to that there is no truth in them they are lying spirits and I may justly say to such as Abraham said to the rich man in hell Luk. 16.29 thy friends have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them so we have the writings and the words of the Apostles and holy Prophets of Jesus Christ and God speaketh unto us therein there is the Oracle of God and we must give leave and liking to them and not upon the fancies of men that say such and such a day shall be great disasters Oh but say some these things sometimes come to passe It may be so in Judgment they come to passe because men give ear unto them what saith the Lord by Moses Deut. 13.1 2 3 4 5. If a lying prophet or a dreamer of dreames do tell you of strange things and they come to passe believe him not for the Lord doth it to try you and it is the just hand of God to bring it upon you because we give ear and liking to them Again observe we the Apostle bringeth these words of Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy to prove that God was not unjust in loving Jacob and hating Esau he having denyed this with a God forbid he subjoyneth presently as a reason to prove it For he saith to Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy A man would think this were a strange kind of clearing God from injustice is not God therefore unjust when he loveth Jacob and hateth Esau without cause because he saith I will have mercy because I will hath God no other reason to give But we must learn to acknowledge that this is the soveraign power of the great God of heaven and earth that his will must be reason enough to rest upon and this is the true obedience that is acceptable and pleasing to his holy Majestie Doctr. That Gods will and pleasure and his appointment touching all things that are in the Word and touching the ordering and disposing of all things and coming of all things to passe in this world it is holy just and good and it cannot be taxed as unholy and unjust though we cannot dive into the depth of it the will of God that is holy just and good though we cannot comprehend the depth of it And the reason and ground is Because it is the very nature of the Will of God he doth all things Reason 1 most freely and justly as in Ephes 1.5 He hath predestinated us to be adopted through Christ Jesus in himself nothing out of himself according to the good pleasure of his will Again secondly the will of God is the square and rule of all goodnesse Reason 2 and righteousnesse whatsoever God willeth it is good because he willeth it but whatsoever is in Scripture is agreeable to the will of God is good and whatsoever dissenteth from the will of God it is evil so that upon this ground Gods will and pleasure it is holy just and good and cannot be taxed with evil because he willeth it How is the good will and pleasure of God just and holy in respect of sin for he doth appoint it else it could not be in the world Object It is true sin could not be in the world unlesse God did appoint it Answ and yet Gods appointment is good God willeth the being of sin in the world not simply as it is peccatum sin but as it is a pupishment for some evill foregoing and so he maketh it to serve for the manifestation of the glory of his Justice in this respect the being of sin is good and so God who is able to bring light out of darknesse good out of evil he doth righteously and willingly permit evil Upon this ground we must learn to lay aside all reasonings of the flesh Vse against the will and appointment of God touching all things that come to passe in the world we must learn not onely in our words but thoughts also to justifie the will of God as holy and just in respect of the being and coming to passe of every thing in the world But to apply this a little nearer and to another purpose to teach us that as we must justifie the working will of God so we must justifie his signifying will in his Word whereby he doth signifie his mind to acknowledge that to be holy just and good yea we must learn to esteem and to hold every Commandement of God every denunciation threatening and every promise of God that we find in the holy book of God to be holy just and good Rom. 7.12 And it is a sure sign of grace when we can acknowledge the wisdom of God in his Word and every Commandement of God to be holy and righteous as when a man can justifie the Commandement of the Sabbath the Commandement against uncleannesse usury or any Commandment that doth crosse and thwart and contradict our sins whatsoever that we can say Lord thou art just and upright in thy Commandements howsoever I am sinfull this is a sign of a sanctified soul whereas every worldling will be disputing against every Commandement of God and will pick a quarrel with them at the Commandement of the Sabbath that requireth we should not think our own thoughts speak our own words nor do our own works on that day Esay 58.13 Oh saith the carnal man may I not walk to Taverns and Ale-houses and talk of matters of the world this is too strickt and rigorous And so in the matter of apparel whereas the Lord requireth our apparel should be modest befitting such as fear the Lord Oh say they this is too strict if I should not follow the fashions of the world I should be accounted as an Owl and as no body in the world thus they wrangle and cavil against the Commandements of God but they that do justifie the Word of God as holy and true though it meeteth with our dearest lust yet we subscribe unto Gods Commandements this is a signe of true grace in our hearts Oh therefore labour to subscribe unto the Commands of God if we will be assured of grace For he said to Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy And I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion Object VPon occasion of these words I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy A blasphemous Heretick did hold That mercy was not a natural property in God but an act of the will of God Because that Moses bringeth in the Lord saying I will have mercy upon whom I will And thus he reasoneth God doth alwaie suse his natural properties such as be essential in God they are in exercise and he useth them continually but saith he mercy whereby God doth offer grace unto sinners and pardon of sin unto man is not alwaies exercised and shewed forth as namely to all sinners impenitent And the Apostle affirmeth that God hath mercy upon whom he will And so the Apostle
