of this death That our comforter against spiritual deadness is in Christ the following words shew I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Though there be cause of mourning when we look into our own dead hearts yet there is cause of thanksgiving and rejoycing when we look up to God in Christ And that on these grounds 1. The end of Christs assuming our nature and suffering death for our sins was to give us life not only eternal life hereafter but spiritual life here and that in a plentifull measure Joh. 10.10 I am come that they might have life and that they may have it more abundantly Joh. 6.51 I am the living bread which came down from Heaven if any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever and the bread that I will give is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world 2. Though there be in us much deadness yet in Christ and with Christ there is a fountain of life Psal 36.9 For with thee is the fountain of life and in thy light shall we see light As it is with Fountains of water there is water to be had at all times and for all comers in the Fountain So it is with the Fountain of life there is life to be had constanly freely a sufficiency of life for all comers at all times to be had from this Fountain of life 3. The Lord hath given us many gracious and comfortable promises to encourage us to hope in him for quickning grace at such times as we find our selves under deadness as Joh. 11.25 Jesus said unto her I am the resurrection and the life he that believeth in me though he were dead yet he shall live Joh. 6.57 He that eateth me even he shall live by me Psal 69.32 Your heart shall live that seek God Psal 22. They shall praise the Lord that seek him your heart shall live for ever Amos 5.4 Thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel seek ye me and ye shall live We see here that Spiritual and Eternal Life is promised to such as seek the Lord These promises may be a great comfort to us under our deadness 4. Jesus Christ hath provided us excellent helps against our deadness I will instance in two helps 1. His word that hath a quickning influence in it Psal 119.50 Thy word hath quickned me And ver 93. I will never forget thy precepts for with them thou hast quickned me And as the Precepts so the promises of the word have a quickning virtue in them We may say of the promises with Hezekiah Isa 38.16 O Lord by these things men live and in all these things is the life of my Spirit 2. His spirit is an excellent help against deadness Joh. 6.63 It is the spirit that quickneth The spirit of Christ is the spirit of life and this quickning spirit shall be given to those that ask it of God Luk. 11.13 5. When Christ who is our life shall appear we shall appear with him in glory and when we appear with Christ in glory we shall ive with him for evermore and shall never any more be troubled with deadness but shall be freed from the body of sin and death for ever Col. 3.3 4. Ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God when Christ who is our Life shall appear then shall ye also appear with him in glory Your Life is hid with Christ in God It may be understood of the life of Grace here and the life of Glory hereafter Our life of Grace is hid not only from the eyes of the VVorld but at sometimes and in part from themselves As Davenant observs Ex parte quoad quos sanctos quippe qui vitam hanc sentiant in se esse valdè infirmam obscuram dubiam obtentationes diaeboli carnis Yet the weakness of our Spiritual Life the deadness that is mixed with the life of grace shall not hinder our appearing with Christ in and if we appear with him in glory all our deadness and imperfections shall be done away for ever Sect. 7. There is comfort in Christ for such as are troubled for the weakness and imperfections of their services Many Christians finding their service they do for God and their Generations attended with very great weakness and many imperfections are much troubled and discouraged thereby But to such as go under this burden there is comfort to be had in Christ and that in these respects 1. Our persons and services are accepted of God not for the worthyness that is either in our persons or services but for the sake and upon the account of Jesus Christ Eph. 1.6 He hath made us accepted in the beloved And as our persons are accepted in Christ so are our services also 1 Pet 2.5 To offer up spiritual Sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ If any say how can imperfect services that have sin mixed with them be accepted of God I answer by the merits of Christ the imperfections and sins that are mingled with those holy services which we perform to God are done away and the services rendered acceptable to God Exod. 28.38 And it shall be upon Aarons Forehead that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things of the children of Israel which the children of Israel shall hollow in all their holy gifts and it shall be alwayes on his Forehead that they may be accepted before the Lord. Aaron was a Type of Christ our great High Priest The Plate on his Forehead that had graven on it Holiness to the Lord was a Type of the merits of Christ who is the Lord our Righteousness As Aaron bare away the iniquities of the holy things Typically which being done they were accepted of God So Christ doth really and truly bear away the sins of all services and thereby they are accepted of God 2. Though our services have much weakness and many imperfections in them yet if they be performed with Upright hearts God will accept them 1 Chron. 29.17 I know also my God that thou tryest the heart and hast pleasure in Vprightness As little done by an Upright man is more acceptable to God than great services done by wicked men Pro. 15.8 The Sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord but the Prayer of the Vpright is his delight 3. VVould you serve God and your Generation in a better manner if you were able and is it your burden that you can serve God no better then know for your comfort that God through Christ will accept of your willing mind though you have not such abilities to serve him as others have or as you your selves desire to have 2 Cor. 8.12 If there he first a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not 4. It is a great comfort to those that mourn over their imperfections that how imperfect soever they are in themselves they are compleat in Christ Col.
wherein ye dwell Ezek. 28 24. And there shall be no more a pricking brier to any of the house of Israel nor any grieving Thorn 2. Those enemies of the Church are likened to Thorns that would rend and tear the People of God in pieces if the Lord should let them have their will of them Thorns are of a rending tearing nature Judg. 8.7 I will tear your Flesh with Thorns of the Wilderness Such kind of Thorns are the enemies of the Church they would even rend and tear the Servants of God in pieces if the Lord should not deliver them out of their hands Psal 7.1 2. Save me from all them that persecute me and deliver me least he tear my Soul like a Lion renting it in pieces while there is none to deliver Ps 35.15 The abjects gathered themselves together and I knew it not they did tear me and ceased not Another expression of the Churches distresses we have Chap. 2.15 Take us the Foxes the little Foxes that spoil the Vines She was molested with Foxes that spoyled the Vines And what were these Foxes 1. False Prophets that corrupted the Doctrine and Worship of the Church Ezek. 13.4 O Israel thy Prophets are like Foxes in the desert He doth not speak of the true but of the false Prophets when he saith thy Prophets are like Foxes 2. The Foxes signifie subtle and bloody Persecutors who seek to shed the Blood of the Saints and make havock of the Church Luk. 13.31 32. Herod will kill thee and he said unto them go ye tell that Fox Herod is called a Fox because he sought by subtlety to kill Christ These Foxes the Spouse speaks of did spoil the Vines such a Fox was Saul before his Conversion Act 8.3 As for Saul he made havock of the Church entering into every house and haling men and women he committed them to prison 2. The Spouse of Christ being in this distressed and persecuted condition prayeth to Christ to teach and tell her with what comforts he is wont to refresh and support his people under their sorest and hottest persecutions Chap. 1.7 Tell me O thou whom my Soul loveth where thou feedest where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon The noon is the hottest time of the day signifieth the hottest persecutions when the rage of Persecutors is at the heighth then it is worthy our enquiry where or how Christ comforts and supports his persecuted Flock His making his Flock to rest at noon signifieth the inward and spiritual comforts and refreshments that Christ giveth his People in their greatest troubles Mat. 11.28 29. Take my Yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your Souls That rest which Christ gives his Flock when they labour under Troubles and Temptations is rest for their Souls And as the Spouse enquireth where and how Christ maketh his Flock to rest at Noon so in her distressed condition she cryeth out for comfort and support Stay me comfort me Ch. 2.5 Stay me with flaggons comfort me with apples for I am sick of love This being sick of love implyeth 1. The deferring of those spiritual comforts and supports that she prayed hoped and waited for Prov. 13.12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick 2. Her being ready to faint for want of the presence of Christ and the comforts of his Spirit Sickness is attended with faintness Dan. 8.27 I Daniel fainted and was sick Such as are sick of love are oft times in a fainting condition Psal 119.81 My Soul fainteth for thy Salvation but I hope in thy word 3. Her restless condition for want of the enjoyment of Christ Sick persons are very restless when Job was sick he was restless and full of tossings to and fro what Solomon saith concerning a person whom God exerciseth with many sorrows Eccl. 2.23 His heart taketh not rest in the night The same may be said of one sick of love his heart takeeth not rest either in the night or the day but is very unquiet as long as Christ hideth himself Psal 30.7 Thou didst hide thy face and I was troubled 3. We may consider the grounds of the Spouses Consolations under these Troubles and the hazard and danger of Death and her inward Troubles occasioned by her being sick of love I will only mention these two 1. Her Interest in Christ When she was in her greatest dangers and distresses and wanted the presence of Christ she quieted comforted and encouraged her self with this that she had an Interest in Christ My beloved is mine and I am his 2. She found great Consolation from her participation of the benefits of Christ ver 3. I sat down under his shadow with great delight and his Fruit was sweet to my tast From the Spouses supporting and comforting her self under her afflictions and persecutions when she was in danger of her Life with the consideration of her interest in Christ we may infer this Doctrine which shall be the subject of my ensuing discourse Doct. Interest in Christ is a ground of strong Consolation under all the troubles and persecutions of this Life and the dangers and approaches of Death When the Sun of persecution is risen upon us and scorcheth vehemently when we are become black when our Mothers Children are angry with us and deal hardly with us when 't is Noon the hottest time of persecution when we are as a Lilly among Thorns compassed about on every side with sharp afflictions in the midst of adversaries that are ready to rend and tear us in pieces when we are sick and faint because our hope is deferred and Christ absents himself from us when the Foxes are come out of their holes that spoil the Vines that thirst after the blood of the Saints at then if we can say My beloved is mine and I am his we have cause to be of good chear for interest in Christ is a ground of strong Consolation under all the troubles of this Life how many and how great soever and against the fears and terrors of Death and this I shall prove by several instances The Apostle Paul was a man that went through abundance of troubles and persecutions as was shewen in part before and I shall now farther shew you He could go to no place but he expected either to be put in Prison or to meet with some other affliction Act. 20.23 The Holy Ghost witnesseth in every City saying that bonds and afflictions abide me He was troubled and persecuted every where and went in continual danger of his Life 2 Cor. 4.8 9 11. We are troubled on every side we are perplexed persecuted cast down but not destroyed VVe are always delivered unto Death for Jesus sake Another account of his sufferings we have 1 Cor. 4.9 10 11 12.13 I think that God hath set forth us the Apostles last as appointed unto Death For we are made a spectacle to the VVorld and to Angels and to Men we are fools for
