that follow the Court. It is the priviledge of the godly that they are set at the Counsell table where the very secret mysteries of the kingdome are disclosed It is something which is spoken Psal 45. 15. They shall enter into the Kings Palace It is somwhat to be Courtiers to bee outwardly members of the Church but yet this is not all the priviledge of the faithfull there is a further matter Cant. 1. 4. The King hath brought me into his Chambers they come not onely into the King Palace but into the Kings Chambers The Kings chamber is the place of greatest secresie 2 King 6. 12. Elisha the Prophet that is in Israel telles the King of Israel the words thou speakest in thy bed-chamber The King hath brought mee into his Chambers he hath revealed and imparted unto me the secrets of his heart made them knowne to mee in his privie chamber So that the priviledge of the godly is that they are not onely of the Court but of the Counsell they doe not onely know the Kings face but the Kings heart and the secrets in his breast Nay the godly are not onely of the Court and the Counsell but they are the choyce and peculiar friends and favourites of God It is sayd of Zabud that he was principal officer and the Kings friend 1 King 4. 5. Hee was Solomons favourite and a favourite is more than a Counsellour and is acquainted with those secrets that every ordinary Counsellour knowes not even with Cabinet secrets All Gods people are Zabuds Gods friends and favourites and therefore God communicates his secrets to them Abraham is here called Gods friend and see how God speakes of him Gen. 18. 17. Shall I hide from Abraham the thing that I will doe As if he had sayd Abraham is my friend and therefore I may not conceale my minde from him It will not stand with the lawes of friendship to hide my purpose from him Ioh. 15. 15. Henceforth I call you not servants for the servant knowes not what his Lord doth but I have called you Friends and so I will use you as friends But how In entertaining communion with you and communicating my secrets unto you For all things that I have heard of my Father I have made knowne unto you See what a priviledge followes being the friends of Christ When friends doe conceale secrets each from other and communicate onely some trifling common things one to another it is a signe of a crazed and a loosened 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost ubi supra friendship not of a true entire love but only of an artificiall personated complementall kinde of love onely for fashion sake to hold ends together but true friendship makes a man communicative of his greatest and choycest secrets It had some strength in it which Delilah spake to Samson Iudg. 16. 15. How canst thou say I love thee when thine heart is not with mee that is when thou wilt not disclose the secrets of thine heart to mee as appeares vers 17 18. shee therefore concludes his hart was not with her because he told her not all his heart But now Gods people being his friends the Lords heart is with them and therefore hee telles them all his heart the very deepe secrets of his heart 1. Cor. 2. 7. 12. Eph. 1. 7-9 When once men have God for their friend hee will not bee daintie of his secrets but will communicate them unto them And the more inward and entire the friendship is the greater secrets he wil communicate unto them All his Disciples were his friends and therfore Iohn 15. 15. he made known unto them all things he had heard of his Father But yet there was one Disciple which was the Disciple whom Iesus loved Ioh 13. 23. and he leaned on Iesus bosome Iohn was that Disciple that was his speciall beloved bosome-friend and therefore when Peter desired to know that secret which of them it was that should betray him he beckned to Iohn that hee should aske who it should be of whom he spake Ioh 13. 24. Peter knew he was his bosome-friend and therefore the likelier upon asking to come acquainted with that secret and upon his asking it is revealed to him vers 25. 26. Nay Iohn being the bosome friend of Christ hee did not onely when on earth use him as a friend in communicating speciall secrets to him that not to the rest but after hee was ascended into heaven did still use him as his bosome friend in revealing to him greater secrets and mysteries than to any of the rest To him he revealed all those mysteries and secrets which are comprehended in the booke of the Revelation The Revelation of Iesus Christ c. And hee sent and signified it by his Angell unto his servant Iohn Apoc. 1. 1. But why unto Iohn Why not unto Peter Why not unto some of the rest Because Iohn was the Disciple whom hee loved Iohn had lien in his bosome and therefore being his bosome friend hee should have the honour and the favour to have these bosome secrets imparted unto him Speciall secrets revealed to Iohn because Iohn a speciall friend and favourite yea when men are speciall friends indeed God will whisper in their eares and discover such secrets to them as not to others It is said 1. Sam. 9. 