I may use to you the words of the Prophet Esa. 42.23 Who among you will give eare to this who will hearken and heare for the time to come Thirdly and lastly Admit there were but one or two among you that had present need of comfort and none of the rest of you either needed it now or were like to stand in need of it hereafter yet stand I more bound to respect the two poore afflicted soules then al the rest of you though you were as many more as you are and rather let you all go without that portion that belongeth to you then those two And I have three reasons to move me to it First the example of the Prophet Elisha 2 King 4.27 who had tender respect to the Shunamite when her soule was vexed within her Yea of Christ who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the chiefe shepheard and pastour who professeth this to be his chiefe care Ezek. 34.16 I will bind up that which was broken and will strengthen that that was sicke And that this was the chiefe worke God appointed him to when he sent him to preach Esa. 61.1 2. He hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted and to comfort all that mourne in Zion And gave an experiment of this in Peter and Mary whom because they were afflicted in conscience he shewed more care of after his resurrection then of all the rest of the Disciples Mar 16 9. 1 Cor. 15.5 Ioh. 21.15 Secondly the charge and commandement of Christ which he hath given all his Ministers concerning these as appeareth Esa. 40.1 2. Comfort ye comfort ye my people saith your God speake ye comfortably to Ierusalem And in that charge to Peter Ioh. 21.15 Feed my lambes Thirdly as these poore soules have need to be comforted and have this evill usually accompanying their other misery that it is a hard thing to fasten any comfort upon them their soulâ— usually refuseth comfort when they are in this case as David speaketh Psal 77.2 So the ministery of the Word being ordained to this very end 1 Cor. 4.3 hath more force and God sheweth his power more in it this way then in any private meanes According to that Esa 57.19 I create the fruit of the lips peace peace to him that is farre off and to him that is neere saith the Lord and I will heale him Now therefore hearken unto me so many of you as feare the Lord and yet are much subject to trouble of mind and heavinesse of heart and to use the words of the Evangelicall Prophet Esa. 51.1 hearkâ—n unto me ye that folow aâ—â—â—r righteousnesse ye that seeke the Lord. Stirre up your hearts to admit of the word of consolation Foure things I have to say to you for your comfort First It is the will of God that such as you are should be cheerefull and comfortable in your spirits He hath oft charged you in his Word to be so yea as oft and as earnestly as ever he charged you to feare him and to lead a godly life Psal. 32.11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoyce ye righteous so I would wilt thou say if I were so but marke what followeth and shout for joy all ye that are upright in heart Yea Psalme 105.3 Let the heart of them rejoyce that seeke the Lord. Yea Phil. 4.4 Rejoyce in the Lord alway and againe I say rejoyce To omit many other places as Psalme 2.11.33.1.48.11.68.4.97.12.149.2.5 Matth. 5.12 Luke 10.20 Rom. 12.13 Phil. 3.1 1 Thess. 5.26 By all which you may perceive this that God greatly delighteth to see you cheerefull and comfortable Secondly I must intreat you to consider the mischiefe that commeth by your giving so much way to your heavinesse and feares 1. You give occasion to wicked men to blaspheme and speake evill of the good waies of God as if this preaching and profession made men mad or mopish that follow it and so yee alienate their hearts from religion and make them hate preaching As the spies that brought an evill report of the land of promise and said Numb 1â— 32 It was a land that devoured the inhabitants of it alienated the hearts of the people from it and made them murmur against Moses and Aaron Numb 14.2 It is said Acts 9.31 that while the faithfull walked in the feare of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost they multiplied That is the way to add to the Church and gaine others to it when Christians walke cheerefully and comfortably and so the contrary is a stumbling blocke to keepe men from it 2. By yeelding to this heavinesse you give advantage to Sathan and make your selves lesse able to resist his tentations Neh. 8.10 Be not so sorrowfull for the joy of the Lord is your strength 3. By yeelding to this heavinesse and feare ye make the duties and services ye do to God lesse acceptable unto him For as God loveth a cheerefull giver 2 Cor. 9.7 so doth he a cheerefull worshipper Psalme 100.2 Serve the Lord with gladnesse The Lord would have us call the Sabbath a delight Esa. 58.13 And threatneth captivity even for this Deut. 28.47 Because they served him not with joyfullnesse and with gladnesse of heart Thirdly I must desire you to consider how just cause such as you are have to be comfortable and cheerfull in the Lord what cause soever you have of humbling in your selves For certainly yeare in a blessed state Psal. 128.1 Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord. 1. You are the people to whom the kingdome of heaven doth belong Mat. 5.3 Blessed are the poore in spirit for theirs is the kingdome of heaven And all things that befall you shall certainely tend to the fitting of you for it and therefore you have just cause of joy Feare not little flock saith our Saviour Luk. 12 3â— it is your fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdome Rom. 8.28 All things worke together for good to them that feare God Rom. 5.2 We rejoyce in hope of the glory of God Yea we glory in tribulation also verse 3..2 You are the people whose sins are forgiven and for whom Christ hath fully satisfyed the justice of his father so as though you may be chastised sharply for them punished you shall never be In that day there shall be a fountaine opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Ierusalem for sinne and for uncleannesse Zach. 13.1 In what day See that Zach. 12.10 when God shall poure upon them the spirit of grace and supplications so as they should looke upon him whom they had pierced and mourne for him And therefore thou hast just cause of joy Esa. 40.2 Speake ye comfortably to Ierusalem and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished the battell is fought and victory obtained against all her enemies that her iniquity is pardoned for she hath received of the Lords hand double for all her sinnes 3. You are the people that how ever men esteeme you or you thinke of
him to heare him And our Saviour was so farre from blaming them as if they neglected their worldly businesse this way that hee defendeth and praiseth Mary for doing this Luk. 10 4â— though happily she had some whatelse to do at that time Thirdly few or none are thankefull to God for this ordinance of his nor do in their hearts esteeme it any such blessing to the land or towne that enjoy it as for which they should thinke themselves much bound to praise God They can be thankefull for peace and for health and for seasonable times but for a goâ—d ministery few or none can be thankefull to God whereas we should account it our chiefe blessing from God for so the Lord speaketh of this as his chiefe blessing bestowed upon a people Iere 3 15. I will give you Pastors according to mine owne heart that shall feed you with knowledge and understanding And Amos 2.11 I raised up of your sonnes for Prophets and of your young men for Nazarites And Mic. 6.4 I sent before thee and Moses Aaron Miriam Yea such a blessing it is as should abundantly content us and assure us of Gods favour even in the want of all other blessings For so speaketh the Lord of it Esay 30.20 Though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more but thine eyes shall see thy teachers 2. We should account a faithful ministery the very glory and strength of our land When the Arke of God was gone the glory was departed from Israel 1. Sam. 4.31 And the true ministery of the Lords Levits is said to be that that strengthened the kingdome of Iudah 2. Chron. 11.17 And Abijah makes this a maine ground of his confidence and hope of successe in his battell against Ieroboam that he in his kingdome had a true and faithfull ministery which the other had not 2 Chron. 13.9 10. Have not ye cast out the Priests of the Lord the sonnes of Aaron and the Levites and have made you priests after the manner of the nations But as for us the Lord is our God and we have not forsaken him and the Priests which minister unto the Lord are the sonnes of Aaron and the Levites waite upon their businesses Now to this first sort of persons that this Doctrine reproveth I have no more to say but this that I would have them to thinke seriously of two things First That they have cause to suspect whatsoever grace or goodnes seemes to be in them while their heart tells them they make no more reckoning of the ministery of the Word but despise it rather Two good things such men use to put most confidence in 1. They find some devotion in themselves they love prayers well and can say their owne prayers sometimes 2. They beleeve in Christ. Foolish man let not Satan deceive thee certainly while thou makest no reckning of the ministery of the Word they faith is nothing worth thy prayers will do thee no good For thy prayers know all the service thou seemest to doe unto God is no better then the sacrifice of fooles till thou be more ready to heare Eccles. 5.1 To hearken is better then the fat of Rammes 1. Sam. 15.22 And for both thy praying and thy beleeving in Christ marke well that knowne place well knowne indeed ô that it were aswell beleeved Rom. 10.14 How shall they call on him in whom they have not beleeved and how shall they beleeve in him of whom they have not heard and how shall they heare without a preacher How canst thou pray that hast no faith how canst thou have faith that camest not to it by hearing the Word preached that art no hearer But me thinks I heare many of you say this toucheth not me for I am a hearer I have heard many a Sermon O but marke what followeth in the next verse verse 15. and thou shalt find thou art no such hearer as Paul speakes of the hearers that Paul speaketh of are such as can cry O how beautifull are the feete of them that doe preach the Gospell of peace But thou seest no beauty in their feete thou hearest them but thou joyest not in them thou countest them no blessing nor art thankfull to God for them thou seest no great need of hearing of them thou art weary of them and how shouldest thou have any true faith how shouldest thou be able to pray aright The second thing I would have these men to consider is this that the holy Ghost speaketh of this as of a fearefull sinne and signe of a most gracelesse heart to be unwilling to heare the word to have no mind unto it 1. Such a one hath no care of his soule what becomes of it whether it sinke or swimme as we say whether it be saved or damned Pro 15.32 He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soule Nay 2. more then that such a one careth not for God or the things of God regardeth him not feareth him not is in his heart a very Athiest they that desire not the knowledge of his wayes say in their hearts unto God depart from us Iob 21.14 My people would not hearken to my voice Israel would none of me saith the Lord Psal. 81.11 Nay 3. to refuse to heare the word preached when wee may and God offereth it unto us to have no mind to it no love to it is a greater sin if Christ be to be beleeved then the sinne of Sodome and Gomorrah Mat. 10.14 15. When all is done and the time of reckoning shall come this will be found to be thy chiefest sinne The second sort that are to bee reproved by this Doctrine are they which heare often seeme also to delight in the best ministry yet profit not at al by it but remaine as ignorant unreformed profane as they that never heard Sermon If tryall were taken of the most hearers they would be found such as the Apostle speaketh of 2 Tim. 3.7 ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth Such hearers I desire to consider and weigh well with themselves these sixe points First That it is no great matter of comfort to a man nor thing wherein any should blesse himselfe that he is a hearer a constant hearer a hearer of the best teachers and that with delight also This testimony the Lord gives of notorious hypocrites Esa. 58.2 They seeke me daily and delight to know my wayes and Ezech 33 3â— 32. They come to thee a faithfull Prophet as the people commeth and they sit before thee as my people and they heare thy words with their mouth they show much love praising the faithfull minister greatly and loe thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument No musicke did ever delight them more then a good Sermon Yea of Herod himselfe it is said
exercise those small abilities that God hath given us in prayer and wee shall find that by using they will greatly increase Lecture XIII On Psal. 51.1 2. Ianuary 24. 1625. FOlloweth the fourth and last impediment that keepeth men from flying to God and seeking helpe and comfort from him by prayer in their distresses and that is a conceit that it is to no purpose for them to pray This conceit as it prevaileth with wicked men and castawayes and keepeth them in a continuall neglect of this duty What profit should we have say they if we pray to him Iob 21. â—â— So have Gods dearest servants beene oft troubled with it and for a time kept from this duty by it And have beene apt to resolve as David doth of all the duties of piety in generall Psal. 73.13 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vaine so of this duty in particular certainely it is but lost labour for me to pray And as Satan will alway pretend reason for whatsoever he suggesteth to us so did he with our first parents Gen. 3.5 God doth know that in the day yee eate thereof then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as Gods knowing good and evill And his chiefe strength still to keepe out Christ and his grace lyeth in the thoughts and imaginations in the reasons that he suggesteth unto men to object against goodnesse and to defend sinne as is plaine 2 Cor. 10.5 so hath he put foure reasons into the hearts of men to confirme them in this conceit that it is to no purpose for them to pray Let this short summe of the foure reasons suffice in the first propounding of them and the larger laying of them downe reserved to the place where they are to be answered particularly 1. That many doe well enough that never pray 2. That the use of the meanes with discretion will serve the turne without prayer 3. That God knoweth our necessities well enough and hath both decreed what to do for us and is apt enough of himselfe without seeking to 4. That themselves have used it long to no purpose Now before I come to answer these reasons in particular this I must say of them in generall that if any of Gods people such as I must judge all you to be that heare me now be troubled at any time with these thoughts as surely as I have already told you they may be they must resolve thus with themselves Certainely this is but a tentation this commeth of the evill one For it tendeth directly to atheisme and is high blasphemy against God Those thoughts that tend to the restraining of men from prayer tend directly to the casting off of all true feare of God Thou castest off feare saith Eliphâ—z Iob 15.4 and restrainest prayer before God The man that is once perswaded not to call upon God hath learned to say in his heart there is no God Psal. 14.1.4 And of them that said Mal. 3.14 It is in vaine to serve God the Lord saith verse 13. that their words had beene stout against the Lord. Poure out thy fury saith the Prophet Ier. 10.25 upon the heathen that know thee not and upon the families that call not on thy name 1. The persons the families that use not to pray know not God are no better then Atheists 2. God will poure out his fury upon such And seeing this is so what must they do that are troubled with this tentation Surely They must 1 Put on a resolution to resist it harden thy heart against it withstand it defie it Iam. 4.7 Resist the Divell and he will flee from you Say as our Saviour did when hee was tempted by Satan to such a foule sinne Mat. 4.10 Get thee hence avaunt Sathan Yea in a tentation farre lesse then this when Peter tempted him but to favour himselfe and shun the crosse Mat. 16.23 He turned and said to Peter get thee behind me Sathan thou art an offence unto me 2 By prayer and crying unto God for strength against it they must resist even this tentation against prayer For that is a chiefe remedy against all tentations Luk. 22.40 Pray that ye enter not into and be delivered into the power of temptation As Christ did for Iehoshuah when Satan stood at his right hand to resist him Zach. 3.2 The Lord rebuke thee ô Satan even the Lord that hath chosen Ierusalem rebuke thee 3 They must make use of the sword of the spirit whereby Christ our captaine did drive away the tempter Mat. 4.4 7.10 It is written by weighing with themselves how directly this tentation opposeth the whole tenour of the holy Scripture And say thus with themselves Shall I yeeld to this conceit that it is to no purpose to pray Why how oft hath God commanded us to pray Psal. 50.15 Call upon me in the day of trouble and Mat 7.7 Aske and it shall be given you and 1 Thess. 5.17 Pray without ceasing How frequent and constant have all the Saints even such as God hath given greatest testimony unto beene in prayer Even the wisest of them as Daniel who would not give over his constant course in prayer no not for the saving of his life Dan. 6.10 Nay our blessed Saviour was so himselfe even he was frequent in this duty Mar. 1.35 In the morning a great while before it was day he went out and departed into a solitary place and there prayed And shall I suffer Satan to perswade me that it is a needlesse thing to pray But let us now consider the reasons whereby Satan perswadeth men to this Atheisticall divellish conceit And to the first That they that never use to pray do as well as those that are most given unto it I answer that this is most false they do not so well For 1. The blessings they receive are but temporall and such as are no testimonies of Gods speciall love Mat. 5.45 He maketh his sunne to rise on the evill and on the good and sendeth raine on the just and on the unjust Whereas they that pray shall have better things then these Luk. 11.13 Your heavenly father will give the holy spirit to them that aske him 2. They that pray not can have no assurance to enjoy no not these temporall blessings neither to have them when they want them nor to hold them when they have them For they have no word nor promise of God for them Iob 21.16 Loe their good is not in their hand Whereas they that pray may be sure to have so much even of these things as shall be good for them For they have a promise that they may build upon Psal. 34.10 They that seeke the Lord shall not want any good thing This promise certainely to them that can beleeve it is more worth then a thousand pound land a yeere So that he that can pray may be secure for outward things and need not disquiet his heart with carking cares Pro. 16.3 Commit thy works thy labours and endeavours