Isa 8.11 The Lord spake thus unto me with a strong hand There is power goeth with those instructions that he gives the Soul to bring it to do what it is taught The Lord doth not only teach a sinner his lost estate and that Salvation is in Christ and that this Salvation is to be had by Faith and Repentance but he bows the heart to comply with these terms of alvation with the illumination of the mind there is the inclination of the heart to repent and believe Jer. 31.19 Surely after I was turned I repented and after I was instructed I smote upon my Thigh I was asuamed c. Eph. 1.13 In whom ye also trusted after that you heard the word of Truth the Gospel of your Salvation And this leads me to the next head 2. When the Lord calls a sinner effectually he calls him to Repentance by working Repentance in his heart Luk. 5.32 I came not to call the Righteous but Sinners unto Repentance Now this effectual call to Repentance is discerned these ways 1. The Lord pricks the Sinner at the heart by setting home upon the Conscience the sight of his sinful and undone condition Act. 2.37 And when they heard these things they were pricked at the heart and said Men and Brethren what shall we do Till God calls a man he lyeth fast asleep in his sins He is like Jonah that was fast asleep in the side of the Ship when there was a great Tempest whereby himself and all in the Ship were in danger to be drowned Jon. 1.6 So the sinner lyeth fast asleep in his sins although he be in danger of everlasting burnings till God awakens him by calling him to a sight of his sin and misery As it was with Peter he was fast asleep when bound with Chains and in the midst of two Souldiers and was the next day to be tryed for his Life Act. 12.6 So it is with many Sinners they are bound in the chains of their sins and are in danger every day to be called to Judgment yet they lye fast asleep in their sins till the Lord comes and awakens them out of their dead sleep and this he doth by giving them a prick at the heart with his word which is called the Sword of the Spirit And when a sinner is pricked at the heart then he awakes out of his dead sleep and sits down and bemoans his sinful and miserable condition Lam. 5.16.17 The Crown is fallen from our head wo unto us that we have sinned for this our heart is faint and our eyes are dim Jer. 31.18 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself 2. When God calls a sinner to Repentance he turns his heart from his Idols from his beloved sins so that he resolves in his heart that by the help of Gods grace he will for sake his sins for ever Hos 14 8. Ephraim shall say what have I to do any more with Idols He is willing to leave off all known sins and also all unknown sins as soon as they shall be discovered to him Job 34.32 That which I see not teach thou me if I have done iniquity I will do no more 3. When the Lord calls a sinner to Repentance as he causeth him to forsake his sins so also he causeth him to turn to the Lord with his whole heart so that the bent of the heart is for God the heart is inclined to please serve obey glorifie and enjoy God Jer. 24.7 They shall return to me with their whole heart Psal 119.112 I have enclined my heart to perform thy statutes always even to the end 3. When God calleth a sinner effectually he calleth him to his Son Jesus Christ As he enlightneth him to see his undone estate out of Christ and to see that Salvation is to be had in Christ so he draweth the Soul to Christ he causeth the Soul to come to Christ Joh. 6.45 Every man that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me The call of God when it is effectual hath this effect upon all that are called it bringeth every one of them to Jesus Christ It is not some or many that hear but every man that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me Now we may discern that God hath called us to Christ these ways 1. If he hath called us off from all things that hinder our going to Christ Cant. 2.10 Rise up my love my fair one and come away Come away that is let nothing detain thee from coming to me cast away all lets and hinderances that keep thee from coming to me leave all to follow me This effect Levi's call had upon him Luk. 5.27 28. He said unto him follow me and he left all rose up and followed him When God hath brought us to this that we are willing to leave all for Christ we need not doubt but we are effectually called to Christ This laying aside of all hinderances of our being made partakers of Christ and Eternal Life is that which the Apostle exhorts to Heb. 12.1 Let us lay aside every weight And run with pationce the race that is set before us I will instance in some hinderances of our enjoying Christ which God calls from when he draws us to Christ As the VVorld the profits of the world the honours of the world the pleasures of the world God loosens the heart from all these that the Soul can leave all the goodly all the pleasant all the glorious things of the world to cleave to Christ Cant. 4.8 Come with me from Lebanon my Spouse with me from Lebanon For the opening this Scripture let us consider what Lebanon was that Christ was so earnest with his Spouse to come with him from Lebanon that he calleth twice come with me from Lebanon with me from Lebanon Lebanon was a very goodly place Deut. 3.25 I pray let me go over and see the good Land that is beyond Jordan that goodly mountain and Lebanon Moses had a great desire to see the Land of Canaan which was the Land of promise a land above all lands and of all places in that land he had a desire to see that goodly place mount Lebanon Lebanon was a glorious place Isa 35.2 The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it Lebanon was a very pleasant and delightfull place it cast forth a sweet seent to all places round about it Hos 14.6 His be my shall be as the Olive Tree and his small as Lebanon The meaning then is this that we should leave all the goodly all the glorious all the pleasant all the delightfull and desâ—â—â—able things of this world to enjoy Christ Christ calls us to come with him from Lebanon which was a goodly a desireable a glorious and delightfull place Another hinderance of coming to Christ is when a man is bound with the cords of his sins his sins have such hold upon his heart that he is like a man bound with cords that he can't stir from them
perpetual and irrecoverable destruction 2. The Psalmist speaks of the roaring of the waters and their being troubled and the mountains shaking with the swelling thereof and this may signifie great tumults and uproars among the people such as may make the stoutest hearted persons to tremble Psal 74.4 Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy Congregation The Scripture setteth forth multitudes of people by waters As Rev. 17.15 And the roaring of these waters make the mountains shake that is make the stoutest and most couragious men to fear and tremble Psal 18.4 The floods of ungodly men made me afraid When ungodly men that have no fear of God before their eyes were in an uproar were gathered together and bore down all before them like a flood it made even David himself to be afraid 3. By the removing the earth and roaring of the waters are meant all places being full of trouble wars at Sea and Land the whole world full of stirs and commotions yet we will not fear 4. What the Psalmist expressed Metaphorically ver 2.3 he expresseth more plainly ver 6. The Heathen raged the Kingdoms were moved he uttered his voice the earth melted That is there should be such dreadfull judgments called for by God such ragings of the Heathen such commotions of the Kingdoms as should make mens hearts to melt with grief and fear For the heart is melted with grief Psal 119.28 My Soul melteth for heaviness Luk. 21.26 Mens hearts failing them for fear 5. He speaketh of dreadfull desolations to be made in the earth by the Lord such as might make men stand still and behold them ver 8. Come behold the works of the Lord what desolations he hath made in the earth Yet under all these desolations when the Heathen rage and the Kingdoms are moved when there are such troubles as make mens hearts to melt within them when the earth is removed and the mountains are carried into the Sea when the waters roar and are troubled when the mountains shake with the swelling thereof There is a River the streams whereof make glad the City of God There is comfort in Christ under the greatest ruins and desolations that come upon Kingdoms and Nations yea upon the whole world And here we may take notice of some of these streams of this River some of these benefits we have by Christ which are matters of joy in our greatest calamities which are hinted in this Psalm 1. The Lords people shall through Christ and for Christs sake have the Lords presence with them in all the commotions and desolations that come upon the world and this makes glad the City of God and settles the faith and hope of the people of God ver 5. God is in the midst of her she shall not be moved ver 7. The Lord of hosts is with us This is three times mentioned that the Lord is with his people as being a prime antidote to expell their fears and comfort their hearts Is 41.10 Fear not I am with thee yea under dismal calamities when the Lord is pouring out his fury and is pleading against us with fire and sword and is leading his people through the depths of trouble and fiery tryals this is a singular comfort to have God with us Isa 42.24 25. compared with 43.1 2. 2. Another of those streams which make glad the City of God under calamitous times is that they have a refuge to flee to and that this refuge is God himself and that this God who is their refuge is the God of Jacob. This is also three times hinted in this Psalm ver 1 7 11. God is our refuge The God of Jacob is our refuge The God of Jacob is our refuge It is comfortable to have a refuge to flee to in a storm a refuge to flee to where we may be safe But most comfortable to have God himself the great God the eternal God the Al-mighty Al-sufficient God the faithfull God the infinitely near and gracious and loving God for our refuge And it is an addition to our comfort that this God who is our refuge hath stiled himself the God of Jacob. For that implyeth 1. That he that was Jacobs refuge when he was in great distress and afraid of his brother Esau who hated Jacob and had taken up a resolution to kill him Gen. 27.41 And to come against Jacob with four hundred men which made Jacob afraid that he intended to kill him and his wives and children Gen. 32.6 7 11. yet God was Jacobs refuge in this great strait and so over-ruled Esau's heart that he did Jacob no harm 2. That God is and will be a refuge to poor weak and shiftless creatures such as are but worms in their own and others account despicable persons he will help and take care of them in the time of trouble Isa 41.13 14. I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand saying unto thee fear not I will help thee Fear not thou worm Jacob and ye men of Israel I will help thee saith the Lord and thy redeemer the holy one of Israel 3. That is and will be a refuge to such as are in a deserted condition and are ready to say they are forsaken of God for some of the seed of Jacob are ready to say their way is hid from the Lord yet the Lord is their God and their refuge Isa 40.27 Why sayest thou O Jacob and speakest O Israel My way is hid from the Lord and my judgement is passed over from my God Compar'd with Isa 41.8 10. But thou Israel art my servant and Jacob whom I have chosen Fear thou not for I am with thee Be thou not dismayed for I am thy God I will strengthen thee I will help thee yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness 3. Another stream issuing from this river which maketh glad the City of God mentioned in this Psalm is that God will be his people's strength in troublous times and a present help both in trouble and out of trouble v. 1 5. God is our strength a very present help in trouble God shall help her and that right early Now this is a great comfort to have God for our strength and help in all our troubles Psal 21.1 The king shall cry in thy strength O Lord Psal 28.7 The Lord is my strength and my shield my heart trusted in him and I am helped therefore my heart greatly rejoyceth and with my song will I praise him I will instance in some grounds of consolation under natural troubles as invasion of Forreign Enemies Massacres Pestilence or other desolating judgements 1. It is a great ground of comfort to all the members of Christ under national calamities that there is nothing done in the world or to any Kingdom or any City or any particular person but by the Providence of God I shall Prove this that all things that are done in the world come to pass by the providence of God and then shew
