it will not bear us out before the Lord In times of storm all should come in and help The two Tribes and the half on the other side Iordan must not think to abide peaceably in their possessions while their brethren were warring for theirs but they must joyn with them in their battels until they were in their possessions likewise It is a sore and great evil not to joyn with Gods servants in their troubles but how great an evil then is it to adde affliction to their affliction to joyn with their enemies against them especially when they are weak in their suffering condition Gods wrath against Amalek was because he came out against Israel in the wilderness and not onely so but smote the hindmost of them even all that were feeble behinde them when they were faint and weary Deut. 25. 18. Now you shall finde that the wrath of God was never so dreadful against any as against the Amalekites for First observe what expressions of indignation the Lord hath against them First This wickedness of Amalek and his destruction must be wrote for a memorial in a book and rehearsed in the ears of Ioshua Secondly God will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under Heaven Thirdly The Lord swears that he will have war with Amalek from generation to generation all these Exod. 17. 14 16. Fourthly Gods anger for many years after continued against Amalek Numb 24. 20. His latter end shall be that he perish for ever and Deut. 25. 19. Moses gives a charge that after Israel was possessed of his inheritance that he must blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under Heaven Thou shalt not forget it And further although at the first when Amalek came against Israel there was a great slaughter of them yet more then four hundred years after 1 Sam. 15. 2. God says He remembred what Amalek did to Israel and gave a charge to Saul to go and smite them and utterly to destroy all they had not to spare but to slay Man and Woman Infant Suckling Ox Sheep Camel and Ass and it is observable whereas in all other places that were not of Canaan though they did smite the male yet they were to spare the women the little ones and the cattel and all that was in the City as Deut. 20. 14. but not so in Amalek yet Amalek was not of Canaan God had a more special quarrel against Amalek then against any of the other Countries Yea whereas in Canaan although men and women were destroyed as in Ai Iosh 8. Yet the cattel and the spoyl of the City they took to themselves ver 27. but they might not do so in Amalek the destroying the Cattel and all there was in it was for the greater horror to shew what an abominable and an accursed thing Amalek was Yet further although in Jericho they destroyed men women and cattel and so it was more accursed then Ai for there the cattel were saved yet in Jericho the gold silver brass iron were consecrated unto God Iosh 7. 19. but so it must not be in Amalek for that must be more accursed then Iericho And God was so strongly set upon revenge of this people that because Saul spared Agag and the fat of the cattel though in pity though under pretence of Sacrifice the Lord therefore rejected him and accounted his sin as rebellion and witchcraft so as he would not have Samuel so much as mourn for him 1 Sam. 16. 1. And when Agag was brought before Samuel because he was the King of the Amalekites Samuel though he were a loving sweet natured man yet he took a sword and himself hewed him in pieces before the Lord being filled with Gods indignation against Amalek 1 Sam. 15. 33. And Psalm 83. 7. Ammon and Amalek is joyned together God pronounces of the Ammonite that to the tenth generation none of them should enter into the Congregation of the Lord for ever Why Because they met not Gods people in the way with bread and water when they came up out of Egypt Deut. 23. 4. but hired Balaam to curse them God expects that his people in their afflicted estate should be relieved and not cursed the curse of the Lord will pursue those who deny help to them in this condition especially such as seek to adde to their affliction What was the reason that Shimei must not go to his grave in peace It was because of his rayling against David when he was in his affliction The Jews gave Christ gall and vinegar when he was upon the Cross this was a great aggravation of their sin take heed that you give not the servants of God gall and vinegar when they are upon or under the cross God expects you should bring oyl to their wounds not pour brine in many think they may safely trample upon such as are down when the hedge is broken when a gap begins to be made every one treads it down lower and lower but know when the day of the recompences of Sion shall come all the wrong done to Gods Servants who were not able to resist the malice of men shall be recompenced to the full especially such wrong as was done them in their affliction God takes it ill that any should once look upon his people in the day of their affliction except it be to pity them and to relieve them I am very sore displeased with the Heathen says the Lord Zach. 1. 15. Wherefore They helped forward the affliction and mark it it was that affliction that was upon Gods people out of Gods displeasure for their sin and does God take that so ill that that affliction should be helped forward how ill then will he take it how sorely will he be displeased when the affliction that his people suffer for his name is helped forward Let us take heed of any hand in such an evil as this but let us know that it is our honor and will be great advantage to us to appear for to be helpful and comfortable unto the Servants of God in their sufferings to be Obadiahs Ebedmelechs to the Prophets of the Lord. Obadiah pleads this with the Prophet 1 Kings 18. 13. Was it not told my Lord what I did when he was afraid of danger that thereby he might be delivered And God bade Jeremiah chap. 39. 16 17. Go to Ebedmelech and tell him Behold I will bring evil upon this City but I will deliver thee in that day thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid We read likewise 1 Sam. 15. 6. of a merciful work of Gods providence towards the posterity of such who had been kinde to his servants in the times of their trouble namely the Kenites when Amalek was to be destroyed Saul sent to the Kenites to depart from among the Amalekites lest they be destroyed with them Why For ye shewed kindeness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt Who