men certainly this is not the spirit of Christ which descended upon him in a bodily shape like a Dove Luke 3.22 this is not the spirit of Iesus the Saviour of the World whose name your hypocriticall teachers will needs beare this is the spirit of Apollyon the destroyer that teacheth men to doe so 3. They pretend the wickednesse of our nation and of our religion also Admit our religion were as bad as they can imagine Noveltie heresie Idolatry Calvino-turcism as they blasphemously terme it Admit that in our Land they were oppressed persecuted kept in extreame bondage servitude Yet 1. our religion cannot be so bad as that was in Babylon 2. nor the oppression be so great which they indure in our Land as those which Gods people indured in Babylon 3. Our Land is their native Country wherein they and their ancestours were borne and bred wherein they have many of them attained to great wealth and state the meanest to many more comforts then ever Gods people did in Babylon that strange land that land of miserable bondage and captivity And yet Gods people might not nay durst not conspire the destruction of Babylon or the betraying of it to a forraine enemy but were bound to seeke by all meanes the peace and prosperity of it and to pray to God for it as you have heard out of Ieremy 19.7 Three things there bee that move mee to insist so much upon this point 1. To instruct you how to deale with such friends of yours as are addicted to Popery I know well that that prophecy is now fulfilled which you read Rev. 17.2 the Whore of Babilon hath made the inhabitants of the earth drunke with the wine of her fornication It is vaine thing to reason with or seeke to perswade drunken men But surely if there be any of your friends that have not yet drunke so deepe of that cup that they have lost their wits this will be as likely an argument to perswade them that that religion cannot be of God as any you can use unto them 2. To confirme your selves in the dislike and detestation of Popery and that we may with comfort resist even unto bloud striving against this sinfull this bloudy religion Heb. 12.4 3. To warne you of the great danger we and our nation do continually live in that have among us so mighty a generation of these vipers that so we may be made more carefull to make sure our peace with God and to cry instantly unto him as David doth Psal. 3.7 8. Arise O Lord save me O my God salvation belongeth unto the Lord thy blessing is upon thy people Selah The second sort of those that declare themselves not to be the children of our heavenly father are such as are so farre from doing good in the places where they live that they are the undoers of men usurers extortioners decayers of townes and depopulatours of them Of whom it may be said as Esa. 59.7 Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity wasting and destruction are in their paths Mic. 2.1 2. They devise iniquity and worke evill upon their beds there they hammer it when the morning is light they practise it because it is in the power of their hands they covet fields and take them by violence and houses and take them away so they oppresse a man and his house even a man and his heritage These men I take the readiest way to bring ruine upon their owne houses You know who it is that hath said Esa. 5.8 Wo unto them that joyne house to house and field to field till there be no place that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth but what followeth verse 9. In mine eares said the Lord of hosts of a truth many houses shall be desolate even great and faire without inhabitant And Hab. 2.9 We to him that coveteth an evill covetousnesse to his house that he may set his nest on high Thou hast saith the Lord verse 10 11. consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people and hast sinned against thy soule For the stone shall cry out of the wall and the beame out of the timber shall answer it 2. Certainely let all oppressours and cruell persons of what kind soever all usurers and extortioners that like great pikes devoure all the little fishes that come neere them pretend religion never so much make never so faire shewes Gods children they are not they beare not his image they are nothing like him his children they are whom they resemble in their disposition they are the children of Apollyon the children of the destroyer Thirdly All lewd persons even in this point shew themselves not to be the children of God but of the divell even because they doe no good to the place they live in but are a burden a plague and a curse to it That which the Prophet speaketh of swearers Ier. 23.10 because of oathes the land doth mourne may be said of drunkards also and whoremongers and idolaters and profane wretches they will make the place mourne they live in they are as Ionah was in the ship they will endanger all that live with them they are as Achan was to the whole host of Israel Iosh. 7.1 For Achans sake the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel Of them it may be said as Esa. 14.20 Thou shalt not be joyned with them in buriall because thou hast destroyed thy land and slaine thy people Zach. 7.14 For they laid the pleasant land desolate Therefore 1 do what you can to keepe such out to get such out of your families and townes you live in 1 Cor. 5.13 Therefore put away from among you such wicked persons 2 If you did beleeve this you would all joyne together to restraine and punish these lewd persons according to the exhortation of the Apostle Heb. 12.15 Looking diligently lest any root of bitternesse springing up do trouble you and thereby many be defiled Fourthly Such as live idly and without a calling or in such a calling as is unprofitable to the Common-wealth such as whereby others receive no benefit or profit at all that serve for no other use but to devoure Gods creatures and make a dearth This is noted for a grievous sinne and a chiefe part of the corruption of our nature Rom. 3.12 They are together become unprofitable there is none that doth good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is profitable and usefull to others And religion and grace where ever it prevaileth maketh men profitable as it did Onesimus Phil. 11. The Papists dote much upon the monasticall life and count it a state of great perfection because in it men spend their whole time in prayer and heavenly contemplations But the Scripture teacheth us it is a state of greater perfection to live in such a calling wherein a man may be most profitable and usefull to others David counted it a great affliction and matter of humbling to him Ps. 31.12
that he was in the time of his banishment like a broken vessell that none could make any use of And certainely the poorest servant and drudge that is may have more comfort in his estate then the greatest Gentleman that doth nothing but eat and drink and play nay then the greatest Scholler or Divine in the world that doth no good to others with the knowledge and learning that God hath given him 1 Cor. 12.7 The manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to profit with all And that is the reason why the Apostle preferreth prophesying before all other gifts because it tendeth most to the benefit and profit of others 1 Cor. 14.4 Fiftly Such as are all for themselves and have no care of the common good This is the common sinne of our times 1. In any businesse that concerneth the good of a whole towne how hardly are men drawne to yeeld their helping hand any way 2. In bearing the common burden and charge of a towne how ready are all men to withdraw and exempt themselves 3. Such as are put in trust to deale in businesses of the country or towne they live in are a great deale more carelesse and more lavish in expences then they are wont to be in their owne businesses These men I would have to remember 1. The expresse commandement of God 1 Cor. 10.24 Let no man seeke his owne but every man anothers wealth 2. That the good men have done to others and the care they have had that way will yeeld more comfort to their conscience and give them more assurance that they are now in the state of grace and shall hereafter come to the state of glory then the care they have had and paines they have taken to gather to themselves 1 Tim. 6.18 19. Charge rich men that they do good that they be rich in good workes ready to distribute willing to communicate laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on etrnall life For the more good we doe to others the liker we are to our heavenly father as we have heard now 3. This will get us a good name and esteeme both while we live and when we are gone For this was Iehojada so honoured at his death 2 Chron. 24.16 because he had done good in Israel And a good name is more worth then all our wealth Pro. 22.1 A good name is rather to be chosen then great riches 4. This is the best way to assure us of Gods blessing even in these outward things Ps. 37.3 Trust in the Lord and doe good so shalt thou dwell in the land and verily thou shalt be fed Lecture XXIIII on Psalme 51.1 2. May 2. 1626. NOw it followeth that we proceed unto the second sort of duties that we are to be exhorted unto from the consideration of the infinitenesse of Gods mercy and those are such as we owe unto the Lord himselfe There be then two other duties that from this Doctrine wee are to bee exhorted unto The first of them doth most properly respect our selves and I will propound it unto every one of you in the words that Eliphaz in another case useth unto Iob 5.27 Lo this we have searched it so it is heare thou it and know it for thy selfe Observe this well that you have heard of the marvellous mercy of God towards poore sinners it is a most certaine truth as by diligent searching of the holy Scriptures we have made it evident unto you heare thou it whosoever thou art and know it for thy selfe beleeve it and apply it to thine owne soule Seeing the Lord is abundant in loving kindnesse so plenteous in mercy labour thou to know that he is so unto thee that thou maist be able to say as David doth twice in one Psalme Psal. 59.10.17 He is the God of my mercy As if he had said his mercy is mine it belongeth unto me Rest nor content till thou find that his mercifull kindnesse is for thy comfort as David prayeth Psal. 119.76 I speake not of the common mercy of the Lord. I know you can all even the most wretched creature of you all say you have and doe daily tast of that Acts 17.28 In him we live and move and have our being Lam. 3.22 23 It is of the Lords mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions faâ—lâ— not they are renewed every morning And so doth every creature the Lord hath made Psal. 145.9 The Lord is good to all and his tender mercies are over all his workes and 147.9 He giveth to the beast his food and to thâ— yong ravens that cry And this common mercy of God is that which most men content themselves with that they may live and live long and live in health and quietnesse and pleasure though this be no other mercy then the bruit beasts enjoy as well as they But the mercy that I exhort you to make your owne to get assurance that it belongeth to your selves is the speciall mercy of God the mercy of David as Solomon speaketh 2 Chron. 6 4â— Remember the mercies of David thy servant The mercy that David obtained the mercy that David beggeth heere Psal. 51.1 According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions That mercy that reacheth unto the pardon of thy sinnes and salvation of thy soule that is the mercy that thou shouldst labour to know it belongeth unto thee Rest not in nor satisfie thy selfe with any other mercy that thou hast received but seeke carefully to make this thine owne Five notable differences there be betweene this mercy of the Lord and the other which may serve for so many motives to provoke us not to rest in the other but to seeke for this First those are such mercies as God casteth upon his enemies and such as he maketh no reckoning of yea more abundantly then upon his owne As it is said of royalty and kingly state one of the chiefe of them Gen. 36.31 Many Kings reigned in the land of Edom before there reigned any king over the children of Israel But these are peculiar to Gods Elect his dearly beloved ones In which respect Christ calleth those not ours but others goods but these mercies he calleth our owne peculiar unto us Luk. 16.12 If ye have not beene faithfull in that which is another mans who shall give you that which is your owne And wilt thou content thy selfe with these mercies rest in them dote upon them which Cain and Iudas and sundry others that thou art perswaded were abhorred of God and fry now in hell had as great a portion of as thy selfe O do not so but cry as Psal. 106.4 Remember me O Lord with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people ô visit me with thy salvation Secondly Those mercies though God bestow them on his elect also and we could not live without them yet they are in his account but trifles and such
signified the sword and famine and pestilence that God would bring upon the world went forth we reade in verse 2. that the white horse which signified the preaching of the Gospel was sent forth conquering and to conquer the Gospel was preached with great evidence and demonstration of the spirit And the Apostle telleth us Heb. 6.7 8. that the earth that drinketh in the raine that falleth oft upon at and bringeth forth thornes and bryers is neere unto cursing There is therefore just cause that we should all take to heart this great increase of all grosse sinnes amongst us David did so and we are sure hee did no more in it then hee was bound to doe Psal. 119.53 Horrour hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy Law Phinehas and all Gods people with him did so Iosh. 22.18 Ye rebell to day against the Lord and to morrow he will be wrath with the whole Congregation of Israel And marke the reason verse 20. Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespasse in the accursed thing and wrath fell on all the Congregation and that man perished not alone in his iniquity If any man say How can this stand with the justice of God to punish us for other mens sins to lay to our charge the drunkennesse blasphemies and whoredomes committed by other men in the towne and country where wee live Considering what Abraham saith to the Lord Gen. 18.25 Farre be it from thee to stay the righteous with the wicked and that the righteous should bee as the wicked that bee farre from thee shall not the Iudge of all the world doe right I Answer God never punisheth any for the sins of others but when they are some way or other guilty of other mens sins A man may make himselfe partaker of other mens sins though hee commit not those sins himselfe Bee not partaker of other mens sins saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 5.22 Yea wee shall finde that a whole towne nay even a whole land is oft in Scripture said to be guilty of a sin and defiled with it that was committed but by some private man that lived in it So it is said of murder Num. 35.33 Bloud defileth the land and the land cannot bee cleansed of the blood that is shed therein but by the blood of him that shed it And againe Deut. 19.13 Thine eye shall not pitty him but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel So when the Lord had reckoned up many great sinnes that were committed by the inhabitants of Canaan Levit. 18. hee bids his people they shall not doe so for by these saith he verse 25. the land is defiled So it is said of the man that would take againe the wife that he had once put away and another man had married her Deut. 24 4. He may not take her againe after that shee is defiled for that is abomination before the Lord and thou shalt not cause the land to sin The whole towne and countrey you see may become guilty of a sinne which one man hath committed in it And surely this is a just cause of feare that we shall all smart for these foule sinnes committed amongst us because wee have drawne upon our selves the guilt of these sinnes we have made them our owne and that five wayes especially First By applauding and loving men the better for these sins He that never was drunke in his life nor ever sware oath nor committed whoredome yet if he love them that are addicted to these sins he maketh himselfe guilty of these sins yea he is more culpable before God for taking pleasure in them that commit these sins then for committing them himselfe Therefore the Apostle maketh this the height of sinne in them that God hath given up to a reprobate minde Rom. 1.32 They not onely doe these things but have pleasure in thâ—m that doe them But are there any so wicked Surely there have beene such even in Gods Church Mic. 3.2 that hate the good and love the evill even eo nomiâ—â— because they are good they hate them and because they are evill they love them And alas some such there bee still in every place that take great ioy and solace in the sins of others Hos. 7.3 And on the contrary there are some to whom it is meate and drinke to mocke at goodnesse Iere. 15.17 I sat not in the assembly of the mockers nor rejoyced Secondly By not shunning but maintaining unnecessary familiarity and friendship with these grosse sinners we make our selves guilty of their sinnes I know a man may converse with them 1. Vpon necessary occasions in the affaires of this life to buy and sell eate and drinke with them occasionally and be no way guilty of their sinnes 1 Cor. 5.10 2. I know the joyning with them in Gods service maketh us not guilty of their sinnes as some have erroneously conceited For the faithfull continued daily with one accord in the Temple and worshipped God there Acts 2.46 though a great number of those that joyned with them were Pharisees and Sadduces and such as had betrayed and murdered the Lord of life But to be too familiar with such men to converse as much with them as with any other to bee as merry in the company of such as of any other as many of you are doth doubtlesse make you partakers of their sinnes Have no fellowship with the unfruitfull workes of darkenesse saith the Apostle Eph. 5.11 but rather reproove them A companion of fooles shall be destroyed saith Solomon Pro. 13.20 and 2 Iohn 11. Hee that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evill deeds I will not sit with the wicked saith David Psal. 26.5 6. and what followeth I will wash mine hands in innocency and so will I compasse thine Altar As if he had said If I should sit and converse with lewd men I could not be innocent and free from their sinne Ieremy taketh great comfort in this that he had not sat in the assembly of the mockers Ier. 15.17 For this greatly hardeneth them in their sinnes because they see no man liketh the worse of them for it If all honest men would shunne their company certainely it would be of great force to make them ashamed of their sins and so to bring them to repentance for this is Gods ordinance 2 Thes. 3.14 Have no company with him that he may be ashamed Thirdly If we do not professe and shew our dislike and hatred to such sins as farre as in us lyeth we make our selves guilty of them Therefore Solomon maketh this a note of them that keepe the Law Pro. 28.4 that they will set themselves against the wicked And Christ commendeth it as a singular grace in the Angel of the Church of Ephesus Reu. 2.2 that he could not beare with them that were evill men They that doe not so make themselves guilty of their sins Iacob thought he should have beene guilty of the