how this is a ground of comfort in all Publick calamities as well as private and personal afflictions That there is nothing done in the world in any Kingdom in any City to any perticular person but by the providence of God is evident from such Scriptures as these Rom. 11.36 For of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory for ever Isa 45.7 I form the light and create darkness I make peace and create evil I the Lord do all these things Am. 3.6 Shall there be evil in a City and the Lord hath not done it Whatsoever evil comes upon a City or any person in the City whether Sword or Pestilence or Famine or Fire or any other evil it is the Lord that sends all those evils When any destroyers come against a Nation that lay it wast and make it desolate it is the Lord that raiseth up those wasters to destroy and furnisheth them with all their slaughter weapons and their instruments to carry on the designed destruction Isa 54.16 Behold I have created the Smith that bloweth the coals in the fire and that bringeth forth all instruments for his work and I have created the waster to destroy Such calamities as seem to be carried on in a confused disorderly way are governed and over-ruled by the providence of God so that there is no damage done to any mans person or estate but by the appointment of God Nahum 1.3 The Lord hath his way in the storm and in the whirlwind That is the Lord orders all things that are done by the storm and by the whirlwind and by all other judgments that come as suddenly as violently as confusedly as the storm or the whirlwind When the Sword or Pestilence come upon any place the Lord numbers all the persons that shall be slain by the Sword and that shall dye by the Pestilence Isa 65.12 Therefore will I number you to the Sword and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter Jer. 15.2 VVhen any man suffers by Fire Hail Snow or stormy VVinds he suffers nothing but what God hath appointed him to suffer for the Fire Snow Hail stormy Winds and all other creatures fulfill Gods word they do nothing to any man but what God hath appointed them to do Psal 148.8 Fire and Hail Snow and Vapour stor my wind fulfilling his word Mich. 6.7 Hear the rod and who hath appointed it Every rod hath its whole work appointed by God The Sea seems to be a very unruly creature especially when stormy winds causeth it to rage yet the Lord ruleth the raging of the Sea and suffers it to do nothing in its greatest rage but what he pleaseth Psal 89.9 Thou rulest the raging of the Sea when the Waves thereof arise thou stillest them And he that ruleth the raging of the Sea ruleth and stilleth the tumults of the most unruly people Psal 65.7 Yea he ruleth over all persons and all actions that are done in any part of the world Psal 103.19 The Lords Throne is in the Heavens and his Kingdom ruleth over all Now this is a ground of comfort to the People of God in Tumults and Insurrections and Massacres and all other National judgments that there is nothing comes to pass nothing befalls any Kingdom City or particular Person but by the providence of God Psal 97.1 2 3. The Lord reigneth let the earth rejoyce Clouds and Darkness are round about him Righteousnes and Judgment are the habitation of his Throne A fire goeth before him and burneth his enemies round about His Lightnings enlightned the world the earth saw it and trembled The Hills melted like Wax When we are under cloudy and dark dispensations when we meet with fiery tryals and God is burning up his enemies round about when he sendeth such judgments as make the inhabitants of the earth to tremble and the hills to melt like wax that is men of the highest degree Kings and Princes their hearts faint through fear and grief yet then we may rejoyce when we consider 't is the Lord reigneth and that all things are done by his Providence The Providence of God which ruleth and disposeth all things that are done in the world is a ground of comfort to the people of God in publick calamities on several accounts As 1. That God who ruleth and disposeth of all things by his providence is our God and our Father in Christ Psal 146.10 The Lord shall reign for ever even thy God O Zion unto all generations praise ye the Lord. This is matter of praise and joy to Zion not only that God reigneth but that he which doth and shall reign for ever is Zions God Thy God O Zion Reigneth unto all generations praise ye the Lord. The consideration of our Fathers hand in ordering all our afflictions may sweeten the bitterest cup which he at any time puts into our hands Joh. 18.11 The cup which my Father hath given me shall I not drink it 2. Whatsoever the Lord doth is done in Righteousness when he breaks in pieces Kingdoms and Nations this is matter of comfort God will do nothing to any place or people but what is consistent with Righteousness Ps 48.10 11. Thy right hand is full of Righteousness let Mount Zion rejoyce let the daughters of Judah be glad because of thy judgments 3. The Lord who ruleth the world by his providence is a mercifull and gracious God that will compass his own people with mercy at such a time as he is distributing sorrows in great abundance to wicked men Psal 32.10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked but he that trusteth in the Lord mercy shall compass him about Even when he lets his own people fall into the hands of cruel enemies such as hate them he is mindfull of his mercy towards them Psal 106.42 43 45. 4. This God who ruleth and governeth the world and disposeth all things that are done therein by his providence is a God in Covenant with us that he will never turn away from doing us good Jer. 32.40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good This was spoken to the Jews when they were under very dark providences the King of Babylons Army had Besieged Jerusalem and God told them by his Prophet that he would give Jerusalem into the King of Babylons hands ver 2 3. And besides the Sword of the enemy the City was visited with the Famine and Pestilence ver 24. Yet under these sad providences God comforts his people with his Everlasting Covenant wherein he assures them that though they were surrounded with all these evils the Sword the Famine and the Pestilence yet he would not turn away from doing them good Whatever aspect some of Gods providences may have upon the world and the Sinners in Zion yet they are all mercy and truth to the people of God even when they have the greatest appearance of severity Psal 25.10 All the
they have on every side Job 1.10 Hast thou not made an hedge about him and about his house and about all that he hath on every side His care extends even to the least of all their concernments to the very hairs of their heads Mat. 10.30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbred 3. It is a constant and continual care He takes care of them at all times both by night and by day and in all places when they go out and come in at home and abroad Isa 27.3 I the Lord do keep it I will water it every moment least any hurt it I will keep it night and day This promise relates to the Lords Vineyard mentioned in the foregoing verse And by his Vineyard is meant all the members all that belong to Christ who is the true Vine Joh. 15.1 I am the vine Isa 5.7 The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel This vineyard being exposed to many adversaries if the hedge should be removed from the vineyard every one would be ready to pluck the vines Psal 80.12 13. Therefore the Lord himself doth and will keep it I the Lord do keep it I will keep it And see the extensiveness of Gods care for his vineyard both as to the persons and times he will keep it from being hurt by any person at any time Least any hurt it I will keep it night and day And consider the times to which this promise relates and they are times of greatest danger VVhen God is taking his sore and great and long Sword into his hand to punish his and his Churches Adversaries which are as subtle as Serpents as cruel as the Dragon as strong and potent as the Leviathan ver 1. It relates also to that day wherein God is rising out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquities Chap. 26. ver 21. In that day when he is punishing the inhabitants of the earth and sending sore judgments on such as are like the Serpents and Dragons he will keep his vineyard night and day least any hurt it Another Scripture that sets out the constancy of Gods care for his People's welfare VVe have Psal 121.5 6 7. Behold he that keepeth Israel will not slumber nor sleep The Lord is thy keeper the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand The Sun shall not smite thee by day nor the Moon by night The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil How safe are they that have the Lord for their Keeper when we sleep and can take no care of our selves he that keepeth Israel neither slumbereth nor sleepeth He keepeth us from all evil by night and by day For that is the meaning of the Sun shall not smite thee by day nor the Moon by night For the Sun that ruleth the day and the Moon that ruleth the night Gen. 1.16 'T is as much as to say he will keep us from all harms he will keep us in safety day and night The care that the Lord taketh of his people is like the care that God took of the land of Canaan which was as Moses saith Deut. 11.12 A Land which the Lord thy God careth for the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year Such is the care that the Lord hath of his people his eyes are always upon them for good from the beginning of the year to the end of the year The Lord taketh care of all his people from the day of their birth yea from their being in the womb to their old age yea to the day of our death Isa 46.3 4. Psal 48. ult He will be our guide even untill death And as the Lord taketh the care of his people at all times both by night and by day so also in all places whithersoever they go he goeth with them to keep them in all places and to preserve their going out and their coming in Josh 1.9 The Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest Gen. 28.15 Behold I am with thee to keep thee in all places whither thou goest Psal 121.8 The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth and even for evermore What a comfort is this when the way we are to pass through is full of danger either by reason of the Sword or Pestilence or any other evil that we have a God that will go along with us whithersoever we go 4. That care which the Lord taketh of his people is a wonderfull great care the Lord Jesus is so carefull of all his Members that they are never out of his eye Job 36.7 He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous whether they go into any parts of the earth still his eyes are upon them for good 2 Chron. 16.9 The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards him And the greater their dangers are the more the eye of God is upon them Psal 33.18 19. Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him upon them that hope in his mercy to deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine The Lord would have us take notice for our comfort that when we are in danger of death by famine or other judgments his eye is upon us and therefore there is a note of attention prefixed Behold the eye of the Lord The Lord is so carefull of his people that they are never out of his thoughts Isa 442. O Israel thou shalt not be forgotten of me What the Lord said of Solomons temple 2 Chron. 7.16 Mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually The same may be said of all true Christians who are the temple of God 2 Cor. 6.16 Gods eyes and his heart are upon them perpetually The Lord is so careful of his people that they are never out of his arms Deut. 33.3 27. All his Saints are in thy hand The eternal God is thy refuge and underneath are the everlasting armes He is so carefull of his people that he layes his lambs and carries them in his bosom Isa 40.11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd he shall gather his lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosom When the Wolves are abroad the lambs are safe as long as they are in the shepherds bosom 5. Ans The Lord is exceeding carefull of all his people himself so also he hath sent forth all his Angels to minister to their necessities and given them a great charge to keep them in all their wayes and to enca up round about them and deliver them out of all their dangers Heb. 1.14 Are they not all ministring spirits sent forth to minister for them whoshall be heirs of salvation Psal 91.11 12. He shall give his Angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy wayes they shall
also come upon them to lay down their lives for Christ 2. The knowledge and belief of Gods infinite everlasting and unchangable love to us in Christ Jesus and of Christs love in laying down his Life for us will carry us chearfully through our greatest persecutions and make us to triumph over all manner of persecutions even at such a time as we are killed all the day long and counted as sheep for the slaughter As we may see it excellently set out Rom. 8.35 36 37 38 39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall Tribulation or Distress or Famine or Nakedness or Peril or Sword As it is written for thy sake we are killed all the day long we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter Nay in all these things we are more than Conquerors through him that loved us For I am perswaded that neither death nor life c. nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus Let us take notice in this Scripture of these things 1. The love of Christ and the love of God in Christ towards his people is so fixed so firm so unchangeable that no manner of troubles or persecutions no creature in Heaven or Earth is or shall be able to separate them from the love of Christ and the love of God which is in Christ Jesus that is which is grounded upon the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ 2. The apprehension and perswasion of Gods love to our Souls in Christ Jesus and the immutability of this love will help us to overcome and triumph over all manner of troubles and persecutions Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us for I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor any other creature shall be able to seperate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus In all these things that is all the forementioned tribulations and persecutions though we be flain by the Sword or are starved to Death by Famine we are conquerors yea more than conquerors and how not by our own strength but through him that loved us and how doth he give us the victory By giving us a firm perswasion of the unchangeable love of God in Christ For I am perswaded 3. Observe the time and season when the servants of Christ are made to triumph as conquerors over all their troubles and that