whose Chastisements thou hast slighted will blot out thy transgressions for my owne sake I even I is a passionate and emphaticall expression Gods goodnesse runs over to sinfull Creatures and Where sin abounds there grace doth super-abound If the Creditor himselfe blot out the debt and crosse the Mat. 6. 12 14 15. 18. 24 â—7 33. Luke 7. 41 to 4â— Book surely it shall never be remembred more Our sins are debts which God who hath the power of life and death of heaven and hell of condemning and absolving hath engaged himselfe to blot out as a thick cloud Isa 44. 22. I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions and as a cloud thy sins An under Officer may blot out an Indictment and yet the offendor may be never the better for it but if the King who is the supream Judge shall blot it out then the offendor is safe The Application is easie If the soule be diserted then that Promise relives it Mich. 7. 18 19. He will turne againe he will have compassion upon us c. If the soule be sliding and ready to fall then that Promise supports and upholds it Psal 37. 24. Though he fall he shall not be utterly cast downe for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand â—i Jehâ—vah somech jâ—do Or as the Hebrew ha's it The Lord upholding him with his hand The Hebrew Participle Somech notes a continued act of God God ha's still his everlasting armes under his Deut. 33. 26. 22. people so that they shall never totally nor finally fall And the root Samuch from whence this word is derived 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to sustaine or uphold as the tender Mother doth the little Babe The safety and security of the Child lyes not so much in the Childs hanging about the Mothers neck as in the Mothers holding it fast in her armes So our safety and security lyes not so much in our weak holding upon Christ but in Christs holding of us fast in his everlasting armes This is our glory and our safety that Christs left hand is alwayes under us and his right hand does alwayes embrace us Cant. 2. 6. If the soule be forsaken by friends then that Promise relieves it Heb. 13. 5 6. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee There are five Negatives in the Greek to assure Gods people that he will never forsake them Five times this precious Promise is renewed in the Scripture that we might have the stronger Consolation and that we may presse and oppresse it till we have gotten all the sweetnesse out of it and verily many precious soules have suckt much sweetnesse out of the breasts of this Promise when their nearest relations and their dearest friends have forsaken them and forgotten them God loves that his people should put his Bonds his Promises in suite and he that does shall find God near him though friends should leave him and the world be in armes against him c. If the soule be tempted then that word of Promise relieves it 1 Cor. 10. 13. But God is faithfull who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able c. The Promises are a Christians Magna Charta they are his chief Evidences for heaven Men highly prize their Charters and Priviledges and carefully keep the Conveyances and Assurances of their Lands Oh! how should Saints then treasure up and keep these Precious Promises which the Lord ha's given them and which are to them instead of all Assurances for their protection maintenance deliverance comfort and everlasting happinesse And thus much for the sixth gift the Lord gives viz. The Promises Seventhly The Lord gives Grace Of his fullnesse we all John 1. 16. have received Grace for Grace The Lord gives that grace the least dram of which is more worth then Heaven and Earth It was an excellent saying of one of the Ancients I had Hierom. rather have St. Pauls Coat with his heavenly Graces then the Purple of Kings with their Kingdomes Grace is that A good symbole was atâ—â—buted to Emilian the Roman Emperour Non gens sed mens non genus sed genius Not race or place but grace truly sets forth a man which truly ennobles the soule it raises the soule up to converse with the highest and with the noblest objects and every man is as the objects are with which he converses if the objects are noble the man is so if the objects are base with which a man converses the man is base A man may better know what he is by eying the objects with which his soule does mostly converse then by observing his most glorious and pompious services The righteous is more excellent then his neighbour Abraham was a Prince of God among the Hittites The Jewes say That those seventy persons that went downe with Jacob into Aegypt were more Pro. 12. 26. Gen. 23. 6. worth then the seventy Nations of the world Indeed it 's onely grace that makes a man truly noble When one heard the King of Persia stil'd The Great King saith he I acknowledge none more excellent then my selfe unlesse more righteous nor none greater unlesse better Grace as it 's bred by the noblest means so 't is preserved and maintained in the soule by the choycest means viz. Vnion and Communion with God c. Grace is glory in the bud and glory is grace at the full Grace makes a man all glorious Psal 45. 13. within and without Grace is a ring of gold and Christ is the sparkling Diamond in that ring Eighthly He gives Peace John 14. 27. My peace I leave with you my peace I give unto you not as the world Rom. 5. 1. Hos 2. 21 22 23. Job 5. 19 to 25. giveth give I unto you Christ gives peace with God and peace with Conscience and peace with the Creatures Dulce nomen pacis The very name of Peace is sweet The Hebrews when they wished all happinesse to any used but this one word Peace be with you And the Ancients Martimus the Emperours Motto was Pax bello potior Give me peace and let others quarrell were wont to paint Peace in the forme of a Woman with a Horne of Plenty in her hand all blessings Ask a soule that ha's been under terrors of conscience and he will tell you that of all gifts inward Peace is the most Princely gift c. Ninthly He gives Glory John 10. 28. My sheep heare my voyce and they follow me and I give unto them eternall life Rom. 7. The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternall life Now the glory that Christ gives is Reall glory 2 Tim. 4. 7 8. Henceforth is laid up for me a Crowne of Glory The Greek word Apokeitai signifies two things 1 A designation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of a Crowne And 2 A reservation and safe keeping of it for him untill the Coronation day Againe the glory he