also an offence against man I answer Ceatainely it was a grievous offence even against man and not against the Lord onely First Against himselfe against his owne body He that committeth fornication sinneth against his owne body 1 Cor. 6.18 Against his owne peace and the comfort of his life for because of these sins the sword neuer departed from his house God raised up evill against him out of his owne house as the Lord threatned by Nathan 2 Sam. 12.10 11. But chiefly against his owne soule Pro. 8.36 He that sinneth against me wrongeth his owne soule O what wounds did he give to his owne soule by these sins Secondly His sin was a grievous offence against his neighbour and that sundry wayes and not against the Lord onely 1. He wronged Vriah in an high degree by the adultery he committed with his wife He that committeth this sin doth his neighbour greater wrong then if he had robbed and spoiled him of all other his goods and possessions whatsoever In which respect the Lord hath in the Decalogue placed the commandement against adultery as a greater commandement before that against theft Exod. 20.14 15. And Solomon Pro. 6.30 35. maketh the adulterer a far worse man then a thiefe and giveth this reason for it among other that the thiefe may make satisfaction to a man for the wrong he hath done him so cannot the adulterer doe 2. He wronged the whole Common-wealth by endangering it and laying it open to the wrath of God by his foule sins For thus hath the Lord beene wont for the sins of Kings and Princes to plague all their subjects grievously See what a famine God brought upon the whole land for the sin of Saul 2 Sam. 21.1 So Ahaz by his sins is said to have brought Iudah low and to have made it naked because hee transgressed sore against the Lord 2 Chron. 28 19. So the evill that Manasseh did in Ierusalem is said to be a chiefe cause of the captivity Ier. 15 4. though Manasseh himselfe were dead and buried long before yea though he had unfeinedly repented before hee died But what need wee to seeke further for examples to cleere this point then to David himselfe What a plague did hee bring upon the whole land by a farre lesse sin of his then these were that he had now committed even by his commanding the people to be numbred 2 Sam. 24.15 And to these very sins that now he committed all the blood of his owne subjects that was shed and all the civill warre and sedition that was raised both in the rebellion of Absalom 2 Sam. 15.12 and 18.7 and of Sheba the son of Bichri 2 Sam. 20.2.14 was to bee imputed So great cause have all Gods people to pray heartily unto God for their Princes according to the example of the Church Ioh. 1.17 Psal. 20.1 4. and 72 1. and the expresse commandement of God 1 Tim. 2.1 2. And so great cause have we also to give hearty thankes unto God for giving us good Kings and governours that rule us in the feare of the Lord as Huram did for Solomon 2 Chron. 2.11 12. 3. Besides this he had by his murder in a higher degree wronged not Vriah onely and those that were slaine with him 2 Sam. 11.17 but all their friends also and kinsfolke that were left alive who were bound in conscience to esteeme this such a wrong as they might take no satisfaction for it as is plaine Numb 35.31 4 and lastly The sin that he committed reached not onely to the murdering of the bodies of many men but to the destruction of the precious soules of all them that were drawne into fearefull sins by his meanes 1. Of the soule of Bathsheba whom he drew to whordome 2 Sam. 11.4 2. Of the soules of all those servants of his whom he used as his panders and bawdes for the effecting of his lust 2 Sam. 11.4 3. Of the soule of Ioâ—b whom hee made his instrument for the murdering of Vriah and the rest 2 Sam. 11 15.16 4. Of the soules of those enemies of the Lord to whom he gave occasion to blaspheme his most holy name 2 Sam. 12.14 For though all these that by his meanes were drawne to these foule sins did not perish eternally for of Bathsheba it is certaine that shee repented yet was that no thanke to him who had given their soules a mortall wound and cut the throat of them though the mercy and skill of the heavenly Chirurgion kept them from perishing of those wounds Thirdly and lastly The sins that he committed were so farre from being an offence against the Lord onely that indeed they were not directly and immediately committed against the Lord but against man onely for they were sins not against the first but against the second table of the commandements of God Then the second question is this Did he then thinke that though by these sins if they had beene committed by an other person great offence had beene done unto men yet being done by him no man could complaine because a King hath that absolute power as whatsoever hee doth to men hee can doe them no wrong I answer No verily David was far from all such conceits Such thoughts might well beseeme such a Princesse as Iesabell was who though her husband Ahab was no King unlesse he might doe what he list unlesse he might by force contrary to law take away Naboths vineyard 1 King 21.7 Dost thou now governe the kingdome of Israel But David was not such a Prince He knew well enough the charge that God had given in his Law concerning the King that should raigne over his people Deut. 17.18 19 20. 1. He must have the booke of the Law ever with him and acquaint himselfe well with it 2. He must governe his subjects according to Law and not turne aside from it either to the right hand or to the left 3. He must take heede his heart be not lifted up above his brethren to despise them or thinke he might use them as hee listed He was not ignorant of that charge that God had given unto him in particular when that he was first made King which he mentioneth 2 Sam. 23.3 The God of Israel said the rocke of Israel spake to me he that ruleth over men must bee just ruling in the feare of God He knew therefore full well that notwithstanding any royall prerogative he had that which he had done to Vriah and the rest though they were his subjects was a shamefull wrong as Nathan also in his parable had shewed it to be 2 Sam. 12.4 The third question is How then if he knew his sin was a wrong and offence against man and not against the Lord onely did it not in that respect trouble him at all at this time now he seeketh pardon and peace with God or are these words thus to be understood as if he should say Against thee thee onely have I sinned as for
drunkards nor railers nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdome of God They that will not or cannot forsake their sinnes how can they hope to go to heaven They that spend all their time in providing for this life but make no provision for heaven have no care to doe that that may yeeld them profit and increase when they shall come thither what hope can they have to go to heaven when they die Be not deceived saith the Apostle Gal. 6.7 8. God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall be also reape he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reape corruption but he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reape everlasting life Seaventhly He that would with patience and comfort beare troubles and afflictions when they shall come and stand in the evill day must be carefull before hand to lead a godly life and to get a good conscience The godly man that maketh conscience of all his waies may seeme to get no good by it at all but to be rather a great looser by it in the world while the daies of peace and plenty and jollity do last Long peace and plenty hath in all ages bred in worldly men a humour to hate and scorne true piety Ye have shamed and dashed out of countenance saith the Lord Psal 14.6 the counsell of the poore and humbled Christian because the Lord is his refuge And Esa. 59.15 He that departeth from evill and dareth not do as other men do maketh himselfe a prey every body will be apt to do him wrong But shall we thinke that piety will never stand a man in more stead then thus even in this life Yes yes beloved When the evill day shall come the godly man shall find his labour hath not beene in vaine he shall certainely find more strength and comfort in that day then any other man can do Riches profit not in the day of wrath saith Solomon Pro. 11.4 but righteousnesse doth righteousnesse delivereth from death Vnto the upright saith David Psal. 112.4 there ariseth light in the darknesse comfort in time of greatest heavinesse Thy light shall rise in obscurity saith the Lord Esa. 58.10 When there shall be a palpable darknes in all the land of Egypt Gods people shall have light in their dwellings Exod. 10.22 23. and thy darknesse thy trouble and affliction shall be for comfort and joy as the noone day The Apostle mentioning the meanes whereby he was enabled to beare with such patience such afflictions necessities distresses stripes and imprisonments among others reckoneth this 2 Cor. 6.7 by the armour of righteousnesse on the right hand and on the left And speaking of all the parts of the Christian armour Ephes. 6.14 he calleth this the brest plate Certainely the testimony that our conscience shall give us that we have endeavoured in all our waies to please God will be as armour of proofe unto us in the evill day It will be so to us that are Ministers as we shall find in two notable examples The first is Ieremies Ier. 17.16 17 I have not hastened from being a pastour to follow thee as Ionah did neither have I desired the wofull day this wofull captivity that thou hast caused me to denounce that which came out of my lips was right before thee As if he had said I have dealt faithfully in my ministery And what followeth Be not a terrour unto me thou art my hope in the day of evill God will not be a terrour to such Ministers but their hope and comfort in the evill day The other example is Pauls 2 Cor. 1. Who having spoken of the troubles he had in Asia wherein saith he ver 8. we were pressed out of measure above strength insomuch that we despaired even of life telleth you verse 12. what it was that yeelded him comfort in that great distresse even the testimony of his conscience that in simplicty and godly sincerity not in fleshly wisdome as the flaunting Corinthian preachers did he had exercised himselfe in his Ministery And as this will be a great supporter to us that are Ministers in all our afflictions so will it certainely be to you that are Gods people also See this in the example of good Hezekiah who when the dolefull message was brought him from God by the Prophet to set his house in order for he must die and not live comforteth himselfe in this testimony of his conscience Esa. 38.3 Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart This will comfort a man on his death bed And so our Saviour assureth us Matth. 7.24 25. that he that heareth the Word and doth it maketh conscience to practise what he knoweth is like the wise man that built his house upon a rock and though the raine fall and the winds blow and the flouds beate upon him that is the most sore and violent tentations or afflictions come that can come yet shal he be able to stand and abide them all O thinke of this you that are so carelesse of your practise carelesse of your consciences whose religion standeth onely in hearing and in a profession of the truth certainely when the evill day shall come you will be found to be foolish builders that have built upon the sand when the raine shall fall and the winds blow and the flouds beate upon you when great troubles and afflictions shall come upon you you will never be able to stand out you must needs fall and sinke under them and your fall will be great as our Saviour speaketh there Matth. 7.26 â—7 The eight and last meanes whereby this grace of Christian patience to beare all troubles and afflictions comfortably may be obtained is prayer If any man lack wisdome saith the Apostle Iam. 1.5 and by wisdome he meaneth patience in that place let him aske of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him Heere is a plaine promise you see And the Apostle when he had exhorted the Romanes Rom. 12.12 to be patient in tribulation he addeth immediatly continuing instant in prayer Instant and earnest prayer and continuing in it is the meanes to make us patient in tribulation So speaking of the compleat armour whereby a Christian may be made able to beare and stand out in the evill day he nameth this as a principall part of it Ephes. 6.18 Praying alwaies not by fits and starts with all prayer and supplication according as our own and the Churches various necessities shall require in the spirit fervently not formally and with lip labour onely watching thereunto against distractions and wandring thoughts with all perseverance holding out and not giving over when we speed not at the first This was the way whereby Iob sought strength to beare his afflictions Iob 16.20 My friends scorne me but mine eye poureth out teares unto God And David when many of his mortall enemies compassed him about
us saith Paul Rom. 8.31 who can bee against us To hurt us hee meaneth The Lord is my light and my salvation saith David Psalme 27.1 whom shall I feare And 49.5 Wherefore should I feare in the dayes of evill when the iniquitie of my heeles shall compasse mee about Why David what maketh thee so secure in the midst of danger Hee telleth you verse 15. God will redeeme my soule from the power of the grave for hee shall receive mee On the other side hee that doubteth of Gods love to him in Christ must needes bee vexed with continuall feares feare of death and feare of troubles It is Christ only saith the Apostle Heb. 2.15 that delivereth them who through the feare of death were all their life time subject to bondage Thirdly This bringeth with it unto us all good things Seeke ye first the kingdome of God and his righteousnesse saith our Saviour Matth. 6.33 As if he had said Make your salvation sure make this sure unto your selves that God is reconciled unto you that you are in his favour and all these things shall be added unto you O that men could beleeve Christ in this that this is the best way to be certaine of all earthly comforts so farre as they shall bee good for us He that spared not his own son saith the Apostle Rom. 8.32 but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things Yea this sweetneth all Gods blessings to us and giveth a pleasant relish unto them when we can tast in them Gods love unto us in Christ. When Iob speaketh Iob 29.1 7. of the comfort he tooke in all Gods blessings in the time of his prosperity in his children and riches in that honour and esteeme God gave him among all men he giveth this for the reason of it verse 3. His candle his light the comfortable assurance of his savour shined upon my head Yea this will not onely susteine and keepe us from fainting in times of common trouble and calamity as Iob saith there Iob 29.3 By his light I walked through darknesse While the light of his countenance shined upon me I could walke cheerefully in the darkest and saddest times But it will also sweeten the bitterest afflictions that can befall our selves in particular when we know they are but the chastisements of our father that loveth us dearely though hee thus correct us The cup which my father hath given me saith our Saviour Iohn 18.11 shall I not drinke it All hope of deliverance and comfort in danger and distresse groweth from the assurance of Gods favour Vpon this David grounded his hope Psal. 42.5 Why art thou cast downe ô my soule c. Hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him for the helpe of his countenance To this he ascribeth all the deliverances the Church had received from the Lords right hand Psalme 44.3 They got not the land in possession by their owne sword neither did their own arme save them but thy right hand and thine arme and the light of thy countenance because thou hadst a favour unto them The sting of death saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 15.56 and if of death then of all other afflictions sure is sin and if the sting of them be once gone certainely there can be no deadly paine in them And thus Christ comforteth a poore man that was sicke of a dead palsy a disease that dulleth the spirits and maketh the heart as heavie as any disease can Matth. 9.2 Sonne be of good cheere thy sinnes be forgiven thee On the other side he that doubteth of Gods love to him in Christ what comfort can hee have in life or in death in prosperity or in adversity specially if God shall be pleased to awaken his conscience What sweetnesse can a man find in all his wealth or pleasure or good cheere when it hath this bitter tang and loose with it that his heart shall say to him I may be a vessell of wrath for all that Alas Cain had as much as all this commeth to and Esau and Dives who are all now firebrands in hell Must not the joy that all such men seeme to take in their prosperity be such as the Apostle speaketh of 2 Cor. 5.12 in the face onely and not in the heart And if this be their condition in their greatest prosperity then what comfort can they have in their affliction and in their death thinke you What is the hope of the hypocrite saith Iob 27.8 though he hath gained when God taketh away his soule Fourthly If we were once assured of Gods speciall love to us in Christ this would make us yeeld obedience unto God and do his service not grudgingly or as of necessity but as out of love and willingly and cheerefully For a good man a bountifull a kind man saith the Apostle Rom. 5.7 some will even dare to die And if the goodnesse and bounty of a man have such force with us that we thinke we can never do too much for him will not the assurance of this marvellous bounty and goodnesse of God to us in Christ make us to say with David Psal. 116.12 What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me what might I doe to please and honour him that hath so dearely loved me This will make us pray with boldnesse and zeale O God thou art my God saith David Psal. 63.1 early will I seeke thee When our Saviour taught his Disciples and in them us all to pray Matth. 6.9 he biddeth us begin thus Our father which art in heaven Till our hearts doe thus conceive of God that he is our father that he loveth us with a fatherly love we can never pray aright We may say a prayer and that is all that the most of us doe but we can never pray with our hearts till then Therefore also the Apostle teacheth us Rom. 8.15 16. that the spirit that maketh us able to cry in our prayers unto God that is to pray fervently and earnestly is the spirit of adoption that spirit which witnesseth with our spirits that wee are the sonnes and daughters of God that assureth us God is our father and maketh us able to call him father yea to cry to him Abba father And as this will make us able to pray with comfort so will this also make us able to heare and reade and meditate in the Word with cheerefullnesse and a good appetite As new borne babes saith the Apostle 1 Pet. 2.2 3. desire the sincere milke of the Word if so be that yee have tasted that the Lord is gracious This will make us keepe the Sabbaths even whole Sabbaths without wearisomenesse Yee shall keepe every man my Sabbaths saith the Lord Levit. 19.3 Why so What may move us to doe this willingly and cheerefully I am the Lord your God saith he In a word this will make us walke cheerefully in every duty of obedience in every way of
