more neede the light of Prophets or Apostles but by himselfe shall they see God giving a divine light into their understanding whereby they know as they are knowen Yea and in the meane time they shall have a more pure and explicate knowledge of the mysteries of Christ he will reveale himselfe to them that love him and their requests of heart framed by the spirit in them with unexpressible groanings God will not frustrate the inspirations of his owne spirit please him for they are according to his will the spirit makes them to pray as they ought which of themselves they cannot he helpes their infirmities Zâ—ccheus make haste and come downe for to day 〈◊〉 must abide at thine house This is singular grace and favour that the Lord of his owne accord bids himselfe to his house who it is like durst not presume to request him though willing to entertaine him this is above that he desired thus he vouchsafed to honour him whom hee had by his Spirit secretly working drawen to him In which we may observe that God is pleased to give above our desires many times when wee offer our selves to him Whereof we have many examples Thus happy was Zaccheus in his indevour to see Christ hee seeth him hee heares him calling him by his name as if hee were familiarly knowen and receiveth him to his house and to abide there and all of his owne accord notable humanity of the Son of God to come to him whâ—m the common sort did hate and that unrequested Abrahams request to God was that Ishmael mighty live before him and that would content him having a sonne borne to him hee subsists in him though God promised him another sonne by Sara his wise it may seeme it was more than he durst hope for though hee reject not Gods favour in the promise of a new seede but if it please him to extend his liberalitie no further but to conserve the life of Ishmael which he hath given he desires no further Concerning Ishmael God heares him and grants him not onely life but multiplication of seede to make him a great nation and his children to be of great place twelue Princes he should beget Yet would he extend his goodnes to him further as he promised Sara shall beare him a son indeed and with him his seede he would stablish his everlasting couenant Iacob in his journey to Padan Aram desired of God provision but necessary and protection in his way with a safe returne to his fathers house which he had and above his desire God made him two bands Gen. 28. 20. 21. David asked life God gave him long life even for ever and ever Psal. 21. 4. Not onely heard him when fearefull of death by the malice of his enemies hee prayed against it but granted him over and above to live till he was full of dayes nor that onely but succession in his posteritie unto eternitie of his kingdome which was accomplished in Christ who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh as God promised him by Nathan which mercie David admiring prayeth that as the Lord had said so he would doe that with his blessing it would please him to blesse his house to continue for ever before him 2 Sam. 7. Solomon asking an understanding heart to judge Gods people to discerne betweene good and bad not onely obtaines it but in an excellencie to bee singular in it so as none had before nor after him And besides that which hee asked not riches and honour so as there should not bee any of the Kings like unto him all his dayes 1 King 3. 9 12 13. The sicke of the palsie sought his health of Christ which he received and unto that the forgivenesse of his sinnes Math. 9 2 6 7. The ruler sought to Christ for his sonnes life and hee had it and with it faith in his owne and his household hearts whereby they addicted themselves to him as his Disciples under the hope of eternall life The theefe upon the Crosse prayed Christ to remember him in his Kingdome hee was heard and by a serious asseveration secured that that very day he should passe from the miserie of the crosse to the felicitie of paradise and there have fellowship with him in eternall glorie Luke 23 42 43. He is the Father of mercies 2 Cor. 1 3. As a most kind Father hee powres out manifold gifts and benefits upon men of his meere mercie and imparts unto them not light and slender but strong and abundant consolation that are his freinds as the God of all consolation He that is Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him Rom. 10 12. Not onely abounding with riches but powring out plentifully unto those that depend upon him hee gives to all men liberally and upbraideth not Iam. 1 5. He gives even to wicked men that set their faces against heaven more than heart could wish Psal. 73 7. That their prosperous successe exceeds the conceivings of their mind as if nets were laid to catch for them while they sleepe His faithfull are more regarded than infidels In our glorifying of God therefore wee are to say with the Apostle Now unto him that is able to doe