setting his feet upon the neck of pride Now the first property that I shall lay downe of an humble soule is this An humble soule under the highest spirituall discoveries and under the greatest outward mercies forgets not his former sinfullnesse and his former outward meannesse Paul 1 Property 2 Cor. 12 1 2 3 4. 1 Tim. 1. 13. Chrysostome observes it of Paul as his greatest honour that although he had obtained pardon of God for his sins yet he is not ashamed to reckon them up to the world Rom. 7. 23. The Spouse of Christ under all the kisses and embraces of Christ acknowledges her selfe to be black Cant. 1. 2. 5. compared Gen 32. 10. Omnia mea me cum porto All my Goods I carry with me had been taken up into the third Heavens and had glorious revelations and manifestations of God he cryes out I was a Blasphemer a Persecuter and Injurious Under the choycest discoveries he remembers his former blasphemies So Rom. 7. 23. I see a Law in my members warring against the Law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the Law of sin which is in my members He had been at this time about fourteene yeares converted as some judge He was a man that lived at as high a rate in God as any we read of a man that was filled with glorious discoveries and revelations and yet under all discoveries and revelations he remembers that body of sin and death that made him cry out O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me Who shall ease me of my burden who shall knock off these Chaines that make my life a hell I will by a few instances prove the other branch Gen. 32. 10. I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies saith Jacob for with my staffe I passed over this Jordan and now I am become two bands I remember saith he when I went over Jordan I was as a footman that carried all his wealth with him Under his outward greatnesse he forgets not his former meannesse An humble soule is good at looking back upon his former low estate upon his thred-bare Coat that was his best and onely Robe So David 1 Chron. 17. 16 17. And David the King came and sat before the Lord and said What am I O Lord God and what is mine house that thou hast brought me hitherto And yet this was a small thing in thine eyes O God for thou hast also spoken of thy servants house for a great while to come said Bias one of the seven wise men of Greece 1 Chron. 17. 16 17. Iphicrares that noble Captain â—ryed ouâ— From how smal to how great an estate am I raised So does the humble soule when God turnes his brasse into silver his iron into gold his pence into pounds Agathocles who of a Potters son was made King of Sicily would always be served in earthen vessells Psa 73. 3. 13 Iob 21. 7. 16 Vers 14 15. and hast regarded me according to the state of a man of high degree Who am I O Lord God and what is mine house David remembred the meannesse of his birth he remembred his Shepheards Crook as Jacob did his Travelling Staffe Mercies make an humble soule glad but not proud An humble soule is lowest when his mercies are highest he is least when he is greatest he is lowest when he is highest he is most poor when he is most rich Nothing melts like mercy nothing drawes like mercy nothing humbles like mercy mercy gives the humble soule such excellent Counsell as Plasilla the Empress gave her Husband Theodosius Remember Oh Husband saith she what lately you were and what now you are so shall you Governe well the Empire and give God his due praise for so great an advancement The voyce of mercy is Remember what lately thou wert and what now thou art and be humble Now proud men that are lifted up from the dunghill that abound in worldly wealth ah how do's their blood rise with their outward good the more mercies they have the more proud they are mercies doe but puffe and swell such soules in a croud of mercies they cry out in the pride of their hearts Depart from us O God for we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes What is the Almighty that we should serve him and what profit shall we have if we pray unto him A second Property of an humble soule is this He overlookes his owne righteousnesse and lives upon the righteousnesse of another to wit the Lord Jesus So the Apostle Phil. 3. 8 9 10. overlooks his owne righteousnesse and lives wholly 2 Property Phil. 3. 8 9 10 ver 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dogs-meat i. e. courâ— contemptible Isa 64. 6. upon the righteousnesse of Christ I desire to be found in him saith he not having mine owne righteousnesse away with it it 's drosse it 's dung it 's dogs-meat 't is a rotten righteousnesse an imperfect righteousnesse a weak righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by Faith That is a spotlesse righteousnesse a pure righteousnesse a compleat righteousnesse an incomparable righteousnesse And therefore an Cant. 4. 2. Rev. 14. 