weakenesse that cost mee so deare yet my heart was for God I did it not with the full sway of my soule This you see every true hearted Christian can to his comfort say of every evill that through infirmity hee hath slipt into this I ought not to have done it was against the purpose of my heart against my will that I have done so and of every good thing that hee hath failed in either for matter or manner thus I should doe and thus with all my heart I desire to doe Now for the third degree of proofes for this point See what high account the Lord himselfe maketh of this when our mind and the purpose and desire of our hearts is set to please him though there be much wanting in our performance See this in three points First Hee accepteth the will for the deed Even as hee accounteth every wicked man guiltie of that sinne which hee purposed and desired to doe though he commit it not Hee that looketh on a woman to lust after her saith the Lord. Matth. 5.28 hath committed adultery with her already in his heart And 1 Iohn 3.15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer And as Solomon saith Prov. 23.7 As hee thinketh in his heart so is he in Gods account So on the other side the Lord accounteth euery good thing as done yea as perfectly performed by any of his servants which hee seeth them purpose and endeavour and unfeinedly desire to doe If there bee first a willing mind saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 8 12. it is accepted So the Lord saith of Abraham that he did offer up his son in sacrifice Heb. 11.17 because he was willing and purposed to do it So because David had a purpose and desire to build God an house he commendeth him for this purpose 1 Kin. 8.18 Thou didst well that it was in thine heart Yea he rewardeth him for it as if he had done it and telleth him 2 Sam. 7.27 that for that he would build him an house So when the servant that ought his Lord ten thousand talents had shewed himselfe willing to pay all and said Mat 18. â—6 Lord have patience with me and I will pay thee all a thing utterly impossible for him to do yet was he desirous and willing to do it as every true Christian is willing and desirous to keepe all Gods commandements compleatly though it be impossible for him to do it it is said in the next words ver 27. that his Lord had compassion on him and loosed him and fargave him the debt hee tooke this for full paiment he accepted of the will for the deed So when Zacheus had unfeinedly professed his willingnes to make restitution Christ saith of him Lu. 19.9 This day is salvation come to thy house So the Lord accounteth that soule a true beleever that doth unfeinedly desire to beleeve For Christ saith they are blessed that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse Mat. 5.6 And him a trve penitent sinner that doth unfeinedly purpose and desire to repent and turne unto God When the Prodigall did but purpose to returne humble himselfe to his father When he was yet a great way off his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his necke and kissed him Lu. 15.20 And the Lord accounteth him a godly man and an observer of all his holy commandements that doth unfeinedly desire to obey him in all things If ye be willing and obedient saith the Lord Esa. 1 â—9 ye shall eate the good of the land Thus you see how God accepteth the will for the deed But secondly hee doth more then so For in the best services wee can doe unto him hee esteemeth more of our wills then of our deeds The Lord regarded nothing so much the benevolence that the Corinthians bestowed on the Saints in Iudea as hee did the willingnesse of their minde in bestowing You have begunne saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 8.10 not only to doe but also to be willing a yeere agoe Neither did God so much esteeme of Pauls preaching though that were excellent as hee did this that he preached with so willing a mind If I do this thing willingly saith he 1 Cor. 9 17. I have a reward And this God maketh high account of in every Minister when hee feedeth the flocke of God not by constraint but willingly 1 Peter 5.2 And when the Lord biddeth Moses speake unto the children of Israel that they should bring an offering for the making of the Tabernacle hee saith Exodus 25.2 Of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart yee shall take my offering hee esteemeth more of the willingnesse of the heart in offering then of the offering it selfe And this reason Paul giveth to Philemon verse 14. why he would not retaine Onesimus without his minde that thy benefite saith hee should not bee as it were of necessity but willingly he knew God did most esteeme of that Thirdly and lastly When God hath once wrought an unfeined purpose and desire of heart to please him for it is hee onely that worketh in us to will as well as to doe Phil. 2.13 hee will reward it with an increase of strength and ability to doe well and a chiefe cause why wee have no more ability to doe well is because wee no more desire to doe well For the Lord hath promised to fulfill the desires of them that feare him Psalme 145 19. to fill thy mouth if thou open it wide Psalme 8â— 10 to fill the hungry with good things Luke 1.53 And thus you have heard this truth confirmed unto you that a Christian may gather more comfortable assurance of the uprightnesse of his heart from the goodnesse of his will and desire then from the goodnesse of his life or of any actions he is able to performe Let us now come to answer that which may bee objected against this truth which is the third thing that in my methode I propounded and promised to doe For this doctrine may seeme to bee too broad a way and too open a doore of hope and comfort to the most lewd men Oh will they say this doctrine we like well this giveth us assurance that our hearts are as upright as the precisest of them all for wee also have good desires we would faine doe well we desire to beleeve in Christ we desire to repent and leave our sins And so we shall find in the word of sundry cast-awayes that have not onely had desires to be saved as Baalam Numbers 23.10 Let mee dye the death of the righteous and let my last end be like his and those foolish virgins that cryed Mat. 25.11 Lord Lord open unto us but have had desires also to go in the way that leadeth unto life desires to doe well Many I say unto you saith our Saviour Luke 13.24 will seeke to enter in at the strait gate and shall not bee able Now my answer unto this objection shall consist of two parts First
Lord shall bee saved wheresoever hee live whatsoever his former course of life hath beene saith the Apostle Rom. â—0 13 â—4 But how shall they call on him in whom they have not beleeved And how shall they beleeve in him of whom they have not heard And how shall they heare without a preacher Are not these fearefull sentences that the holy Ghost giveth concerning the estate of such as live without the word and such as may move the stoniest heart among us to pitie them and tremble for them But then consider secondly Whose doing this is and then you shall see yet a further cause of feare then this I doe not doubt but men themselves have an hand in this judgement and that their owne sinnes are a chiefe cause why they want the meanes of grace For to all that perish specially spiritually and eternally it may be said as the Lord speaketh Hoâ—ea 13 9. O Israel thou hast â—estroyed thy selfe But that is not all The Lord himselfe as wee have heard proved in the Doctrine hath also a chiefe hand both in giving and with-holding the meanes of grace it is hee it is hee that in his wrath with-holdeth the ministery of his word from them that doe thus want it That which the Lord saith of the materiall raine whereby the earth is made fruitfull unto us Amoâ— 4 7. I have with-holden the raine from you when there were yet three moneths to the harvest and I caused it to raine upon one citie and caused it not to raine upon another city the same hee saith likewise of the spirituall raine the ministery of his word whereby his vineyard is made fruit full unto him Esay 5.6 I will also command the clouds that they raine no raine upon it It is the hand of God and his wrath upon a people that keepeth his word from them Yet such people never looke up unto God nor take notice of his fierce wrath that is upon themselves in this judgement Whereas they should say as the Prophet teacheth Israel to say in another case Esa. 42 â—4 Who gave Iacob for a spoile and Israel to the robbers did not the Lord hee against whom wee have sinned And Esa. 43 â—8 I have given Iacob to the curse And Esa 9.19 Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts the land is darkned It is the Lord that for their sinnes giveth over a people to this curse it is through the wrath of the Lord that any people doe abide in this darkenesse that the light of the Gospell is denyed unto them And even as it is a signe that God hath determined the temporall ruine and destruction of a people when he taketh from them the ordinary meanes of their preservation and safety and so maketh way for his anger as the Prophet speaketh Psal. 78.50 when he bereaveth them of wise prudent states-men and counsellers and of valiant and expert captaines and souldiers as you may read Esa. 3.2 3. and Obaediah 8.9 that the desolation of Iudea in the Babilonish captivitie was prognosticated by this signe even so is it certainely a fearefull signe that God hath determined the eternall destruction of a people when hee depriveth them of the ordinary meanes whereby they might bee saved Where there is no vision the people perish saith the holy Ghost Prov. 29.18 And is there not then just cause of feare and trembling thinke ye for these men If they should be long without the materiall raine in the spring or summer-time so as they could see no hope of grasse for their cattell or corne for themselves they would easily acknowledge Gods hand in it they would bee deepely affected with it and ready even with fasting and prayer to beg it of God But they have no sense at all of Gods wrath in with-holding from them this spirituall raine without which their soules can never beare fruit unto God Oh though they cannot themselves take this to heart let us doe it for them let us beg this mercy of God for them Let the same mind be in us which was in Christ Iesus Phil. 2.5 who when hee saw multitudes of people that were like sheepe scattered abroad having no shepheard 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Evangelist Mat. 9.36 hee had compassion on them and pitied their case even from his very bowells and out of this compassion charged his Disciples to pray to the Lord for them that he would have mercy on them The second sort whom this use of exhortation doth concerne are such as doe enjoy the ordinary and sufficient meanes of knowledge and grace but cannot profit by them And there bee two things that I must exhort these people unto 1. That they would take notice of and become sensible of their owne dangerous and fearefull estate 2. That they would use their utmost endeavour to come out of it And before I speake of the first of these I must premise two Cautions to prevent the mistaking of that that I shall say First That which I shall say of the danger they are in that cannot profit by the ministery of the word doth not concerne all that they thinke they profit by it For there are many of the best of Gods servants of the best proficients in the Schoole of Christ whom you shall heare complaine of nothing more then this that living under excellent meanes of grace they profit not at all by them To these poore soules I have three things to say for their comfort First Thou mayest have profited by the meanes of grace and be a fruitfull hearer though thy profiting come farre short of many others that thou knowest have enjoyed no better meanes then thou hast done The seed bringeth foorth fruit in some an hundred in some but sixty in some but thirtie fold as we read Mat. 13.8 yet all good ground all elect and profitable hearers Secondly Thou mayest bee the elect child of God though thou be very dull of understanding in heavenly things and though thy memory bee very weake in retaining them when thou hast learned them For so were the elect Apostles themselves while Christ lived amongst them and they enjoyed the benefit of his ministery Luke 9.45 Iohn 12.16 So were they whom our Saviour calleth fooles and slow of heart to beleeve all that the Prophets had spoken Luke 24.25 and of whom the Apostle Hebr. 5.11 saith that they were dull of hearing Thirdly thou bearest about thee two evident markes that thou art an elect hearer that thou hast profited by the meanes 1. Because thou hast learned to feare God and that little knowledge thou hast gotten keepeth thee from sinne thou darest not doe any thing that thou knowest would offend God And he that hath learned thus much is certainly a good proficient To man God saith saith Iob 28.28 the feare of the Lord that is wisedome and to depart from evill is understanding 2. Thou discernest thy non-proficiency and art troubled and grieved for it thou unfeinedly desirest to profit more
not wont to winke at in them he is wont to correct them sharply for such sins Shall I instance in some few examples for this And indeed how should I spend the time more profitably in so secure an age as this First I will not stand upon the example of David how sharply God scourged him for those sins which he bewaileth in this Psalme with what changes and armies of sorrowes and plagues as Iob speaketh cap. 10.17 he followed him ever after all the dayes of his life For you may say his were most presumptuous and notorious sins such as few that were ever truly regenerate have fallen into I will therefore come to the second example wherein I will couple him and good Hezechiah together What say you to that foolish pride they shewed the one in numbring the people the other in shewing all his treasures to the Embassadours of the King of Babell O how severe was God in his judgments against them both even for this sin Of David it is said 1 Chron 21.14 that God slew of his subjects for that seventy thousand men And of Hezechiah it is said â— Chron 32.25 that for that sinne there was wrath upon him and upon Iudah and Ierusalem But you will say also that this was a presumptuous sin O that we would learne yet from this example how unable God is to brooke or beare with presumptuous sinne though it be but in heart in his deerest children But let us come to a third example What say you then to the sin of Aaron and Moses when they being bidden to speake onely to the rocke and promised that it should yeeld water enough for all the campe did but doubt a little and stagger at that promise and instead of speaking onely to the rocke smote it twice you shall see the story Numb 20.8 1â— and Moses in a passion spake unadvisedly with his lips as the Psalmist speaketh Psalme 106.33 Certainly this was but a frailtie in them no presumptuous sin and therefore you shall find the Prophet there Psalme 136.32 33. layeth that fault on the people rather then on them and so doth Moses himselfe also Deut 1.37 And yet see how angry the Lord was with them even for this sin Because of this he would by no meanes be intreated to let them goe into the land of promise though Moses earnestly besought him he would not heare him The Lord was wroth with mee saith he Deut. 3.26 and would not heare me but charged him to speake no more unto him of that matter O but you will say though this was but a sin of frailtie yet it was a scandalous sin True it was so indeed And the Lord alledgeth that for the cause why he was so provoked by it because it was done openly to the scandall of the people Numb 20.12 Then learne by this example how severe God will be in his judgements upon his people for scandalous sins But what say you then to Moses his delaying of the circumcision of his sonne to old Elyes bearing too much with his lewd sonnes and the faithfull Corinthians going to the Communion without care to prepare and examine themselves before Certainly these were but sins of carelesnesse and negligence And yet see how severe God was in his judgements against them even for these sins The Lord met Moses in the Inne and sought to kill him saith the text Exod. 4.24 The Lord did not only bring old Ely to a violent and strange death he brake his necke 1 Sam. 4 18. but he plagued his whole house and posteritie for ever for that sin in a most fearefull manner 1 Sam. 2.31 33 and cap. 3.11.14 The Lord sent a pestilence and mortality among the faithfull Corinthians even for this sin For this cause many are weake and sickly among you and many sleepe saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 11.30 Behold how God hateth and will punish his owne people even for their negligences and carelesnesse if they judge not themselves for it and make conscience of it But yet there is a third degree that sheweth much more how odious the sins of his owne people are unto the Lord. For of the regenerate of Gods owne people it is said that they may so sin as they may make their very persons odious and hatefull unto God they may make their God their enemy They rebelled and vexed his holy spirit saith the Prophet Esa. 6â— 10 speaking of the Church of God in the wildernesse therefore hee was turned to bee their enemy When God heard this that is when he understood this that they fell into idolatry for that was the sin that so provoked him then as you may see vers 58. hee was wroth saith the Psalmist Psalme 78.59 and greatly abhorred Israel Though the Lord can beare with many sins in his people or though he beare not with them yet can correct them only for them and love them never the worse as you know parents oft-times doe yet may Gods children fall into such sins as will even make them odious unto their father These are things which defile a man and will make him loathsome saith our Saviour Mat. 15.20 What are those things That he telleth us verse 19. Murders adulteries fornications thefts false witnesse blasphemies How can that be will you say Whom the Lord once loveth in Christ he loveth for ever I have loved thee saith the Lord to his people Ier. 31.3 with an everlasting love I answer That is most true Yet may his children so provoke him that though he doe not quite disinherite them or cease to be a father to them yet will he shew them no countenance or fatherly affection at all As David so loathed Absalom for murthering his brother that though he continued a fatherly affection towards him still yea and after that too when he had done far worse yet he could not abide to see him Let him turne to his owne house and let him not see my face saith he 2 Sam. 14 â—4 A Christian may by his sin cause his father so to loath him as it may be he shall never have good countenance of him againe he shall never see his face with comfort while he liveth His adoption the right and title he hath thereby to the word and Sacraments to Christ and vnto heaven the comfort I say of all these and of all the priviledges the 〈◊〉 he might make of them he shall loose As Vzzia when he fell into a leprosie lost not his kingdome the right title he had unto it therby but he lost the use and execution of his regall authoritie to the very day of his death as we read â— Chron. 26.21 Of Asa we read that though he dyed the child of God as appeareth both by that which is said of him in his life time 1 Kin. 15.14 that his heart was perfect with the Lord all his dayes and also by the testimonie is given of him twice after his death 2 Chron. 20.32 and 21.12