15. That God told Samuel in his eare of Sauls comming a day before hee came A man will whisper in his friends eare and tell him a secret that other shall not know so doth the Lord deale with his friends hee hath his secret whisperings with his Saints and tells them secretly in their eares that which every one shall not know So Christ dealt with Iohn in discovering Iudas to be the traytour he spake it not out but secretly whispered that in his eare which he speakes to him Ioh. 13. 26 The rest of the Disciples heard it not as appears vers 28 29 If Christ had spoken that in the hearing of all the Disciples that he spake to Iohn they might easily have understood our Saviours meaning in his speech to Iudas And so still doth God deale with the godly which were his friends hee secretly reveales that in their eares which neither eye hath seen nor eare hath heard nor hath entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him 1 Cor. 2. 9. Indeed men of the world they beleeve not that a godly man hath any such priviledge as to be acquainted with Gods secrets more than themselves they measure a godly man by themselves and therefore say in this case as Eliphaz spake to Iob in that case Iob. 15. 8 9 11. Hast thou heard the secret of God What knowest thou that we know not What understandest thou that is not in us Is there any secret thing with thee But yet a godly man doth know that a worldly man knowes not he doth understand something that is not in him there is some secret thing with
is a Tower and faith is a Tower and how so because it is faith that brings us to God that puts us within the walles and gates of this Tower and is that which helpes us to that safetie within this Tower God is called our Shield Psa 84. 11. 91. 4. and Faith is called our Shield Eph. 6. 16. Above all things take the Shield of Faith God is our Shield and Buckler because by his power hee shelters and defends us Faith is our Shield because it makes God our Shield As when a man runs to a Castle and escapes a danger we may say that his castle and his legges were his safetie God is not a Tower to such as are not towerd in their faith hee is not a shield to those that want the shield of faith The way to have God our Tower and our Shield is to get the Tower and Shield of Faith And as wee would have safetie by Faith and trusting in God our care must be not onely to get faith but our endevour must bee to increase and strengthen our faith so much as possibly wee can Every day bee exercising and setting it on worke be advancing and improving it The more faith the more securitie the more securitie the more confidence and presence of spirit in a case of danger Dwell deepe O inhabitant of Dedan Ier. 49. 8. Our endevour should bee not onely to dwell in this Rocke but to dwell deepe get such a measure of faith as that wee may get a great depth within this Rocke make our trenches deepe and get our selves deeply entrencht by faith It is sayd of the men of Thebez Iudg. 9. 51. that they not onely fled into that strong Tower but that they got them up to the top of the Tower So let us not onely run into this Tower but get me up to the top of this Tower This is done when wee so exercise and set our faith on worke as that we come to have confidence and assurance of Gods goodnesse to us in times of feare and danger Faith growing strong and dayly set on worke on the promises is getting up to the top of the tower Tower up on high into God by the growth and increase of thy faith The higher the safer And thus we see how by faith wee runne to this Tower and what safety there is to bee had by such running 3. This Running comprehends Repentance As Sinne is a Running from God so Repentance is a Running to God For Isa 55. 5. Nations that know thee not shall runne unto thee How should or did they Runne we shall see the exposition and accomplishment of that prophecy Act. 11. 18. Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted Repentance unto life By Repentance therefore did they Runne unto the Lord. And this is such a Running as conduces to safety The Righteous runs namely by Repentance and is Safe Hee humbles himselfe for his sinnes mournes for them and forsakes them sets upon a new course in righteousnesse obedience and the feare of God so findes safety and protection Iob. 22. 23. 25. If thou returne to the Almighty thou shalt put away iniquity farre from thy Tabernacles then shall the Almighty bee thy defence There bee two severall parts of Repentance and wee shall see that there is safety in Running to God by them both First there is with a sorrow for sinne a forsaking and casting of it off He that will take a right course for his safety must abandon all his sinnes and away with them or else let him runne as hee will he were as good sit still for he shall but runne in vaine hee shall not get into this Tower The way to runne and to get in for safety is a thorough forsaking of all our sinnes and lusts See Isay 33. 