5. Col. 2. 10. humble soule overlookes his owne righteousnesse and lives upon Christs righteousnesse Remember this all the sighing mourning sobbing and complaining in the world doth not so undeniably evidence a man to be humble as his overlooking his own righteousnesse and living really and purely upon the righteousnesse of Christ This is the greatest demonstration of humility that can be shewne by man Men may doe much heare much pray much fast much and give much c. Mat. 6 Chap. 23. Isa 58. and yet be as proud as Lucifer as you may see in the Scribes Pharisees and those in Isa 58. who in the pride of their hearts made an Idol of their owne righteousnesse Wherefore have we fasted say they and thou seest it not wherefore Vers 3. have we afflicted our soules and thou takest no knowledge O! but for a man now to trample upon his owne righteousnesse and to live wholly upon the righteousnesse of another this speaks out a man to be humble indeed there is nothing that the heart of man stands more averse to then this of coming off from his owne righteousnesse Man is a Creature apt to warme himselfe with the sparks of his owne fire though he doth lye downe for it in Eternall sorrow Man is naturally Isa 50. 11. Rom. 10. 4. prone to goe about to establish his owne righteousnesse that he might not subject to the righteousnesse of Christ he will labour as for life to lift up his owne righteousnesse and to make a Saviour of it I but an humble soule disclaimes his owne righteousnesse All our righteousnesse is as filthy raggs Enter not into judgement with thy servant for in thy sight shall Psal 143. 2. no man
and the feare of the Lord are riches and honour c. The Hebrew is The heele of humility Riches and honour follow humility at the very heeles One of the Ancients used to say that Humility is the first second and third Grace of a Christian Humility is a very drawing grace it drawes men to think well and speak well of Christ the Gospel and the people of God It makes the very world to say I these are V is magnus esse incipe ab imâ— Wilt thou be great begin from below saith the Fathâ—r Christians indeed they are full of light and vet full of lowlinesse they are high in worth and yet humble in heart Oh these are the Crown and the glory of Religion An humble soule is like the Violet that by its fragrant smell drawes the eye and the hearts of others to him Mat. 18. 14. They are the greatest in the Kiâ—gdome of Heaven He that is least in his owne account is alwayes greatest in Gods and in good mens account The fourth Motive is this Consider All the world cannot 4 Motive keep him up that doth not keep down his owne spirit One ask't a Philosopher what God was a doing he answered * Totam ipsius occupationem esse in elevatione humilium superlorum dejectione That his whole worke was to lift up the humble and to cast downe the proud That man cannot possibly be kept up whose spirit is not kept downe as you may cleerly see in Pharoah Haman Herod and Nebuchadnezzar all the world could not keep them up because their spirit was not kept downe Prov. 29. 27. A mans pride shall bring him low for it sets God against him and Angels against him and men against him yea even those that are as proud as himselfe Dyonisius a proud King of Sicily fell from a King to a Schoolmaster History is full of such instances 'T is very observable that whereas one Drunkard loves another one Swearer loves another and one Thief loves another and one Unclean person loves another c. yet one proud person can't indure another but seeks to undermine him that he alone may bear the Bell and carry the commendations the praise the promotion It is storyed of the Romans that were the proudest people on the Earth that they reckoned it as a parcell of their praise that they brought down the proud All the world Sirs will not keep up those persons that doe not keep downe their spirits Proud Valerian the Roman Emperour fell from being an Emperour to be a foot-stoole to Sapor King of Persia as oft as he took Horse Henry the fourth Emperour in sixty-two Battels had generally the better and yet was deposed and driven to that misery that he desired onely a Clarkship in a house at Spira that himselfe had built And oh that Professors would think of this in these dayes in which we live All the world shall not keep up those which doe not keep downe their owne spirits The very designe of God is to staine the pride of all glory and to bring into contempt the honourable of the earth Therefore now if men in our dayes shall grow proud and Isa 23. 9. high under mercies and Divine appearances Justâ—ce will be above them and turne their glory into shame and lay their honour in the dust If your blood rises with your outward good you will certainly fall and great will be your fall The fifth Consideration to provoke us to be humble is 5 Motive this Let us have alwayes our eye fixed upon the example of Jesus Christ and his humble and lowly carriage Christ by his owne example labours to provoke his Disciples to keep humble and to walk lowly in John 13. 4 5 12 13 14 15 verses compared He rifes and washes his Disciples feet c. and mark what he aimes at in that carriage of his vers 12 13 14. Know ye what I have done unto you saith he Yee call me Master and Lord and yee say well for so I am if I then your Lord and Master have washed your feet yee also ought to wash one anothers feet for I have given you an example that you should doe as I have done to you I have given you an example saith Christ and I would have you to imitate my example Example is the most powerfull Rhetorick the highest and noblest example should be very quickning and provoking Oh here you have the greatest the noblest example of humility that was ever read or heard of Upon consideration of this great and eminent example of Christs humility Guericus a good man cryed out Thou hast overcome me O Lord thou hast overcome my pride this example of thine hath mastered me Oh that we could say with this good man Thou hast overcome O Lord thou hast overcome our proud hearts by this example thou hast over-mastered our lofty spirits This example of Christs humility you have further set forth Phil. 2. 