after wisdom but we preach Christ crucified This was that passage in this Scripture which we fell upon in our last exercise where after divers preparatory points which we raised from the words we insisted upon this main Principle That Christ crucified is the main object and matter of our Preaching WE have here in these words set down to us the different entertainment which this Preaching of the Apostles met withal in different persons and that is twofold First It was a Doctrine of offence and secondly it was a Doctrine of success It was a Doctrine of offence on two parts Vnto the Jews a stumbling-block and unto the Gentiles foolishness And it was a Doctrine of success on two parts more But unto them c. We 'l begin first of all with the former as it is exhibited in vers 23. so far forth as it is a Doctrine of offence But before we come to speak distinctly and particulary concerning this we 'l observe somewhat from the Text in general and that 's this That the same Doctrine and Preaching of the Word has not always and in all sorts of persons the same effect This is clear from the connexion before us Here were Jews and Greeks which had both of them Christ crucified preached unto them yet the entertainment of this Doctrine in both was different and various This is agreeable to that which the Scripture does declare unto us 2 Cor. 2.15 We are unto God a sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish to the one we are the savour of death unto death and to the other the savour of life unto life So a different savour in each Thus when Christ himself preacht some said He was a good man and others that he deceived the people And when Paul preached at Athens Act. 17.32 34. some clave to him and believed others mockt at him and put him off till another time And Act. ult 24. some believed the things which were spoken and others believed not Now there 's a various account which may be given hereof unto us from whence it proceeds First from the consideration of the Teacher and of him that delivers the Doctrine there 's a great matter in that The different spirit and carriage of the Preacher has a great influence upon the success of the Doctrine which otherwise may be one and the same Look says St. Chrysostome as it is in matter of musick 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it is in an Harp or Lute there 's a great deal of difference according to the hand which is imployed about it Even so it is in the Divine Oracles and the dispensation of the Word of God there is a great of difference for the improvement and benefit which comes by it according to the condition of the person which has the handling and ordering of it and the difference we may conceive here to lye in sundry particulars First In his Gifts and Ministerial Abilities there 's a singular dexterity and skilfulness which belongs to Ministers in their several ways for the conveyance of their Doctrines into the minds and hearts of their hearers and to make those Truths which they treat of to be their own It 's one thing to deliver comfortable Truths and it is another thing to be a comfortable Teacher and it is one thing to speak words of reproof and it is another thing to be a skilful reprover There 's a right application of the Plaister or a right making of the wound which every one has not skill in them to do Thus Eccles 12.9 Because the Preacher was wise he taught the people knowledg c. Wise what 's that that is not only wise for his own particular in reference to his own understanding but wise for the good of the people in reference to their benefit and profit This Wisdom here it is not only an immanent wisdom but a transient not only which rests in the Teacher but from him is conveyed to the Hearer Now because Solomon was thus therefore he taught the people knowledg and he taught them successfully and he sought out acceptable words c. So it follows the words of the wise are like Goads and like Nails fasten'd by the Masters of the Assembly and given by one Pastor Look as it is in other matters it is not enough only to put a Nail into a piece of building but there must be a fastening it and striking it home to the head even so is it here as concerning the Ministry It is not only enough to propound such Truths but there must be a skilful inforcing of them and that according to the condition of the Hearers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 2 Tim. 2.15 Now according to a different skill and ability to this purpose is there oftentimes a different benefit and success for those things which are Preached Again As this difference lies much in a Ministers Gifts so also in a Ministers Spirit and manner of undertaking the work when men go about any thing in the strength of their own wit or in a dependance upon their own parts and industry it is not oftentimes so successful But when men look up to God for his assistance and rely upon him for his concurrence this is most likely to take effect in what they do The way for any Preacher to make any Truth
of light out of darkness c. 2 Cor. 4.6 Again secondly From the power of Satan to God Thus Act. 26.18 We have both these expressions joyned together To open their eyes to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God Men before their effectual calling they are under the power and thraldom of Satan and led captive by him at his will whithersoever he pleases But now conversion it is a recovery out of this snare as it is called 2 Tim. 2.26 This it strikes off the Fetters and Bolts and Chains which a sinner was held with as it was with him possest in the Gospel Thirdly From the world to the fellowship of Christ and the Saints 1 Cor. 1.9 By whom ye are called into the fellowship of his son A man by his effectual calling is made member of another Society and Corporation than he was of before and he has a spirit given him answerable to that Society to converse withall a natural man he is unfit for holy communion conversion it does mightily raise him up hereunto Lastly From a state of Hell and Wrath and Death to a state of Life and peace and salvation Thus as we are said in some places of Scripture to be called to grace so in others to be called to glory and such terms as these are as not to be called to uncleanness but unto holiness 1 Thes 4.7 so not to be called to wrath but to obtain salvation 1 Thess 5.9 And again 2 Thes 2.14 He hath called you by our Gospel to the obtaining of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ These are the terms from whence and to which And this sets forth unto us the excellency and dignity of our calling considered in it self when we are called to be Christians and Believers we do not change for the worse but for the better we are advanced and promoted and set up to a more noble condition than we were in before and accordingly does the Scripture here put such denominations upon it of an high calling Phil. 3.14 Of an holy calling 2 Rom. 1.9 Of an heavenly calling Heb. 3.1 And so much of the parties here spoken of in their personal qualifications Them which are called I come now to them in the second place in their natural qualification both Jews and Greeks this must be taken in connexion with the former and in reference to it the Apostle had in the verse before laid a disparagement upon such of these people as concerning their rejection and ill entertainment of the Gospel affirming it to be to the Jews a stumbling-block and to the Greeks foolishness Now that he might not be here mistaken as condemning these whole Nations at large he here limits and qualifies this censure But unto them which are called both Jews and Greeks c. Before we come to the main point observe here first of all a profitable instruction in general and that in reference to practise which is briefly this That in the laying of censures at any time upon a generality and community of persons whether Nations or Societies of men we must take heed whiles we find fault with some that we do not indefinitely condemn all This was St. Paul's care here whiles he censured Jews and Greeks he would exempt some of them from this censure and so he does also in other places As to the Corinthians when he writes unto them and makes mention of strange kind of sinners Such were some of you 1 Cor. 6.11 He does not say all but some So 1 Cor. 4.18 Now some are puffed up as though I would not come unto you And to the Thessalonians 2 Thes 3.11 We hear that there are some among you which are disorderly c. He restrains and confines his censure to some and so our blessed Saviour to his Hearers There are some of you that believe not John 6.64 And so again more expresly John 13.18 I speak not of you all I know whom I have chosen c. This restriction and limitation is requisite First To prevent discouragement in the condemned that so we may not grieve and trouble the minds of those which are innocent and guiltless When those which are good and holy shall conceive themselves to be wrapt and involved in the same censure with those that are otherwise this is a great discouragement to them and a grieving of their spirits which we should be especially tender of Not break the bruised Reed c. Secondly To prevent scandal in the standers by and that others may not be offended at them for it when those who are strangers to the persons shall hear all at large to be condemned this may be an occasion sometimes to make them think ill of those which are blameless thereby to bescandaliz'd Thirdly To prevent injustice in our selves and that we may not give wrong judgment He that justifies the wicked and he that condemns the just both of them are an abomination to the Lord says Solomon Prov. 17.15 Now this latter we must here take heed of which we fall into by indefinite censure This does therefore meet with the reshness or malice or what you will of many persons in this particular ye shall have some people so to condemn an whole company as that they except and spare none at all in it If some are it may be many of them faulty why in this case condemn all without any exception or limitation They are all so without difference This is the practise of envy and folly In the Ministry fall upon the whole Tribe for the miscarriage of some In the Magistracy upon the whole state-Government because some are amiss in it in any Calling or undertaking whatsoever fly in the face of the whole profession for the fault of some which are irregular in it This is contrary both to Religion and Reason a senseless and a malicious business The Apostle Paul in this present Scripture gives us a better example But with them which are called both Jews and Greeks c. As who should say Though I condemn some and most yet I do not censure all and this may be observed in General But to speak more particularly to the Words To them which are called both Jews and Greeks We see here that God has his Numbers and Lot and Portion more or less in all People and Nations without any difference Jew and Gentile both may be called and so are In Christ Jesus there is neither Jew nor Greek Col. 3.11 That is there is no difference of either as concerning the priviledges of Salvation they have each of them an interest in them This is that which the Apostle Peter takes notice of in his discourse to Cornelius Acts 10.34 Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons But in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted of him This may be made good unto us from these considerations First Both Jew and Gentiles they are the subjects