is when it is noon day in respect of their persecutions when 't is the hottest time of persecution when they are not only deprived of their goods thrust into prisons but killed killed all the day long and counted as sheep for the slaughter And let us see what is implyed in these expressions 1. It is to be all the day long in hazard and danger of death When it is with us as it was with Hezekiah in his sickness Isa 38.13 So 't is with us in respect of our persecutors we reckon in the night they may come upon us before the morning and the morning may come before the night and rend and tear us in pieces or when 't is with us as it was with David Psal 119.109 My Soul is continually in my hand then we may be said to be killed all the day long 2. When we are put to a lingring death that it may be the more painfull that we are as it were all the day long in a dying condition this some persecutors endeavoured ut sentiant se mori then we may be said to be killed all the day long 3. When persecutors make no more of killing us than they do of killing sheep when the Saints are killed in abundance that it is a time of much blood-shed yea when they joy in the death of Gods Servants Isa 22.13 They are counted as Sheep for the slaughter Now the knowledge and belief of the love of Christ will help us to go through all persecutions chearfully several ways 1. As it leads to the filling our Souls with the graces and comforts of the Spirit of God Eph. 3.19 And to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that ye may be filled with all the fulness of God The more we are filled with the graces and comforts of the Holy Ghost the stronger we shall be to suffer for Christ for the joy of the Lord is our strength 2. As it draws out our love to Christ 1 Joh. 3.16 17. We have known and believed the love that God hath to us Herein is our love made perfect And the more we love Christ the stronger we shall be to suffer for Christ Cant. 8.6 7. Love is strong as death Many waters cannot quench love neither can the floods drown it 3. Get and keep a lively hope of eternal life and glory for this will be a wonderfull support to you in your greatest persecutions This caused our Lord Jesus to endure the pain and the shame of the Cross with much chearfulness Heb. 12.2 Who for the joy that was set before him endured the Cross despising the shame and is set down at the Right hand of the Throne of God The having the joys of Heaven in his thoughts caused him to endure the pain and make light of the shame of the cross This caused the Apostles to glory and triumph in the midst of their troubles Rom. 5.2 3. And rejoyce in hope of the glory of God And not only so but we glory in Tribulations also The respect which Moses had to the recompence of reward in the other World carryed him with chearfulness through his great sufferings Heb. 11.24 25 26. The hope of Salvation is by the Apostles called an helmet 1 Thes 5.8 Putting on the breast-plate of Faith and Love and for an helmet the hope of Salvation The helmet preserves the head in safety as long as we keep on this helmet as long as we keep our hope of Salvation we are in a safe condition 4. If you would go chearfully through all your persecutions get and exercise the graces of Faith and Patience for they are of singular use in an evil day Rev. 13.7 10. And it was given to him to make war with the Saints and to overcome them Here is the patience and the faith of the Saints When the beast maketh war with the Saints and overcomes them that is God permits him to kill and slay as Conquerors those that they have overcome then is a time when there is great need great use of Faith and Patience I shall speak distinctly to both these graces 1. Get and exercise Faith Faith is the most usefull most necessary piece of the Spiritual Armour in an evil day and therefore we are called upon above all to take the shield of Faith because thereby we shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one Eph. 6.16 Above all taking the shield of Faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked Fiery darts are
the most dangerous most destructive temptations and containeth both inward lusts whereby the heart is as it were set on fire and fiery tryals which are sharpest to the outward man now these are all quenched by the shield of Faith Let me shew you how you should use this shield how you should exercise your Faith when you meet with fiery tryals 1. Have Faith in Gods presence believe that God is and will be with you according to his promise when you pass through the fire and through the waters Isa 43.2 For Faith in Gods presence will carry us comfortably through our greatest tryals Act. 2.25.26 I foresaw the Lord always before my face for he is at my right hand that I should not be moved therefore did my heart rejoyce and my tongue was glad To confirm your Faith that you shall have Gods presence with you in your persecutions see such Scriptures as these 2 Cor. 4.9 Persecuted but not forsaken Jer. 20.11 Joh. 16.32 2 Tim. 4.17 18. 2. Have Faith in Gods assistance Believe that God according to his promise for Christs sake will help strengthen and uphold you Isa 41.10 The believing that we shall have Gods help will put great courage into our Souls Isa 50.7 For the Lord God will help me therefore shall I not be confounded therefore have I set my face like a flint and I know that I shall not be ashamed 3. Have Faith in that glorious and unspeakable recompence of reward which God will give you if you continue faithfull unto the death in a suffering day Rev. 2.10 Be thou faithfull unto the death and I will give thee a crown of Life 2 Tim. 2.11 12. It is a faithfull saying If we suffer we shall also reign with him The believing and looking at our eternal glory which we shall have after we have suffered for Christ will keep us from fainting under the Cross 2 Cor. 4.16 18. For which cause we faint not while we look at the things which are not seen which are Eternal 2. As you should get and exercise Faith so you should exercise patience also For patience is a very usefull and necessary grace in times of persecution Heb. 10.32 36. Ye endured a great sight of afflictions ye have need of patience Luk. 21.12 19. They shall lay their hands on you and persecute you delivering you up to the Synagogues and into prisons being brought before Kings and Rulers for my names sake In your patience possess ye your Souls If any say it is true Patience is needfull and usefull in a suffering day But how shall we attain to patience in times of great persecution A. 1. Consider the patience of our Lord Jesus Christ in all his sufferings that will learn us patience in all our distresses Heb. 12.1 2 3. Let us run with patience the race that is set before us looking to Jesus Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself least ye be wearied and faint in your minds The looking to Jesus and considering the dignity of his person the greatness of his sufferings and the patience with which he endured the pain and the shame of the Cross and the contradiction of sinners against himself will help us to run our race with Patience and keep us from being wearied and fainting in our minds An instance of the patience of Christ under his sufferings which all things considered were greater than the sufferings of any of the Martyrs We have Isa 53.7 He was oppressed and he was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth he is brought as a Lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before the shearers is dumb so he opened not his mouth And as the example of Christ so also the example of the Prophets and other Saints and Servants of God may cause us to be patient under our persecutions It hath been the lot of the best men that ever lived even of the Prophets to be persecuted for Righteousness sake Mat. 5.12 So persecuted they the Prophets Luk. 13.34 O Jerusalem Jerusalem which killest the Prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee Jam. 5.10 Take my brethren the Prophets who have spoken in the name of the Lord for an example of suffering affliction and patience 2. Consider the desert of sin They which suffer most in this Life suffer far less than their sins deserve How great were Jobs afflictions of all sorts yet they were less than his sins Job 11.6 Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth Ezra 9.14 compared with Lam. 1.12 No sorrows like what the Jews met with yet were they punished less than their sins deserved This should silence all complaints Lam. 3.39 Our sins have deserved the Torments of Hell Rom. 6.23 The wages of sin is death The second as well as the first death Shall we not patiently suffer any Torments in this Life for Righteousness sake seeing our sins have deserved the Torments of Hell for ever 5. The blood of Christ and the word of God and preferring the glory of God above our lives are great helps to a chearfull bearing and overcoming all persecutions When the Dragon makes war with the Saints we may see by what means they overcome him Rev. 12.11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their Testimony and they loved not their lives unto the death Here are 3 means by which they overcame the accuser of the brethren 1. By the blood of the Lamb that is by the blood of Christ who is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world Now the blood of Christ helps us to overcome 1. As it justifieth us and takes away all our guilt and reconciles us to God Rom. 5.9 10. Joh. 1.7 For when sin is pardoned there is comfort in the greatest sufferings Mat. 9.2 And when God is reconciled there is a Triumphing over all enemies Rom. 8.31 2. As it hath purchased for us victory over all the adversaries of our Salvation Col. 2.15 3. As it gives us solid grounds to hope with boldness to enter into Eternal Life Heb. 10.19 4. As he hath left us an example to suffer for him who suffered for us 1 Pet. 2.21 1 Pet. 4.1 2. By the word of their Testimony that is the word of God which they had owned professed gave Testimony unto in the worst of times Now the word helps us to overcome 1. As it comforts us in all our conflicts Psal 119.49 50 94 161 162. 2. As it reveals and promiseth glorious rewards to them that overcome Rev. Ch. 2. Ch. 3. Ch. 21.7 CHAP. III. An Exhortation to such as are in a Christless condition to seek after an interest in Christ Directions Motives and Helps in order to the getting an Interest in Christ Hinderances removed SEeing it is thus that an interest in Christ is a ground of strong Consolation under
To such as are ready to give over seeking after Christ I shall give these two encouragements to continue seeking after Christ 1. If you continue seeking after Christ and do seek him with our whole hearts we shall assuredly enjoy him 1 Chron. 28.9 If thou seek him he will be found of thee Believe this promise of God that if thou dost seek him he will be found of thee and go on in the strength of this promise to seek in hope that thou shalt find the Lord. Hos 6.3 Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord By knowing here is meant such a knowledge as is accompanied with the enjoyment of God as the following words imply He will come unto us Jer. 29.13 And ye shall seek me and find me when ye shall search for me with all your hearts 2. It will not be long before you find Christ if you go on to seek him Though you do not find him for the present yet you shall find him in a little while in his own due time Cant. 3 1 4. By night on my bed I sought him whom my Soul loveth and I found him not It was but a little and I found him whom my Soul loveth Isa 54.7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee but with great mercies will I gather thee § Motives to get a saving interest in Christ Most persons that live under the Gospel make light of Christ and neglect that great Salvation which he hath purchased with his blood and prefer their worldly concernments before seeking after Christ Mat. 22.5 They made light of it and went their way one to his farm another to his Merchandize Our Lord Jesus Christ offers Salvation to lost sinners he doth as it were stretch out his hands to them and offer them his help to save their Souls but scarce any man regards the offers of grace and mercy that he makes to them Prov. 1.24 I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded This stretching forth the hand implyeth the offers of Salvation that Christ maketh in the Gospel to perishing Sinners When Peter was in a boysterous Sea and was afraid of being drowned and began to sink he cryed out to Christ Lord save me And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him Mat. 14.30 31. Christless sinners are in a more dangerous condition than Peter was they are ready to sink down into Hell sentence is passed upon them by the great God The wicked shall be turned into Hell Psal 9.17 And Christ stretcheth forth his hand and offers to save them but most men are so stupified in their sins and so busied in this present world that they regard not the offers of Salvation made to them by Jesus Christ And therefore there is need of motives to stir men up to seek after an interest in Christ and to embrace that Salvation which is offered to them by Jesus Christ 1. Motive The excellency of Christ should stir us up to get an interest in him For we covet things that are excellent and there is nothing so excellent as Jesus Christ All the excellent things in the world are but loss and dross and dung compared with Christ Phil. 3.8 Yea doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung that I may win Christ Silver and Gold Jewels and Precious Stones and whatever a man can desire are not worthy to be compared with Christ Prov. 8.11 For Wisdom is better than Rubies and all things that may be desired are not to be compared to it And as Christ is more excellent than all things so than all persons in the world The wisest the holyest the best the greatest men that ever lived are not worthy to be compared with Christ Cant. 5.10 My Beloved is white and ruddy the chiefest among Ten Thousand White and Red well mixed make a beautiful countenance white may signifie the holiness of his Life ruddy his bloody passion His holy life and his bloody death render him amiable to his people If Ten Thousand of the most excellent persons that ever lived were set by Christ he would be the chiefest of them all Among all the Angels of Heaven and all the Kings of the Earth there are none to be compared to our Lord Jesus Christ Psal 89.6 Who in Heaven can be compared unto the Lord who among the Sons of the Mighty can be likened unto the Lord. There are all the excellencies of the Godhead in our Lord Jesus Christ Col. 2.9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily And the excellencies that are in the Godhead are unspeakable and unconceivable Seeing then there is a greater excellency in Christ than in all the whole world we should labour more to get Christ than we did to get any thing in this world 2. Get Christ for yours and you shall get unsearchable Riches For there are unsearchable Riches in Christ Eph. 3.8 That I should preach among you the unsearchable Riches of Christ The Apostle had studied preached and enjoyed Christ many years and yet could not express or understand all the Riches that were treasured up in Christ but calls his Riches unsearchable Riches By these Riches of Christ which he calls unsearchable understand those benefits we have by Christ As Vatablus and others immensa Christi benefitia the incomprehensible benefits of Christ And though we can't search out all the Riches that are in Christ and that we have by Christ though we cannot fully comprehend in this life all the benefits we have by Christ I will briefly instance in some of these unspeakable benefits which we shall get if we get an interest in Christ 1. Get Christ and you shall get into the love and favour of God Prov. 8.35 Whoso findeth me findeth Life and shall obtain favour of the Lord. And the favour of God is an unspeakable blessing better than all things in this world For a man prefers his Life above all that he hath in the world Job 2.4 All that a man hath he will give for his Life But the favour of God is better than a mans Life Psal 63.3 Thy loving kindness is better than Life 2. Get Christ and you shall get the pardon of all your sins Eph. 1.7 In whom we have Redemption through his Blood the forgiveness of sins according to the Riches of his grace Though we be guilty of Hundreds of Thousands of Millions of sins if we get Christ for ours his Blood will cleanse us from them all 1 Joh. 1.7 The Blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin 3. Get Christ and you shall get an interest in all the promises 2 Cor. 1.20 For all the promises of God in him are Yea and in him Amen And it is by and through Christ that we are pertakers of the promises Eph. 3.6 That the Gentiles should
as were teachers of that Church and amongst these were some that had not their knowledge that they were poor miserable wretched and naked but thought themselves in a good estate to be rich increased in goods and to want nothing We see the deceit of a mans heart how he may be blinded how he may delude and flatter himself in thinking he needeth nothing when he wanteth all things If any say How may we get a sight and sence of our sinfull and miserable estate out of Christ A. 1. Hear and apply to your selves what the Scripture saith concerning the sinfulness of a mans heart and life as long as he remaineth in a Christless condition Jer. 17.9 The heart is deceitfull above all things and desperately wicked who can know it The heart is not only wicked but desperately wicked so desperately wicked that it is above our understandings to know or conceive all that wickedness that is in our hearts The heart is as full of evil as it can hold yea of the worst sorts of sins that if God should let a man alone he would carry himself like a mad man regarding neither the Laws of God nor men Eccl. 9 3. The heart of the Sons of men is full of evil yea madness is in their hearts while they live and after that they go to the dead What worse sin then enmity against God and his holy Laws and Commandments yet this enmity against God is in the hearts of all men till God circumciseth our hearts to love and obey him Rom. 8.7 The carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be The heart is so vile and sinfull that it is continually sinning against God either by evil desires or evil thoughts and imaginations Gen. 6.5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil and that continually It is enough to amaze a man when he heareth what God who knoweth the sinfulness of our hearts better than we our selves saith of the sinfulness of our hearts we may wonder that he lets us live upon the earth and doth not send us down to the Devils in Hell Oh what need have we of Christ to mediate for us and take away our sins Besides the sinfulness of our hearts let us hear what the Scripture saith of the sinfulness of our lives and conversations While a man remains in a Christless condition every thing that a man doth is defiled with sin Hag. 2.13 14. If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these shall it be unclean and the Priest answered and said it shall be unclean Then answered Haggai and said so is this people and so is this nation before me saith the Lord and so is every work of their hands and that which they offer there is unclean An unclean sinner defileth every thing he hath to do with every work of his hands is unclean and that which he offers to God is unclean Gal. 3.22 The Scripture hath concluded all under sin The Greek word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not only all men but all things of all men all their thoughts words and actions all are concluded under sin that is God in the holy Scriptures declareth all men and all things of all men before they come to Christ to be sinful Tit. 1.15 Vnto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure but even their Mind and Conscience is defiled If one sin cast Adam out of Paradise if one sin cast the Angels out of Heaven and of Angels made them Divels what a woful condition are they in that have done nothing else since they were born and can do nothing else but sin against God When we consider our sinful and polluted estate we may set down and bemoan our selves and say as Job Behold I am vile Job 40.4 And to loath and abhor our selves in our own sight and in the sight of the Lord. 2. Hear and apply to thy self what the Scripture saith concerning the misery of all those that are in a Christless condition As 1. They are under the wrath and curse of God Eph. 2.3 And were by nature the children of wrath even as others All men by nature one as well as another are the children of wrath And as long as they abide in a natural unbelieving Christless condition they abide under the wrath of God Joh. 3.36 He that believeth not the Son shall not see Life but the wrath of God abideth on him Now this is a most dreadful condition to be under the wrath of God The wrath of an earthly King is as a messenger of death Prov. 16.14 And a messenger of death will set a man weeping sorely Isa 38.1 2. Hezekiah wept sore when Isaiah came with a message of death to him It is like the roaring of a Lion Prov. 19.12 And when the Lion roars all the beasts of the Forrests tremble Amos 3.8 The Lion hath roared who will not fear If the wrath of an earthly King be so dreadfull how dreadfull is the wrath of the great God who is King of Kings Gods anger is unconceivable we cannot understand the power and dreadfull effects of his wrath Psal 90.11 And it is intolerable Nah. 1.6 Who can stand before his indignation 2. They are under a sentence of eternal condemnation Rom. 5.18 By the offence of one man judgment came upon all men to condemnation And this sentence of condemnation abideth upon a man as long as he abideth in unbelief Joh. 3.18 He that believeth not is condemned already Now eternal condemnation is far more dreadfull than any troubles that any man ever met with in this world Job 10.1 2. When Job was in great bitterness of Spirit and was weary of his Life he dreaded condemnation more than all his sorrows I am weary of my Life I will speak in the bitterness of my Soul I will say unto God do not condemn me The thoughts and apprehensions of eternal misery make the hardest hearted sinners in the world to fear and tremble Of all sinners such as live under and resist the means of grace are the hardest hearted sinners and such as make a profession of Religion and are but Hypocrites have very hard hearts and seared Consciences yet the sinners in Zion and the hypocrites tremble at the thoughts of everlasting burnings Isa 33.14 The sinners in Zion are afraid fearfullness hath surprized the hypocrites who among us shall dwell with devouring fire who amongst us shall dwell with everlasting burnings 2. Understand and believe that there is Salvation from your sin and misery to be had in Jesus Christ and by no other way or means whatever but by Christ There is Salvation to be had in Christ for sinfull lost undone creatures yea even for the chiefest and most miserable sinners in the whole world 1 Tim. 1.15 This is a faithfull saying and worthy
by Christ and yet to say we are justified and saved by the free grace of God and are not at all inconsistent each with other For the Scripture asserts that we are justified by the free grace of God Rom. 3.24 Being justified freely by his grace through the Redemption which is in Christ Jesus Yet the Scripture requireth Faith in Christ and Repentance in order to our obtaining Remission of our sins Act. 10.43 and 3.19 The Scripture asserts we are saved by grace Eph. 2.8 By grace ye are saved And yet it tells us also if we would obtain Salvation we must believe in Christ Act. 16.31 And repent of our sins and that unless we do repent we shall surely perish Luk. 13.3 5. 2. There are no terms required by way of merit for it is not possible that any man should merit eternal life If we were able to do all that is required of us we must confess our selves unprofitable Servants Luk. 17.10 When ye have done all those things which were commanded you say we are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our duty to do How much more must we confess our selves unprofitable servants when we come exceeding short in doing our duty The greatest Saints are so far from meriting Heaven that they are not worthy of the least of all Gods mercies Who was a greater or more eminent Saint then Jacob of whom it is said as a Prince hast thau power with God and with men and hast prevailed Gen. 32.28 Yet he confesseth himself to be unworthy of the very least of all Gods mercies I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and all the truth that thou hast shewed unto thy Servant 3. It is no derogation to the free grace of God to say that God offers Christ and Salvation by Christ upon such terms as these if we will accept him for our Lord and Saviour if we will believe in him if we will forsake our sins take up our Cross and follow him For 1. God requires nothing of us in order to our being partakers of Christ and his saving benefits but what he himself will work in us and bestow on us if we seek to him He requires of all that will be saved by Christ that they believe in him but this Faith is not of our selves but is given to us by God Eph. 2.8 By grace ye are saved through Faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God He requireth Repentance of all those that will be saved by Christ Luk. 13.3 But this Repentance he himself will out of his free grace give unto us if we seek to him for it Act. 5.31 and 11.18 He requireth of all that will be saved that they obey Christ Mat. 11.29 Heb. 5.9 But of his free grace he hath promised that if we will seek to him he will put his Spirit within us and cause us to walk in his ways Ezek. 36.27 37. He requireth that we take up the Cross but out of his free grace he gives us to be willing and able to suffer for Christ Phil. 1.29 He requireth of us that we endure to the end and persevere in Faith and Obedience if we would be saved Mat. 24.13 But he promiseth out of his free grace to give us perseverance by putting his fear into our hearts that we shall not depart from him Jer. 32.46 He requireth nothing of us but what he himself will work in us and for us if we seek to him Isa 26.12 Lord thou wilt ordain peace for us for thou also hast wrought all our works in us 2. These things that God requireth of us as terms on which he will give us Christ and his saving benefits are not required as was hinted before by way of merit to make us worthy of Christ but as ways and means by which the Lord conveys the saving benefits of Christ to our Souls and makes us capable of being partakers of Christ As a man that offers one an handfull of Gold to one whose hands are full of Dust on condition he will let go the Dirt that is in his hands without he let it go he can't receive the Gold Or as a man that offers a Beggar a new garment on condition he will put off his old ragged garment and put on his new one 3. Those