15. 16. He that despiseth the gaine of oppressions that shakes his hands from holding of bribes that doth by bribes and all unlawfull gaines as Paul did by the viper that stops his eares from hearing of bloud c. Hee shall dwell on High or in high places His place of defence shall be the munition of Rockes That 's the way then to dwell on high to get a defence within the munition of Rockes to purge the heart and whole man from all our lusts and pollutions If a man come with the gain of oppressions with his hands defiled with any iniustice with eares full of cruelty eyes full of adultery the tower gate will be surely barred and shut against such an one And when such shall come to the tower gate and knocke and rap and cry Lord Lord open unto us the answer they will meet withall will be Depart ye workers of Iniquity This gate will not be opened to workers of iniquity As the Iron gate that led into the city opened of it owne accord unto Peter Act. 12. 10. so the gate of this tower of it owne accord will shut it selfe against workers of Iniquity As of the New Ierusalem it is said Apoc. 22. 14. 15. Blessed are they that may enter in thorough the gates into the city for without are dogges sorcerers and whoremongers and murderers c. So is it true of this Tower Blessed are all they that in a time of danger may enter in thorough the gates into the Tower It shall not bee everyones portion for dogs whoremongers Idolaters lyars c. and all such kinde of persons must make account to bee without to be shut out and not admitted into the Tower God will bee no protectour of such persons but when men are purged their hearts and hands their eares and eyes their wayes and lives are purged and washed from their lusts then they shall dwell on high and the place of their defence shall bee the munition of Rockes There is a gracious promise of safety and protection Isa 4. 5. 6. Vpon all the glory shall bee a defence And there shall bee a Tabernacle for a shadow in the day time from the heate and for a place of Refuge and for a covert from storme and from rayne All comes to this that the Name of the Lord should bee a strong Tower for their safety But yet marke when this should bee vers 4. When the Lord shall have washt away the filth of the daughters of Zion and shall have purged the bloud of Ierusalem from the middest thereof Then there shall be a defence a shadow a refuge a covert from the storme when there shall bee a washing and a purging by the spirit of Iudgement and Sublation as Iunius renders it then will God shelter and mightily protect them from all evils and dangers A man that will be safe must doe two things First He must Runne to the Tower Secondly Hee must enter and get into the Tower when runne to it Now without Repentance a man can doe neither of these First He cannot Runne to the Tower for safety without Repentance It is in our running to this Tower for safety as it is
there follows safety Psal 18. 2. The Lord is my high Tower But how will he get into that high Tower He will Run into it But how will he runne into it vers 2. I will call upon the Lord. So will he Runne into it And what shall he bee the better for running into it So shall I be saved from mine enemies and so from all dangers All which comes to this The name of the Lord is an high and strong Tower I will by prayer runne into it and shall be safe And David tells us of it as of an experimented truth Psalm 34. 4 6. I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me from all my feares This poore man cryed and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles David was in feares and was delivered from all his feares Hee was delivered by running into this tower and he ranne into this tower by prayer There be terrible times threatned Ioel 3. 15 16. The Sunne and the Moone shall bee darkned c. The Lord shall roare out of Sion c. and the hearers shall shake the hearing of such sad things was enough to make their hearts shake Alas when such blacke dayes should come what would become of Gods people how should they doe at such a time Well enough But the Lord will bee the hope of his people or the place of Repaire or the Harbour of his people and the strength of the children of Israel Herein should they be happy that in such a time they had the name of God for their Tower of safetie But how should they get or runne into that tower so as they might be safe That wee may see by the like passage Ioel 2. 