the course of this present Text and Scripture which we have now read unto you where the Apostle gives us an account of the deliverance of him with his company from a great danger which happened unto them and therein expresses his thankefulness and holy rejoicing as also gives us an hint of expectation of further deliverance from the like dangers that might happen unto them and therein expresses his hope and most holy faith Who delivered us from so great a death and doth deliver in whom we trust also c. This passage it relates to a story which we meet withal in Act. 19.29 30. which we may read at our leisure though I suppose that most of us are already sufficiently skilled in it and acquainted with it So that I need not now rehearse it or declare it unto you IN this present Verse before us we have three General Parts considerable of us First The Commemoration of a Deliverance past Secondly The signification of a Deliverance present Thirdly The prognostication of a Deliverance to come The Commemoration of a Deliverance past Who delivered us from so great a Death The signification of a Deliverance present And doth deliver us The Prognostication of a Deliverance to come In whom we trust that he will yet deliver us Here 's all that we can possibly desire for all the limits and periods of time whether past or present or future This Deliverance it is extended to each here 's matter of thankfulness and matter of joy-fulness and matter of hope We begin in order with the first viz. The Commemoration of the Deliverance past Who delivered us from so great a death Wherein again we may take notice of two Particulars more First the terms of the Deliverance or the evil it self delivered from and that is here exprest to be so great a death Secondly the Deliverance it self or the time for the vouchsafing of it Who hath delivered us First We have here the terms of the Deliverance or the thing delivered from so great a death For the evil it self death and for the aggravation of it a great death it is a deliverance from both Chrysostom together with some others gives it in the Plural number 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so great deaths And indeed there are more deaths than one which God does undertake to deliver his servants from and from which he delivered St. Paul with his Brethren and Companions amongst the rest And which it may not be amiss for our selves at this time by the way to take notice of though I shall insist chiefly upon that which is here chiefly intended and is most agreeable both to the scope of the Text and the present occasion First From spiritual death the death of sin that 's a very great death it puts a man into a state of death not only as exposing to wrath and future condemnation but likewise as disabling to the actions of Grace and Holiness alienating us and depriving us of that life of God which should be in us Ephes 4.18 For as there is a life of grace distinguisht from the life of glory so there 's likewise a death of sin distinguisht from the death of condemnation And this death of sin it is such as is to be numbered among great deaths and the deliverance from it reckoned among great deliverances Indeed it is not always counted so at least by the generality of the world they for the most part are ready to make nothing of it a light and small matter as for the death of the body do all they can to shun that but as for this body of death which the Apostle Paul so much complain'd of and blest God for deliverance from it this is such a thing as they are little troubled or solicitous about Well but every good Christian who has the eyes of his understanding inlightned and his heart truly sanctified with grace he looks upon this as a very grievous and fearful death and accordingly blesses Gods for his deliverance and redempton from it Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 7.24 25. Secondly Eternal death the death of wrath and condemnation that 's another great death also and such as follows likewise upon the former without recovery from it He that 's finally dead in sin he shall be certainly dead in judgment the death of sentence and condemnation follows upon the death of spirit and disposition This God has also delivered us from He hath delivered us from wrath to come 1 Thes 1.10 And we are saved from wrath through him Rom. 5.9 This is a great death among other Considerations in this respect forasmuch as it required so great a death for the expiating of it which was the death of no other than of the Son of God himself who therefore tasted of this death for the kind of it that he might free us from it We are reconciled unto God says the Apostle by the death of his Son What a sweet and blessed Saviour have we that cares not how great a death he dyes himself that so he might free us from death for whom he dyed We should take all occasions that may be to celebrate our deliverance from this which I am therefore so much the willinger to mention upon this phrase which I now here meet withal in the Text though it is not that which I desire to insist or stand upon I come to that which is more pertinent The third and that which is here particularly aim'd at is Temporal Death which though it be the least Death of all compared with the former yet it is great considered simply in it self and so much the greater according to the several circumstances and aggravations which it may be cloathed withal Which we may take in these following particulars First From the nature and kind of it A violent Death not a natural This is a great death and so consequently a great mercy to be delivered from it to be kept from accidents and casualties and mischances which we are subject unto when the Candle is not put out but goes out when our life is not taken away from us but ends of it self This is a Temporal Blessing and such as when it is granted to the Children of God is granted in love and answerably to be looked upon by them as a merciful dispensation which they are to be thankful for As for wicked men it is threatned as a judgment upon them Joh 27.20 That a Tempest shall steal them away and a storm shall hurl them out of their places and they shall lye down and not be gathered and such was this God thrusts them and turns them out of doors like a company of disorderly persons whom he will no longer have patience with but now as for the godly and righteous there 's an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a fair and kindly death which so far forth as they have an
interest in any outward and worldly blessing is belonging unto them It is true that they cannot absolutely and peremptorily conclude upon it no more than upon any other outward comfort of the same nature with it for all things fall alike unto all here in this life to the good and to the bad to the just and to the unjust c. as the Preacher speaks but yet they may more certainly expect it than any other besides may and they have a promise made of it to them so far forth as is requisite for them and may most consist with the glory of God which all things are to be subservient unto Job 5.26 Among other Blessings of the same condition with it this is reckoned as one pertaining to those which are faithful That they shall come to their grave in peace like a shock of corn in its season This was that kind of death which the Apostle here was delivered from in this danger which he speaks of in Asia as we may see if we look into the story where we shall find that he was ready to be pull'd in pieces in the tumult which was there made and therefore his friends intreated him that he would not adventure himself upon the Theatre namely to the rage and fury of his Enemies which were there met in a cobustion together This is a part of the aggravation of the miseries and calamities of War The difference betwixt a fever and a sword betwixt dying by the hand of an enemy and dying by the stroke of a disease The end and conclusion is all one and the same only there 's some difference in the conveyance when as the soul does not so much take its leave as it is rather driven out of its lodging This is that which nature shrinks at even there where grace has learn't in some degree to submit unto it And that 's the first aggravation which is implyed in this expression so great a Death namely from the nature and kind of it a violent death not a natural The second is from the Quality and manner of it a painful death not a gentle and easie Death it is unpleasing in it self considered as a meer dissolution and separation of two loving friends and companions the soul and body from each other but when to this we shall add pain and torture this makes it to be so much the more This was that which many of the Godly Martyrs suffer'd and indur'd They were stoned they were sawn asunder they were killed they were slain with the sword Heb. 11.35 Deaths full of torment and pain and so great there are likewise such kind of Deaths in a natural way also Sone and Gout c. I need not name them some are afflicted with them and if we be delivered from them we have cause to bless God for it for delivering us from such great Deaths or Diseases as those as namely are painful and tormenting which makes up the second Aggravation Thirdly Take in another from the coming and proceeding of it A sudden death and not an expected This is another aggravation of Temporal Death which the Apostle seems here to allude to in his danger in Asia It was such as he did not look for and in that regard it was great indeed to speak properly Death is not altogether sudden to the Children of God because they are still more or less in the expectation of it and in some sort prepared for it but yet comparatively some is suddener than other and that which is so has the aggravation of a great death in it We find David cry in Psal 39. ult Oh spare me a little before I go hence c. that I may recover my self A Christian though he be able to give some good account of himself whensoever God shall call him as desiring always to live in such a constant frame and temper of spirit as from whence he may be fit to leave the world yet he desires to have some time to make his accounts up and to have them in a more perfect readiness than at all times else he has in which regard it is lawful for him with a submission to the good will of God to desire to be kept and preserved from a sudden stroke that so he may the better be able to reflect and recollect himself to consider what he is and what he has been and what he has done and whither he is going c. which in these sudden surprisals he is not so well able to do Fourthly From the time and season of it when it is an hastened death not a mature one in Eccles 7.17 it is there the counsel and advice of the Preacher Be not overmuch wicked neither be thou foolish why shouldst thou dye before thy time And Psal 55.23 It is said of bloody and deceitful men that they shall not live out half their days For men to dye before their time and not to live out half their days it is reckoned in the Catalogue and account of great Deaths Now death may be said to be untimely in a twofold Consideration Either First of all in a way of Nature Or else secondly in a way of Providence First In a way of Nature When one dyes in infancy or youth or such time as he is not come to full age and it is a mercy to escape this God gives us great occasion of thankfulness when he sets us to run out our time here in the world when he cracks not the hour-glass before all the sand be spent or when the glass is but newly turn'd up as sometimes he does This is an untimely death in a way of Nature Secondly There 's an untimely Death also in a way of Providence When a man is at any time taken out of the world ere he has done his work and before he has accomplish't that business which in all likelihood he was to perform which is the very life of life it self Thus had this Death in the Text been a great Death to St. Paul because it had taken him off from that service which he was to have done for the Church and so consequently it was a great deliverance to be freed from it that he might now glory as afterwards he did before his departure that he had sought a good fight that he had finished his course c. 2 Tim. 4.7 Fifthly The greatness of Death has an aggravation of it from its latitude and extent When it is a death involving and including such and such persons in it As first for the number of the persons the death of many the death of a great many that 's a great death that 's a great death which does devour multitudes and swarms at once Thus had this death been in Asia not only Paul himself but his companions more had been taken away besides him in this violence he here speaks of And this is another thing which would have made it to have been so great a death
Christians as they are Members one of another so they rejoyce in one anothers mutual life and preservation and count their own deliverance to be still so much the greater as it has their brethrens involved with it not only we but us And then what kind of us were they Take in secondly the Quality of persons such as were especially serviceable and useful an Apostle and the Ministers of Christ for these to be delivered from death it was to be delivered from a great death The death of none is to be slighted though never so mean The life of the poorest and simplest man in the world it is precious as the life of a man no more but so but the death of such persons as for their gifts and graces are eminent and for their places and improvements are useful this it is such as is very choice and much to be set by and such was this which the Apostle here speaks of in this present Text It was so great a death c. Sixthly A great death in regard of the proximity and neerness of the evil it self It was as it were at the very next door A great death that is indeed a great danger so some read the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 De tantis periculis Though Chrysostom does not so well approve of it surely it carries the sense very well though it answers not the word for if we speak properly the Apostle was not delivered from death but from danger from that which tended and inclined to death and would have proved so if it had not been prevented This is called death both here and in other places as when 't is said by the same Apostle of himself that he was in deaths oft 2 Cor. 11.23 In deaths that is in dangers of death so here from a great death that is from a great danger of death every deliverance is so much the greate as the danger is so much the nearer Lastly A great death also in regard of the apprehensions of those which were in danger of it Conceit and apprehension it does set an aggravation upon danger and does make it to be so much the greater That which is great in our thoughts and in our opinions to us it is great And so was this here to the Apostle Paul and his Company as we may see in the Verse before the Text We had the sentence of death in our selves that is we gave our selves for dead men Men that do not see their danger they do not so easily fee their deliverance nor so much take notice of Gods goodness in vouchsafing it unto them but when they are made sensible of the one they are likewise made sensible of the other If ever we would get our hearts enlarged in thankfulness afterwards we must be apprehensive of danger before For a secure spirit in danger will be an unthankful spirit in deliverance and preservation and so for the contrary So great a death Y◠here 's now the nature of Thankfulness to extend the meroies of God and to make them as great as may be It is of an amplifing and enlarging dispostion as an humble heart puts an aggravation upon sin that it may put an enlargement upon pardon so a thankeful heart puts an aggravation upon danger that it may put an amplification upon deliverance It thinks those mercies to be great which are bestowed upon it because it 's small in its own eyes and looks upon it self as less than the least of all the morcies of God Yea and that which is also further here observable when the danger it self is past and the worst is over There are many which can see it to be a great death when 't is coming and approaching and ready to surprize them when evils are present as near unto them Oh then they are great indeed yea but when they are once gone and removed then they are small or none at all The Plague when it does not spread it was not the Plague This is commonly in mens dispositions yea but with Paul it is not so he counts it a great death even now when it was past and gone It was great to his apprehensions and so great in that regard also thus now have I done with the first Particular in this first General viz. the terms of deliverance or thing c. so great a death The second Particular is the Preservation or Deliverance it self And doth deliver c. And here again take notice of two things more First The thing it self simply and absolutely propounded Secondly The Apostles acknowledgment and manifestation of it in the reflection The thing it self That God had delivered him His acknowledgment in that he blesses God for it and makes mention of it here to the Corinthians First For the thing it self this is that which we may here observe how ready God is to deliver his people from death and from great death that which the Apostle speaks of himself and those which were with him it is appliable to many others besides it is a piece of Providence which the children of God do partake of in frequent experiences and they are able to say it of themselves as so with them It is that which David does often as Psal 57.13 Thou hast delivered my soul from death Again Psal 116.8 My soul from death mine eyes from tears my feet from falling And so likewise Psal 118.18 The Lord hath chastened me sore but he hath not given me over to death And so in like manner other of the Sains There are many gracious Promises to this purpose as Job 5.20 He shall redeem thy soul from death And Psal 72.14 He shall redeem their soul from violence and precious shall their blood be in his sight So Psal 116.15 it is said That precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints The Lord does not at any time cast away the lives of his servants but though he may seem now and then indifferently and promiscuously to take them away yet he does it not without special heed and regard had unto them He is very careful so far forth as may consist with their greatest advantage and the promotion of his own gracious ends and purposes and glory which it is very fitting all this should stoop unto to keep them and to deliver them from death First Out of pity and compassion towards them the Lord has bowels of tenderness towards his people And deliverance from death it is an act of mercy In Phil. 2.27 it is said concerning Epaphroditus that God had mercy on him when he brought him from the gates of death Look how much sweetness there is in life so much mercy in preservation from death which is a privation of life And God he is full and abundant in mercy as being the God and Father of it as he stiles himself and properly to those which are his children Secondly He has work for them to do and some service which he requites