6 7 8. Who being in the forme of God that is in the Nature and Essence of God being very God cloathed with Divine glory and Majesty as God thought it not robbery it being his right by Nature to be equall with God The Greek words that are rendred He thought it no robbery doe import He made it not a matter of Triumph or ostentation to be equall with God it being his right by nature and therefore the challenging of it could be no Usurpation of anothers right of taking to himselfe that which was not his owne He thought it no robbery to be equall with God The Greek is Equalls that is every way equall not a Secondary and inferiour God as the Arrians would have him But made himselfe of no reputation The Greek is Emptied himselfe Vers 7. that is he suspended and laid aside his glory and Majesty or dis-robed himselfe of his glory and dignity and became a sinner both by Imputation and by Reputation for our sakes And vers 8. He humbled himselfe This Son of Righteousnesse went ten degrees back in the Diall of his Father that he might come to us with healing under his wings And became obedient unto death even the death of the crosse In these words there is a kind of gradation for it is more to become obedient then to humble himselfe and more to yeeld unto death then to become obedient and yet more to be crucified then simply to dye for it was to submit himselfe to a most painfull ignominious and cursed death He became obedient that is saith Beza To his dying day his whole life being nothing but a continuall death I have read of an Earl called Eleazarus that being given to immoderate anger was cured of that disordered affection by studying of Christ and his patience he still dwelt upon the meditation of Christ and his patience till he found his heart transformed into the similitude of Jesus Christ And oh that you would never leave pondering upon that glorious
What and thou my Son Brutus Is this thy kindnesse to thy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 friend to him that ha's loved thee and saved thee and owned thee c. Then vers 73. Surely thou art one of them for thy speech bewrayeth thee And vers 74. He began to curse and to sweare I know not the man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vide Calvin on the Text. In Rom. 6. 19. There are 3 To 's in the expression of the service of sin To uncleannesse To iniquity and Vnto iniquity But in the service of God there are onely two To 's To righteousnesse and Vnto holinesse To note that we were more prone to sin before Conversion then wearetograce and holinesse after conversion The Greek word that 's rendred Curse imports a cursing and a damning of himselfe an imprecation of Gods wrath and a separation from the presence and glory of God if he knew the man Some Writers say That he curst Christ I know not the man saith he Though it were ten thousand times better to bear then to swear and to dye then to lye yet when discouragement faces him he is so amazed and daunted that he tells the most incredible lye that almost could be uttered by the mouth of man For there was scarce any Jew saith Grotius that knew not Christ by sight being famous for those abundance of Miracles that he wrought before their eyes Neither could Peter alledge any cause why he came thither if he had not known Christ But vers 75. He went out and wept bitterly One sweet look of love breaks his heart in pieces he melts under the beamings forth of Divine favour upon him Once he leapt into a Sea of waters to come to Christ and now he leaps into a sea of tears for that he had so shamefully denied Christ Clement notes That Peter so repented that all his life-time after every night when he heard the Cock crow he would fall upon his knees and weep bitterly begging pardon for this dreadfull sin Others say That after his lying cursing and denying Christ he was ever and anon weeping and that his face was furrowed with continuall teares He had no sooner taken in poyson but he vomits it up againe before it got to the vitals He had no sooner handled a Serpent but he turnes it into a rod to scourge his soule with remorse This truth is further confirmed by the speech and carriage of the Disciples Luke 24. 21 ult We trusted say they that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel but now we cannot tell what to say to it Here their hope hangs the wing extreamly Invalidum omne naturâ querulum Seneca Weak spirits are ever quarâ—elling and contending Weak soules find it as hard to wait for God as 't is to bear evill This weaknesse Christ checks vers 25. O fooles and slow of heart to believe all that the Prophets have spoken c. And John 16. 5. The first newes Christ tells them is of their sufferings and of his leaving of them and upon the thoughts hereof their hearts were so filled with sorrow that they could not so much as say Master whither goest thou vers 6. But now soules strong in grace will hold on in holy and gratious actings in the very face of the greatest discouragements as those in Psal 44. Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of Dragons and covered us with the shadow of death yet our heart is not turned back neither have our steps declined Such a spirit shin'd in Chrysostome when he bid them tell the enraged Empress Eudoxia Nil nisi peccatum timeo I feare nothing but sin from thy wayes And so the three Children they hold up in the face of all discouragements And so those brave Worthies of whom this world was not worthy Heb. 11. their hearts were carried out exceedingly notwithstanding all discouragements to hold on in wayes of holinesse and in their actings of faith upon God in the face of all dangers and deaths that did attend them When Henry the Eighth had spoken and written bitterly against Luther saith Luther Tell the Henries the Bishops the Turke and the Devil himselfe Doe what they can we are Children of the Kingdome worshipping of the true God whom they and such as they spit upon and crucified And of the same spirit and mettle were many Martyrs Bazill affirmes of the Primitive Saints That they had so much conrage and confidence in their sufferings that many of the Heathens seeing their heroick zeale and constancy turned Christians Twelfthly Weake Saints minde their wages and vailes more then their worke Their wages their vailes is joy peace comfort and assurance c. and their work is waiting on God believing in Children mind moâ—e play-â—ayes then they do working dayâ— oâ— Schoâ—dayes 1 Sam 15. 14. God walking with God acting for God c. Now weak Saints minds are more carried out and taken up about their wages about their vailes then they are about their work as experience doth abundantly evidence Ah Christians if you don't mind your wages more then your work what means the bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the Oxen What means those earnest and vehement cryings out and wrestings for joy peace comfort and assurance when the great work of believing of waiting and of walking with God is so much neglected and dis-regarded But now strong Saints are more mindfull of their work then they are of their wages Lord saith a strong Saint doe but uphold me in a way of believing in a way of working in a way of holy walking c. and it shall be enough though I should never have Assurance comfort peace or joy till my dying day If thou wilt carry me forth so as thou mayest have honour though I have no comfort so thou mayest have glory though I have no peace I Rom. 4. 18 19 20. will blesse thee I know sayes such a soule though a life of comfort be most pleasing to me yet a life of believing abstracted from comfort is most honourable to thee and therefore I will be silent before thee Lord doe but help me in my work and take thine owne time to give me my wages to give me comfort joy peace assurance They are none of the best Servants that mind their wages more then their work Nor they are none of the best Christians that mind their comforts and their incomes more then that homage and duty that they owe to God Before I come to the second thing premised give me leave to give you this hint viz. That there is no such way to joy peace and Assurance as this to mind your worke more then your wages Ah! had many mourning complaing Christians done thus their mourning before this had been turn'd into rejoycing and their complainings into singings Christians the high way to comfort is to mind comfort lesse and duty more 't is to mind more what thou shouldest doe then
a treasure of rare abilities in them would as soon part with their hearts as their conceptions I think they are rather Monsters then reall Christians that are of such a spirit The third and last thing to which you are to improve your gifts and graces is To the benefit and profit of your own soules The good of the soule is specially to be minded 1 Because 't is the most Noble part of man 2 Because the Image of God is most fairly stampt upon it 3 Because it is first converted 4 Because it shall be first glorified Not to improve them to your owne internall and eternall good is with a high hand to crosse the maine end of Gods conferring them upon you Ah Christians you must improve them to the strengthening of you against temptations to the supporting of you under afflictions to the keeping under of strong corruptions to the sweetning of all mutations and to the preparing and fitting of you for the dayes of your dissolution I shall content my selfe with giving you this hint because I have before spoken more fully to this head And thus we have done with the Doctrinall part We shall come now to make some Use and Application of this Point to our selves If this be so That 't is the Duty of Christians to improve and exercise the gifts and graces that the Lord hath given them Then in the first place this looks very sowrely and wishly upon all lazie idle negligent Christians that doe not stir up themselves to lay hold on God that doe not stir up the grace of the Lord in them 'T is sad to consider how many Christians Cupid complained He could never â—asten upon the Muses because he could never find them idle No Christians so fâ—ee from Satans assaults as active Christians are nor none so tempâ—ed as idle Christians can stir up themselves to lay hold on all opportunities to make themselves great and rich in the world and yet suffer their golden gifts and graces even to grow rustie for want of exercise 'T is sad to see how busie many men are to exercise and improve a Talent of riches who yet bind up their Talents of gifts and grace in a Napkin By these God looses much honour and praise and themselves loose much comfort and content and others loose much profit and benefit and the Gospel looses much credit and glory But the maine Use that I shall make of this Point shall be To exhort and stir you all up to make a blessed improvement of your graces And indeed it is a Point of most