31 32. The Sunne shall bee turned into darknesse c. And it shall come to passe that whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be delivered So that as the name of the Lord is a tower so that tower must bee runne into and the way to runne into that tower of the name of God is to call upon that name And hee that runnes so runnes not in vaine it shall come to passe that whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shal be delivered When Davids heart was over-whelmed with troublesome thoughts and feares he betakes himselfe to God Psalm 61. 3 4. Thou hast been a shelter or a refuge for mee and a strong tower from the enemy and I will make my refuge in the covert of thy wings And what course takes he to doe it vers 1 2. Heare my cry attend unto my prayer c. So that by prayer hee runnes to the strong tower and to the place of Refuge Lead me sayes vers 2. to the Rocke that is higher than I that rocke is none other but that strong tower verse 3. Both the Name of the Lord. That tower is an high tower Psalm 18. 2. and that Rock is here an high Rocke the Rocke higher than I and yet there is a way to get into the highest Towers by scaling Ladders a man may get over the high walls of towers This tower and rock too high for David himselfe to get into and therefore hee sets to the scaling Ladder Lead mee into the Rocke and into the tower that is higher than I. Heare my cry attend unto my prayer So hee makes prayer the scaling Ladder to get upon that rocke and into that tower that otherwise had been too high for him he gets that safetie and deliverance which otherwise but by prayer unto God had been impossible to have been obtained When David was in danger of Saul see what resolution he takes up Psal 57. 1. In the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge untill these calamities be over-past We shall see in the title of the Psalme that David was then in the cave It is sayd 1 Sam. 23. 29. that David went and dwelt in the strong holds at En-gedi and this cave that now David was in was amongst those strong holds as appeares 1 Sam. 24. So that David in the cave was in a strong hold and yet David thought there was little safetie in that strong hold unlesse God himselfe were his refuge and therefore sayes he In the shadow of thy wings wil I make my refuge till these calamities be overpast As if he had sayd Lord I am already in the cave and the holds and in the shadow of it but yet for all that I thinke not my selfe safe indeed till I have made my refuge in the shadow of thy wings that is therefore the course I resolve and build upon It was wisely done of him and marke what course he takes to do it vers 2. I will cry unto God most high I will by prayer put my selfe under the shadow of Gods wings and marke what successe should follow vers 3. He shall send from heaven and save mee from the reproach of him that would swallow me up God shall send forth his mercie and his truth When wee send prayers up to heaven God hee will send helpe down from heaven when we send forth our prayers and supplications God will send forth his mercy and his truth his power and will set all his attributes on work for the effecting of our safety and deliverance Indeed it is trusting and so thrusting our selves under the covert of Gods wings in which our safety lies as before we saw and so David takes that course vers 1. But yet David prayes to God as well as he trusts in God And unlesse we pray as well as trust our trust will faile us for wee must trust to God for that we pray for That same is an excellent passage Isai 5â— 1â— When the enemy shall come in like a flood the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a Standard against him that is shall both defend from his violence and shall also put him to flight Now that which is there spoken of an enemy is true of any danger when Pestilence Famine c. shall come in like a flood the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a Standard against them Now what is that Spirit of the Lord I know it is meant properly of Gods power and might as Zech. 4. 6. Not by might not by my power that is not by the might and power of man but by my Spirit sayth the Lord that is by my might and my power So here the Spirit that is the power of the Lord shal lift up a standard against him But yet if it bee not meant also of prayer which is stirred up in the hearts of the faithfull by the Spirit who is therefore called the Spirit of Prayer yet may we allude at least unto it and say that when an enemie or pestilence or famine shall come in like a flood shall come and overspread it selfe like a flood and shall like a flood come unresistably the Spirit of the Lord stirring up prayer in his peoples heart shall lift up a standard against