he will joy over thee with singing One word is heaped upon another to set out the abundance of delight that God takes in his people Hence the Church hath that name given her Hephzibah because God delighteth in her Isaiah 62. 4. And in Deut. 33. 3. it is said He loved his people there is a general love All his Saints are in his hand and they sate down at his feet that is more particular and in Cant. 4. 9. Thou hast ravished my heart my sister my Spouse c. One would think by the reading of the words they were rather the speech of the Spouse to Christ but it is the speech of Christ to his Spouse And so again in Cantic 5. 2. Open to me my sister my love my dove my undefiled these are the expressions of the delight that God hath in his people The Lord loves the gates of Zion more then all the ling places of Jacob that is God delights in the publike communion of his people more then in all their private dwellings If we be of Gods minde and have Gods Spirit our hearts must be where God is Gods bowels yern towards them I am afflicted with thee in all thy afflictions and how shall I give thee up There is a notable expression in Hosea 9. 10. where God sets out much of his delight in his Church I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness as a traveller wearied parched in the wilderness if he findes bunches of grapes O how sweet and refreshing are they to him so says God was Israel to me and further I saw your fathers as the first ripe in the fig-tree at her first time Fruit when it comes at the first and is dainty how is it prized some will give an incredible price for some kinde of timely fruit when it is rare at the first Thus God sets out his delight never Longer did delight more in some timely rare fruit then God does in his Saints God takes delight you see in his people above all others and therefore it is good to be with them Sixthly Consider the glorious titles that in Scripture are put upon the Saints in a way of Church communion as 1. They are Gods portion Deut. 32. 9. The Lords portion is his people 2. His pleasant portion Jer. 12. 10. They have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness 3. His inheritance Isaiah 19. 25. other people are the work of Gods hands but Israel is his inheritance 4. The dearly beloved of his soul Jer. 12. 7. He gave the dearly beloved of his soul into the hands of their enemies 5. His treasure his peculiar treasure Exod. 19. 5. Ye shall be a peculiar treasure to me above all people for all the earth is mine that is called peculium which the son and heir of the house hath of his own besides the right of his fathers inheritance which he may dispose of as he thinks good so though the earth be the Lord Christs by inheritance by right of creation yet he hath a special interest in his Church above all other God hath treasure in the works of nature and it is called his good treasure Deut. 28. 12. The Lord shall open to thee his good treasure but this is his peculiar treasure 6. His glory Isaiah 46. 13. I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory 7. The house of Gods glory Isa 60. 7. 8. A crown of glory Isa 62. 3. 9. The throne of God Exod. 17. 16. The words may be read thus because the hand upon the throne of the Lord and so by many they are translated and then the sense is because Amaleks hand was upon the Church the throne therefore God threatens war against them vea 10. The Throne of glory Jer. 4. 21. 11. The Ornament of God Ezek. 7. 20. 12. The beauty of his ornament Ezek. 7. 20. 13. The beauty of his ornament set in majesty Ezek. 7. 20. 14. A royal Diadem Isaiah 62. 3. Many other such expressions you may meet with in Scripture but put these together and you see it is desireable to be with the Saints in their communion Seventhly There is a special presence of God amongst them and to be there where God is in his especial presence it is worth the enduring of a great deal of affliction God is there in a special maner as in the last words of the prophesie of Ezekiel the Church is called by that name Iehova Shammah the Lord is there And the Lord filled his Tabernacle with his presence the Tabernacle was a type of the Church and did typifie his especial presence with his people in Church-communion And as God is there present so observe the expressions of his especial presence he is said to dwell there Psal 76. 2. In Salem is his Tabernacle and his dwelling place in Zion Now it is good keeping house with God You are his house saith the Apostle the Church of God is his house and it is good to be in Gods house But though it be his dwelling Is it a dwelling that is lovely to him Yes for it is that his soul desires to be in as if so be God counted it a kinde of honor as we may speak with holy reverence to have such a habitation Psal 132. 14. Here will I dwell for I have desired it as if he should say If I might have but a dwelling among my people I desire no better habitation in the world Now you that are fain to be put into mean holes for your dwellings if you may be with Gods people do not think it much for God dwells there and desires no better habitation It is strange that God that hath Heaven to be his habitation should desire to dwell with his people yet says he I desire to dwell there and I will dwell there If a man make a house to do some mean business in he does not take much delight there but in that house where the Kings Majesty is manifested that is the greatest place in the Kingdom now in Psal 26. 8. it is Lord I have loved the habitation of thy house where thy honor dwelleth as if this were the chief house that God had that God delighteth in this above all other dwellings his honor dwells here But will God stay here Yea it is the place that he will dwell in for ever Psal 132. 13 14. Surely our hearts may rest where God rests and we should not be weary where God is not weary And he does not onely dwell here but he hath his delightful walks here the walks of God are amongst his people 2 Cor. 6. 16. If a man have a house that he rejoyces in he will have his garden as near his house as he can that he may have some walks to delight in and so the Church of God is such a house as hath not onely room for God to rest in and set his honor in but he walks there and walks in them saith the Apostle Thus the