exceeding abundantly above all that we aske or thinke according to the power that worketh in us as wee find by experience in our selves be glory in the Church by Christ Iesus throughout all ages world without end Amen From hence reprove faithlesse feare damping hope upon conceit partly of our unworthinesse partly of the greatnesse of the things we aske too great for such as wee be Wee must not measure Gods wayes by mans whose wayes are as farre above ours as the heavens are the earth Esay 55 9. And yet even men give according to their greatnesse and consider what is fit for them to give rather than what is fit for the other to receive We may aske what God seeth meet for his glory to give and not onely what we feele ourselves to need but what our Father seeth that we need Math. 6 8 without doubt or feare commending our selves to his love and wisedome And this the Lord our maker requireth of us that we commend the care of our necessities to his faith and providence in termes of greatest incouragement Esay 45 11. Aske me of things to come concerning my sonnes and concerning the worke of my hands command ye me Make haste c. Whether hee would have his prompt mind knowen the gift of faith to appeare with speed or hast his owne worke the time being come Observe that when the time determined with the Lord for the manifesting of his goodnes to his people is come he is willing to doe it speedily When the people with earnest desire to heare the word followed Christ to attend upon the opportunitie hee left his meate and went to teaching and incurred among his kindred a suspicioÌ„ of
madnesse Though God deferre his elect that cry unto him night and day yet when their time is come that hee should judge for them he will avenge them speedily Luke 18 7 8. Speedily in respect of the wicked who are suddenly destroyed while they had no such thought and feared nothing yet though God suffer them with long patience As the Israelites were brought out of Egypt with a strong hand and their oppressers overwhelmed the same day that God had promised Exod. 12 41. When the houre was come that was appointed for the death of Christ how doth hee hasten to it as is to bee gathered by his speech to Iudas with the soppe discovering him to bee the traytor That which thou dost do quickly meaning the betraying of him into the hands of wicked men which hee was with full purpose rowling in his mind Till then hee over-ruled the Divell to whom hee now permitted him and left him to his owne malice As if he should say hasten thy selfe to the treason which irrevocably thou art set to doe and thine owne destruction seeing thou wilt needs perish me to the worke that I am to finish by my death which for mans redemption salvatiō I so greatly desire He is good and doth good his owne goodnesse moves him Psal. 119 68. The good pleasure of his goodnesse is that which impells him 2 Thess. 1 11. The propense and pleasing inclination of his will to the good of men his selfe-propension to diffuse his benefits is the fountaine of all that good wee receive and it is the spirituall ground-worke of our prayers He delights in exercising loving kindnesse Ier. 9 24. And mercie pleaseth him Mich. 7 18. He will waite that he may bee gracious unto his people he will bee exalted that hee may have mercie upon them which turnes unto the highnesse of his name and greatnesse of his glory he is a God of judgement in all things propense unto moderation convenient for their salvation Esay 30 18. Which may serve to incourage the weake whose faith is sometimes shaken by misinterpreting Gods deferring to heare their prayers as if it were a deniall or that hee regarded not their state which the Lord is pleased to take notice of and to give helpe against Esay 49. 15 16 17. But Sion said the Lord hath for saken me and my Lord hath forgotten me Vnto which he answeres three things for incouragement First that hee neither hath nor will nor can forsake and forget her Which he illustrates by comparing and preferring his compassion towards them to the compassion of a mother to the Sonne of her wombe It is given to the mother commonly to love more tenderly than the father therefore he compares his love with the mothers love and not simply her love to the sonne of her wombe but that suckes her breasts towards whom a mothers affection is not overcome with labour or any kind of molestation but with unremitted care she indures to give it sucke to nourish it and foster it And scarse is it to be expressed how she is affected with the smiles or afflicted with the cries of it specially being pressed with any danger Whereby Solomon found out in his wisedome the true mother of the child challenged by two women when the true mother heard of the dividing of it betweene them her bowels yerned were hot upon her sonne and would in no wise have it slaine 1 King 3. 25. 