it is a Dead Charity So is the case with faith This is laid downe verse 15. 16. 17. The second is taken from the impossibility of the manifestation of faith without the fruites of it Faith where ever it is may bee and will be manifested It is with faith as it was with Christ He could not be hid A Faith that can keep house and skulk and lye close is not a right bred Faith vers 18. The third is taken from an Absurdity It were an absurd thing that a Christian should have no better a faith then the devils in Hell have And such a faith may they have vers 19. The fourth is taken from an Adjunct of Privation Because such a faith as is without workes is a Dead Faith How can hee bee a living Christian whose Faith is Dead That is laid downe vers 20. How can a Dead Faith bring a man to life The fifth is taken from a comparison from the lesse Because such a faith cannot Iustifie If not Iustifie then not save If not the lesse then not the greater And this argument he illustrates by two examples of Abraham and Rahab In the example of Abraham there be these things considerable First He layes downe his proposition That Abraham was justified by a working faith vers 21. For that is the meaning of those words and the Apostle by workes understands faith which hath workes as appeares by that vers 18. Thou hast faith it is a naked and empty faith without workes I have workes that is faith which breakes forth and manifests it selfe in workes when therefore the Apostle saies that Abraham was Iustified by workes he meanes that his faith by which hee was justified was not a naked faith empty of workes That hand of faith by which hee laid hold on Christ as it was an apprehending and an applying hand so was it an acting and a working hand Secondly he proves that Abrahams faith by which he was justified was not a faith which did not worke by the offering of his sonne vers 21. Thirdly Hee cals such vaine boasters to a serious consideration of what hee had said Seest thou not how faith c. And two things hee would have them consider 1. That Abrahams faith did worke together with his workes That his workes did flow from the principle of faith and that his faith did concurre unto his workes that they might bee right and pleasing to God for without faith it is impossible to please God Hebrewes 11. 6. 2. That his faith was made perfect by his workes That is by these workes of his it was clearely manifested that his faith was a lively true and perfect faith vers 22. Fourthly Hee concludes that which he had laid downe at first That Abraham was justified not by an idle but by a lively working faith And this conclusion he proves by a testimony of Scripture vers 23. The testimony is taken from Gen. 15. 6. for by the workes of Abraham it appeares that faith of which Moses there spake was not a sloathfull but a working faith And that faith of Abrahams hee sets forth by another consequent that followed upon it besides that which is specified in the Testimony of Scripture for take the words together and Abrahams faith is set forth by two speciall things that followed upon it The first was his Iustification Abraham beleeved and it was imputed unto him for righteousnesse The second was the favour and friendship of God And hee was called the friend of God Hee was called that is hee was and became the friend of God So Matthew 5. 9. Blessed are the peace-makers for they shall bee called the sonnes of God that is they shall be the sons of God From the words then wee may learne this point The great Honour and Happinesse of the Doct. faithfull The Honour of the people of God They have the Honour and the Happinesse to bee Gods friends Abraham was the father of the faithfull and hee is three severall times honoured in Scripture with the Title of Gods friend once here in this Text. Another time 2 Chron. 20. 7. And gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever A third time Isay 41. 8. and that by God himselfe And thou Israel art my servant the seed of Abraham my friend And therefore so often given to Abraham the father of the faithfull that it might haereditarily descend upon all the children of faithfull Abraham That as amongst the German Nobility every sonne beares the title of his fathers Honour so in this case all that are his children are also Heires of his Honourable Title All the children as their father friends of God Therefore not peculiar to Abraham alone but given to others in Scripture also It is given to Moses Exod. 33. 11. And the Lord spake to Moses face to face as a man speaketh unto his friend It is given to the disciples Ioh. 15. 14. 15. Yee are my friends Henceforth I call you friends I have called you friends Not onely I will call you friends but I have called you friends as implying it was usually his manner of compellation to call them by that Name when hee spake to them of which wee have an example Luke 12. 4. And Isay unto you my friends fear not There is an intimate intire and mutuall friendship betweene Christ and the faithfull Hee is their friend They are his friends Hee cheeres them up by that name Cant. 5. 