dangerous as if you being conscious to your self dare yet joyn with them if you deceive the Church herein God may justly avenge himself of you it may cost you your life Revel 2. 9. I know the blasphemy of them that say they are Jews and are not It is by God accounted blasphemy for any to say they are Jews and are not to make profession of godliness and not to be godly is blasphemy Surely then it is not sufficient to be with Israel but we must be of Israel not to be a Jew outwardly but a Jew inwardly so as God may own you in the last day when there shall be a narrow search who are the true people of God that then you may be found to be such indeed it will be a dreadful thing for any of you that now seem to be of Gods people and that have lived amongst the sheep if you should be found amongst the goats standing at the left hand when you shall see others of Gods people stand at the right hand looking upon you and say Yonder is one who lived with us and we could never discover him to be an hypocrite though sometimes we had jealousies of him there he stands now he is discovered therefore approve your selves to be of the true Israel of God Quest But who is a true Israelite Answ Such a one as can approve to his own heart an inward effectual call of God calling him out of the world as well as an outward call by the Ordinances such a one as hath testimony to his own spirit that he is separated set apart for God that he hath an inward sanctification of the holy Ghost such a one as in whose spirit there is no guile this is a true Israelite indeed Secondly if it be such a great blessing to be joyned in union and communion with the people of God hence labor to bless God for this great blessing that is such an amiable desireable condition it is your heaven upon earth that mercy that should sweeten all other mercies yea that should sweeten your afflictions to you Gods holy mountain Isaiah 57. 13. is promised as an inheritance opposed to vanity and promised as the blessing upon trusting in the Lord Vanity shall take them but he that putteth his trust in me shall inherit my holy mountain Let us not enjoy the world in all their vanity but bless we our selves in our God let us rejoyce in our inheritance the mountain of the Lord. Though we beg our bread says Luther is it not made up with this That we are fed with the bread of Angels with eternal life Christ and the Sacraments c We have cause to bless God that we might be with Gods people though in caves and woods and banished from all we have much more cause to bless God when we can be with them thus publiquely and peaceably and can go from Gods house to our own houses and have communion there this is the rest that the Land of Canaan did typifie for which the name of God is to be mganified God might so have left us that we should have had communion onely with the prophane ones and drunkards yea we might have been cast out from God to have had communion onely with reprobates and that now we may have communion with the godly it is a wonderful mercy Rev. 14. we read of Christ standing upon the Mount Zion and having so many people standing up to joyn with him in Church-fellowship for that is the meaning of that place there they were rejoycing at the mercy of the Lord that they were upon the Mount with the Lamb though there might be time when our Harps hanged upon the Willows yet if we be called to the Lamb upon Mount Zion Let us have our Harps in our hands Is there nothing in the delight that God hath in his people and the presence of God with his people and the great priviledges they have to raise our hearts to praise the Lord and let it not be verbally but really As namely thus Is it that we are Gods delight let him be our delight if we be his treasure let him be our treasure if we be his portion let him be our portion if he communicates choice mercies to us let us give choice endeavors to him if he gives us protection let us protect his truths and name if he honor us let us give him his honor And so I slip into a third particular which is a third branch of this exhortation 3. If there be so much excellency in communion with the people of God you that are such take heed you do not darken that excellency that God hath put in communion with his people there are three ways especially that darkens this excellency First if we rest in any Church-priviledge we have and make that to be our Religion and the strength of our spirits be let out about these things we enjoy more then others so as we begin to decline in the savour and power of godliness if others that knew us before when we had not those priviledges and mercies that we have now shall say What good is to be had there I knew such and me thinks they had more savour and relish in the ways of God then now more sweetness and warmth to be had in their company then now there is Take heed of this of giving occasion to any to say so It is a very evil and a dangerous thing to rest in Church-priviledges to make all our Religion to consist in being in a Church-way we may have this revealed to us and yet little of Heaven revealed There were two vails of the Tabernacle one covered the Holy of Holies the other the place where the Priests entred it may be we have had the first opened to us but yet the second which leads to the Holy of Holies may still be vailed Many whose hearts are very carnal may be much for Church-Ordinances We have in the 24. of Ezekiel ver 21 22. seven several expressions of carnal hearts prising Church-priviledges First they accounted them their strength Secondly the excellency of their strength Thirdly the desire of their eyes Fourthly that which their souls pitied Fifthly their glory Sixthly the joy of their glory Seventhly that whereupon they set their mindes What a noise did they make about the Temple of the Lord The Temple of the Lord The Temple of the Lord Ier. 7. 4. and yet they were carnal Take heed therefore you rest not in the Church-priviledges by this you will deceive your selves and darken the excellency of this blessed communion Secondly take heed of darkning this by any scandalous way as those do who profess themselves to be the people of God and yet by their wretched ways of sensualities or any other ways are a scandal unto Gods people this is an evil and a bitter thing Christ walks amongst the golden candlesticks Every Church should be a golden candlestick holding forth light in