love God should yet deale more severely and sharply with them in this life then with any other And indeed the Lord himselfe telleth us that this should be a matter of wonder and astonishment unto all men to see it All nations shall say saith the Lord Deut. 29.24 wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this land What meaneth the heate of this great anger Yea Gods owne choise servants have stood amazed at it and beene troubled exceedingly because they could not discerne any reason for it Even when I remember it I am afraid saith Iob 21.6 and trembling taketh hold on my flesh And David Psal. 73.16 17. When I sought to know this it was too painfull for me untill I went into the sanctuary of God Let us therefore go into the sanctuary of God and enquire there into the reason of this And we shall find it may be referred unto three principall heads For the Lord doth this out of a respect he hath 1. Vnto the regenerate themselves whom he doth thus correct 2. Vnto other men whom he maketh them an example unto 3. Lastly Vnto the quality and degree of his peoples sin whom he doth deale thus sharply with First The Lord is thus sharpe and severe in correcting his dearest children out of the respect he hath to their persons out of that eternall and unchangeable love he beareth unto them Because he would keepe them from sinning as others doe and from perishing as others shall therefore he correcteth them so sharply as he doth He medleth not with the thornes and bryars but letteth them grow till they be fit for the fire but his Vines he will cut and prune ever and anon Many lewd men because he careth not for them he letteth alone till they have filled up the measure of their sin Fill yee up saith our Saviour Matth. 23.32 the measure of your fathers He loveth them not so well as to correct them alwayes when they offend I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredome nor your spouses when they commit adultery saith the Lord Hosea 4.14 He reserveth wrath for his enemies saith the Prophet Nahum 1.2 But his owne people because he loveth them he will be sure to correct them when they doe amisse You onely have I kowne saith he Amos 3.2 that is loved and made choise of to be my peculiar people of all the families of the earth therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities Iob admired the goodnesse of God in this What is man saith he Iob 7.17 18 19. that thou shouldst magnifie him and that thou shouldst set shine heart upon him and that thou shouldst visit him every morning and try him every moment As if hee should say It is a signe God maketh great reckoning of a man and setteth his heart upon him when he thus visiteth him with his corrections ever when he offendeth Certainly the Lord doth not this willingly He doth not afflict willingly saith the Church Lam. 3.33 If he saw any other way so fit as this to keepe them from sinning outragiously and so from perishing eternally he would never deale thus with them Behold I will melt them and try them that is correct them and correct them sharply saith the Lord Ieremy 9.7 for how shall I doe for the daughter of my people As though he should have said How should I keepe them from perdition if I should not cast them into the fornace of affliction So the Apostle giveth this for the reason why the Lord so sharply corrected his people in Corinth with pestilence and mortality even for going unpreparedly to the Lords table When we are judged saith he 1. Cor. 11.32 we are chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world As if he should say The Lord seeth that if he should not scourge us and scourge us thus sharply even for these negligences of ours for our loosenes and carelesnes in his service we would be apt to grow as profane and lewd as other men and so cast our selves into everlasting perdition And thus have the faithfull themselves judged of the Lords severity towards them It is good for me saith David Psal. 119.71 that I have beene afflicted and verse 75. I know that thou in faithfullnesse hast afflicted me Lecture CX On Psalme 51.6 February 17. 1628. IT followeth now that wee proceed unto the second reason of this severity of God towards his owne people of his correcting them in this life more sharply then the lewdest men The Lord doth this secondly out of the respect he hath unto other men even unto those wicked men among whom his people do live In his corrections upon them he hath sometimes not so much respect unto them and their sins as he hath unto other men For the Lord doth nor only give unto his dearest servants such privy pinches and gripes as themselves onely or some of their neerest friends are sensible of but hee bringeth them oft upon the stage he whippeth them openly and publikely of purpose that other men yea that wicked men may take notice of it He striketh them as wicked men as Elihu speaketh Iob 34.26 in the open sight of others As if he should say One would thinke they must needs be very wicked and lewd men whom the Lord thus maketh examples of and whippeth so openly And yet thus hath the Lord dealt with his owne people not only when their sins have beene publike and scandalous As in the case of Iudah of which the Lord speaketh Ezek. 5.14 I will make thee wast and a reproach among the nations that are round about thee in the sight of all that passe by But even when the sins of his people have bin secret and closely committed Thou didst it secretly saith the Lord unto David 2 Sam. 12 1â— but I will doe this thing before all Israel and before the Sunne Yea such of his people as have so lived that neither others could note them nor they have beene privy to themselves of any enormious crime yet even them also hath the Lord oft brought upon the stage and made them examples of his marvellous severity unto the world Ye were made a gazing stocke saith the Apostle to the faithfull Hebr. 10.33 both by reproaches and afflictions Now if any man shall aske alas why doth the Lord so Were it not more for his glory when his children doe offend him to take them into a corner and to whip them in secret then to doe it thus in the market place and in the sight of all men Wicked men will but rejoyce at this and insult the more against religion for it And that made David wish with all his heart that the judgement of God upon Israel when Saul was slaine had not beene so publique that it had beene concealed from the Philistines Tell it not in Gath saith he 2 Sam. 1.20 publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoyce lest
a slavish feare of Gods wrath is indeed a great bondage Feare hath torment saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 4.18 That which the Apostle saith of worldly and carnall sorrow 2 Cor. 7.10 may bee said also of worldly and carnall feare The feare of the world worketh death And from this feare the faithfull are freed But it is no bondage no enemy to the comfort of a mans life to live in a continuall feare of sinning of offending and angring our heavenly father The Churches walking in the feare of the Lord Actes 9.31 and in the comfort of the holy Ghost were multiplied As if the Evangelist had said This feare is no opposite but a great helpe and furtherance unto true comfort Happy is the man that feareth alwayes saith the holy Ghost Prov. 28.14 As if he should say It is an happines to a man to feare thus But what reason can be given will you say why the child of God should be more afraid to sin then any other man Which is the second generall point I propounded to handle in this first exhortation To this I answer There be two principall reasons of it First Because God will beare lesse with them when they sin and deale more severely and sharply with them then with any other in this life Beware of him saith the Lord of the Angel of his Covenant whom he sent to conduct his people to the land of promise Exod. 23.21 and obey his voice provoke him not for hee will not pardon nor winke at your transgressions Such sins as carnall men go cleare away withall in this life and never sinart for if Gods child commit them he may not hope to do so You only have I knowne that is chosen to be mine owne and loved with a speciall love saith the Lord to his people Amos 3.2 of all the families of the earth therefore will I punish you for all your iniquities Them whom he knoweth best and loveth best can have least hope of all other men to escape his correcting hand when they sin against him The Lord thy God is a jealous God among you saith Moses Deut. 6.15 And a small thing you know will much offend a jealous husband he cannot abide the least shew of neglect from his wife A sharp and heavy judgement we know fell upon the faithfull Corinthians even for going carelesly and unpreparedly to the Communion For this cause saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 11.30 many are sicke and weake among you and many sleepe O how often shall I put you in mind of this place before you will beleeve it and be moved by it And as the Lord is sooner provoked to anger by the sins of his owne children then of any other men so is his anger wont to be hotter and his corrections sharper on them then on any other When the Lord saw it saith Moses Deut. 32.19 that is to say that his own people fell to idolatry and other their grosse sins he abhorred them because of the provoking of his sons and of his daughters As who would not take the contempt and indignities that are done to him by his owne children a great deale worse then from any other man Secondly The child of God hath more cause to be afraid of sinning then any other because as we know the more any man hath the more fearefull he is to runne into the danger of the law so the child of God having more to loose then any man in the world hath besides hath even in this respect more cause to bee afraid of offending God then any other man hath Why will you say unto me what meane you by this What hath he to loose more then any other man I answer Every child of God hath received above all other men three inestimable jewels from God which by sinning against God he is in danger to loose First He hath the spirit of adoption which assureth him of his peace with God and that he hath his favour which maketh him able to call God father to go to him with boldnes in all his necessities We have received the spirit of adoption saith the Apostle Rom. 8.15 wherby we cry Abba father In Christ we have â—oldnes and accesse with confidence saith he Eph. 3.12 Now this is such a jewell as he would not loose for al the world Thy loving kindnes is better then life saith David Psal. 63.3 And this he knoweth he is in danger to loose if he give himself liberty to sin Indeed his adoption and son-ship and birth-right is of a stronger tenure The servant saith our Saviour Ioh. 8.35 abideth not in the house for ever but the son abideth ever Yet may he by his sin utterly loose this fruit and operation of the spirit of adoption he may loose the assurance of his fathers love his peace his joy his accesse with boldnesse and that not only by grosse and scandalous sins but even by his carelesnesse and negligence and carnall security as we see in that example of the Church My well-beloved had with-drawne himselfe and was gone saith she Cant. 5.6 And of this uncomparable losse the Church hath ever had many wofull examples Secondly He hath received the spirit of sanctification whereby there is an holy change wrought in his whole spirit and soule and body as the Apostle speaketh 1 Thess. 5.23 whereby he is made a vessell unto honour sanctified and meet as the Apostle speaketh 2 Tim. 2.21 for his masters use and prepared unto every good work Now he setteth as much store by this jewell as his life Psal. 51.11 Cast me not away from thy presence take not thy holy spirit from me and he may loose the comfortable sense and the vigour and operation of it and bee strucken with such a dead palsy in his soule as he shall have little or no use of that life of grace that is in him And this losse he may come to not onely by giving liberty to himselfe in grosse and scandalous sins but even by his carnall security and carelesse neglect of the meanes whereby he might grow and increase in grace Quench not the spirit saith the Apostle 1 Thess. 5.19 despise not prophesyings even by despising of prophesyings the spirit may be quenched Thirdly and lastly He hath received a greater Iewell then either of these he beareth Gods owne name And as it is said of the Apostle Act. 9.15 that God had appointed him to beare his name before the Gentiles So it is said of all the faithfull also Phil. 2.16 that they hold forth unto men by their profession and example the word of life The Lord hath committed unto us that are his children his holy name and religion to keepe and that with a charge that we should so hold it out to the world by our holy example that we may gaine honour to it And that charge which the Apostle giveth to Timothy 2 Tim. 1.14 though it be chiefly given to us Ministers yet it is given of God
ordinarily diligently and shall not understand as if hee had said you shall bee never the better for it and seeing yee shall see you shall have all the helpe your eye can yeeld you to bring you to grace as you know that not onely in the workes of God but in the sacrament also the Lord hath appointed our eye to bee a great helpe to our faith but you shall not perceive The like is also said of a prayer Esay 1.15 When yee make many prayers I will not heare you Secondly As in all other the meanes of our comfort in this life this is the maine ground of our joy to find that the Lord is with us in them David behaved himselfe wisely in all his wayes saith the holy Ghost 1 Sam. 18.14 and the Lord was with him So it is said of Ioseph Gen. 39 20.21 that he was cast into prison but the Lord was with Ioseph As if hee had said Ioseph was a happy and a comfortable man even in prison because the Lord was with him So it is specially a maine ground of comfort to us when we can find God is with us in his worship prospering and blessing that unto us when we can say of every service we have done unto God of every part of his worship that we have performed as the Church doth Esa. 26.12 Lord thou wilt ordaine peace for us for thou also hast wrought all our works in us Thirdly If we profit not by Gods ordinances we make our selves guilty of an hainous sin even of taking Gods name in vaine For what is it to take Gods name in vaine if this be not when we ordinarily read and heare his word and receive his sacraments and use to pray and all in vaine receive no profit are never the better for it And certainly God will not hold them guiltlesse that take his name in vaine Exod. 20.7 Fourthly and lastly If God be not present if he worke not with his ordinances in us in mercy he will bee present and worke with them in us in judgement If we be not the better for them certainly wee shall be the worse for them where Gods ordinances prove not a savour of life they will prove a savour of death 2 Cor. 2.16 See an experience of this in Iohn 13.27 After the sop and that was after hee had communicated with Christ in the passeover Satan entred into Iudas And would to God wee had not dayly examples of this every where In which respect the Apostle biddeth the Corinthians take heed 1 Cor. 11.34 that when they came to receive the Communion they came not together unto condemnation Now if you would know the meanes how wee may obtaine this that God may be with us and worke with us in all his ordinances making them effectuall in us to those ends hee hath ordained them for they are foure principally First Wee must performe every duty of Gods worship with feare least we should by our loose and carelesse performance of it offend God and loose that we come for misse of his blessing in it Serve the Lord with feare saith the Prophet Psalme 2.11 That which our Saviour saith of one of Gods ordinances Luke 8.18 Take heed how yee heare may bee said to us likewise of every other duty in Gods worship take heed how ye receive and how you pray and how you read the word also You have heard in the motives just cause we have to doe so Let us have grace whereby wee may serve God acceptably saith the Apostle Heb. 12.28 29. And how is that with reverence and godly feare For our God is a consuming fire saith he As if he had said We can never serve God acceptably unlesse we doe it in an high reverence of his glorious greatnesse and of his ordinances and with feare of offending him by our loose and carelesse performance of it Secondly If we would have God to joyne with us in his ordinances and to doe his worke in our hearts by them we must strive to come to them in more humilitie and sense of our owne unworthinesse The Lord is â—igh to them that are of a broken heart saith David Psalme 34.18 This is said to be one of the maine duties that God requireth of all his people Micah 6.8 To walke humbly with thy God There is no hope that he will walke with us converse with us joyne and worke with us in his service unlesse we walke humbly with him See an example of this in Paul he was a man that God did marvellously assist and worke with in his ministery see the reason of it Act. 20.19 He served the Lord with all humility of mind and with many teares Thirdly If we would have God to worke with us and blesse his ordinances unto us we must come to them in repentance casting of every known sin before we approach unto God with a full resolution never to take it up againe The necessity of this the Lord taught his people under the law by this ceremony Exod. 30.20 When Aaron and his sons goe into the tabernacle of the congregation they shall wash with water that they dye not And as the Lord intended by that ceremony to teach us that are his ministers how dangerous a thing it is for us to meddle with the service of God till wee have sanctified and cleansed our selves from all our filthinesse both of flesh and spirit so hath hee taught all his people that it is no lesse dangerous for them to come before him in any part of his worship being yet in our sinnes See this in the extraordinary worship of God Sanctifie a fast sanctifie the Congregation saith the Prophet Ioel 2.15 16. The people of God are not fit to keepe a fast we cannot expect that the day of our fast will proove a day of atonement betweene God and us unlesse wee bee carefull before our fast to sanctifie our selves to search out and purge our selves from all our knowne sins See this also in ordinary duties of Gods worship 1. For the Sacrament It is evident by Hezechiahs prayer 2 Chron. 30.19 1. that God commanded all his people to cleanse themselves according to the purification of the sanctuary before they did presume to receive the passeover 2. That God was offended with the people there that neglected this for he prayeth that God would not lay that sin to their charge and upon his prayer God healed them And in obedience to that law it is said Iohn 11 55. that in Christs time many went out of the country up to Ierusalem before the passeover to purifie themselves And our Saviour after the passeover before he celebrated the Sacrament of his body and bloud with his disciples washed their feete as wee read Iohn 13.5 And those bodily purifications and washings did signifie certainly the purging and cleansing of the soule from sinne by the bloud and spirit of Christ. No man may hope to receive any good by the