singular use to us all our The Jewish Rabbins report That he same night that Israel de parted out of Aegypt towards Canaan all the Idols Idolatrou Temples in Aegypt by lightning and earth quakes were broken downe So when grace holinesse is set up in the heart all the Idols of Satan which are meâ—slust are throwne downe dayes a truth that is every day of very great concernment to our soules Now there are seven Considerations that I shall propound by way of Motive to stir up your soules to make a blessed improvement of the grace and gifts you have received And the first is this Seriously consider that the exercise and improvement of grace in your soules will be more and more the death and ruine of sin in your soules Take it from experience There is not a choycer way then this for a man to bring under the power of his sin then to keep up the exercise of his grace Sin and Grace are like two Buckets at a Well when one is up the other is downe They are like the two Lawrels at Rome when one flourishes the other withers Certainly the readiest and the surest way to bring under the power of sin is to be much in the exercise of grace Rom. 8. 10. And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin but the spirit is life because of righteousnesse The life and activity of Christ and grace in the soule is the death and destruction of sin in the soule The more grace acts in the soule the more sin withers and dyes in the soule the stronger the house of David grew 2 Sam. 3. the weaker the house of Saul grew As the house of David grew every day stronger and stronger so the house of Saul every day grew weaker and weaker So the activity of the new Mat. 21. 12 13 14. man is the death of the old man When Christ began to bestir himselfe in the Temple the money-changers quickly fled out So when grace is active and stirring in the soule corruption quickly flyes A man may find out many wayes to hide his sin but he will never find out any way to subdue his sin but by the exercise of grace Of all Christians none so mortified as those in whom grace is most exercised Sin is a Viper that must be kill'd or 't will kill you for ever and there is no way to kill it but by the exercise of grace Secondly Consider this by way of motive to provoke you Mat. 5. 16. The exercise of virtue will draw I ve from a mans very enemies Tilligny for his â—are virtues was reserved from death by his greatest enemies at the Mâ—ssacre of Paris as you may see in the French History in the life of Charls the Ninth to exercise and improve your Graces The exercise and improvement of your Graces will provoke others to blesse and admire the God of Grace Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good workes and glorifie your Father which is in heaven The light of your Conversation and the light of your graces Oh! how many thousand soules be there now triumphing in heaven whose gifts and graces shin'd gloriously when they were on earth and ah how many thousands are there now on earth that blesse and admire the Lord for the shine of their graces who are now in heaven That blesse the Lord for the Faith of Abraham and the Zeale of David and the Meeknesse of Moses and the Patience of Job and the Courage of Joshua c. Ah Christians as you would stirre up others to exalt the God of grace look to the exercise and improvement of your graces When poor servants shall live in a family and see the faith of a Master and the love of a Master and the wisedome of a Master and the patience of a Master and the humility of a Master c. shining like so many stars of heaven oh how doth it draw forth their hearts to blesse the Lord that ever they came into such a family 'T is not a profession of Religion but the exercise and improvement of grace that contributes so much to the lifting up of the glory of the Lord and to the greatning of his praise in the world Many Saints have had their hearts warmed and heated by siting by other Saints fire by eying and dwelling upon other Saints
hundred for a thousand as sometimes men in hurrying over their Books they slip and make mistakes and so they think there 's nothing got whereas indeed there 's much got and in the close they shall find it so Many a gracious soule many times takes a great deale of graâ—e for a little and a little grace for no grace Look as Hypocrites put downe their Counters for gold their pence for pounds and alwayes prize themselves above the Market So sincere souls doe often put downe their pounds for pence their thousands for hundreds and still prize themselves below the Market c. The fourth Proposition is this That Saints must indeavour to grow rich in every Grace 'T is the duty and the glory of Saints to indeavour to grow rich in every grace So the Apostle 2 Pet. 1. 5. to 12. Add to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledge c. It is the work the duty the glory of a Christian to be still adding one grace to another So in Chap. 3. 