1. Eate O friends Drinke yea drinke aboundantly O beloved They are therefore friends and not onely friends ordinary and common friends but Beloved friends This is not every ones portion to have a share in such Honour and favour Look upon men in their naturall condition and they are strangers to God and God a stranger to them there is no acquaintance betweene God and them They are strangers as from the Life of God Ephes 4. 18. so strangers from the covenants of promise Ephes 2. 12. and strangers to God himselfe for both goe there together strangers from the covenants of promise and without God in the world They are born strangers Psal 58. 3. The wicked are estranged from the wombe And so they live strangers there is no more familiarity and acquaintance betweene God and them then is betweene strangers that never saw or heard each of other God is such a stranger to them that if hee doe offer them any manner of acquaintance they shake him off as a stranger Iob. 20. 14. 15. They say unto God Depart from us for wee desire not the knowledge of thy wayes what is the Almighty They use him as a stranger they wish him to bee gone they care not for nor desire his acquaintance they desire to bee ridde of him And therefore God carries himselfe as a very stranger to them And as men are not well pleased when strangers are brought into their houses whom they know not who nor what nor whence they are so is God highly displeased when such
great delight in communion of this kinde Psalm 55. 24. We walked together wee had a great deale of chat and friendly talke together Can two walke together except they be agreed Am. 3. and so can two bee agreed and knit together in the bonds of love and friendship but they will walke together It is that which exercises and increases love and friendship And thus doth God vouchsafe cōmunion with the godly being his friends He will as a friend come walke and talke with them Hee takes turnes with them in his walkes and galleries Cant. 1. 17. Our galleries are of firre yea as one friend fallen in company with another is so tyed that hee knowes not how to part and come away so Cant. 7. 5. The king is held tyed or bound in the galleries as if the Lord were loath to leave those walkes in his ordinances in which he converses with his people Hee cals out his friends to take a walke with him Cant. 7. 11. Come my beloved let us goe forth into the fields let us get up early into the vine yards let us see if the vine flourish Come let us walke out together into the fields let us have a walke into the vineyards And as they commune with the Lord in the secret of their soules so God doth commune with them by his spirit he hath his sweet and secret conferences and Colloquies with them Gen. 17. 22. The Lord left off talking with Abraham Gen. 18. 33. And the Lord went his way as soone as hee had left communing with Abraham Exod. 31. 18. And he gave unto Moses when he had made an end of communing with him two Tables of Testimony And see in what a familiar manner the Lord used to talke with Moses Exo. 33. 11. And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face as a man speakes unto his friend And though no man may come neere to Moses in that speciall priviledge of familiarity yet in that measure and proportion the Lord vouchsafes unto all his Saints these familiar and friendly conferences in a speciall manner Fifthly communion between friends stands in mutuall friendly visitations One friend will visit another and where there is an entire friendship indeed there will bee an entercourse of frequent visits each of other Mary went to Elizabeth to visit her at her house in the hill country And so God hath his times when hee makes his visits with his people Ioh. 14. 23. Wee will come unto him Psal 106. 4. Remember me O Lord with the favour thou bearest unto thy people O visit me with thy salvation As if hee had said Lord remember me to be one of thy friends and vouchsafe me some such gracious friendly visits as thou usest to afford to thy friends and favourites Hee shewes his friends hearts by his visitations sheds his love into their hearts by the Holy Ghost gives them sweet assurances of his favour filles their hearts with peace hee comes and brings them the hidden manna and the white stone brings his friendly tokens with him Sixthly Communion betweene friends stands in mutuall feasting and banqueting each with other Friends will invite each other will call their friends to their tables and will goe to their friends tables Psal 41. 9. My familiar friend that eate of my bread He therefore used to have his familiar friend at his table and to feast him with his good cheere So God deales with his people and holds communion with them of this kinde Apoc. 3. 