of a scorpion when he stingeth a manâ— so intolerable as men shall seeke death and shall not find it shall desire to dye and death shall flyâ— from them Marke but foure Doctrines which they teach and this will be evident unto you 1. Their Doctrine of justification that a man must be justified in Gods sight by a righteousnesse inherent in himselfe and by his good workes a broken reed God knoweth for a weary and fainting soule to rest upon 2 Their Doctrine of purgatory that when men dye there is a fire prepared for them in purgatory that their soules must goe to and remaine in no man knoweth how many hundred yeares which fire is no lesse painful intolerable then the fire of hell is 3. Their Doctrine of doubting that no man can be in this life certain that he is in the state of grace hope well he may but sure he can never be that his sins are so forgiven that they shal never be laid to his charge againe he must be in doubt continually nay it is sin and blasphemy say they for any man to say he is certain of his salvation 4. Lastly Their Doctrine of saving justifying faith that it is nothing but a perswasion of the mind that whatsoever God hath revealed is undoubtedly true which we have learned out of the Apostle is in the devils themselves That speciall faith that applyeth Christ and his merits particularly to every beleever that hath in it an affiance of the heart a resting upon Christ for a mans owne salvation this bloud of sprinkling that you have now heard of that they disdaine and scoffe at and persecute as vaine presumption Alas how can these poore wretches that receive these teachers that beleeve these Doctrines have any comfort in death How can they chuse but be then in intolerable terrour and torment of conscience certainly many Papists are so and all would bee were it not that they are made drunke with a wine of spirituall fornication which the whoore of Babylon hath made them to drink of as the spirit of God in Rev. 17. â— hath fore-told it should be And who would wonder to see senslesnesse and stupidity in a drunken man O therefore beloved 1. Pity your friends and kinsmen that are seduced by these wretched teachers do what you can to reclame them 2. Consider how small cause there is that we have so long enjoyed professed the Gospel which is the only way of peace as Zachary calleth it Lu. 1.79 And of which the Lord hath so oft spoken by his spirit to our hearts as he did Esa. 28.12 This is the rest wherwith yâ— mâ—y cause the wâ—ary to rest this is the refreshing As if he had said this is the Doctrine wherin the weariest faintest and most afflicted soule may find rest and refreshing How small cause is there I say that wee should now grow weary of the Gospel entertaine thoughts with those rebels Num. 14.4 of returning into that Egypt againe that house of bondage Exod. 13.3 where no true rest or comfort is to be found for the conscience Nay consider 3. how just cause of feare we have lest the Lord because we have lost our first love to him his blessed Gospel will remove our candlesticke deprive us of it as he threatneth Ephesus Rev. 2.4 5. And take heed we grow not weary of him as he chargeth Israel Esa. 43.22 and loath his Gospel lest he loath us and grow weary of us and spew us out as he threatneth the Laodiceaus that had lost their zeale Rev. 3.16 And let us take heed of doting upon antichrist his altars and his images his apish ceremonies or any part of his damnable doctrines left the Lord let antichrist enter and prevaile againe in this land that we may know by wofull experience the difference of his service the service of Christ the difference betweene popery and the Gospell as the Lord threatned his people 2. Chr. 1â— 8 The second use that this Doctrine serveth unto is to exhort us that seeing none can have comfort in the blood of Christ till it be sprinkled upon him and applyed to him till the spirit of God have made him to know it belongeth unto him that therfore every one of us would labour to find that it is so with himselfe that we would give no rest to our selves till wee find we have our part in this blood of sprinkling till the spirit of God have applyed it unto us assured us that it all the vertue and merit of it belongeth unto us O beloved 1. Content not thy selfe to know that God loveth thee so far as he giveth thee life and health he letteth thee live in peace and wealth and credit here alas hee loved Cain and Dives and many more that now fry in hell so far but labour to know that he loved thee so farre as that he gave his sonne to dye for thee let no fruit of Gods love so satisfie thee but that In this was manifested the love of God towards us saith the Apostle 1 Ioh 4 9 10. because that God sent his only begotten son into the world that wee might live through him herein is love No fruit of Gods love is worth the having is worth the speaking of in comparison of this Neither content thy selfe to know this in generall that God so loved the world that he gave his Sonne to redeeme all that can beleeve in him but labour to know in particular that which Paul knew Gal. 2.20 that he loved thee and gave himselfe for thee 3. Neither content thy selfe to thinke and hope well that Christ died for thee Go not by thinking in this case but make this sure to thy heart upon good grounds Give diligence to make thy calling and election sure saith the Apostle 2 Pet. 1.10 Neither 4 content thy selfe to say carelesly though not yet sure of this I hope I shall be before I die I hope God will purge mee with hysope one day and sprinkle this bloud of his Son upon my heart but labour speedily and without delay to get this assurance and cry with the Church unto God Psal. 90.14 O satisfie us early with thy mercy that wee may rejoyce and be glad all our daies But to inforce this so necessary an exhortation both upon my selfe and you I will 1 give you some Motives to perswade you to seeke this assurance 2 I will give you some signes whereby you may discerne whether you have yet obtained it or no. 3 I will shew the meanes that must be used for the attaining to it And for Motives I will give you but two the one taken from the possibility of attaining in this life to this assurance and the other from the necessity and benefit of it For the first Know this beloved that though 1 It be a very difficult thing to get this assurance and few attaine to it 2 They that have attained
to everlasting confusion Cain had a greater portion of them then Seth and Esau then Iacob And what comfort can a man have in such fruits of Gods love as these are What comfort can the traitour take in that goodnesse of the King that being apprehended hee giveth order that hee may have a faire and good lodging in the tower and a good diet too till matters be ripe and ready for his arraignement and execution No no he taketh small comfort in all this nothing will assure him of the Kings mercy and love till his pardon bee brought him So may I say of all these outward blessings thou canst have no sound comfort in them till thou have Christ and hast through him gotten the pardon of thy sinnes These are indeed fruits of Gods common love but these are no fruits or signes of Gods speciall or everlasting love of that love that he beareth to them whom he meaneth to save eternally No man knoweth either love or hatred by any thing that is before him saith Salomon Eccl. ◠1 A man cannot argue God loveth him with his speciall love because he enjoyeth these things nor that God hateth him because he wanteth them And it is not that common but this speciall and everlasting love of God onely that we are to make reckoning of and to take comfort in In this was manifested the love of God towards us saith the Apostle 1 Ioh. 4.9 10. because that God sent his onely begotten Sonne into the world that we might live through him Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Sonne to be the propitiation for our sinnes If thou canst say God hath given Christ unto thee and to thee an heart to receive him then thou maist be bold to say God loveth thee indeed But thou canst never say God loveth thee indeed till thou be in Christ. He is called the Sonne of his love 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Col. 1.13 He hath made us accepted in the beloved saith the Apostle Eph. 1.6 As if he had said He loveth us for his sake and he loveth none but for his sake and with respect unto him onely And what good will it do thee to have all the world if thou have not Gods love What comfort canst thou take in any thing thou hast if God have not given it thee in his love Now on the other side that this Motive may have the more force in thy heart consider what a happinesse it is for a man to be in Christ even in respect of these outward things The true believer and he that knoweth Christ is his may take great comfort even in these outward and common blessings of God God giveth to him saith Salomon speaking of these things Eccles. 2.26 that is good in his sight reconciled to him in Christ and justified before him wisdome and knowledge and joy He joyeth even in these outward blessings he useth them with joy and comfort In which respect it is said by David Psal. 37.16 that a little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked men Have he little or have he much he hath more comfort in that he hath than any wicked man in the world can possibly have For First That that he hath is his owne he hath the highest title unto it All things are yours saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 3.21 23. and ye are Christs In giving Christ unto us how shall he not with him also freely give us all things saith the Apostle Rom. 8.32 Secondly He shall have good of that he hath it shall do him good and no hurt it shall not hinder his happinesse it is sanctified unto him The blessing of the Lord it maketh rich saith Salomon Proverb 10.22 and he addeth no sorrow with it As if he had said He that hath wealth with Gods blessing shall have no cause to repent him another day that he lived so prosperously Thus God promiseth his people that are in covenant with him Deut. 30.9 The Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every worke of thine hand in the fruit of thy body and in the fruit of thy cattell and in the fruit of thy land for good for the Lord will rejoyce over thee for good as he rejoyced over thy fathers Marke how the Lord doth not onely promise unto his people these outward things that he would increase them in their children and in their estates but that he promiseth them also and repeateth this promise twice in this one Verse that he would give them these things for their good they should have good of them they should receive good and no hurt by them To have the things is nothing unlesse we have them with the blessing unlesse God give us good of them When the Apostle had said 1 Tim. 4.3 5. that God hath created all meat to be received with thankesgiving of them that believe and know the truth he addeth in the next words that every creature of God is good As if he had said To the believer all Gods creatures are good and to none but him and he giveth this reason For it is sanctified saith he by the word and prayer As though he should say When Gods creatures are sanctified unto us when we have a holy use of them and are made the better by them then are they good to us and not els and to the true believer they are sanctified and to none but him Thirdly and lastly Whatsoever the true believer he that is in Christ hath in these outward things he hath it in Gods love and therefore he may well take comfort in it We are wont to say that an hearty welcome is the best cheere that any friend can make us Though our fare be but meane yet if we can find we have it with a good will and that our friend is glad of us and thereby we discerne that he doth unfeignedly love us this we esteeme of more worth than the best cheere in the world this maketh the homelyest fare most sweet and acceptable unto us And certainely it is much more so in this case When a man once knoweth he hath Gods love and that that which God hath given him be it little or much is given to him in love O this giveth a most sweet and pleasant relish to all Gods blessings that we do enjoy this maketh a man to take true and solid comfort in them Thus Iacob speaketh of his children Genesis 33.5 These are the children that God of his grace hath given unto thy servant and Verse 11. of his cattell Because God hath dealt graciously with mee and because I have enough Hee tasted Gods speciall love unto him even in these things I told you even now that no unbeliever can take any sound comfort in any of Gods outward blessings because hee cannot conclude from thence that God loveth him with a speciall love but though he cannot he that is in Christ may These common
reward them oft that serve his providence in his justice for the ruine and destruction of men though they have no goodnesse in them at all it is no marvell though he reward them much more who by some goodnesse that is in them doe serve his providence in the preservation and welfare of men Secondly These civill vertues must needs be good things and such as God doth love and will reward because they are such things as God hath in his law commanded The Gentiles saith the Apostle Romanes 2.14 15. doe by nature the things contained in the law and shew the worke of the law written in their hearts As if hee should say These things doe evidently shew and declare that the law of God is written in their hearts You see then Beloved wee doe not discommend civill honesty wee doe not discourage naturall men from doing good workes wee doe not condemne all the workes of naturall men nor say that whatsoever they doe that are not religious is abominable and naught Nay wee heartily wish there were much more civill honesty in the world then there is Hee that is truly religious would bee ashamed that any naturall man should bee more honest then hee True religion is no enemy to civill and morall honesty nay it is a great nourisher and increaser of it It is a dangerous errour that most men are growne now unto to thinke it indiscretion and want of learning and judgement in a Minister to stand much in pressing of points of morality in his Sermon or in particular reproofe of such faults as are committed by men in their buying and selling and such like passages of their ordinary conversation and dealings one with another It is thought now adayes there is no divinity in this they goe besides their Text when they deale in these things No no beloved bee not deceived Those points that God in his Word standeth most upon wee must presse most in our ministery and those are these matters of your common practise It is a strange thing to observe how plentifull and particular and precise the Holy Ghost is in pressing men to deale justly in all their dealings with men even in weights and measures of all sorts You shall doe no unrighteousnesse in judgement saith the Lord Levit. 19.35 36 in mâ—â—eyard in weight or in measure Iust ballances just weight a just Ephah and a just Hiâ— shall ye have I am the Lord your God that brought you out of the land of Egypt And againe Deut. 25.13 16. Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights of one kind hee meaneth a great and a small Thou shalt not have in thine house diverse measures a great and a small one to buy by another to sell by But thou shalt have a perfect and a just weight a perfect and just measure shalt thou have that thy daies may bee lengthened in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee For all that doe such things and all that doe unrighteously marke it I pray you all that doe unrighteously in what kind soever are an abomination unto the Lord thy God Marke also I pray you how much the Apostles in the New Testament doe presse upon Gods people in their exhortations that they would bee carefull to walke honestly Walke honestly towards them that are without saith the Apostle Paul 1 Thess. 4.12 And the Apostle Peter 1 Pet. 2.12 Have your conversation honest among the Gentiles And the Apostle Paul againe Phil. 4.8 Whatsoever things are honest think on these things As if he had said Be not forgetfull or carelesse of such things And Rom. 13.13 Let us walke honestly as in the day And in the following words he instanceth in some speciall points of dishonesty he would have them to take heed of It is dishonesty to be drunke yea to use rioting idle-company-keeping haunting and sitting at the ale-house to drinke or to game though a man bee never drunke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith he It is dishonesty to use chambering and wantonnesse secret familiarity and dalliance with a woman lascivious speeches and gestures though a man never commit whordome Yea it is dishonesty saith the Apostle for a man to live in strife and envying to be a contentious person unpeaceable unquiet though he never oppresse or defraud or wrong his neighbour any other way Provide things honest saith he againe Rom. 12.17 In the sight of all men The word he useth there is worth the observing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As if he had said Cast for this before hand take care of this that you do nothing that is dishonest that you faile not in any point of honesty by no meanes And he professeth Heb. 13.18 that this was a thing himselfe tooke much comfort in that he had a good conscience in all things willing to live honestly And what meaneth he by honesty Surely such duties of the second table which the light of nature teacheth men to make conscience of And why I pray you doe the Apostles stand so much upon commending honesty unto Gods people Surely for two causes First Because they knew that nothing would grace religion so much and win it credit in the eyes of all men as this would doe when they see that they that professe it are of honest conversation just men and faithfull and courteous and meeke and patient and humble and kind and mercifull men This reason the Apostle giveth 1 Pet 2.12 Having your conversation saith he honest among the Gentiles that where as they speake against you as evill doers they may by your good workes which they shall behold that is by your honesty such workes as they by the light of nature know to be good workes glorifie God in the day of visitation Secondly Because they knew that on the other side nothing doth make religion so odious and contemptible in the world nor so much harden the hearts of men against it as the want of honesty in such as doe professe it that they are guilty of such things as even by the light of nature all men may discerne to bee grosse and vile When the Canaanites and Perizzites had seene what the sonnes of Iacob had done to the Shechemites how they had broken their promise and covenant with them how cruelly and barbarously they had used them and all under a colour of zeale for their owne religion this made Iacob and his religion though alas he was farre from approving or consenting to this that they had done stink among the inhabitants of the land as himselfe saith Gen. 34. â—0 You see beloved what moved the Apostles to commend honesty so much unto Gods people in their times and surely the same reasons have moved mee to speake so much in the commendation of it unto you at this time Never was it more neglected by some professours of religion then now it is never did the Gospell receive more dishonour and reproach through the neglect of it then now it doth I beseech you