18. Grow in Grace that is in every grace but more particularly and specially in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Grow in Grace that is grow in love in faith in humility in meeknesse c. but especially in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour because that was a speciall remedy against the errors of those times c. All the graces that be in you are weak and therefore you had need to strengthen them all Againe You have the seeds of all corruptions in you and is there any way to be rid of every sin but by thriving in every grace Againe You have opportunities as well to thrive in one grace as in another Againe Will not Satan labour might and maine to keep your graces low and poore You never hurt him lesse you never honour Christ lesse you never mind your work lesse then when grace is weak and low This he knowes and therefore labours to keepe your graces downe Againe Are not you liable to severall changes in this world As to be rich and poore exalted and abased now to relieve and anon to be relieved now well and anon sick Whilst Pompey pâ—ospered and Rome flourished Cato stoutly held and defended a Divine providence but when he saw Pompey overthrowne by Caesar his body cast upon the shore without honour of buriall and himselfe exposed to the danger of Caesars Army he changed his opininion denying thaâ— there was a Divine providence but that all things fell out by chance c. now strong and anon weak now in stormes and anon in calmes now tempted and anon delivered now in one condition and anon in another condition now up now downe now forward now backward c. Now pray tell me doth not the severall chaâ—ges and variety of providences that we meet with in this world bespeak us to be rich not in some but in every grace Don't a state of prosperity bespeak a man to be rich in wisedome rich in humility rich in love and rich in compassion that his heart may be kept close to God in that state and that he may doe nothing unworthy of God who ha's done so much for him And now when God shall change the manner of his administrations towards such a man when God shall put out his Candle pull off his Robes and cloath him with raggs and set him with Job upon the dunghill don't this condition bespeak much patience much contentation much self-deniall much faith how else will this man bravely bear up when God shall write such bitter things against him and passe the sentence of death upon his nearest and his dearest comforts If a man be not rich in one grace as well as in another when God shall bring changes upon him and poure him from vessel to vessel his life will be a burden a hell unto him c. Againe Consider this growing rich in every grace renders a Christian most lovely and beautifull in grace As a growth in all the members of the body renders the body most lovely and beautifull the perfect beauty and comelinesse of the body rises from the symmetry and fitnesse of the parts unto one another Rare and excellent beauty ariseth from the comelinesse of all parts if one part be comely and another deformed then there is no perfect beauty Well remember this there 's no such beautifull Christians as those that grow rich in every grace Oh! they are the beauty of Christ the honour of the Gospel and the glory of Christianity And so much for the fourth Proposition viz. That we must labour to be rich in every Grace The fifth Proposition that I shall lay downe is this Saints should labour more particularly and more especially to be rich in Faith Though 't is of concernment to believers to be rich in every grace yet it is of speciall concernment to them to labour to be rich in this particular grace of faith In Jude vers 20. Building up your selves in your most holy faith 'T is not enough to have faith but they must build up themselves and build up one another in their most holy faith There are three things that the Scripture calls precious First The Blood of Christ In 1 Pet. 1. 19. Ye are not redeemed with silver and gold but with the Precious Blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot Secondly The Promises are called Precious Promises 2 Pet. 1. 4. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and Precious Promises Thirdly Faith is called Precious Faith Vers 1. Vnto them that have obtained like Precious Faith with us Now though it be of concernment for every Saint to labour to be rich in every grace yet more especially and more particularly to be rich in this Grace of faith and that upon this account that followes First Because that Faith is the soules greatest and choycest fence against her worst enemies In Ephes 6. 16. Above all take the shield of Faith whereby yee may be able to quench all the firey darts of the wicked Above all take the shield of faith Neglect no part of your Armour but above all look to the shield of Faith Look what the shield is to the body that is Faith to a believers soule to secure him against all the fierce and fiery darts of Satan It is reported of Satan that he should say of a learned man * Tu me semper vincis Thou doest alwayes overcome me When I would exalt and promote thee thou keepest thy selfe in humility and when I would throw thee downe thou liftest thy selfe up in Assurance of faith Faith makes the soule invincible it makes the soule victorious it leads captivity captive it binds Satan in chaines it foiles him at every weapon and therefore above all labour to be rich in faith Secondly Growth in faith will advance the growth of all other Graces All other graces thrive in the soule as faith thrives and no otherwise be rich in