26. Againe if the soule in temptation except against this comfort and say Experience shewes that some mothers doe loose naturall affection and regard not the children of their wombe no not then when they are not long from their birth God answers to that though created nature may defect and turne monstrous yet the supreame and uncreated nature is so perfect that it cannot change And that is the first thing which may specially comfort Godly tender mothers in such temptation about Gods leaving his care of them If their affection bee such to their children can Gods be lesse to them They cannot forget nor forsake theirs will they thinke that their affection is not equalled by God yea overmatched and exceeded being infinite Secondly a second thing is that God will not forget his for this reason hee will have them ever in his sight as graven upon the palmes of his hands as things in account and precious are minded As the gold finer sits by the fire into which he hath put his gold to melt to take it out in due time and his eye is still upon it hee neglects it not Malach. 3 3. God withdrawes not his eyes from the righteous Thirdly a third thing for their answere is that the time of their reliefe being come their comfort shall be hasted in the departing of the instruments of affliction in the coming of such as shall build them up with new accesse of members of the Church multiplication of Gods people that the joy shall exceed your sorrowes It may silence such godlesse persons as would destroy the faith of Gods promises in the hearts of his people by his deferring so long the fulfilling of them First they misaccount time it is not long that God deferres compared with eternitie following one day and a thousand yeares are alike and differ not concerning that which belongs to proportion of infinite time both in comparison of eternitie is but as a point of time in comparison of time The eternitie of God coexisteth indivisibily with any duration and with the least part thereof even a moment The parts of our duration which are passed or which shall passe away either have beene or shall bee but are not Gods eternitie is an interminable whole and perfect possession of his life together All things that have being may be said to coexist with God in eternity or eternity with thē by objective though not any reall existence as the objects of the knowledg power of God Knowne unto God are all his workes from the beginning of the world Act. 15 18. By his eternall counsell he disposed all things in the best sort and from eternitie there is with him the best reason of his counsels and doings He needes not time to discusse causes to inquire after iniquities and search out sinnes for his dayes are not as the dayes of man or his yeares as mans dayes distributed into spaces of dayes and yeares his life is not as mans Secondly they falsly accuse God of slacknesse as it is among men counted a fault which is a deferring of any thing beyond the due time appointed God hath times and seasons in his owne power so as opportunitie shall not slide away from him his promise which is for an appointed time shall surely come and not tary at the end shall speake and not lye Hab. 2 3. Thirdly let it provoke us to bee followers of God in this as he slackes not to doe good to his people in fit time so let us observe
but so manifestly and notoriously as men of ordinarie honestie abhorred them Hence by little and little followed that Pharisaicall persuasion that they which were not desiled with such notorious sinnes were just even in the sight of God of which men Christ saith he came not to call the righteous Math. 9 13. Such as in a loftie and proud mind with trust of carnall workes thought themselves righteous and despised others Luke 18 9. And so was there a distinction of hypocrite and sinner the hypocrite having some seeming righteousnesse precious with men but so desiled with a filthy heart that GOD who knowes it abhorres it Luke 16 15. But a sinner taken generally is every one that is not in Christ. So as hee is still guiltie in his conscience his sinnes are imputed and are upon his owne score as his debts not discharged There is sinne remaining and sinne removed or transient It is remaining when men do not come to Christ. The Spirit convinceth the world of sinne because they beleeve not in him that they are yet in their sinnes because that which unites men to Chrst faith in him they have not and so remaining devided and separate from him sinne reignes in them Iohn 16. 9. Sinne transient not onely in respect of act but concerning guilt and punishment is when men know their sinne and betake themselves to Christ that they may be justified in him they have forgivenesse of all trespasses so as they are not the faults and sinnes of that man God hath received in Christ a full satisfaction and counts himselfe to have no wrong by him puts away his anger and loves him freely He is the Lambe of God that takes away the sinnes of the world Iohn 1 29. Whatsoever alienated God from man hee takes away by the Sacrifice of his death A sinner is he who is not sanctified a Saint and a sinner stand in opposition a good man and a sinner Eccles. 