appears to be in others prating of him but now when men do not understand any great good in themselves then they account the evil of the world despising them a great evil Many men judge of themselves rather by the esteem other men have of them then by any good they know in themselves and no marvel though these men be so much troubled at other mens despising of them If a Merchant have a Ship come home laden with many thousand pounds worth of rich Commodities though his Servant should do something amiss that day he would not be froward at it but pass it by because he hath such great profit and good coming in so the evils of the world are nothing in comparison to that soul that knows the great things of the Kingdom of God to be its own Thirdly there is a mighty deal of power in it because this respect unto the recompence of reward does so much take up the faculties of the soul the intention of the minde being taken up about so great an object other things are not minded in comparison and this is the reason why those that are in a phrensie are insensible of what you do unto them because their mindes are taken up about that which they apprehend so strongly as nothing else is minded by them and if there was any object made known to take up the minde of man it must be such great things as these made certain and real to the soul by faith It is a property peculiar to God that though he hath many glorious things that he exercises his wisdom about yet he does minde the least thing the least creature in the world as much as if there were nothing else to minde but no creature can do so no creature can minde great things with intention of minde and yet minde inferior things with any strength of intention too but if he mindes great things with intention other things must be lightly minded An Ecclesiastical Historian tells us of the Christians they did so minde the glory of God and the glory of Heaven as that the pains they suffered were as in the bodies of other men and not in their own bodies It is reported of Archimides who was a great Mathematician that when the City was taken wherein he was and the Warlike instruments of death clattering about his ears and all was in a tumult yet he was so busie about drawing his lines that he did not know there was any danger and heard no noise If such objects as these can take up the intention of the minde so as not to minde other things then much more such an object as eternal life and eternal glory and happiness And therefore that place is very observable in 2 Cor. 4. 16. We faint not in our sufferings because we look not at things that are seen but at things that are not seen We are so intense about Heaven and the glory of God that we do not give a look at things that are seen So in Heb. 11. 15 16. They were not so much as mindeful of that Countrey from whence they came because they sought a Countrey that was better and heavenly It is a notable expression that Basil hath concerning the Martyrs says he They do not look at the danger they are in but at the crown And again he says They do not look at the Officers and Executioners that are whipping of them but they look to the Angels that are giving acclamations and that are encouraging of them As a carnal heart a man that mindes earthly things his minde is so taken up about them because they are an object suitable to him as when all the glory of God and of Christ and of Heaven is set before him he lets it pass without any minding so a gracious heart that by faith can see into the reality of the glory of Heaven and eternal life so taken up with them as not to minde earthly things and that is the third particular Fourthly the respect unto the recompence of the reward hath a mighty power to carry on the soul in a way of suffering because the soul by this comes to see how infinitely well pleased God is with it and with that it undertakes for his names sake in suffering any thing in his cause and this does mightily prevail with a gracious heart If God does but give his command to do a thing this might be enough to shew Gods good pleasure in that action but when with command God reveals such infinite glorious things that he will reward that action withal this discovers more of the infinite good pleasure of God so that the soul in this does not onely see its own happiness but sees the infinite good pleasure of God in it and reasons thus How hath God set his heart upon me And what infinite good pleasure is it that he takes in that I poor worm shall suffer for his names sake when he does not onely tell me it is according to his will but he hath such infinite glorious things to reward that I do except his heart were much upon it taken with it there would never such great and glorious things have been for the rewarding of it but in that these things are so revealed and I in some measure see them I cannot but think God takes infinite delight in these sufferings for his names sake God forbid that any thing in the world should take off my heart from that which I see God takes such infinite pleasure in when a gracious heart shall see God holding forth a crown to set on his head in suffering it sets the soul on fire in suffering for God if thou hadst onely given forth thy command it had been enough to make all creatures obedient to thee but that thou shouldest manifest thy self thus to crown them with this glory and to lay up these treasures of the riches of thy glory for them Who would not do and suffer any thing in thy cause O blessed God! The fifth particular wherein the power of this argument consists is the abundance of sweet that there is in the hope of this reward to fill the heart with joy and peace the more joy and peace the heart is filled withal the more certainly it is able to do great things So Nehemiah tells the people when he would have them rejoyce The joy of the Lord is your strength Neh. 8. 10. When as the heart is strengthned with joy it is able to do mighty things now the hope of these glorious things do mightily fill the heart with joy and so strengthens the heart A man that hath his body strong he can endure cold and bear great burthens that a weak body cannot bear and nothing strengthens the heart more then this joy of the Lord where the heart is filled with it Vessels that are empty will soon be broke with the heat of the fire which they will not be if they be full this hope