Luke 10. 16. He that receiveth you receiveth me and he that despises you despises me This honourable account God hath of all his faithfull servants in this imployment The fifth thing that speaks out this truth is this They serve an honourable Master They serve him that is all ear to hear all hand to punish all power to protect all wisedome to direct all goodnesse to relieve and all mercy to pardon They Habet omnia qui habet habentem omnia Aug. He hath all that hath the haver of all serve that God that is Optimum maximum the best and greatest God hath within himselfe all the good of Angels men and universal nature he hath all dignity all glory all riches all treasure all pleasure all delight all joy all beatitudes Mark abstracts doe better expresse God then concretes and adjectives God is being bonity beauty power wisedome justice mercy and love it selfe God is love saith the Apostle in the very abstract God is one infinite perfection in himselfe which is eminently and virtually all perfections 'T is truly said of God that he is Omnia super oâ—nia of the Creatures And Oh then what an honour must it be to those that are imployed under so honourable a Master Sixthly Their very worke and service is honourable Why else did the Apostle cry out Who is sufficient for these things Their maine work is to treat with sinners about eternity c. There is no such Embassage in the world as this is in which they are imployed Ephes 6. 19 20. Pray for me that I may make knowne the Mystery of the Gospel for which I am an Ambassadour in bonds Faithfull Ministers doe represent the person of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords their work is to treat of Peace between God and man or of open Hostility between the Creator and the Creature 2 Cor. 5. 19 20. Seventhly and lastly Their Reward from God is honourable Though the world Crowne them with thornes as it did their Lord and Master before them yet God will Crowne them with honour Dan. 12. 3. They shall shine as the Stars in the Firmament You know Ambassadors have not preferments while they are abroad but when they come home into their owne Countrey then their Princes prefer them and put much honour upon them So will God deale with his Ambassadors 2 Tim. 4. 7 8. I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith henceforth there God will at last highly reward those very services that men don't regard c. is laid up for me a Crowne of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day and not to me onely but unto all them also that love his appearing So in Isa 49. 4 5. I have laboured in vaine I have spent my strength for nought and in vaine yet surely my judgement is with the Lord and my reward with my God Though Israel be not gathered yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord and my God shall be my strength So in 2 Cor. 2. 15. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved Latimer in one of his Sermons speaking of a Minister who gave this answer why he left off Preaching because he saw he did no good This saith Latimer is a very naughty naughty answer and in them that perish Ministers shall be rewarded according to their faithfulnesse and diligence though some perish It shall be with them as with Vine-dressers you know Vine-dressers are rewarded according to their diligence and faithfulnesse though some Vines never bear nor bring forth fruit at all As Ministers are diligent and faithfull so the reward the Crowne shall be given full at last You know the Barber is as much rewarded for trimming a Black-a-more though all his paines in rubbing him can never make him white as he is for trimming and rubbing of another man that is white and by a little paines is made more white This is many-a-faithfull Ministers grief that he takes a great deale of paines in rubbing and washing as it were to make soules white and clean pure and holy and yet they remaine after all as black as hell but surely their reward shall be never the lesse with God The Nurse looks not for her wages from the Child but from the Parent If Ministers like clouds sweat themselves to death that soules may be brought to life great will be their reward though those soules should perish for ever for whom they have wept sweat and bled God won't deale by faithfull Ministers as Exerxes did by his Steer-man who crowned him in the morning and beheaded him in the evening of the same day No God will set an everlasting Crowne upon their heads who remaine laborious and faithfull to the death The world for all their paines will Crowne them with thornes but God at last will Crowne them with glory he will set a Crowne of pure gold upon their heads for ever And thus you have the Point proved The second thing that I am to doe is to shew you What Honour that is which is justly due to faithfull Ministers Now this I shall shew you in three things there is a threefold honour that is due unto them First Honourable Countenance is due to them that are in so honourable a place and Office as they are in 1 Cor. 14. 1. Let a man so account of us as of the * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Under-rowers to Christ the Master-Pilot helping forward the ship of the Church to the haven of Heaven Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the Mysteries of God 1 Thess 5. 12 13. And we beseech you brethren to know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you And to esteeme them very highly in love for their worke sake Or To esteeme them more then exceedingly or more then abundantly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Greek will bear And so in 1 Tim. 5. 17. Let the Elders that rule well be accounted worthy of double honour especially they who labour in the word and doctrine The Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 word that is here rendred Labour signifies not simply 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to labour but to labour with much travel and toyle to labour even to lassitude as he doth that cleaveth wood or that toileth in harvest or that goeth a warfare Preaching is a Our Saviour at little paâ—t â—hirty was â—eckoned by the Jewes to be towards fifty John 8. 57. he had so spent himself in preaching Preaching is a spending painfull work most painfull work and enfeebleth a man exceedingly whence the Prophet cryes out My leannesse my leannesse Isa 24. 16. No paines no labour no work to that of the braine to that of the mind nor none so worthy of praise as those that are most in that labour in that work No mens work is so