the Sabbath yea even to the neglect of this outward rest from our owne workes on that day If you compare 2 Chronicles 36.21 with Leviticus 26.34 35. you shall finde this noted for a chiefe cause of that miserable captivity that Gods people did endure in Babylon Because the land did not rest in your Sabbaths saith the Lord when yee dwelt upon it And Nehemiah telleth them so much after their returne from that captivity Nehemiah 13.18 that God did bring all the evill that was come upon them and upon Ierusalem because their fathers had prophaned the Sabbath so as they then did How was that Surely they suffered men to tread wine-presses on the Sabbath a work that is not in use among us but our grinding of corne and making of malt is equivalent unto it and they suffered men to goe in and our with burdens and carriages and to buy and sell wares upon the Sabbath as you shall finde Verse 15 16 of that Chapter And these are the things of which hee saith Verse 18. Did not your fathers thus and did not our God bring all this evill upon us and upon this City And looke what hath beene said of every Church and Kingdome that the flourishing estate or ruine thereof dependeth greatly upon the observation or neglect even of this outward rest the same may be also said doubtlesse of every towne and family and particular person that their welfare and undoing dependeth much upon this Never was any man made the poorer by the strict observation of the Sabbath Day by refusing to buy or sell or doe any of his worldly businesse upon that Day But the more conscionable any man is in resting from all his owne workes upon that Day the more plentifull a blessing hee shall be sure to receive from God upon the labours of his calling in the six dayes And it is not thine owne labour or toyling but the blessing of God that maketh rich when all is done as Salomon teacheth us Proverbs 10.22 I know well that the worldly man cannot believe this but thinketh this would be the way to undoe him How should I live saith he if I should do no businesse on the Sabbath Day I cannot maintaine my charge by going to Church and doing nothing for a whole day But marke I pray you how God answereth these men Leviticus 25. The Lord gave his people then a commandement to keepe every seventh yeere a Sabbath all the yeere long thus farre forth The seventh yeare shall be a Sabbath of rest to the land saith the Lord there verse 4 5. a Sabbath for the Lord thou shalt neither sow thy field nor prune thy vineyard no nor reape and gather that that grew of it owne accord to thy private use for so the 5 verse is to bee understood And if ye shall say and object saith the Lord verse 20 21. what shall wee eat the seventh yeere As if he should say How shall wee live then that yeere seeing wee shall neither sow nor reape As indeed they had much more reason to object this against the keeping of one yeare in seaven then wee have against the keeping of one day in seven for a Sabbath the Lord answereth this verse 21. I will command my blessing upon you in the sixt yeare and it shall bring forth fruit for three yeeres So may I say to thee Keepe the Sabbath conscionably remember the Sabbath day before it come and cast for it by dispatching before hand all that thou hast to doe as neither thou nor thy servant may have any thing left to be done upon that day and the Lord will command his blessing upon thy labours in the six daies accordingly so as thou shalt not bee impoverished ever a whit but enriched by it On the other side the Lord hath beene wont to reveale his wrath from heaven upon townes and families and upon particular persons as much for this one sinne of profaning the Sabbath as for any other And namely by that fearefull judgement of consuming fire by which specially and by name hee hath in his Word threatned to punish this sinne If you will not hearken unto mee saith the Lord Ieremy 17.27 to hallow my Sabbath day and not to beare a burden even entring in at the gates of Ierusalem on the Sabbath day then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof and it shall devoure the pallaces of Ierusalem and it shall not bee quenthed And thus have I shewed you in this one particular how highly God is pleased with the strict observation of the Sabbath day And if it please him so well to see men rest from their owne workes upon that day which yet as I told you is but the least thing that belongeth to the right observation of it you may bee sure hee is much more pleased to see men spend that day in doing of his workes in exercising themselves in those duties of piety and mercy which hee hath appointed to bee done upon that day especially in seeing them keepe his Sabbaths spiritually and conscionably Certainely they that doe so shall bee sure to bee blessed and rewarded of God for it To this purpose it is worth the observing that as our Saviour saith Marke 2. â—7 that the Sabbath was at the first made for man for the great benefit and behoofe of man Man could not no not Adam in his innocency have beene without it but with great danger and losse unto him So the Holy Ghost saith that twice of the Sabbath Gen. 2.3 and Exodus 20.11 that hee never said of any other day that the Lord blessed that day that is appointed it to bee a meane of a greater blessing to man if hee keepe it as God hath commanded him to doe then any other day or any of the ordinary workes of any other day can possibly bee Two sorts of blessings there be which the conscionable observer of the Sabbath shall be sure to receive by it The first are spirituall And they indeed are the chiefe blessings of all because they are durable and everlasting and because they concerne the soule which is the chiefe and most precious part of man And for these was the Sabbath chiefly ordained that God might by it in the use of his ordinances inrich our soules with spirituall blessings in heavenly things So the Lord saith Ezekiel 20.12 that hee gave his Sabbaths to his people to that end that they might know that hee was the Lord that sanctified them Wee shall know and find that the Lord will sanctifie us both begin and increase saving grace in our hearts if we keepe the Sabbath conscionably Yea the Lord hath promised Esa. 56.6 7. to every one that keepeth his Sabbath from polluting it that he will make them ioyfull in his house of prayer And Esa. 58.13 14. that if a man shall keepe the Sabbath heartily and spiritually then hee shall delight himselfe in the Lord. By these two places it appeareth that God hath bound himselfe
by promise to them that keepe his Sabbath not onely to worke sanctification increase of holinesse and power over their corruptions which hee professeth in that former place of Ezekiel was the very end hee gave his Sabbath for but also by his spirit of adoption to increase in their hearts a lively sense of his favour assurance that he heareth and accepteth their prayers peace of conscience joy in the Holy Ghost which are blessings the Christian soule prizeth above all things in the world Why may you say may not a man receive increase of grace and spirituall comfort in the use of Gods ordinances on any other day but onely on the Sabbath I answer Yes verily but these promises may give him assurance to receive them more richly and plentifully upon the Sabbath then on any other day The second sort of blessings that the conscionable observers of the Sabbath receive by it are temporall For concerning them also wee have a promise Esa. 58.14 that he that heartily and spiritually keepeth the Sabbath God will cause him to ride upon the high places of the earth he shall have honour and esteeme in the world so farre as it shall be good for him and he will feed him with the heritage of Iacob that is he shall continue and abide safely in the land of Canaan which God promised to Iacob for his inheritance Gen. 28.13.48.4 Yea the Lord will nourish and feed them he shall eat the good things of the land as the Lord promiseth Esa. 1.19 to all that yeeld willing obedience unto him Lecture CXXXVI On Psalme 51.7 December 29. 1629. IT followeth now that we make some application of that which wee have heard touching the Sabbath and so proceed unto the two last particulars of those five which I have proved to be in many a man that is no better then an hypocrite And that which I have to say by way of application is first of all more generall and concerneth all other persons and places as well as this secondly more speciall and concerneth this place principally Of all I may say ô that God would give us hearts to beleeve that which wee have heard taught us concerning the observation of the Sabbath day out of the Word of God by which wee must bee all judged at the great and dreadfull day as our Saviour assureth us Iohn 12.48 O that wee could beleeve that the surest way to make our Church and State to flourish to secure us from enemies abroad and Papists at home to maintaine Gods Gospell and the purity of his religion amongst us that the surest way to make our Townes and families and persons to prosper and do well were to keepe the Lords rest upon his holy day If we could beleeve this then would wee bee the more carefull to keepe the Sabbath better our selves and then would wee doe what lieth in us that it might bee better kept by others also I know our corrupt hearts are apt to have in them many reasonings against the strict observation of the Sabbath day And these imaginations and reasonings that wee have in us against the truth of God the Apostle 2 Cor. 10.4 5. calleth strong holds and high things that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God But of all these strong holds and high things I may say as our Saviour saith in another case and another sense speaking of the faith of miracles Matth. 17.20 If wee had but as much faith as a graine of musterd seed but a little faith to beleeve the promises and threatnings that we have heard concerning the observation or neglect of the Sabbath we might easily remove all these mountaines out of our way Diverse notable good lawes we have had made of late yeares for the better observation of the Sabbath day Some to restraine men from doing their owne workes some other to compell men to doe the Lords worke by frequenting diligently the Church assemblies upon that day And blessed be God that hath given that heart to our King and State to make such lawes In respect whereof it may be fitly said of them as Deborah speaketh in another case Iudg. â— 9 My heart is towards the governours of Israel that offered themselves willingly among the people Blesse ye the Lord. The hearts of all Gods people should be towards the governours of Israel for shewing themselves so willing to provide for the sanctifying of the Lords Sabbath we should all blesse the Lord for them The whole land I nothing doubt fareth the better and hath had the tranquility thereof lengthened the rather even by the zeale that our governours have shewed in this point towards God and towards his house But that which is said of the daies of King Iehosâ—phat 2 Chron. 20.32 33. may fitly be applied to our times Iehosaphat did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. Howbeit the high places were not taken away for as yet the people did not prepare their hearts unto the God of their fathers Our gracious King in Parliament hath done that which is right in the sight of the Lord in making these good lawes Howbeit the Sabbath is still in most places shamefully profaned these good lawes are not executed for the people do not prepare their hearts unto God they have no heart to his honour or service at all And indeed in nothing doth it better appeare that the hearts of the people generally are not prepared unto God but utterly alienated and estranged from him then in this that when they have but the least colour and semblance of law to justifie any of their unwarantable practises whereby they may trouble any of their brethren and devise deceitfull matters against them that are quiet in the land as the Prophet speaketh Psal. 35.20 there they will seeme wondrous zealous for the lawes and presse them hotly they frame their mischiefe by a law as the Prophet speaketh Psal. 94.20 they pretend nothing so much for their deadly hatred against others that are innocent as that they doe not obey the law This was Hamans outcry against Gods people in his time Est. 3.8 These keepe not the kings lawes And of Daniels adversaries against him Dan. 6.13 He regardeth not thee ô king nor the decree that thou hast signed And of those lewd fellowes of the baser sort which we read of Acts 17.5 7. against Paul and the brethren with him These all say they doe contrary to the decrees of Caesar. Whereas I say to colour their malice against God and his people they seeme zealous for the law for the Magistrate Let the Magistrate make lawes that tend most directly to the honour of God that concerne the weightiest matters of Gods law as our gracious Iehosaphat hath done for the observation of the Sabbath for the punishment of swearing for the suppressing of the multitude and disorders of ale-houses the very chiefe nurseries of all profanesse and impiety these lawes you shall find they have no zeale
Psal. 119.127 I love thy commandements saith he above gold yea above fine gold adds presently Ver. 128. Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right and I hate every false way He that doth not esteeme highly of that that God hath taught us in his Word concerning all things concerning the smallest matters as well as concerning the greatest he that doth not hate every false way every errour in the matters of religion errour about the smallest things as well as errour about the greatest certainly he doth not love and esteem of Gods Word as he ought to do Secondly As a man may make himselfe abominable unto God by transgressing wittingly the least of his commandements Ye shall not make your selves abominable saith the Lord Lev 11.43 with any creeping thing by eating of it he meaneth and what commandement did ever God give that was lesse than those concrning meat and drinke so may a man do by receiving wittingly the least known errour or forsaking wittingly the least known truth See how earnest the Apostle is 2 Thes. 2 1-3 in disswading them from receiving an errour which of all errors that they could receive might seem the least dangerous yea a most wholsome errour that is that the day of Christ was then at hand Yet see I pray you and marke how earnest he is in this matter Now I beseech you brethren by the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ and by our gathering together unto him that yee bee not soone shaken in minde or bee troubled neither by spirit nor by word nor by letter as from us as that the day of Christ is at hand Let no man deceive you by any meanes To receive any thing as a divine truth which God hath not taught us in his Word though it carie never so good a shew of piety and devotion is certainly a very dangerous thing els would not the Apostle have beene so earnest in this case as he was Thirdly and lastly The surest way to keepe our hearts from forsaking and falling from the truth in maine and fundamentall matters is to make conscience of holding fast the truth even in the least matters of cleâ—ving constantly to the least truth that God hath revealed unto us and convinced our consciences in the surest way to keepe our selves from grosse and enormious sinnes is to make conscience of the least thing we know to be a sin This Iob knew well and therefore to preserve himselfe from the odious sin of adultery or fornication he durst not give himselfe liberty to looke or think of that that might provoke him to lust I made a covenant with mine eyes saith he Iob 31.1 why then should I thinke upon a maid David also knew this well and therefore that he might keepe himselfe innocent from the great transgression he was afraid to commit any presumptuous sinne any sinne against his knowledge and conscience yea he was afraid even of his secret faults of such sinnes as he knew he was many wayes guilty of in thought word and deed though he knew them not in particular nor discerned them to be sinnes This is evident by that earnest prayer he makes Psal. 19.12 13. Who can understand his errours cleanse thou me from secret faults keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sinnes let them not have dominion over me then shall I be upright and I shall be innocent from the great transgression And even so it is in this case the surest way to keep our judgements uncorrupted in the matters of greatest moment is to keepe them sound in those matters that are of least weight He that will give liberty to himselfe to reject and forsake the truth in the smallest matters will be in danger to forsake it and fall from it in the greatest matters if hee bee pressed to it Our Saviour speaking of that marvellous blindnesse of minde that by the just judgement of God was come upon the Iewes Matthew 13.14 Hearing they should heare but should not understand and seeing they should see but they should not perceive hee gives this for one reason of it that they had closed their owne eyes first If a man do wilfully refuse to see any truth that God would reveale unto him it is just with God to blind him so that he shall not be able to see or to have any comfortable certainty in any truth of God When the Apostle speakes of his zeale and resolution against such false brethren as taught circumcision to be still necessary even after the abrogation of the ceremoniall law had beene sufficiently published for it was above foureteene yeares after Pauls conversion as you may see Gal. 2.1 We gave no place by subjection to them saith he Ver. 5. no not for one houre If some politicians had been then to confer with him they would have said to him alas Paul why art thou so obstinate and peevish in such a trifle Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing as thy selfe hast taught 1 Cor. 7.19 But he gives this reason why he was so resolute in opposing an errour even of that nature that the truth of the gospell saith he might continue with you These errours in smaller matters being received will by little and little deprive us of the truth and sincerity of the Gospell and usher in such errours as are more grosse and fundamentall Let no man say what unlawfulnesse is there in bowing before a crucifix in a decent manner for if we shall comply with Papists in such things it may be just with God to give us over to greater delusions and to apostate quite with them When Ioshuah a little before his death exhorts Israel to cleave constantly to the Lord and to take heed of being drawne by the Canaanites that lived among them unto their idolatry he inforceth his exhortation thus Iosh. 23.12 13. Els saith he if yee doe in any wise goe backe and cleave unto the remnant of these nations know for a certainty that the Lord your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you but they shall bee snares and traps unto you and scourges in your sides and thornes in your eyes untill you perish from the good land which the Lord your God hath given you If wee shall in any wise goe backe from the truth of God bee it in greater matters or in smaller if wee shall in any wise goe backe and decline to gratifie the Papists and to conforme unto them wee may know for a certainty that God will forsake us and Poperie will prevaile against us So that to conclude this third direction wee must every one doe that for our selves which Epaphras did for the Colossians Colossians 4.12 Wee must labour fervently in our prayers with God that wee may stand perfect and compleat in all the will of God If we be desirous to hold fast our profession we must labour to stand perfect and compleat in all the will of God stand stedfastly in