your peace with God and your own conscience If vapours be not got into the earth and stir not there they are not all the storms and tempests abroad that can make an earthquake but if vapours be within and work there an earthquake is caused so where there is peace within all troubles and oppositions without cannot shake the heart but if there be no peace within every little thing troubles the spirit terrours without and terrours within both are very hard Be not thou a terrour to me O Lord says Jeremy chap. 17. 17. for thou art my hope in the day of evil I care not though all the world be a terrour to me so be it thou beest not a terrour if I have peace with thee it is enough what ever evil befal me Oh therefore maintain and keep this peace above all it is no matter whether you have peace or no with the world so be it you have the peace of the Gospel in your hearts it is one special part of that spiritual armory we read of Ephes 6. to be shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace that is that blessed peace of the Gospel which is a strong preparation to endure any troubles or afflictions that Christians meet withal the reason of that phrase to be shod is this because we are to go amongst briars and thorns in our way to Heaven we are to meet with many hard things we are to pass through therefore we had need be well shod if a man be not so he will be as one that goes upon sharp flints bare-foot or a mongst thorns or bushes so that the blood tricles down his feet every step he takes surely such a man cannot hold out long thus it is with the soul that is not fenced with the Gospel of peace Be careful in nothing let not your spirits be divided for so is the word Phil. 4. 6 7. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and mindes the word is shall guard your hearts afflictions and troubles are as enemies compassing us about but the peace of God guards our hearts from the evil of them this enables Gods children though not in the letter yet in some sort to tread upon the Adder and Asp to shake off Vipers and receive no hurt Having peace with God we glory in tribulations we are not onely patient under them but we glory in them How were the spirits of those blessed Martyrs we read and hear so much of strengthened with this blessed peace of the Gospel Take heed therefore that you never maintain peace with any sin Great peace have they that love thy Law and nothing shall offend them Psal 119. 165. Oh how many of you have broke your peace with God! at least the comfort of it is exceedingly darkned you would fain have outward ease and peace but you have neglected the comforts of this peace and that is the reason you have no strength to suffer any thing for the truth Nehem. 8. 10. The joy of the Lord is your strength that joy that comes from this inward peace but where this is not there is nothing to sweeten sorrows and therefore they must needs be very bitter That time therefore that God gives you yet respite from afflictions let it be spent in making up your peace more with God then ever and getting clearer evidence and sense of his love If ever you knew what peace with God meant I appeal unto you when at any time the sense of it hath enlarged your hearts with joy whether then have you not found your selves willing to suffer any thing for God you could then go through fire and water your spirits could triumph with the Apostle I am per swaded that neither life nor death nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come shal ever be able to seperate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus Fifthly labour to see more into the fulness of all good in God the Lord told Abraham that he was God all-sufficient as the onely means to strengthen him against whatsoever evils he was like to meet withal Labour to have the insight into Gods fulness in these three particulars First look at all the excellency beauty comfort and good in the creature and know that it is all in him in a most eminent and glorious maner There is no good in the effect but the causes together have it in them now God is the first cause and so all causes have their principle in him and therefore all good must needs be in him Secondly all possible good is in the Lord that is as there is no actual good but is for the present in him so there can be none but it is in him already there is such fulness of good in him that it is impossible that there should be any good added to him in the least degree Thirdly look at God as taking infinite delight in communicating himself in letting out his goodness to his creature let God be seen thus and let these three meditations of the fulness of good in God be wrought upon the heart and they will mightily support the spirit in all afflictions for what is the loss of any thing to me when I see where I can have it made up what is any bitterness when I see such infinite sweetness to sweeten all When tempests come upon Mariners and they be in narrow seas where they want sea-room there is danger but if they have sea-room enough there is no fear Thus if we are acquainted with the infinite fulness of good in God we should see our selves safe in the midst of all tempests we should feel our spirits quiet under the sorest afflictions Sixthly A sixt preparation for the bearing further crosses is an humble cheerful bearing of present afflictions and an humble submitting to the present condition That soul that is willing to yield to God in the present condition God will fit it for the future many cast about in their thoughts what they shall do hereafter if troubles should befal them and yet in the mean time they neglect the duties of their present condition Go on therefore humbly and patiently in the performance of the duties that God calls now for and they will prepare you for whatsoever duties shall be required of you hereafter there is no good to be expected from any in a new condition who are not careful to perform the duties of the present many are ready to promise When we shall be in such a condition then we will do thus or thus but what do you in your present never think to be able to suffer if God call you to a new condition if you cannot be patient under the troubles you meet with now especially when these troubles are small and petty in comparison of those you are like to meet withal Mr Bilney the Martyr used to put his finger into the candle to