20. If any man will open unto mee I will come in unto him and I will suppe with him and hee with mee Canticles 5. 2. Eate O Friends and drinke abundantly O beloved Looke what sweete communion friends have together in mutuall feastings each of other such sweet spirituall communion vouchsafes the Lord to his people Lastly there is yet another expression of that communion that is betweene friends That which was betweene David and Jonathan 1 Sam. 20. 41. And they kissed one another and 2 Sam. 19. 39. David kissed Barzillai So of ancient friends used to expresse their friendly love each to other And thus doth God expresse his communion with his people as they kisse the Sonne Psal 2. and Cant. 8. 1. When I should finde thee without I would kisse thee so doth the Lord kisse them as his friends Cant. 1. 1. Let him kisse mee with the kisses of his mouth That 's a great Honour and Happinesse It is an honour and a favour to kisse the kings hand but when once wee are the friends of Christ the friends of God he gives us not his hand but his lips his mouth to kisse And thus in those things the godly have commnnion with God and this communion they have by being his friends and this is the first benefit wee have by having him our friend The second benefit by having God their friend is Boldnesse and Familiarity of Accesse to God in all our wants and necessities When God is once our friend wee may with an holy boldnesse and familiarity come into his presence and make knowne our wants unto him when God is a mans enemy or when God is but a stranger to a man hee cannot bee so bold with him It is the rule wee live by amongst men If a man bee our enemy though wee stand in need of him and hee might be beneficiall to us yet we will not wee cannot have the face to bee so bold and familiar with him as to acquaint him with our necessities because being our enemy wee conceive hee will but despise us and bee glad of an occasion that hee may looke darkely and angrily upon us Nay if a man bee but a stranger unto us though there be no unkindnesse or quarrell betweene us wee cannot indure to make bold with him If wee bee put upon it our plea is Alas hee is a meere stranger to me hee is one with whom I have very slender or no acquaintance at all hee will wonder I should make so bold with him But now if a man have a speciall friend with whom hee is inwardly well acquainted if he want his helpe his counsell his good word to speake for him hee can without any adoe make bold with him A man we use to say may be bold with his friends And who should a man make bold with but with his friends The case is so here whilest God is our enemy or a stranger unto us we cannot have the face or the heart to goe to him in our wants and to make our cases knowne unto him we thinke that hee may well give us such answer as Isaac gave to Abimelech and the rest that came with him Gen. 26. 27. Wherefore come yee to mee seeing ye hate me what meane you to come to mee who am your enemy who am at the easiest a stranger to you in whom you have no manner of Interest Did yee not hate me saies Iephthah to them Iudges 11. 7. And why are yee come unto me now
to strengthen you and at last to right you in all your wrongs And so when the Lord would comfort and encourage his people against the feare of their adversaries and their wrongs and when hee would terrifie the enemies of his Church he doth both upon this very ground that he is his peoples friend and they his See Isai 41. 10 11 12 13. what encouragements unto his people not to feare and what terrour to their enemies and see upon what ground vers 8. But thou Israel art my servant Iacob whom I have chosen the seed of Abraham my friend And therefore feare not you are the seed of my friend and therefore I will helpe you assist you and protect you and take your part against your enemies and will be severely revenged upon all such as oppose you and oppresse you Such an advantage there is in being the seed of Gods friend And therefore Iehosaphat when hee was in feare and danger pleads with God by this very argument 2 Chr. 20. 7. Thou gavest this land to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever Thou gavest this land to thy friend and to his heires now therefore Lord maintaine the cause of thy friend and the title of thy friend If a man see his friend wronged and others offering injuriously to thrust him out of his possession and inheritance it concernes a friend to maintaine his friends right to the utmost therefore saies Iehoshaphat Lord stand for thy friend take thy friends part and maintaine thy friends right If a man see his friend wronged and others offering to thrust him out of his possession and inheritance it concernes a friend to maintaine the right of his friend and his heires to the utmost therefore Lord stand to thy friend and maintaine the possession thou gavest to thy friend And surely herein the Lord failes not but hee stands close to his friends Indeed men doe not alwaies stand close to their friends Psal 38. 