9 2. a sinner is but flesh Gen. 6 3. Iohn 3 6. And in the flesh there dwelleth no good thing they that are in the flesh cannot please God nature is wholy corrupted so as men are by nature children of wrath not by nature created in the first man but as hee corrupted it and is now conceived in the carnall generation in our first birth wee bring with us such a nature as is altogether sinne Psal. 51 5. Iâ— sinne did my mother warme me But hee is no sinner which is borne anew though hee have sinne in him hee is just and good compared with them that are in the flesh and by inchoation hee is a new creature old things are passed away hee hath the godly nature the seed of God abides in him hee is in the number of Saints to whom the kingdome of God is given whose king is the Lord Revel 15 3 Thou king of Saints A sinner is he that coÌ„mits sinnes ungodly such are called ungodly sinners Iude 15. To commit sinnes ungodly is not to commit sinne of infirmitie which befalles the Saints on earth in whose hearts is Gods Law but either deceived by ignorance or when the temptation is so strong that the will is over-caried and the affection in the corruption of it violent against their regenerate will and affection they doe that which they would not but hate But it is to sin out of the full maliciousnes of the wil the heart destitute of al godly feare to sin the hart works iniquitie Esay 32 6. As it was in Iudas his sin so committed as could not agree to any that had his heart indued with heavenly grace there fore hee is excepted in the testimonie that Christ gives of cleanesse to his Disciples You are cleane but not all for hee knew who should betray him Peter Christ knew would deny him three times yet hee is pronounced cleane Hee wrought no such thing in his heart his purpose and love to Christ was against it and so in the rest of the Disciples that were to fly from him and leave him alone they were over-taken with temptation the corrupt feare of man prevailing against the feare of God which was true but weake in them To him our Saviour saying That which thou doest doe quickly discovered the studie and meditation of a persidious minde most intensively rowling and labouring of a wicked treason against his good Lord Iohn 13 27. Hee sinnes ungodly that neither doth good nor loves it hath no heart to internall pietie and justice loves sinne when hee forbeares to doe it is alienated from righteousnesse is the servant of sinne Rom. 6 20 And of corruption 2 Pet. 2 19. Addicting himselfe to sin making it his Lord subjecting himselfe with all his heart to fulfill the lusts of it yeilding his members as servants to uncleanesse and to iniquitie unto iniquitie to doe the workes of unrighteousnesse Hee is not a sinner that purgeth himselfe in a studie of puritie 1 Iohn 3 3. It is opposed to the committing of sinne v. 4. That effectually resists sinne with a double warre defensive to preserue himselfe from the hurt of it 1 Iohn 5 18 And invasive to overthrow the kingdome of it altogether and bring it to nothing that the body of sinne may bee destroyed that walke not after the flesh but after the Spirit Every mans life is a certaine way unto which is fixed a 〈…〉 certaine scope and end when all things are of the flesh are referred to the flesh the flesh the rule scope of life with those things that belong to it One may bee said to walke after the flesh though he do some things by occasion w ch seeme to pertaine to the Spirit But in whose mind and intention the Spirit hath vigor that this purpose and course or institution of life depends thereupon he may bee said to walke after the Spirit though sometimes some things are incident which seeme to resemble the disposition of the flesh rather than of the Spirit yea sometime the flesh appeare more than the Spirit when the mind in a kind of generall motion of the true faith â—ends unto God in particular causes there is somewhat which hinders the light of it and hee too much more than is meete is indulgent to his affections and addicted to his owne witte 1 â—or 3 3. It is one thing to walke in sinne it is another to fall into sinne when his walke is in the light of knowledge and faith as it is one thing to fall into the mire another to through ones selfe into it and with pleasure to wallow in it in that there is a hard necessitie of sinning through frailtie in this there is a certaine and destinate will The dominion of sinne stands in assent and workes but then the assent is not onely antecedent but consequent the worke not broken off but continued where consent is given by infirmity which repentance forthwith breakes off sinne reignes not when that which is done is by and by condemned and that it