things which I call terms of Salvation as Faith Repentance Suffering for Christ Perseverance are all of them benefits and blessings purchased by Christ as we may see if we consult these Scriptures 2 Pet. 1.1 We obtain Faith through Righteousness of God our Saviour Repentance is a gift we have by Christ Act. 5.31 And suffering grace is purchased by Christ Phil. 1.29 And perseverance Heb. 10.14 And are all given to the Elect for Christs sake with the same free and rich grace as Christ was given for us Rom. 8.32 4. The Salvation of a sinner is infinite Mercy and infinite Grace on whatever terms he is saved For the torments of Hell from which he is saved are unspeakable and eternal torments and the glory of Heaven which they shall have that are saved is unconceivable glory and that God against whom we have sinned is an infinite God and therefore it is infinite mercy and grace in him to pardon and save a sinner on whatever terms he be saved 5. Accept of Christ for your Lord and Saviour and you shall assuredly have a saving interest in him By accepting Christ I mean these two things 1. The consent of our wills to have Christ and Salvation by Christ on the terms on which God offers him to us in the Gospel 2. A relyance on Christ and trusting in Christ for all his saving benefits By our consenting to have Christ as God offers him to us and our trusting in him he becomes ours and we become his Christ is the gift of God Joh. 4.10 And what makes a gift ours but an offer on his part that hath power to dispose of the gift and acceptance on his part to whom the gift is offered on the conditions on which it is tendered to him All that receive or accept Christ on the terms on which God offers him have upon their receiving Christ this priviledge conferred upon them to be the children of God Joh. 1.12 As many as received him to them gave he power to become the Sons of God even to them that believe on his name As the Shechemites by consenting to the terms of Union and Commerce should have become one people with the house of Jacob and greatly enriched themselves if the sons of Jacob had dealt truly with them Gen. 34.22 23. Onely herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us to be one people if every male among us be circumoised as they are circumcised Shall not their cattel and their substance and every beast of theirs be ours Onely let us consent to them and they will dwell with us So upon our consenting to have Christ as God offers
be best for you to give your self to Christ or to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season and to pursue this present World For if it be our own choice then it is most likely that we shall stick and cleave to Christ Psal 119.30 31. I have chosen the way of truth I have stuck unto thy Testimonies As in giving Alms to the poor we should give freely willingly chearfully not grudgingly or out of necessity because we can't avoid giving something 2 Cor. 9.7 Every man according as he proposeth in his heart so let him give not grudgingly or of necessity for God loveth a chearfull giver So much more in giving our selves to Christ we should not give our selves to Christ grudgingly or out of necessity but out of choice because it is best for us to be Christs willingly and chearfully for in this as well as in other cases God loveth a chearfull giver 4. Engage your selves to Christ by Covenant to be his wholly his only his his for ever It is said of Jehojada 2 King 11.17 Jehojada made a Covenant between the Lord and the King and the People that they should be the Lords people So should we make a covenant with Christ that we will be his people and that we will be his for ever We should joyn our selves to Christ by covenant and this covenant should be an everlasting covenant Jer. 50.5 Come and let us joyn our selves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten We should engage our selves to Christ to be wholly his 2 Chron. 15.18 And they entered into a Covenant to seek the Lord God of their Fathers with all their heart and with all their soul And to be only his Psal 62.5 My Soul wait thou only upon God Mat. 4.10 Him only shalt thou serve This engaging our selves to Christ by covenant is very acceptable to God and beneficial to our selves It is so acceptable to God that it is a means of turning away his wrath when his anger is kindled against us 2 Chron. 29.10 Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel that his fierce wrath may turn away from us And it is very beneficial to our selves many ways I will instance only in two 1. It will more strongly oblige us to adhere to Christ when we have obliged our selves to be his in an everlasting covenant 2. It will be a good evidence and testimony that Christ is ours and we are his when we find that we have chosen him for our Lord and obliged our selves to him to be his by covenant Psal 119.30 94. I have chosen the way of truth I am thine Psal 16.2 O my Soul thou hast said unto the Lord thou art my Lord. Isa 44.5 One shall say I am the Lords and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord When they made covenants to be the Lords People sometimes they that entered into covenant subscribed their hands to their covenants Neh. 9.38 7. If we would be made partakers of Christ and his saving benefits after we have received Christ as God offers him in the Gospel and have given up our selves to Christ to be his we must continue and abide with him all the days of our lives we must continue in his word and in his ways we must continue believing in loving and obeying the Lord Jesus Christ and walking in his ways For if we abide in the Doctrine of Christ if we continue to believe in love serve and obey Christ he will own us for his and we shall assuredly be made pertakers of Christ and all his saving benefits To assure us of this let us consult such Scriptures as these Joh. 2d Epist ver 9. He that abideth in the Doctrine of Christ he hath both the Father and the Son Joh. 8.30 31. As he spake these words many believed on him Then said Jesus to those Jews that believed on him if ye continue in my word then are ye my Disciples indeed Heb. 3.14 For we are made pertakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast to the end That is if after we have begun to believe we continue stedfast in the Faith of Christ to the end of our days we shall certainly be partakers of Christ And because it is a difficult thing to abide with Christ and continue walking in his ways when troubles and persecutions arise for the Gospels sake I will give you some encouragements to continue with Christ in an hour of temptation 1. Our Lord Jesus Christ will greatly reward our fidelity in continuing with him in his temptations and will assuredly give us eternal life Luk. 22.28 29 30. Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations c. Our Lord Jesus Christ observeth who they are that reject him and who they are that continue with him in his temptations and he takes it very kindly from us when we continue with him in an hour of temptation He speaks it to his Disciples commendation Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations And see how he rewards their fidelity in adhering to him in a time of trouble He promiseth to give them no less reward than a Kingdom I appoint unto you a Kingdom And in that Kingdom they shall have joy unspeakable and full of glory and Royal dignity That ye may eat and drink at my Table It is a great honour to set with the King at his Table that we shall not only set at the Table where Angels sit but at Christs Table Not that there is eating and drinking in a proper sense in Heaven but in as much as there is delight in eating and drinking Isa 55.2 Eat that which is good and let your Soul delight it self in fatness especially what is set on Kings Tables by these expressions is hinted to us that such shall enter into the joy of their Lord. And besides their unspeakable joys they shall have royal dignity conferred on them and sit on Thrones See some other Scriptures to this purpose Mat. 24.13 But he that shall endure to the end the same shall be saved In the foregoing verses the Lord Jesus foretells great National calamities Wars and Pestilences and Famine ver 7. And great persecutions against his Members ver 9. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted and shall kill you and ye shall be hated of all Nations for my names sake And then tells us that when suffering days come many will be offended and prove treacherous ver 10. But to encourage us to continue faithfull to the death he assureth us that whosoever endureth to the end of his life in times of trouble and persevereth in Faith and Holiness the same shall be saved But he that endureth to the end the same shall be saved And if we may but obtain the Salvation of our Souls whatever we loose whatever we suffer for the obtaining the crown of glory we shall be happy for ever
fared deliciously every day when he was in Hell could not get one drop of Water to cool his Tongue They are dear â—â—â—ght pleasures that must be paid for in â—â—â—â—â—orments Momentaneum est quod delectal Eâ—ernum quod cruciat The pleasures of sin are gone in a moment but the pains of Hell are for Eternity 5. The pleasures of sin are such poor vain vile things that bitter and sharp afflictions are rather to be chosen than the pleasures of sin which are but for a season Moses who was a wise man preferred the afflictions of a Wilderness with the people of God before the delights and pleasures of a Kings Court when they could not be enjoyed without sin Heb. 11.25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season §. Arg. To perswade us to leave gainfull and profitable sins 1. Such gain as is gotten by sinfull and unrighteous means will prove the greatest loss in the World For it is gotten with the loss of our Souls and with the loss of the Kingdom of Heaven 1 Cor. 6.9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God And what loss like the loss of our Souls and the loss of a Kingdom even the Kingdom of Heaven The gaining of the whole World will not make up this loss Mark 8.34 For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole World and lose his own Soul 2. You shall gain greater and better things by forsaking your sins and leading a Godly Life than you can gain by continuance in your sins For what you gain by Unrighteousness doth you very little good but Godliness will be profitable to you for all things both in this life and in the life which is to come 1 Tim. 4.8 Godliness is profitable unto all things having the promise of the life that now it and that which is to come If you will leave your gainfull sins for Christ you shall in gaining Christ gain unsearchable Riches Eph. 3.8 Yea in gaining Christ you shall gain all things 1 Cor. 3.21 22 23. 3. Such gain as a man gets unrighteously will profit a man nothing either in a day of wrath or in the day of death or at the day of judgment Prov. 10.2 Treasures of wickedness profit nothing Though a man hath gotten a vast Estate though he hath heaped up Treasures in great abundance yet if he hath gotten them by wicked ways they will profit him nothing They will be so far from profiting him that they will hurt him exceedingly What a man gets unrighteously he leaves behind him when he dyeth but his guilt will follow him into the other World and will torment him like Fire Jam. 5.3 Your Gold and Silver is cankered and the rust of them will be a Witness against you and shall eat your Flesh as it were Fire ye have heaped Treasures together for the last days 4. Uprightness and Righteousness in our dealings is a far better way to get an Estate than Fraud and Unrighteousness For 1. Such as deal Truly and Righteously shall have God's Blessing in an abundant manner Prov. 28.20 A faithfull man shall abound with Blessings but sin and wickedness bringeth the curse of God Prov. 3.33 The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked Now who is in the most likely way to thrive they that have the curse or they that have the Blessing of God 2. If a man should get but a small Estate that dealeth righteously and uprightly yet a little estate gotten righteously is better and hath more comfort in it than great Revenues gotten by unrighteous ways Ps 37.16 A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked Prov. 16.8 Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right For there is more comfort in a little gotten with Gods blessing than in a great deal gotten by sinfull ways Prov. 10.22 The blessing of the Lord it maketh Rich and he addeth no sorrow with it 3. What is gotten Righteously abideth longer than what is gotten by sinfull ways Jer. 17.11 He that getteth Riches and not by right shall leave them in the midst of his days and at his end shall be a Fool. Prov. 28.22 He that hasteth to be Rich hath an evil Eye and considereth not that Poverty shall come upon him That is he that makes such hast to be Rich as that he will use undue courses to get Riches takes the ready way to become a Poor man But when men get Estates Righteously that is the way to have their Estates blessed to themselves Prov. 28.10 The upright shall have good things in possession And to their Posterity for many Generations Prov. 13.22 A good man leaveth an inheritance to his Childrens Children and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just Sect. 4 Obeying Christ even in the most difficult Precepts of the Gospel should not make us refuse closing with Christ A 4th hinderance to our closing with Christ is unwillingness to come under his Government and yield obedience to the commands of the Gospel especially such commands as are cross to our interest and contrary to our corrupt natures and in such commands as are like the pulling out of right eyes and cutting off Right hands In such cases and in reference to such commands Many are ready to say this is an hard saying who can bear it Joh. 6.60 And say in their hearts We will not have this man to Reign over us Luk. 19.15 Now to remove this stumbling block I shall propose some arguments to perswade us to be willing to receive Christ for our Lord and to obey him in the most difficult duties that he requireth of us even such as are like the cutting off a right hand and pulling out a right eye 1. The Lord Jesus commands us to do nothing requireth nothing of us but what is for our own good Mich 6.8 He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God The Lord requireth of us that we do justly that we love mercy that we walk humbly with our God and why because these things are good for us Deut. 10.12 13. And now Israel what doth the Lord thy God require of thee but to fear the Lord thy God to keep the Commandements of the Lord and his Statutes which I command thee this day for thy good Yea even such commands of Christ as seem hardest to Flesh and Blood are greatly for our good It seems a very hard matter to cut off our Right Hand or our Foot or to pluck out a Right Eye when any of these Members cause us to offend yet it is really better for us to remove the impediments of our Salvation though as dear as our Eyes as usefull and beneficial to us as our Hands and Feet and to