Lord is pleased to condescend to our weakness to express his especial presence with his Church and therefore it is good to be with them these are the expressions of it But wherein does the presence of God with his people appear more then with other people In these two things especially First because there God makes himself known reveals himself there and makes his beauty to appear Psal 27. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord that I will seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his Temple It is the glory of Heaven to see God in his beauty and this is one of the greatest promises of God to his Church that they shall see the King in his majesty We may see some glimmering light of God in the Heavens Sun Moon and Stars but in the Church there God shews his beauty there we may see the face of God and this is that which Moses did desire Lord-shew me thy glory It is much granted to us in the Church in enjoying his Ordinances and there is no way to see Gods face so clearly as this way Every childe of God that is in the Temple shall speak of Gods glory for they see God in his glory in a special maner Secondly the especial presence of God with his people is especially manifested in that he communicates to his people as namely First the choice mercies of God are communicated to his people If you would have any share in Gods choice mercies his peculiar mercies come amongst Gods people joyn with them as that place is observable in Psal 134. 3. The Lord that made Heaven and earth bless thee out of Sion He does not say the Lord that made Heaven and Earth bless thee out of Heaven and Earth but the Lord that made Heaven and Earth bless thee out of Sion as if he should say The blessings that come out of Sion are the choice blessings and the peculiar mercies of God even above any that come out of Heaven and Earth Secondly God communicates his mercies more fully then any where else Isa 25. 6. And in this mountain that is in the Church I will make a feast of fat things a feast of wines on the lees of fat things full of marrow c. and Psal 36. 8. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures In a private way there may be some drops of pleasure from God but there is not that full communication from God as with his people in his Ordinances there is in the world in the creature drops in private communion there are ponds but in a pulique Church-communion there are rivers of pleasure and that is the height of all Thirdly God communicates his mercies more powerfully in the Church then any where else Psal 133. 3. For there the Lord commanded the blessing even life for evermore God did not onely speak and said there should be a blessing but spake in a commanding way There Where is that There in the Church amongst his people there God commanded the blessing even life for evermore Lastly God blesseth more universally with all kinde of blessing and therefore he is more present there and in that respect the Psalmist says Psalm 87. 7. All my springs are in thee This whole Psalm is to set out the excellent condition of the Church and he concludes the Psalm with this All my springs are in thee Now this expression is very emphatical Spring is taken two or three ways in Scripture The Law of God the Doctrine of Gods Law is compared to a spring and heavenly knowledge is compared to a spring and then it is thus All my springs All the truths I have all the knowledge I come to be made partaker of are all in the Church Again All my springs all the comforts of my heart and that good and joy my spirit receives and all the graces of the Spirit that I have and all the quickning and strengthning I have is communicated to me this way And upon this ground the Church is called the very perfection of all beauty Psal 50. 2. Out of Zion the perfection of all beauty God hath shined Out of Zion there is his glory wonderfully apparent The word that is translated the perfection of beauty is translated by some the universality of beauty all kinde of beauty all kinde of excellency as if the Psalmist should say Put all excellencies together that possibly you can imagine to make a thing comely and lovely they are all in the Church Thus you see it is good being with Gods people when as God is thus present with them in a special maner Eighthly it is good being with Gods people because there is Gods special protection others are but as the wilderness the Church is as a garden enclosed Cant. 4. 12. A man regards his garden that he hath enclosed and bestowed cost about more then a wilde field the fields have hedges to keep out the beasts but gardens have brick wals or wood walls Isa 27. 3. I the Lord do keep it I will water it every moment lest any hurt it I will keep it night and day How full is this his care over it is such as he threatens those which shall but touch it Jer. 12. 14. to pluck them out of their land Zach. 2. 5. God promiseth he will be a wall of fire round about his people alluding to the custom of travellers in the wilderness who used to make fires round about them in the night for their safety because then none of the wilde beasts durst come near them such a defence is God to his people There is nothing in the Book of God wherein God is so full in his expression as when he comes to this argument to manifest his affection to his Church Christ is the Shepherd and when sheep are together they are under the protection of the Shepherd when the sheep are scattered the Shepherds eye is not so over them And therefore in Hosea 4. 16. God threatens his people he would feed them as a Lamb in a large place as a Lamb getting from the fold goes up and down bleating so when Gods people are scattered they are as a Lamb in a large place and when God would threaten the sorest judgement against his people Ezekiel 34. he says He will scatter them and they shall become to be meat to the beasts of the field And hence it is that the condition of the Church is so stable a condition and therefore in Isaiah 60. 15. the Church is called an eternal excellency because it is under the Lords protection and is it not good being there to be under the wing of God Ninthly to be amongst Gods people is a blessed thing because they have so many