from them thus it was here with Paul and the rest they were to be imployed by him in the work of the Ministry and he had business wherein to use them therefore he would save and deliver them God stands not in need of our service simply considered nor of any thing which can be done by us but yet so far forth as he is pleased of his free Graceto imploy us so far forth will he be careful to preserve us in order and reference hereunto In Mal. 3.17 it is spoken there of the children of God that a book of remembrance was written before him in their behalf and that he would spare them when he made up his Jewels as a man spares his own son that serves him There 's two arguments in one for Gods indulgence there mentioned First their relation his son and secondly their imployment that serves him a man will spare his son in reference to his bowels and he will spare his servant in reference to his work and the latter of these is that which is here exhibited unto us God takes a special care of his working servants This is a certain truth that as long as God has any work and business for any man to do for him so long he will keep and preserve him and deliver him from death and he may with confidence depend upon him for it which by the way teaches us how in some manner to preserve our lives and keep our selves from hazards and danger as we do any thing desire it namely by being careful to be exercised and well-imployed in the doing of that which God requires of us When we put our selves out of service we put our selves out of protection When we lay our selves aside as to our work we do in a manner hasten our end and ring our own passing-bell as I may so express it but when we are careful as much as we can to serve God in our generation and to be useful and profitable to the time and places wherein we live we do hereby very much provide for our own safety and preservation and in a manner engage God himself thereunto who is very tender of his working-servants as here of Paul The way to secure our lives is not so much to spare our selves to study our own ease to make much of one no he that saves his life so is most likely to lose it but rather accoding to that strength and ability which God affords unto us to do him all the service we can Thirdly God does further delight to frustrate the attempts of enemies and those that plot and conspire and contrive the death of his servants and for this cause will deliver them from it as here again 't was with Paul God fears the wrath of his Adversaries lest they should behave themselves strangely and say Our hand is high c. The consideration of this Point is a great encouragement to all those that fear God against the inordinate fear of death That the Lord has a special care of them and regard unto them in such dispensations at least so as to keep them from the evil and hurtfulness of it He hath delivered us from so great a death And this for the thing it self here propounded in the absolute consideration of it We may in the second place look upon it in the reflection as coming from the Apostle God had delivered him and he did not now let it pass without any notice taken of it but he observes it and likewise acknowledges it This is a duty which lyes upon us to take notice of those mercies and deliverances which God at any time has vouchsafed unto us thus does the Apostle here and also elsewhere and teaches us to do the same likewise He makes mention of mercies and deliverances which were past sometime since and not only makes mention of them but gives thanks for them it is not a bare and simple narration but with some acknowledgment annext unto it We would not have you ignorant says he of our trouble that came to us in Asia c. Why would he not have them ignorant of his trouble because he would have them thankful for his deliverance and to join with him in the blessing and praising of God for it who had so graciously shewn himself in his behalf Thankfulness and acknowledgment is the least which we can return upon God for deliverance and preservation This is that which we our selves are now called to this present day wherein we celebrate Gods goodness to us in our Deliverance from the Gunpowder-Treason a Deliverance which in regard of the thing it self was vouchsafed many years past five and forty years ago but the remembrance of it should be still green and fresh and flourishing with us We may very well express it in all the words of this present clause That God has delivered delivered us and from a great death First For the Person delivering it was God He that delivered Paul and his Company delivered us He that delivered them from the great danger in Asia the same has delivered us from the great danger in England He that raised from the dead as it is said in the verse before it is he that has kept and preserved from death here It was he that discovered the Plot. It was he that prevented it or otherwise we had been utterly destroyed and overwhelmed in it If the Lord had not been on our side may England now say if the Lord had not been on our side when men rose up against us they had swallowed us up quick when their wrath was kindled against us It is true God had his means and instruments which he was pleased to imploy and improve in this business but the main of it must be resolved into himself It was he who delivered us c. Secondly For the Persons delivered we may add also us it is we which are delivered The deliverance of others has cause in its place to affect us and we ought to be very much taken with joy for it But when our selves are interested in any deliverance for our own particular this should more work upon us and so it was here There 's none of us all but had a share and propriety in it some of us in regard of our Persons and others of us in regard of our Relations either in our selves or else in our Friends and Country which should be dear unto us We were either delivered from death or from Non-entity which you will Those which were then born they were delivered in a way of preservation those which were not born then they were delivered in a way of anticipation So that the Deliverance comes home to our doors one way or other do what we can and he has delivered us Thirdly For the terms also of Deliverance so great a death so great as it is hard to express and declare how great it was it was great in the consideration of all or most of those several
circumstances and aggravations which I have now mentioned First For the nature and kind of it it was a death of violence it was a forced and unnatural death Unnatural indeed it was in a double consideration First It was unnatural actively in regard of those which complotted it and desired to inflict it For who I beseech you were they but those of our own Country Englishmen and bred at home The nearer at any time the relation the more unnatural still the rebellion Englishmen to destroy Englishmen as it has been in these latter times especially a most fearful and unnatural destruction contrary to the common principles of nature and that affection which God hath put into Heathen and strangers which never head of Religion This death which we now speak of it was such an one as this contrived and conspired by those which were of our own Land and Nation and came as it were out of our own bowels And then again it was unnatural passively as all deaths of violence especially are a taking away of mens lives from them and turning them out of the world a death of greater pain and reluctancy and indisposition and so it was great Secondly It was a great death if it had taken in regard of the suddenness it was the taking away of men without any warning or preparation at all the cruellest thing that could be in reference to the Patients and the cowardliest thing that could be in reference to the Instruments The manner and carriage and contrivance of it had the aggravations of a great death in it and made it more remarkable First I say it was cruel and very grievous in reference to the Patients or those which were designed to be so To come upon men on a sudden without any warning or preparation at all when they should neither settle their Temporal estates for this life nor yet which is more their spiriritual or eternal for a better what an unmerciful thing was this How great was that death wherein men should had no warning given them of avoiding everlasting death but have been in danger as much as men could make them of perishing both ways at once in body and soul And then besides how cowardly and unmanly also for those that acted it How unsuitable to the Principles of an Heroical and magnanimous spirit There was no skill in it but only violence no art at all but the black art no mystery but the mystery of iniquity It savoured and smelt of no other than Hell it self it was treachery and conspiracy and falshood the basest kind of killing of all as David said once of Abner 2 Sam. 3.33 c. Died Abner as a fool dieth thy hands were not bound nor thy feet put into fetters As a man falleth before wicked men so sellest thou So had these Worthies died if they had been taken away as a man falleth before wicked men basely cowardly injuriously without any provocation for no cause for no wrong for no offence but only their goodness they had not died as sools had died Not by their own carelesness not by their own wickedness not by their own rashness not by any default of their own but only by the mischief of those which were the children of iniquity not by the hands of law and iustice their hands nor feet had not been bound but only by the hands of cruelty and rebellion Thus had they been taken away thus had they fallen at this time and had not this been a great deliverance Thirdly It was likewise great in regard of the untimeliness and immaturity of it it was the taking of Persons away before their time many in their very youth and many in their riper years and many in the midst of their hopes in the fulness of their strength for their bodies and in the height of their parts for their minds and in the midst of their counsels for their imployment It was the barbarousness of that Soldier in Syracuse that killed the Mathematician