none upon Earth that I desire besides thee 3. The Lord Jesus prefers such as love and serve him above all persons in the world Exod. 19.5 If you will obey my voice indeed and keep my Covenant then you shall be unto me a peculiar treasure above all people Deut. 7.6 The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself above all people that are upon the face of the Earth He calls his Church the fairest among women Cant. 1.8 Now if Christ love and prefer us above all other persons in the world is it not reason that we should love and prefer him above all things and persons in the whole world 5. It is dangerous loving and preferring any thing above Christ For 1. VVhat we love and prefer above Christ we make it an Idol an abominable Idol There are Idols in the Heart as well as Idols in the Temples Ezek. 14.3 Son of man these men have set up their Idols in their heart Now that is an Idol in the Heart which is loved and preferred above Christ VVhat we love most whither it be the true God or an Idol that we make our God Deut. 6.5 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart Now the Idolatry of the heart is odious to God as well as bowing the body to an Idol for the Soul boweth to the Idols set up in the heart And such as set up Idols in their hearts shall be shut out of the Kingdom of Heaven as well as they that bow their bodies to Idols Eph. 5.5 For this ye know that no Whoremonger nor Vnclean person nor Covetous man who is an Idolater hath any Inheritance in the Kingdom of God and of Christ A Covetous man is called an Idolater because he loveth the World above God and Christ and this Idolatry as well as worshipping Graven Images will shut a man out of the Kingdom of God 2. What we love and prefer above Christ shall either be quickly taken from us or else the enjoying of it shall become a curse to us Oft times when we Idolize Creatures God takes them away from us To overlove any thing is the ready way to lose it When Jonah overjoyed in his Gourd the Lord prepared a worm the next day that smote the Gourd and it withered Jona 4.6 7. Or else God curses those things which we are over-fond of and makes them grievous crosses When the Jews doted on the Assyrians God gave them into the hands of the Assyrians to be spoiled and destroyed by them Ezek. 23.5 12. Sect. 6. Such as complain of inability to come up to the terms of the Gospel answered It may be some will say I wish I could close with the terms on which Christ is offered in the Gospel but I find I am not able to do it I find in my self an inability to believe and repent I can't obey Christ and deny my self and suffer for Christ I wish I could do these things but I find no power yea sometimes I find opposition and reluctancy in my will against the terms of the Gospel what would you say to one in my condition A. 1. The main thing that God looks at is that we should be willing to have Christ as he offers him to us in the Gospel That we be willing to believe in him willing to repent of our sins willing to obey Christ willing to suffer for his sake willing to be saved by him in his own way For God is willing to give Christ and all his benefits unto every one that is willing to receive him Rev. 22.17 Whosoever will let him take the water of life freely As it is in matters of charity where there is a willing mind God accepts it though there be not ability to do that which we are desirous to do 2 Cor. 8.12 If there be first a willing mind it is accepted according to what a man hath and not according to what he hath not So it is in other Evangelical duties if there be a willing mind to perform what the Gospel requireth it is accepted although there be not power and ability to do what is required of us If there be a willingness to leave our sins and obey the Lord it is accepted as obedience Isa 1.16.19 Cease to do evil learn to do well If ye be willing and obedient ye shall eat the good of the Land There may be a willingness to that good which we want power to perform and where there is such a willingness it is taken notice of and accepted by God Math. 26.41 The Spirit indeed is willing but the Flesh is weak 2. If you find a want of power to come up to the terms of the Gospel this should not keep you from Christ but cause you to go to him that he give you power and strength to do what he requireth of you The Apostle of himself was as weak as we are he could do nothing no nor think any thing that was good 2 Cor. 3.5 But through Christ's strengthning him he could do all things Phil. 4.13 If we find we can't believe we must look unto Christ that he would work Faith in us Heb. 12.2 Looking to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our Faith If we can't Repent we must look unto Christ to give us Repentance for he was Exalted to give Repentance to those that can't Repent as well as Remission of sins to them that do Repent Act. 5.31 If we can't obey Christ and walk in his ways we must look unto Christ to put his Spirit within and to cause us to walk in his ways Ezek. 36.27 If we can't love and prefer Christ above all things we must look unto Christ that he would Circumcise our hearts to love him with all our hearts and all our souls Deut. 30.6 If we can't deny our selves for Christ we must look to him to give us a self-denying heart Ezek. 36.26 If we can't suffer for Christ we must look unto him to give us a suffering Spirit Phil. 1.29 3. If you find some unwillingness as well as an inability to close with Christ upon the terms of the Gospel seek unto God to work in you both a will and power to accept of Christ as he is offered in the Gospel To encourage thereunto consider 1. Both are Gods work which he works in us out of his free grace It is God that makes us willing to close with Christ on the terms of the Gospel and it is God that gives us power to believe repent deny our selves take up our Cross and follow Christ Phil. 2.13 It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure 2. Both are promised and may be obtained of God if we will seek for them He hath promised to encline our wills to embrace Christ Psal 110.3 Thy people shall be a willing people in the day of thy power And he hath promised to give power also to them that have no might Isa 40.29
2.10 Ye are compleat in him 5. Our imperfections shall not hinder us of the love of God here nor of the Kingdom of Heaven hereafter Psal 73.22 23 24. Sect. 8. There is comfort in Christ for such as are under the hidings of Gods face and are troubled because they can't enjoy Communion with God It is the lot of some Christians to be under the hidings of God's face and to want Communion with God and that is a great trouble to them Psal 30.7 Thou didst hide thy face and I was troubled Now there is comfort for such in Christ and that in these respects 1. It was one great end of Christ's death to bring us to the enjoyment of God 1 Pet. 3.18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins the just for the unjust that we might be brought unto God The great obstacle to our Communion with God is our sins For 't is sin that separates between God and us Isa 59.2 Behold your iniquities have sepparated between you and your God Now Christ's death hath taken away this obstacle of our Communion with God for whereas our sins had put us far from God and caused God to stand afar off from us by the blood of Christ we are made nigh to God Eph. 2.13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ 2. Our Lord Jesus Christ himself was under the hidings of Gods face and that in time of great distress when he was upon the Cross when nigh unto death he cryed out Mat. 27.46 My God my God why hast thou forsaken me But how doth this make for the comfort of a Soul under the hidings of Gods face that our Lord Jesus Christ himself was in a deserted condition A. 1. Hence we learn that the hidings of God's face is consistent with a state of adoption and the special love of God For Christ was the beloved Son of God in whom he was well pleased yet he was in a deserted condition in a time of trouble in a dying hour and therefore we should not question the Fatherly love of God because of the hidings of his face Isa 64.7 8. Thou hast hid thy face from us But now O Lord thou art our Father 2. Seeing our Lord Jesus hath been under the hidings of God's face he knoweth how to pity and succour those that are in this condition Heb. 2.18 3. We have gracious promises which are all yea and Amen in Christ Jesus that though the Lord be withdrawn from us yet if we return he for Christ's sake will return unto us 2 Chron. 30.9 The Lord your God is gracious and mercifull and will not turn away his face from you if ye return unto him Mal. 3.7 Even from the dayes of your Fathers ye are gone away from mine Ordinances and have not kept them Return unto me and I will return unto you saith the Lord of Hosts Jam. 4.8 Draw nigh to God and God will draw nigh to you 4. Though you want sensible influences from God yet if you be one that hath closed with Christ upon the terms of the Gospel God hath Communicated himself to you for your God and Father in Christ by Covenant and hath given you the priviledge to be one of his Sons Joh. 1.12 and that is a higher degree of Communion with God than the giving insensible influences to that you ought not to say you have no Communion with God because there is a suspension of influences when as the Lord hath given himself for your God by Covenant and hath taken you for his children Sect. 9. There is comfort in Christ for such as are troubled with fears of falling away What David said concerning Saul 1 Sam. 27.1 I shall now one day perish by the hand of Saul the like some Christians who have accepted Christ on the terms of the Gospel and have given themselves to Christ are ready to say in their hearts I shall one day fall away from Christ and perish for ever My heart is so treacherous and indwelling corruption so strong and Satan's Temptations so prevalent and the oppositions from the world may be so great that I fear I shall not hold out to the end but shall fall away and this is a great trouble to me Now there is comfort to be had from Christ against these fears of falling away and that on these grounds 1. The intercession of Christ is a ground of comfort to such Believers on Christ as are troubled with fears of fallingaway For he prayeth for us that our Faith may not fail Luk. 22.31 32. And the Lord said Simon Simon Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as Wheat But I have prayed for thee that thy Faith fail not And he that prayed for Peter that his Faith might not fail he hath prayed for all that do and shall believe in him Joh 17.20 21. Neither pray I for these alone but for them also that shall believe on me through their word that they all may be one c. And what Christ prayed for was alwayes granted Joh. 11.41 42. Father I thank thee that thou hast heard me and I know that thou hearest me alwayes 2. The Members of Christ may be comforted against their fears of falling away from God's Everlasting Covenant For God is entered into an Everlasting Covenant with them that he will not turn away from them and that he will keep them from departing from him Jer. 32.40 And I will make an Everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good and I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from me See Isa 54.10 3. The unchangeableness of Gods love is a good ground of comfort against fears of falling away Joh. 13.1 Jesus having loved his own that were in the World loved them unto the end It is not said having loved his own that are in glory but that are in the world where they are liable to temptations and corruptions and troubles he loved them to the end Rom. 8.38 39. For I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor heigth nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus God's love being unchangeable we may rest satisfied that the same love which called us to the knowledge and Faith of Christ will keep us from departing from Christ seeing the gifts and the callings of God are without Repentance The same love that quickned us when we were dead in sins and trespasses will also preserve us unto Eternal Life 4. The attributes of God may comfort weak Christians against their fears of falling away The name of the Lord is our strong Tower whether we may run and be safe against these fears as for instance 1. The power of God that is engaged to keep and preserve