garment of the Kings daughter the Church be of divers colours yet why may it not be like Christs garment without seam For the Lords sake let us take heed of divisions and quarrels especially let us take heed that under the pretence of Religion we do not maintain quarrels for this is to bring down the holy Ghost from appearing like a Dove to appear in the form of a Vulture or Raven You know what S. Paul says of speaking with several tongues will not he that comes in say you are mad When wicked men hear of so many dissonant opinions of so many dissentions among you will they not think you mad And because you all pretend Religion will they not think that that kinde of Religion which you pretend is a mad thing So far shall you be from making the way of Christ honorable in their eyes which yet should be the thing you should more desire seek after rejoyce in then your lives Religion hath the name from binding and certainly it is the best band of humane societies there is great reason then that we seek to keep it in the band of unity And that is the third thing I would say to those that are in Church-fellowship not to darken the excellency that is in communion with the Saints The fourth exhortation is that you would walk and live so as by your walking you may draw others to be in love with this fellowship as God hath made it to be glorious so that you would set out the glory of it to others that all that go by you should say Surely they are the blessed of the Lord certainly God is with them and therefore we will likewise joyn with them O what a blessed thing were it if we could by our lives convince others that we are the plants of the Lords own planting The lives of men convince more strongly then their words The tongue perswades but the life commands is the speech of an Ancient We read in Rev. 14. Those that stood with the Lamb upon Mount Zion enjoying communion there they had his Fathers name written upon their foreheads the glory of God shined in their foreheads a convincing conversation is that which God calls for at your hands Let the name of God be precious to you Is it not a precious thing to live so as to bring honor to God to hold forth the honor of God is all the glory we can bring to God let us be known to be those we profess our selves to be separated from the world by the holiness of our lives as Tertullian says of the Christians in his time they were known to be Christians from the amendment of their former lives You are joyned near to Christ as a girdle about a mans loyns take heed you be not as that girdle Jer. 13. A rotten girdle fit for nothing so were the Church of the Jews at that time but you should be as that girdle of Christ Rev. 1. A golden girdle about his paps By which the beauty and glorious condition of the Church in the Primitive times is described Let us walk so as to manifest and hold forth the beauty and amiableness of godliness in the eyes of all that they may see it whether they will or no and to force esteem from the consciences of men Cant. 6. 4. it is said of the Church She is terrible as an army with banners A Church of God that walks close to the rule is terrible to guilty consciences Let us walk so as when the Balaams of the world look upon us they may see our comely order so as to be forced to say O how goodly are thy tents O Jacob and thy Tabernacles O Israel as the valleys are they spread forth as gardens by the Rivers side as the trees of Lign-Aloes which the Lord hath planted and as Cedars beside the waters Numbers 24. 5. St. John Epist 1. chap. 1. 3. expresseth his desire for those whom he wrote to that they might have fellowship with him and the rest of the Saints and he brings this as an argument Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ this would be a mighty prevailing argument indeed if we walked so before others as to manifest that we in truth have fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ then our fellowship would be desireable indeed CHAP. XXIII How should Gods people so walk as to draw others in love with their communion BUt how should Gods people so walk as to bring others in love with their communion First in the general take heed of those sins especially that those which you converse with are guilty of that they be not able to spy the same sins in you which their consciences accuse themselves of take heed of the pollutions of the world Cant. 6. 10. Who is she that looketh forth as the Morning fair as the Moon clear as the Sun and terrible as an army with banners The Church of God ought to be fair as the Moon but the Moon hath spots and therefore it follows Clear as the Sun and then she is terrible as an army with banners Either she will draw the hearts of others to love her or she will daunt their hearts Yea let them not see any defilement answerwable to their defilement for wicked men though they cannot spy evils in the godly yet surely they think they are guilty of the sins which they live in as well as themselves as Nero because he was unchast thought all the world was unchast and therefore the godly should labor to keep themselves from such sins as the world is guilty of that they may not spy such in them A godly man should not onely labor to be kept from outward defilement that may be done by the strength of a natural conscience without any sanctifying grace and it should be a shame to one that hath grace if he should not do that if he cannot do that how can he purge himself from secret and spiritual evils that are in the heart Secondly if you would walk so as to draw others in love to communion with you walk in singleness and uprightness of heart Acts 2. 46 47. They did eat their bread with gladness and singleness of heart praising God mark what follows having favor with all the people and God added to the Church Singleness of heart makes Church-communion lovely But what is that uprightness and singleness of heart that we are to walk withal By that I mean this namely to be sure that there be an answerableness in our conversation unto all those principles of godliness that we profess for take the most strict principles of Religion and the men of the world cannot speak against them and when it comes to this is all they have to say Ah! if it were in truth and in sincerity it were something but they are hypocrites they acknowledge the principles are right but they