in his study and whiles he was drawing his lines even so as I may say it had been here men in the midst of their very work And what work was it to not a work of ordinary concernment neither but the setling of the affairs of the Kingdom in Church and State the establishing of good and wholsome Laws this was the work which stuck so much in their stomacks and which provoked them to this means of interrupting it as it was the reason which some of them gave for the choice of the place Fourthly It was great also in regard of the extent of it here it was great indeed First for the number and plurality of the persons how many had been involved in this death even the whole State it self the Representative Body of the Kingdom assembled in Parliament As he that wisht he could cut off Rome at one blow what a sweeping death had this been which had carried away so many at once And what an unmerciful conspiracy that had bowels left for none We see how unlimited and unbounded malice is that nothing will serve its turn but the ruining and undoing of all friend and foe hopeful and desperate one as well as another all should have gone to the pot without any difference These are the Principles of such kind of persons All 's fish with them that comes to net Secondly For the condition and quality of the Persons consider that to make it somewhat more a multitude of mean rank and condition they are more easily spared but the loss of those which are of greater worth and eminency for their parts and place this is more to be lamented The death of great men it is no other than a great death It was that which grieved David so much in the aforenamed slaughter of Abner not only the wrongfulness of the cause but the eminency of the person Know ye not that there is a Prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel 2 Sam. 3.33 If David made such a matter of it the death but of one great person what had been the death of so many great ones at once King and Prince and Nobles and all the Peers of the Land to have been taken away in one moment Head and Tail Branch and root in one day the stay and the staff the mighty man and the man of War the Judg and the Prophet the Prudent and the Ancient the Honourable man and the Counseller the cunning Artificer and the eloquent Orator this had been the case here and how great had this death been Thirdly Look upon this extent likewise yet further in that which they principally aimed at and propounded to themselves herein which was not only the ruining of persons but also the ruining of Doctrines and the faith and truth of Christ it self the death of he Gospel and the death of the Ordinances and the death of Religion and the death of our own precious and immortal souls And now tell me whether
this was not a great death indeed If we lose our lives yet if we can recover our souls our loss will not be so considerable And if we part with many other things which are near and dear unto us yet after all this if notwithstanding we can hold fast our faith and profession without wavering we may do pretty well But this was the mischief of these enemies that they did then hast to spoil us of these It was not so much other matters which they had an eye to life and liberty and estates though that were somewhat but even Grace and Truth Piety Salvation it self that we might not see our signs not there might not be a Prophet amongst us as the Psalmist speaks This was that which they principally aim'd at as it is said of the Adulteress that she hunts for the precious soul Prov. 6.26 even so it may be said of such as these And thus ye see how it was a great deliveran Fourthly Namely in regard of the extent both to the persons and cause Fifthly From the neerness and approximation of the danger It was great so also for it was even almot come to the execution of it we were even upon the very point and brim of destruction in this design as it was with Paul in this present Text indeed we thus sar differed from him that we knew not what danger we were in which he did we had not the sentence of death in our selves but we had the sentence of death in our conspiracies they had give in and past us for dead and had made as full account of it as might be they made no question at all of it but so it would be The plot discovered but the very night before God brought it to the very extremity it was seen in the minute he manifested himself graciously in our preservation when there was death at the very doors Thus it was here 6. It was great also in regard of the mischievousness of the contrivers it was carried with great wickedness as could be possibly imagined all the strength even of Hell it self here was ingratitude hypocrisie cruelty unnatural affection what not yea here was moreover which made it so much the more hainous the taking of the blessed Sacrament upon it consider that A setting of Gods Seal to their own wicked Counsels an eatin and drinking of damnation to themselves whiles they vowed and conspired and indeavoured destruction to others What an horrible and fearful thing was this to all the rest What wonder that they should make nothing of the death of others which made nothing of the blood of the Lord Lastly A great death in regard of what it should now be to all of us for our apprehension and acknowledgment we should make a great matter of it and so account it And for this purpose lay before us all the aggravations which I have now named to work it upon our selves Narrow capacities have commonly but streightened affections therefore let us help the one by inlarging the other let us labour to raise our hearts to a right frame and pitch of thankfulness this present day and all the days of our lives And let us not have these things only in our fancies and take them as rhetorical expressions but let us labour to get them into our affections and to have impressions of them upon our spirits let us look upon the greatness of this danger even at this distance and remoteness of it which in it self consider'd is still the same as it is with sins which are long ago committed and examine our hearts how indeed we are affected in this particular Whereby we may have some discovery of our selves what we are likely to befor future deliverances if God should vouchsafe them We are all ready to think with our selves that if God would now but give us peace and free us from those fears and distractions under which we lye and settle things quietly amongst us both in Church and State Oh how thankful we would then be to him for it Why what are we now at present for that which he has already done for us What are we for the deliverance of this day from the Gunpowder Treason He that will not be thankful for this he would not be thankful for that neither if God should please in his Providence to grant it He that will not pay the Arrears neither would he pay the new debt It is but the falseness and deceitfulness of our hearts that here cosens us and therefore let us look to our selves and quicken our felves more in this business to be sensible and apprehensive of it and to have answerable enlargements upon it And to the advantage take in all other mercies and deliverances besides with it whether national or personal as in a day of general humiliation we are to be humbled for personal miscarriages so in a day of general and publick Thanksgiving we are to acknowledg personal mercies and personal deliverances And so now I have done with the first General Part of the Text And that is the commemoration of a deliverance past who deliver'd us from so great a death The second now follows and that is the signification of a deliverance present in these words And doth deliver 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that hath delivered does deliver It is very fitly and properly put in the present tense and also indefinitely because it is that which is always in being or acting and never otherwise God is never out of this work of deliverance and preservation of us He delivers us daily look how many are the evils and dangers which we are subject unto so many are the deliverances which we partake of in the eating of our meat in the travelling on our way in the lying down on our beds in the going about in our imployments where-ever at any time we go or whatever at any time we are about we have still experiences given us of Gods gracious deliverance of us At home or abroad at work or at play a sleep or awake still in all and either of these does Goddeliver and we have good cause still to acknowledg it but we are to take it here in the Text and so likewise in the occasion in a more limited and restrained signification namely in reference to the business in hand and the particular danger now mentioned and remembred The Apostle here tells us how God had delivered him from the late danger in Asia and to amplisie and extend it further he adds also this That he does still deliver namely in a reference to that particular deliverance before spoken of He delivers with a respect had to that This may be made good unto us according to a twofold Explication First In the continuation of that deliverance which he has formerly given and vouchsafing a further fruit and benefit and efficacy of it Secondly In the multiplication or renewing of the like deliverance and vouchsafing other deliverances which are