a burden Observe in the Lords speech five things 1. This was one of the greatest sorrowes of Gods people in their captivity that they wanted then their solemne assemblies Though they might have some religious meetings for Gods morall worship yea they had publique fasts then foure times a yeare as appeares Zach. 8.19 yet their assemblies were nothing so solemne so populous as they were wont to be at Ierusalem 2. The Caldeans their enemy were wont to reproach them for this and to say to them to this effect where are your solemne assemblies now as it is said Lam. 1.7 they did mocke at their Sabbaths they joyed to see they could have no such solemne assemblies as they were wont to have as indeed the solemnity and greatnesse of the Church-assemblies hath ever beene a great eye-sore to wicked men 3. It was a burden to Gods people to have this reproach cast upon them they could have twitted them with nothing that would have grieved them more 4. That the Lord saith to his Church of these that were so sorrowfull for the solemne assembly these are of thee these are indeed naturall and kindly children and members of the true Church that do stand thus affected 5. And lastly The promise that the Lord makes to such I will gather them saith the Lord. I will have a speciall respect unto them and though they be thus scattered and dispersed not one of them shall be lost but I will bring them back againe to their own land Thirdly He that hath the spirit of Christ any true love or zeale of God in his heart will joy in the plentifull and free preaching of the Word which is a chiefe part of Gods worship a principall occasion of our most solemne assemblies All that have true hearts to God doe and ought to desire heartily and to pray to God for this When our Saviour had complained Matth. 9.37 that there were so few labourers about Gods harvest he commands his Disciples Verse 38. To pray unto the Lord of the harvest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he would cast forth speedily and without delay send forth or by a strong hand as in a case of present necessity thrust forth labourers many labourers labourers indeed he would have them to be not loiterers or such as should doe the worke of the Lord negligently into his harvest Brethren saith the Apostle 2 Thes. 3.1 pray that the word of the Lord may have a free course 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that it may run freely that preaching of it may not be hindred or interrupted by any meanes And Col. 4.3 Pray for us saith he that God would open to us a doore of utterance that we may have free liberty to preach the Gospell And as all men you see are bound to pray to God for the increase and liberty of faithfull preachers so will every one that truly loves God and hath any zeale for his glory rejoyce greatly in the liberty of the Gospell and when the truth is plentifully preached Wee reade in the reformation that Nehemiah wrought Neh. 12.44 That Iudah rejoyced for the priests and for the Levites that waited that stood saith the originall They joyed in this as in the chiefe part of the reformation of Religion that they had store of faithfull and able Priests and Levites and that they also stood and were setled and established in their places with liberty and maintenance and all good encouragements And the Apostle Paul was so zâ—alous for much preaching and rejoyced so much in the glory he knew redounded to God by it that speaking of some in Rome that preached the truth and sound Doctrine without all truth and soundnesse of heart he saith Phil. 1.18 Nothwithstanding every way whether in pretence or in truth Christ is preached and I therein doe rejoyce and I will rejoyce saith he Surely they were very bad men of whom he saith Verse 15.16 that they preached Christ even of envy and strife even to adde affliction to his bonds to increase his griefe and trouble who was then in bonds and prison for the Gospell How could Paul rejoyce in such mens preaching will you say Certainely he knew that though they were so bad in themselves yet their Doctrine which was both for matter and manner sound might through Gods blessing upon his owne ordinance become effectuall to the conversion and comfort of Gods elect For be you sâ—re of this that if Paul had beene of that minde that he that is a wicked man himselfe cannot by his Ministery be the instrument of the conversion of another he would never have said of such men as these I doe rejoyce that Christ is preached by them yea and I will rejoyce in it On the otherside he that hath any true love or zeale of God in his heart cannot but grieve for the want of preaching that preaching should be hindred that good Preachers and such as God hath made able and willing to doe him and his Church service should have cause to complaine as Paul doth 1 Thes. 2.18 that Satan hinders them No good man will rejoyce in this but grieve and mourne for it It is said of out blessed Saviour Mat. 9.36 that when he saw the multitude to be like sheep without Shepheards that the harvest was great and the labourers so few that there was such want of preachers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Holy Ghost his bowels eraned in him with inward griefe and compassion of their misery And which of us should not desire to be affected as our blessed Saviour was When Eliah would give unto the Lord himselfe a reason of that griefe and passion he was in which made him weary of his life he alleadgeth this for one chiefe cause of it and healledgeth it twice in that one Chapter 1 King 19.10.14 They have slaine thy prophets with the sword and it was a death to the good man to thinke of that Fourthly and lastly He that hath the spirit of Christ in him will rejoyce to see the Ministery of the word fruitfull in them that doe enjoy it and powerfull to bring them to the obedience of it when it goeth forth conquering men and to conquer more as it was Revel 6.2 said to doe in the primitive Church in those Apostolicall times This made Paul to rejoyce and praise God for the Thessalonians 1 Thes. 1.5 6. For our Gospell came not to you in word only but in power and in the Holy Ghost and yee became followers of us and of the Lord. This is that that every good heart ought to desire and begge of God not only that the word of the Lord may have a free course but also that it may be glorified as the Apostle speaketh 2 Thes. 3.1 that it may have good successe and prosper in that that God sent it for that is to reforme the hearts and lives of men He that hath any true love or zeale of God in him will rejoyce to see this When the
into the true Church are not yet called to the knowledge and profession of the truth them also I must bring they must needs bee brought into this fould they must needs bee made members of the true Church and brought into the number of them that professe the truth And how must that be done And they shall heare my voice saith he If Christ intend to bring them into his fould to save them they shall heare his voice And how shall they heare without a Preacher Saith the Apostle Rom. 10.14 So that when God with-holds from a people the Preaching of his word though we may not presume to judge of his secret counsell and decree concerning any man or to limit his power yet may we boldly say that this is a fearefull signe that Christ hath no sheepe there whom he meanes to bring unto his fould no elect people there whom hee meanes to save And when God restraines preaching and takes it away from a people for whosoever be the instrument this is his doing certainly Is there any evill in a city and the Lord hath not done it Amos 3.6 we may take it for a signe that the Lord hath no more sheep there whom he means to bring into his fold If God should send upon a land such weather either in seed-time as should rot all the seed in the ground and make it unfruitfull or in the harvest as should rot all the corne when it is come even unto ripenesse or if sending a plentifull and seasonable harvest he should send such a generall mortality and sicknesse among men as none could be got to reap and gather it all men would take this for a signe that God meant to bring a famine upon that land and destroy both man and beast by it yea they would be much affected and mourn extreamly for such a judgement it would be a day of griefe and of desperate sorrow as the Prophet speaketh Esa. 17.11 And yet men know well enough that God can keep men from famine and feed them sufficiently though they have no corn at all as he did all Israel for forty yeares together in the wildernesse Even so it is in this case the Apostle speaking of the state that the Athenians and all other Gentiles had been in before Christs ascension into heaven saith Acts 17.30 that the time of that ignorance while God with-held from the Gentiles the means of knowledge the Ministerie of his Word God regarded not as the old translation well rendreth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he did looke over it he did not vouchsafe to looke or set his eyes upon it that is regarded them not cared not what became of men that lived in those dayes For that this is the meaning of the phrase appeares by the contrary Psal. 34 5. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous that is he respecteth them and hath a care of them in a speciall manner The people that God denieth his Word unto it is a fearefull signe that they are such as God regardeth not cares not what becomes of them And have not we just cause then to mourne when we see preaching restrained Surely if our Saviour had not thought so his bowels would not so have yerned in him to see so few Preachers to see the people like sheepe scattred upon the mountaines without Pastours to looke to them and feed them to see the Lords harvest like to be lost for want of labourers as we see he did Matth. 9 36. But you will object againe It is no marvell sure you should so plead for preaching We have preaching enough in these dayes if that be good Are all saved that have preaching Where have you worse people then where is most preaching I answer That though all be not saved that have preaching but preaching is sent to some obstinate people and continued to them onely to be a witnesse against them and to increase their condemnation as our Saviour speaketh Mat. 24.14 yet is it a just cause of comfort and rejoycing to all Gods people to see sound preaching abound to see store of good Preachers raised up by God Preachers of Gods sending For how can they preach saith the Apostle Rom. 10.15 that is preach profitably and effectually except they be sent of God Yea will you say it is indeed a just cause of joy to see store of those Preachers in the Church that are of Gods sending For those surely are not onely good Preachers but good men too I answer none are Preachers of Gods sending so qualified in all points as he requires but such as are orderly approved to be 1 men able to teach profitably 2 men of unblameable lives But a man may be a Preacher of Gods sending though he be an hypocrite and have no truth of grace in his heart as those were I told you of the last day out of Phil. 1.18 and as Iudas was he was sent of God to preach Matth. 10.4 7. yea and God wrought with him â—oo as is plaine by that we read Luk. 9.6 and yet he was but an hypocrite in heart he never had truth of grace in him when he was at the best When therefore we see store of such Preachers as are men able to teach profitably and we may be sure such are of Gods sending and we have just cause to rejoyce in it For it is a certaine signe not onely that God hath a true Church among us a company of elect ones but also that he hath among us more people to be gathered and brought into his fold that he meanes not yet to remove our candlestick but to continue and inlarge the bounds of his Church amongst us For God did never send the Ministery of the Word to such as were all reprobates or for the reprobates sake onely or principally to harden them and increase their condemnation but for his elects sake principally he sends his Word to any people This was the cause saith the Apostle Eph. 4.12 why God gives Preachers For the perfecting of the Saints and for the edifying of the body of Christ. So the Apostles were sent Mat. 6.10 to the lost sheepe of the house of Israel to bring the Lords sheepe his elect that were in Israel into his fold So when God sent Paul to Corinth and maintained his liberty there a yeare and a halfe he gives this for the reason of it Acts 18.10 For I have much people in this city saith he It is a signe God hath much people there where he placeth able and good Preachers and maintaineth them in peace and liberty for any time So you see to conclude this first reason of the point that in respect of the love we owe to all men and the desire we should have of their salvation we are bound to rejoyce in the liberty of the Gospell and grieve to see it hindred and interrupted any way The second reason is the respect we owe unto our selves and to the Church and
sent as we read verse 8 9. Levites and Priests throughout all the cities and townes of Iudah to teach the people and as it appeares verse 7. he sent of his chiefe Princes and Nobles with them to countenance them in their work when he had done this I say it is said ver 12. that Iehosaphat waxed great exceedingly he and his kingdome prospered wonderfully by this meanes Consider now from this day saith the Lord Hag. 2.18 19. he had spoken before verse 16 17. of a strange curse had beene upon them while his house and worship had beene neglected consider now from this day even from the day that the foundation of the Lords Temple was laid consider it saith he againe from this day I will blesse you with outward blessings he meanes as appeareth by the former verses Certainely the place where Gods house and worship is erected and maintained shall bee blessed of God with blessings of all sorts It is said of Vzziah the King of Iudah ◠Chro. 26.5 that he sought God that is professed and maintained the true religion of God in the daies of Zechariah who had understanding in the visions of God and as long as he sought the Lord God made him to prosper and yet there was no truth of heart in him at all For it is said verse 4. that he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father Amaziah did and of his father it is said 2 Chron. 25.2 that he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord that is he professed and maintained the true religion of God but not with a perfect heart Let the true religion of God bee professed and maintained in any kingdome though many that professe it have no power of religion in their hearts yet will God make that kingdome to prosper even for that Beleeve it beloved beleeve it true religion never found entertainement any where in any family towne or kingdome but it brought a blessing with it to the place While the Arke of God was in the house of Obed-edom 2 Sam 6.12 God blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that pertained unto him because of the arke of God But what speake I of Obed-edom that was a good man and entertained it with a good heart I will say more then so it will bring temporall blessings upon them that give entertainement unto it though themselves be such as regard it not nor make any reckoning of it The religion and piety of Iacob brought a blessing even into Labans house so sensibly that he could say Gen. 30.27 Tarry with me I pray thee for I have learned by experience that the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake And the religion and piety of Ioseph brought a blessing into Potiphars family for so we read Gen. 39 5. The Lord blessed the Egyptians house for Iosephs sake and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had both in the house and in the field On the other side no sinne that a land can bee guilty of wil sooner deprive it of all Gods blessings nor bring all manner of calamities upon it then this neglect of religion will do See a plaine proofe of this 2 Chron. 29.6 9. Where Hezekiah imputeth all the miseries that had come upon the state and kingdome of Iudah unto this though doubtlesse they were guilty of many other grievous sinnes besides this that they had turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord and had turned their backs they had shewed no respect nor zeale towards the house and worship of God they had shut up the doores of the porch and put out the lamps and had not burnt incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel therefore the wrath of God was upon Iudah and Ierusalem saith he He saith nothing there of the idolatry and false worship they had set up which doubtlesse was a higher degree of sinne but he speakes only of the neglect of the true worship and want of respect and love unto it even to this sinne he imputeth all the calamities which that state and Church had endured And so doth the Lord by the Prophet Hag. 1.9 and 2.15 17. impute many strange curses that hee had brought upon that people after their returne from the captivity even to the neglect of building his house and setting up of his true worship among them And if the neglect of religion will make a land so lyable to Gods curse what will the setting up of a false religion or the hindring and stopping of the course of the Gospell do Surely this must needs provoke God much more Forbidding us to preach to the Gentiles that they may be saved saith the Apostle 1 Thess. 2.16 to fill up their sinne alway this doth fill up the measure of sinne it is the height and perfection of sinne in any person in any nation to do so So that to conclude this second reason he that desireth the prosperity and wealth of the kingdome that it may be kept free from famine and pestilence and all other calamities will joy to see the pure religion of God to be maintained and countenanced in it to see the sound preaching of the Gospell to abound and become fruitfull and he will grieve to see it otherwise The third and last reason of the point respecteth the Lord himselfe No man can have the spirit of Christ that doth not desire unfeignedly and rejoyce to see Gods honour and glory advanced among men to see his kingdome enlarged to see men live in dutifull obedience unto him This our Saviour teacheth us in the Lords prayer to make our chiefe suit to God whensoever we pray to him Our three first and principall petitions Matth. 6.9 10. Hallowed bee thy name thy kingdome come thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven And he that cannot heartily desire this yea desire it more then any thing els never knew what it is to pray aright never made any prayer that was acceptable unto God in all his life And he that desireth this cannot but rejoyce to see the Gospell soundly and freely and plentifully preached to see Gods pure religion professed and practised For 1 nothing advanceth Gods glory so much as the faithfull preaching of the Gospell doth It is called therefore 2 Cor. 4.2 the Gospell of the glory of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And 1 Tim. 1.11 The Gospell of the glory of the blessed God And the faithfull Ministers are called the glory of Christ 2 Cor. 8.23 Christ receiveth not so much glory by any as by them The preaching of the word is the Scepter of Gods kingdome and the meanes wherby he subdueth men and brings them under his obedience This is that rod of Gods strength which he sent out of Zion spoken of Psal. 110.2 whereby he ruleth in the midst of his enemies And it is therefore called the Gospell of the kingdome Mat. 4.23