of grace be to take the hearts of the Saints from the things of the world and to settle them upon higher and better things then certainly there are glorious things to come The last demonstration is this because there are such glorious first fruits of that which is to come that Gods people do finde for the present those blessed rays of heavenly consolations and those beginnings of Heaven that they finde here if there were a thousand worlds filled with that glory that this is filled with they would not take it for one ray one beam that is made known unto them as the first fruits of that glory they shall have hereafter now put all these together and we may conclude Verily there is a reward for the righteous verily there is a glorious condition for Gods servants happy are they that shall be made partakers of these things certainly there are great things to come Before we go any further me thinks the thoughts of these should raise our hearts what do we here minding such poor empty things are these the things that God hath made us for are not the thoughrs of God concerning the children of men higher and more glorious then these outward things surely there is something else that God hath made mans immortal soul for above any thing that it hath seen in the world men do live for the present as if there were no other condition for them no greater good but onely to cat and drink and have money and brave cloathes and the like O know there are better things for us to look after but thus we pass from the first thing that there are blessed things for the children of men hereafter CHAP. XL. How far we may aym at the recompence of reward in what we do IT is true will some say there are glorious things prepared for some of the children of men but whether may we look after them may we have a respect to the reward Is not this a mercenary thing and hypocrisie we are not to serve God for reward but for himself and therefore how is this that Moses had a respect unto the recompence of reward and how is this a thing that should help us on in our way First this is granted that we are bound to serve the Lord and to walk with him and obey him if there were no reward to be expected hereafter God is infinitely worthy of himself of all our services of all that we are able to do in this world and whatsoever we have the Lord hath more interest in it then we have in it our selves and therefore we owe all that we are or have unto him and righteousness it self is sufficient to cause us to perform the works of it In the keeping of thy Commandments there is great reward Psalm 19. 11. Not onely for keeping them but in keeping them there is great reward and the excellency of our work would be sufficient reward for our work though there were no reward that were to come hereafter we are bound to do all we do But yet secondly notwithstanding this God is pleased to give leave unto us his poor creatures to help and encourage our selves in the expectation of that reward that is to come yea to make it our aim though I will not say the highest aim for so the word signifies in 2 Cor. 4. 18. While we look not at things which are seen but at the things which are not seen the word signifies While we make things that are not seen our scope and aym so that God gives us leave to have such respect unto them as to make them our aym and so the people of God have looked at the recompence of reward as a great encouragement to them in their way Psal 119. 112. I have enclined my heart to perform thy statutes alway even to the end the same word that signifies end signifies reward also because reward is to come at the end of all our works and therefore the same word is translated reward in Psal 19. 11. and so the word seems to carry more then to the end as if David should say I have enclined my heart to perform thy Statutes alway looking unto the reward In Heb. 12. 3. it is said of Christ himself That for the joy that was set before him he endured the Cross and despised the shame Now if Christ made use of the joy that was set before him and that was a help to him to endure the Cross and despise the shame much more may we make use of it and it may be a help to us so that we have leave to look at it Yea thirdly we have not onely leave to look at it but it is our duty to seek to help our selves in eying the reward we sin against God if we do it not and the reason is because we are bound to make use of the word in that way that God hath revealed it to us now God hath revealed the glorious things of the recompence of the reward in a way of encouragement and therefore we sin against God if we do not encourage our selves in it Some think why should we look at the reward we must look to the rule and see that our obedience be accordingly but know if you do not look to the reward you do not only hinder your selves of the good you might have but do sin against God in it Here you deceive your selves as Ahaz did deceive himself in Isaiah 7. 11. where God bid him ask a sign he was modest and bashful and would not ask a sign he would not tempt God he would believe the Lord without a sign see how the Lord is angry Is it a small thing to weary man but will you weary God also When as the Lord in favor towards you will vouchsafe you a sign and you refuse it as if you had no need why will you weary God so as when God for the help of our weakness will grant us an argument to help us in our way and we think it is modesty or what you will to leave it in this we sin against the Lord our God Fourthly I never finde that the Scripture does accuse any of Hypocrisie of unsoundness and not to have truth of grace meerly for this because that they did aym at the reward which is in Heaven for that they did you shall finde in Scripture many are discovered for hypocrites for looking at the glory of the world as their aym for seeking of riches and credit but give me an instance where any is accused for unsoundness for seeking of immortallity and eternity and happiness this is that which troubles many Christians that which they do is out of self-love and they aym at themselves God did never discover any to be unsound upon this ground and therefore we should be cautious in accusing our selves of this as many do because for the present they cannot see how they go further then seeking of