12. My lovers and my friends stand aloofe from my sore and my kinsmen stand afarre of The Samaritans when it went well with the Jewes would claime kindred of them and professe great friendship to them but when things went crosse with them and they were in streights then they would have nothing to doe with them But it is not so with the Lord hee is not such a friend The rich hath many friends Prov. 14 10. and Prov. 19. 7. All the brethren of the poore doe hate him how much more doe his friends goe farre from him hee pursues them with words yet they are wanting to him That is indeed the common course of the world but the Lord hee is like that true friend Prov. 17. 17. A friend loves at all times yea God loves at no time more then when his people are most friendlesse And I say unto you my friends feare not Luke 12. 4. why doth hee call them friends then more then at other times why friends now he speaks of persecution Certainely to shew that hee will never bee a greater friend and that hee will never shew himselfe more a friend unto them then when men shall shew most malice and enmity against them He shewes greatest friendship when men shew greatest enmity Christ will stand by his friends in their greatest pleasures The Apostle Iohn was the beloved Disciple whom Christ made his speciall friend And John carried himselfe to him as a faithfull friend againe when Christ vvas in the high Priests hall Iohn was with him there and when Christ hung upon the Crosse Iohn stood by him there Iohn 19. 26 the Disciple standing by whom Iesus loved He shewed himselfe a friend to Christ that would not forsake him then but would bee with him and stand by him to the last Just such a friend doth Christ shew himselfe to his people he will not forsake them in their troubles and leave them in their extremities but he will stand by them to the last hee will stand by them at the barre hee will stand by them even on their crosses when they hang there hee will stand by them when they stand at the stake The Martyrs found this true they ever found God most friendly when their enemies used them most currishly what made them so cheerefull and comfortable in their solitude when kept from all company God their friend hee visited them and kept them company in their prisons hee did with them as with Ioseph Gen. 39. 20 21. Iosephs master took him put him in prison and hee was there in prison but the Lord was with Ioseph and shewed him mercy God was with Ioseph in the prison with Ioseph what a true friend was Onesiphorus to Paul that he sought out Paul and came to him in prison and oft refreshed him It was a true and kinde friends part indeed that hee did 2 Tim. 1. 16 17. So kinde a friend is God to his servants he finds them out in their prisons comes to them visits them oft refreshes them oft Their prisons were nasty stinking places how was it that they were able to abide them See the reason Prov. 27. 9. Oyntment and perfume rejoyce the heart so doth the sweetnesse of a friend The sweetnesse of this friend that visited them kept them company and refreshed them in their prisons and dungeons made their prisons and dungeons sweet made them Paradises and delectable hortyardes as Algerius Act. Mo. that Italian Martyr calles the leonine prison from whence hee wrote that comfortable letter of his The sweetnesse of such a friend perfumes prisons and dungeons and overcomes the nastinesse and noysomnesse of them If God bee with us who can be against us if God bee our friend who shall be our foe or what matters it who bee our foe this is one of the benefits and great priviledges wee have by being the friends of God The fift benefit the godly have by having God their friend is friendship with and service of all the creatures Whiles wee are Gods enemies wee have all the creatures for our enemies the Angels are our enemies Psal 35. 5 6. Let the Angell of the Lord chase them let the Angell of the Lord persecute them Men even such as in neerest bonds to us are bitter enemies to us Tit. 3. 3. Living in malice and envy hatefull and hating one another Our owne hearts and consciences are at enmity with us never quiet but ever pinching and vexing us nothing but clamouring and brawling against us There is no peace to the wicked saith my God Isai 57. 21. yea the beasts of the field are enemies to us Levit. 26. 22. If you walke contrary unto mee I will send wild beasts amongst you which shall rob you of your children If you bee enemies to mee I will make the beasts enemies to you But when once wee are friends vvith God and hee is become our friend then all his servants become both friends and servants unto us The Angels become our friends Psal 34. 7. The Angell