and Points of Religion especially such as do more concern Christ himself And not only to be acquainted with them but also changed into them which is a further thing here considerable of us to make up to us this forming of Christ so as all the several Doctrines of Christianity they may have a work upon our Hearts and Affections answerable and suitable to the nature of the Doctrines themselves Thus Rom. 6.17 Ye have obeyed from the heart that form of Doctrine which was delivered unto you In the Greek it is into which ye were delivered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This was the commendation of the Romans that as the Evangelical Doctrine was delivered to them so they also were delivered to it that is changed and transformed into the nature and condition of it and closing and complying with it This is the duty of all others besides We should not only hear the word to hear it and notionally to discourse of it but we should hear it that we may obey it and practically conform our selves unto it That 's the first Explication of this forming of Christ in us as it does relate to the Doctrine of Christ The second is as it does relate to the Spirit of Christ Till Christ be formed in you that is till ye are made conformable to Christ having the same mind and spirit in you which was first in him This is another thing which the Scripture urges upon us and makes mention of to us as Rom. 8.29 For whom he did foreknow he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son Christians they must be conformed to Christ and made like unto him this is to have him formed in them Now this conformity it is of two sorts as the Scripture exhibits it First A conformity of disposition and secondly Of conversation First Of Disposition That we be like affected as he was Let the same mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus Phil. 2.5 So 1 Cor. 2. ult We have the word of Christ Christ he is to have an influence upon the framing and fashioning of our spirits And that again in two Particulars First In a conformity to his Death and secondly in a conformity to his Resurrection In a conformity to his Death so we have it in Phil. 3.10 That I may know him and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable to his death How are we made conformable to his Death when as namely his Death proves effectual to the killing of sin in us and the mortifying of corrupt affections in our hearts Thus also Rom. 6.6 Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin for he that is dead is freed from sin Then for the conformity to his Resurrection that is when we do partake of a quickening power from Christ to enliven us in all holy performances Thus Rom. 6.4 5. Therefore we are buried with him by Baptism into death that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newness of life For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death we shall be also in the likeness of his Resurrection So much of the first conformity to Christ viz. the conformity of Disposition The 2d is the conformity of conversation to others when as we walk as Christ also walked 1 Joh. 2.6 And Christ is formed in our course that is made conspicuous to others from our carriage and behaviour What the carriage and behaviour of Christ was we have at large laid down to us in the Gospel which is the History of his whole Life declaring how he still went about doing good where ever he came how full he was of meekness and sweetness and gentleness and compassion and yet with it an holy zeal also against sin and sinful persons Now what 's the result of all to us as we should improve it but that accordingly in our several opportunities we should conform unto it that as he became like to us so we also should be made like unto him If we would know how this may be done by us I know no better way for it than by looking upon Christ as he is there represented unto us We know what a force there is in sight to work upon the imagination as in cattel when they conceived upon the beholding of the party coloured rods and had lambs suitable thereunto But there 's a stronger power in the eye of faith beholding Christ as he is propounded in the Gospel to change us and to make us like unto him Therefore says the Apostle elsewhere We all beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3.18 The sight of Christ in the Gospel is transforming and has a power to change and assimilate those that exercise it suitably unto it This is the forming of Christ in us in reference to his Spirit which is that that is chiefly here intended in this Text. Now the Use and Improvement which we are to make of all this to our selves is to labour to find that this be so indeed with us that is that Christ be truly formed in us that we partake of his blessed Image upon us and his living Spirit in us are one with him and incorporated into him as considering that nothing less will serve our turn this is absolutely necessary for us as to all purposes and conditions whatsoever without this we can do nothing which is spiritual or in a spiritual manner we cannot please God or be accepted of him at another day He will no further own us than as he sees Christ instampt upon us Therefore let us look to this above any thing else let us not rest our selves in a bare outward profession and form of Religion which has no life nor power at all in it but let us endeavour that the life of Jesus may be manifested in us and his Spirit wrought into us or else there 's nothing in Religion will do us any good We may talk and discourse of Christs Birth and Death and Resurrection and such great Mysteries as these but alas they will be all nothing to us unless we for our particulars have a share and interest in his Person What is it for Christ to be born into the world except he be born in us to be conceived and formed and fashioned in the womb of his mother except he be also formed and fashioned in our hearts and we our selves made conformable to him as we have hitherto shewn This is that which we should principally look to Not as if there were no other forming of him but only this as some would go about to perswade us but this is chiefly to be minded by us ut quod in Christo factum est per naturam in nobis
to Duty and the doing of that which God requires of them in their several places Great and strong lusts are hinderances to any noble performances and high atchievements which are to be undertaken by us The Apostle tells us in the verse immediately following to the Text vers 17. of this Chapter that from the flesh lusting against the spirit the Galatians were disinabled from doing the things which they would and so they were and all others with them whereas on the other side where these are kept down there is strength and ability thereunto namely to serve God with so much the more strength All these laid together do shew us the happiness of this particular condition and the truth of this point in hand to wit the benefit and advantage of not fulfilling the lusts of the flesh Again further we may here also take notice that as it is a benefit in it self simply considered so it is such as is apprehended and counted so by all those which have the Spirit of God in them Those which are the true children of God they look upon this as one of the greatest mercies which can happen unto them to be freed from the power of their lusts This is also implied in the Text it was not only so in the thoughts of the Apostle but also in the thoughts of the Galatians to whom he here wrote or else he had said nothing to the purpose and it had been to no end to signifie as much unto them that by walking in the spirit they should have this benefit confer'd upon them if they had not thought it to be a benefit indeed But now he uses argumentum ad homines and speaks to them in their own Element to their heart as the Hebrew phrase hath it He knew he should now please them and bring that which would be acceptable to them when he should tell them of being freed from their lusts and so he did A good and a gracious heart looks upon this as the greatest mercy and priviledg in the world which he longs for and most eagerly desires as the Apostle Paul Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord which is such as makes him willing to desire even death it self where in he shall indeed partake of this priviledg Again Moreover observe this as another thing implied in these words That the reward of Religion lyes within the compass of Religion The Apostle had stir'd up these Galatians and in them all other Christians to an holy Life and spiritual Conversation to walking in the spirit Now what does he here for their encouragement signifie to be the reward and recompence hereof unto them Why namely this that they should not fulfil the lusts of the flesh He does not say ye shall have such and such outward comforts heaped upon you riches and honours and the like nor he does not say ye shall have Heaven at last given you and ye shall be free from condemnation though this also be true no but ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh If we had no other recompence of a godly life but only that which is emergent from it and immediate to it yet this were enough to satisfie us in it and to perswade us to the leading of it And so much for that which is here supposed and implied in this expression I come now in the second place to that which is exprest which is the words of the Text And ye shall not fulfil c. This for the right handling of it we must take in its conjunction and connexion with the words before and as dependent thereupon Walk in the spirit and so ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh the one prevents the remedy against the other the more spiritual any are the less carnal and the more we are guided by the spirit the less we shall yield to the flesh This truth and expression may be made good to us according to a various explication which may be given of it First Walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh that is ye shall not have so great a mind and desire to fulfil them ye shall be restrained in regard of inclination though Grace and the exercise of it does not as I said before wholly extirpate all cortuption out of us and make it cease to be whiles we live here in this world yet it does qualify the dominion of it and makes it cease to be in that measure and degree wherein it was in us before And as sinful acts do increase the habit of sin in us as we have formerly shewn in the point above so the other side do gracious acts dminish this habit and make it less It is the avantage of that man who is imploy'd and taken up in well-doing that he has not that lust and propensity in him to that which is evil as another has Godliness it puts our mouths out of taste to the pleasures of sin as on the other side sin does make goodness to be disrelish't by us Look therefore how far a man is freed from fulfilling the lusts of the flesh by having little or no desire unto them so far is he freed from them also by this course of walking in the spirit which is advantageous and effectual to this purpose to mitigate the desire of sin in them Secondly Walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh that is ye shall not have temptation to fulfil them ye shall be kept from lustful and sinful suggestions and provocations The reason why many fall into sin now and then is because they have strong temptations and instigations to it because the Devil is very busie with them and it pleases God someimes in his Providence to give them up into Satans hands But now when men are careful to walk in the spirit they do very much provide for themselves in this particular Satan has not that power over them and advantage which otherwise he would have in the neglect of it nor they are not so much under the power of temptations as they would be if they did not thus walk This is true upon a ouble account both on Gods part and on Satans on Gods part who in this case does not so much give them over to temptation and on Satans who in this case has not that incouragement to fasten his temptation upon them First I say on Gods part who in this case does not so much give them over to Satan to be tempted Take a man that neglects his daily walk and converse with God that does not look so strictly and narrowly to his steps as it becomes him to do it pleases God now and then for his exercise and tryal and partly his correction to let Satan loose upon him and to suffer him to molest and trouble him with sad temptations not only for sin
propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins And therefore let us accordingly improve it and make use of it Come and let us reason together saith the Lord Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they be like crimson they shall be as wool Therefore we may here take notice of the indefiniteness of the expression in that it is here said our sins without any limitation hereby to signifie that none are excepted or excluded whatsoever they be Those that do truly repent and believe and lay hold upon the blood of Christ by faith they shall have remission and forgiveness of their sins without exception It is neither the number nor greatness of them shall be any impediment unto them Christs blood is of that efficacy as to take out all the stains of the soul though never so many There are many people who are apt especially in some cases to lay restraints upon the Graces of Christ so as to think it is available for some sins but not for others for smaller sins but not for greater But the Scripture makes no such restraint or limitation as this is Indeed for the sin against the Holy Ghost it is called the unpardonable sin and Christs blood does not wash away that not from any inefficacy or insufficiency simply in it self considered as his blood but rather from the incapacity of the sinner who is indisposed to receiving benefit by it because he tramples it under his feet Hence also we have ground of Incouragement in our access to the Throne of Grace and hope of our entrance into heaven at last There 's nothing which does more dishearten men in their coming into a great mans presence than guilt and obnoxiousness to him this makes them that they cannot with boldness ask any thing of him And so it is with men towards God Now by the blood of Christ this obstruction is taken off from them And they may come boldly into the presence of God expecting any thing from him And so the Apostle reasons in Heb. 10.19 c. Having therefore Brethren boldness to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the vail that is to say his flesh And having an high Priest over the house of God let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water And so Heb. 4.16 Let us therefore come boldly c. Lastly Seeing we have so much benefit as we have heard by the Blood of Christs we should in a special manner take heed of sinning against it If the blood of Abel being wronged cried so fearfully and if the blood of Zacharias had revenge annext unto it what may we then think of the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ surely those that trespass upon this shall not be innocent This is done divers ways and especially by neglecting the gracious offers and tenders of the Gospel and that mercy which is exhibited unto us in this Blood It is a great sinning against it and injury which is offered unto it and when it comes to the highth of it it is a counting of the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing So likewise returning to the lusts of our former ignorance it is a sinning against this Blood And therefore does the Apostle Peter upon this ground dehort us from it in 1 Pet. 1.14 19 c. As obedient children not fashioning your selves according to the former lusts in your ignorance Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by Tradition from your fathers but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot Who was fore-ordained c. To this we may add an unworthy receiving of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Those that sin thus they sin against the Blood of Christ in which he has washed them from their sins And so the Apostle expresly tells us in 2 Cor. 11.27 Whosoever shall eat this Bread and drink this Cup of the Lord unworthily he shall be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord. And so much may be spoken of this passage in its absolute consideration as it is the expression of a Christians priviledg which is to be washed from his sins in Christs Blood Now further we may also look upon it Relatively and in connexion with the words before where it is said That he hath loved us And so it is an expression to us of Christs affection Christ hath herein indeed shewn that he hath loved us That he hath shed his blood for us Who loved us and gave himself for us c. Gal. 2.20 As it lyes here in the Text we may take it under several inlargements and amplifications degrees and proceedings of it First In his Death it self he shewed his love to us in that and that 's implied in his blood It was not only the blood of his finger but the blood of his heart his very life went with it It is the very Position of our Saviour himself in Joh. 15.13 Greater love hath no man than this That a man should lay down his life for his friends Now this is that which he has done for us and is hereby signified unto us He has laid down his life he has shed his very heart-blood for our sakes Thus Rom. 5.6 When we were without strength in due time Christ died for us And herein he is said to have commended his love unto us in the eighth verse of the same Chapter That 's a great proof of love when men are willing to part with that for any one which is dearest and most accountable now such of all other things is life and yet this did Christ part with for his Church The good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep and this good shepherd is Christ as himself there tells us in Joh. 10.11 And so again in 1 Joh. 3.16 Hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us Where we have two things observable of us First That Christ who there by the way is called God did lay down his life for us And secondly That his doing so was a special Argument of his love towards us as indeed it was That 's the first step of inlargement which is here considerable of us Secondly In the manner of his Death there was his love also in that And this likewise implied in the word blood which does denote some violence in it a cruel and painful death the death of the Cross and the blood of the Cross as it is called Col. 1.20 Phil. 2.8 This was that which Christ endured for us which made his love so much the more There are differences and several kinds of death wherein one exceeds another
water of life thereby to raise our thoughts in the admiration of it Look by how much we woul esteem of Life so much proportionably should we esteem of Grace which does carry life in the bosom of it even eternal life it self Thus our Saviour himself sets it in his discourse with the Woman of Samaria John 4.14 Jesus answered and said unto her Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life This is Grace both in it self and in the means that conduce to it Therefore those that neglect this they do even neglect life it self and judg themselves unworthy of it as it is Act. 13.46 They that hate it love death Prov. 8.36 And so much may be spoken of the first Branch in this third General to wit the benefit mentioned and that is the Grace of Christ or salvation it self exprest by the water of life The second is the persons to whom this benefit is offer'd and tender'd And they are here laid forth two manner of ways First In their extended notion and secondly in their limited The extended notion is whosoever the limited notion is that will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which does carry both an indefinite and a restrained sense with it First Take it in the extended sense Here is a gracious offer and tender of salvation to all men indefinitely an O yes Heus omnes as it is in that place of the Prophet Isa 55.1 This is the scope of the Ministry and the Tenor of the Evangelical Dispensation as the Scripture declares it to us Mark 16.15 Christ sent his Apostles with this Commission Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature And Col. 1.23 The Gospel is said to be preached to every creature under heaven i. e. rational creature This it proceeds from Gods Bounty and Royalty and love to mankind So God loved the world Joh. 3.10 And after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour towards man appeared in Tit. 3.4 God bore that special love to the sons of men above the fallen Angels as to offer them Salvation by Christ which the others are uncapable of and this it is general and unlimited as to the proposal and exhibition of it We may say to every man living Believe in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved come to Christ and thou maist have life by him here 's none excluded of what rank or condition soever whether Jew or Gentile whether male or female whether bond or free if he be a man he i invited to come and to take of the water of life freely as it is here signified and exprest in the Text. Though God hath his secret number of such persons whom he hath appointed to Salvation