us till we are brought safe to Heaven 1 Pet. 1 5. Who are kept by the power of God through Faith unto Salvation And though the Lord lets us fall for our Humiliation yet he will not suffer us to be utterly cast down Psal 37.23 24. This power of God that keeps us is able to stablish the weakest Christians against all Oppositions Rom. 16.25 To him that is of power to stablish you The Apostle speaking of such as are weak in the Faith saith Rom. 14.1 4. Him that is weak in the Faith receive you yea he shall be holden up for God is able to make him to stand 2. The mercy of God preserveth us from falling away Psal 94.18 When I said my foot slippeth thy mercy O Lord held me up and this mercy stands fast with us for ever Psal 89.28 My mercy will I keep for him for evermore Isa 54.8 3. The faithfullness of God is a comfort against our fears of falling away 2 Thes 3.3 The Lord is faithfull who will stablish you and keep you from evil 5. The Lord Jesus Christ hath assured his Sheep that they shall never perish but that he will give them Eternal Life and that none shall pluck them out of his hands Joh. 10.27 28 29. Where observe that all the sheep of Christ are kept by the power of the Father and the Son to Eternal Life so that they shall never perish For our fuller satisfaction in this case let us see what are the grounds of those fears of falling away which perplex our minds and see how we are secured against all of them 1. Is it the strength of Satans Temptations The Lord hath engaged his faithfullness that he will not suffer us to be tempted above what we are able to bear 1 Cor. 10.13 2. Is it the strength of indwelling corruption The Lord hath engaged himself by promise to subdue our iniquities Mic. 7.19 3. Is it the opposition that the World maketh against us the troubles and persecutions of the world makes us fear that we shall fall away Christ hath overcome the world for us Joh. 16. ult And no men by all that they can do shall pluck any of Christs sheep out of his hands Joh. 10.27 28. 1 John 4.4 4. Are we afraid that God should leave us and that we being left of him should fall away He hath engaged himself by promise that he will never leave nor forsake us Heb. 13.5 He hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee 5. Are we afraid of our own treacherous backsliding hearts He hath engaged to put his fear into our hearts that we shall not depart from him Jer. 32.40 Sect. 10. There is comfort in Christ for such whose heart is sick because there hope is deferred Solomon tells us Hope deferred makes the heart sick Prov. 13.12 And many Christians find it true by experience while hope for promised mercies and mercies begged in prayer and their hope is deferred their hearts grow sick and their spirits faint within them Psal 143.7 Hear me speedily O Lord my spirit faileth Psal 119.81 82. My soul fainteth for thy salvation Mine eyes fail for thy word saying when wilt thou comfort me Now there is comfort in Christ for such as find their hearts fainting when prayed for promised hoped for mercies are deferred And that on these grounds 1. Promised mercies shall furely be given in God's time which is the best time for all things Hab. 2.3 The vision that is the mercies promised to the prophet in a vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak and not lye though it tarry wait for it because it will surely come it will not tarry And the like I may say of mercies begged in prayer they shall furely come if they be such as are according to the will of God 1 Joh. 5.14 2. Our Lord Jesus Christ intercedeth with his Father to give us all promised mercies For he is the Mediator of the New Covenant and Mediates with God on our behalf that for his sake he would give us all the blessings promised in the new Covenant He also intercedeth for us with his Father to give us all those mercies which we ask in his name agreeable to his will Heb. 7.25 And the Lord will not deny Christ any thing for which he maketh intercession 3. The longer hoped for mercies are deferred the sweeter they will be when they are given to us Prov. 13.12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick but when the desire cometh it is a tree of life 4. When hoped for mercies are delayed till the heart is sick and begins to faint yet it is good still to keep up our hope in God Lam. 3.18 26. Psa 119.81 For we please God when we hope in his mercy Ps 147.11 5. The main and best of hope is for things laid up in heaven for us Col. 1.5 For the hope which is laid up in heaven for you If in this life only we had hope in Christ we were of all men most miserable The best blessing which a Christian hopes for are laid up in heaven There we shall have an answer of all our prayers a fulfilling of all promises a satisfaction of all our desires when that blessed hope is accomplished it will make amends for the deferring and frustration of all other hopes Wherefore let us look after and wait patiently for that hope Tit. 2.13 1 Pet. 1.13 Sect. 11. There is comfort in Christ for such as are assaulted with horrid temptations as blasphemy self-murder c. Some Christians are assaulted with grievous temptations as blasphemous thoughts self-murder c. that they are even weary of their lives Now to such there is comfort to be had in Christ in several respects as 1. None of all the temptations of Satan can bereave a Christian of eternal life For a Christian's life is hid with Christ in God Col. 3.3 Ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God And what is hid with Christ in God is out of the devils reach 2. Though Satan may temptthe members of Christ yet he shall be never able to overcome them but they shall overcome him and all his temptations Rev. 12.11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb Eph. 6.16 Above all things taking the shield of faith whereby ye shall be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked Col. 2.15 3. The worst of Temptations are consistent with the Fatherly love of God Our Lord Jesus Christ who was the beloved Son of God was tempted to cast himself down from a pinacle of the Temple and to fall down and worship the devil and what worse sin than to worship the devil 4. We are assured by God that if we resist the devil he will flee from us Jam. 4.7 And therefore whatsoever Temptation he assaults us withal let us resist him believing that he will flee and if he come again let us resist him again We are also assured that though the Lord suffer Satan to tempt us yet he will not suffer us to be tempted above what he will enable us to bear 1 Cor. 10.13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man But God is faithfull who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it FINIS
when enlightned by the word and Spirit of God are able to discern and to give a judgment of our estate towards God and of the most inward workings both of Sin and Grace Pro. 20.27 The Spirit of a man is the Candle of the Lord searching all the inward parts of the Belly By the inward parts of the Belly we may undestand all the secrets of the heart the inclinations dispositions and motions of the heart both to good and evil These are all searched out and discovered by the Spirit of a man which is as the Candle of the Lord but to effect this searching of our inward parts this Candle of the Lord must be lighted by the Word and the Spirit of the Lord for till that be done it gives such a dim and uncertain light that we can discern but little of our own state Therefore besides Communing with our own hearts and making use of our own Spirits we must make use of the Word of God that we may discern the state of our own Souls towards God Prov. 6.23 The Commandment is a Lamp and the Law is light Psal 119.130 The entrance of thy words giveth light it giveth understanding to the simple ver 105. Thy word is a Lamp to my feet and a light to my path There are plain and clear Characters laid down in the Scriptures of such as are Christs the knowledge of these which I shall mention in the next Section are requisite for us to examine our selves by And besides making use of our own Spirits and having recourse to the light of Gods word it is needful that we should implore the illumination and assistance of the Holy Spirit because it is his enlightning our minds that gives us light Psal 36.9 In thy light shall we see light Job 32.8 But there is a Spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding The eyes of our underderstandings are shut till the Spirit of God doth open them Eph. 1.17 18. And as we need the Spirit to enlighten our understandings so also to witness to and with our Spirits or being the Children of God Rom. 8.16 The Spirit it self beareth witness with our Spirits that we are the Children of God Evidences of a saving interest in Christ. Seeing the knowledge of our interest in Christ tendeth so much to our Consolation both against all the troubles of this Life and the terrors of Death and seeing this knowledge is obtained by examining our selves by those Characters that the Scriptures give of those that are Christs I shall lay down several Characters out of the Scriptures of such as have a saving interest in Christ those that I shall mention and explain are these 1. Effectual calling 2. Recieving Christ as he is offered in the Gospel 3. They that are Christs have the Spirit of Christ given to them 4. They that are Christs are new Creatures 5. They that are Christs have Crucified the Flesh with the lusts and affections 6. They that are Christs do love Christ and prefer Christ above all things and persons in the World 7. They that are Christs live to Christ and dye to him 1. They that are effectually called are Christs and Christ with all his benefits are theirs 1 Cor. 1.26 compared with 1 Cor. 3.23 Ye see your calling Brethren ye are Christs Whom doth the Apostle mean when he saith ye are Christs he meaneth such as are effectually called And speaking of those that were called he tells them that God had united them to Christ and made them partakers of the benefits of Christ Jesus 1 Cor. 1.26 30. Ye see your calling Brethren Of him are ye in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption Eternal Life and all other saving benefits of Christ are promised to them that are effectually called Heb. 9.15 And for this cause he is the Mediator of the New Testament that by means of Death for the Redemption of the Transgressions that were under the first Covenant they which were called might recieve the promise of the eternal inheritance But Eternal Life and the saving benefits of Christ are given only to such as have an interest in Christ 1 Joh. 5.12 He that hath not the Son of God hath not Life Now we may know that we are effectually called these ways 1. When the Lord calls a sinner effectually he calls him out of darkness into light whereas the mind and understanding was before full of ignorance and blindness the Lord enlightens the mind with saving knowledge when he calls a sinner effectually it is 1 Pet. 2.9 That ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light Now in this work of illumination we may consider these 3 or 4 things 1. God calls a man to see his sinful miserable undone estate by nature Jer. 2.19 Know and see that it is an evil thing and bitter that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God and that my fear is not in thee saith the Lord God of Hosts And his inability to help or recover himself out of his sinful and miserable estate Joh 15.5 Without me ye can do nothing 2. God calls a man to see and to know that remission of sins and Salvation is to be had in Christ and no where else but in and from Christ Jesus Act. 13.38 Through this man is preached unto you remission of sins Luke 19.10 The Son of Man is come to seek and save that which was lost There is Salvation for lost man to be had in Christ and in none but him Act. 4.12 Neither is their Salvation in any other for there is none other name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved As the Lord gives us to understand that we have destroyed and undone our selves so also he causeth us to know that there is help for such as are in a perishing condition and also where this help is to be found namely in himself through Christ Hos 13.9 O If del thou hast destroved thy self but in me is thy help Thus is a material branch of saving illumination the giving as the knowledge of God and Christ 1 Cor. 4.6 Joh. 17.3 3 The Lord enlightens his People to see and to know which way they should obtain Salvation from Christ out of their sinful and miserable condition namely by Faith and Repentance For after a man is enlightned to see his lost estate then he is at a loss to know what he should do to be saved and the Lord shews him that Salvation is obtained by Christ through Faith and Repentance Act. 16.30 31. Sirs what must I do to be saved And they said believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved Ezek. 18.30 Repent and turn your selves from all your Transgressions and so iniquity shall not be your rutine 4. Where there is saving illumination the instruction the Lord gives is like that spoken of by the Prophet