in his rejection of others and neither hath he like intention towards all elect and reprobate neither have all the like Grace to receive Christ and to apply him unto themselves yet the offer is to all men indefinitely neither are any to exclude themselves where God himself does not exclude them And that 's the first Designation of the Persons here invited in the sense of extension Whosoever The second is in the sense of Restriction Whosoever will This is not so to be taken as if it were in our own power to incline our own wills to good and to the accepting of the Grace of Christ for that it is not It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth as the Apostle tells us but of God that sheweth mercy Rom. 9.16 But it is said whosoever will to shew that Salvation is not forced or obtruded upon us against our wills but in the exercise of those faculties in us which as men are bestowed upon us His people shall be willing in the day of his power Psal 110.5 But this willingness it is not from themselves but only from him We are the subjects of this willingness but he is the Author and worker of it in us Certum est nos velle sed Deum facere ut velimus as St. Austin speaks It is we that will but God that makes us to will whensoever we do so And it is he that works in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure Phil. 2.12 God infuses a Principle of Grace and spiritual life into every true Convert whereby he makes him to be willing to accept of the terms of salvation and so therefore it is exprest Whosoever will The natural liberty of the will does not exclude or frustrate the spiritual nor the spiritual destroy or evacuate and make void the natural And so much may suffice also of the second Particular in this third General to wit the persons to whom the benefit is offered in General Whosoever in Particular Whosoever will The third and last is the offer it self in these words Let him take it freely Wherein again two things more First The word of conveyance and that is to take it And secondly the word of qualification and that is freely First There 's the word of conveyance Let him take it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This expression as it lyes here in the Text does seem to imply divers and sundry things in it as first the possibility of obtaining it it is such as may be had There are many who are sometimes invited and called upon to the participation of such and such comforts who when they come in the expectation of them are frustrated and disappointed of them and so in conclusion do but lose their labour They go it may be to the water but come home a-dry because the Well may be locked upon them like Tantalus in the midst of the waters but cannot partake of them thus it is sometimes with some others but in the invitations of God it is otherwise where he calls upon us to come he gives us leave to receive that which we come for whosoever comes if he will he may take Secondly The necessity of acceptance and imbracing of this gracious offer which is made unto us It is not enough for us to come but we must likewise take There are some people who now and then divide the one from the other and the latter from the former They are content it may be to come that is to present themselves to the means of Salvation the Word and Prayer and Sdoraments and such Ordinances as these which are the Conduit-pipes as I may so call them of this water of life yea but when they come they do not take that water which is conveyed in them Now here it is said let him taâ—e to put us not only upon the preparatives of Salvation but likewise upon the actual closings and compliances with it That we may not frustrate or make void the Ordinances and means of Grace unto us Thus in the place before
of Gods servants in this regard who dare not trust him with their lives and the preservation of them notwithstanding so many Gracious Promises and experiences which they have received from him As David he was but just before delivered out of his enemies hands and he presently cryes I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul even so it is with many others besides who as the Apostle speaks through fear of death are all their life-time subject to bondage Heb 2.15 Now for such as these they may be here said from this passage before us though God may bring them to danger yet as he sees cause he will deliver them from it as he did here with this servant David The Lord hath chastened me sore but he hath not given me over to death Secondly Where we partake of this mercy let us acknowlelge it with all thankfulness Thus does David do here we are to take notice not onely of his words but also of his Affection which is signified in them and the Spirit from whence they came from him he utters them with a great deal of feeling and sensibleness of Gods goodness to him And so they are not onely a narration of his present condition but an acknowledgement of Gods favour to himself to an answerable temper and disposition which he does here Express by the words which came from Him He hath not given me over to Death They are not words of Boasting and Vanity and Ostentation and Carnal Rejoyceing but the words of Soberness and Piety and Discretion And there are divers things intended by them First He would make it an Argument for Patience The escaping greater Evils should breed Contentation under less That as God afflicts us below our Deserts so also below our Capacities that he does not afflict us in the utmost Extremity and so to this purpose should we argue and reason with our selves he has taken away my Health but he hath not taken away my Life He hath exercised me in my Body but he has spared my Soul He hath deprived me of Earthly Comforts but he hath not deprived me of Heavenly of the Graces of his Spirit of the assurance of his Love of the Communion with himself of his own blessed and Gracious presence these he hath not denyed me but continued them still in the midst of all other Discouragements Secondly He would hereby silence the false rumours which were to the Contrary and the Insultations of his Enemies from them for their mouthes were full to this purpose and delighted to be so as these which spake according as they would have it as in the place before alledged Psal 41.6.7 And if he come to see me he speaketh Vanity his Heart gathereth Iniquity to it self when he goeth abroad he telleth it all that hate me whisper together against me against me do they devise my hurt This was the Condition of David in regard of his Enemies They Tryumpht before the Victory and pleased themselves both in the thoughts and speeches of his supposed Ruine and Destruction now by this Expression here in the Text he does in an holy and Humble manner signifie their Mistake and Disappointment as if he had said unto them it is not so bad as ye thought it nor so bad as ye hoped it nor so bad as ye talked it I am through Gods goodness alive still for all the surmises The Lord hath Chastened me sore but he hath not given me over to Death Thirdly Which is here namely Considerable David I say would hereby express his Thankfulness to God for this Mercy they are words of Praise and spiritual Rejoyceing as appears by those that follow in the 19 verse of this Psalm Open to me the Gates of Righteousness and I will go into them and will praise the Lord namely for this his Goodness to me This is that which we all should do as we have occasion for it and indeed there 's none of us all but have so one way or other though some more then other either by way of prevention in keeping of Evils from us or by way of recovery in delivering us out of those Evils and especially in these late Distempers which have been so rife and frequent amongst us for this year now last past wherein Death hath come up into our Windows as the Scripture speaks that we should not be given over to it is matter of due praise unto us and to be acknowledged by us And we cannot better nenew the year unto us then by such performances as these are And further stir up others to do so occasionally from our Example which is another thing here intended by David in this Expression he does not onely hereby signify his own Thankfulness but also excite and stir up others to praise God both for him and themselves upon the like occasion as we find him in another place Psal 34.2.3 My Soul shall make her boast of God the humble shall hear thereof and be glad O magnify the Lord with me and let us Exalt his name together But especially as a third Improvement of this point let us be careful to use our lives well which God has given us to his Glory and so give them back to him again who has first given them too us Life it is a Blessing as it used and ordered by us For men to live onely a Natural Life here in the word to Eat and Drink and take their pleasures like brute Beasts Alas what a poor thing is that for men to live onely for such a purpose as this is to fiill up the measure of their Sins and to aggravate their Account at another Day by thinking that they are delivered to commit such and such Abominations this is very sad and Miserable but then is Life indeed when it is improved to Gods Glory The doing of good in our several Opportunities the Furtherance both of our own and others Salvation and laying up in store a good Foundation against the time to come laying hold on Eternal Life Therefore I beseech ye let us be careful especially to look to this and that likewise those which are in the prime of their Years and Health and Strength let them not neglect so Blessed an Opportunity as that is those that are past it let them indeavour to redeem it for time to Come We should labour to find our lives given us and continued to us in Mercy and Love which we may know to be no otherwise then accordingly as we have hearts given us with them for the improvement of them as we may do any other Mercy besides where it has the stamp of Gods love upon it it makes us to serve him better with it and our selves to be really and indeed so much the better for it whereas when it is otherwise it is a fign it is in wrath and to harden us so much the more in Evil There 's none are so bad as those who are bad after Mercies Received both as having