to God by prayer as thy Father which is in heaven but as a God ready to pour out his wrath and vengeance clothed with Justice and Judgement yea thou canst not hear the voyce of God against thee Oh that Civil honest persons would but consider this their miserable estate and condition thou wouldest be so far from being pleased with thy self in respect of thy estate and so far from blessing thy self therein that thou wouldest fall a bewailing of thy miserable estate and condition in considering thy case is miserable and damnable Again in that the Apostle saith I will call them my people which were not my people and her beloved which was not beloved hence we may observe thus much viz. Doctrine That the called of God such as are wrought upon by the Spirit of God and the preaching of the Word hath a kindly working upon their soules they are in a most happy peaceable and blessed condition besides this the Scripture setteth their estate out in many notable places in Ephes 2. saith the Apostle they are made near unto God whereas before God was an angry Judge now they are at peace with God yea at peace with all the creatures of God yea the very stones in the streets and beasts in the field are at peace with them yea such as are in the estate of grace they may have accesse to the Throne of grace to see the face and favour of God with boldnesse they may come into the house of God with comfort and joy and rejoycing they may eat bread at the Lords Table and feed on the Gospel yea they may praise God for assurance of happinesse hereafter yea the Scripture maketh known that they are dear unto the Lord of heaven and he maketh special account and reckoning of them they are a royal Priesthood a holy Nation a peculiar people 1 Pet. 2.9 yea they are the sheep of his pasture the Saints of God and of his Family they are of Gods Houshold Ephes 2.19 they are dear and tender to him as the apple of his eye he that toucheth them toucheth the very apple of his eye Zach 2.8 yea they are the Lords own proper inheritance Deut. 32.9 all the world is the Lords but his people are his inheritance Vse If this be so how ought we to seek and labour to find our selves in this estate out of the estate of Nature if we find our selves in this estate we are beloved of God to the acceptation of our persons our good works and services yea our weak and imperfect service are pleasing unto God through Christ yea we are in such a blessed estate and condition that nothing can make us miserable how should this affect our hearts for if a child of God were in hell and within the compasse of Gods love he were in a blessed estate whereas otherwise though they were in heaven and yet not beloved of God thy case would be miserable Oh what a blessed condition is a Child of God in And as the Heathen man saith If thou didst see the beauty of vertue thou wouldest desire it above all so if thou didst but see the beauty and lustre of Gods love it would make thee admire it and to labour to get out of the estate of nature into the estate of grace and then happy art thou for thou hast right and title to everlasting happinesse and assured possession of heaven As he saith also in Hosea I will call them my people which were not my people and her beloved which was not beloved And it shall come to passe in the place where it was said unto them You are not my people There shall they be called the Children of the living God WE are now to come to stand upon the last of these two verses the 26. verse where we see the Apostle doth double his testimony and doth bring two places both of them to one and the same purpose one of them had been sufficient but he bringeth two and indeed doubling of speeches in Scripture is not idle nor superfluous but it is of excellent use and purpose it serveth both for more certainty and for more plainnesse and perspicuity in Gen. 41.32 Joseph said unto Pharaoh his dream was doubled and why because the thing should certainly come to passe so likewise it maketh things more evident plain and perspicuous as in Phil. 3.1 The Apostle saith It grieveth not me to write unto you the same things again for they are sure and certain The point needs not to be inlarged onely I note it to teach us that we must double our regard and our respect of things that are often repeated and often beaten upon in the holy Scripture God having a mouth to speak we must have an ear to hear a mind to attend and a heart to yeeld obedience unto him and the Lord doubling his speech and repeating the same things again we must double our hearing double our apprehension and double our care to profit by it and make use accordingly As in particular Doth the Lord double his threats against thy sins hast thou often heard of thy particular sinnes thy drunkennesse thy whoredome thy pride thy Sabbath-breaking thy Usury hast thou heard of it again and again hath the Lord directed his Ministers to denounce his Judgements often against thee for thy sinnes Oh then it behoveth thee to double thy care and respect in reforming of thy sinnes hath the Lord often threatned thee for thy pride thy garishnesse in apparel and is it not amended certainly the Lord will deal with thee proportionably thou resistest the holy Spirit of God that hath doubled his threatenings against thee for thy sinnes and thou not amending but going on he will certainly one day double his plagues and Judgments upon thee without reformation Now touching the matter of the Apostles speech And it shall be in the place where it was said they are not my people there they shall be called my people Here we see the Lord doth set forth the Calling of the Gentiles by the circumstance of the place the meaning is as if the Lord had said In those Nations those Kingdoms those Countries of the world where I have none that do fear nor worship me nor are called by the name of my people but are Heathen and Pagans there will I raise up some to call upon me and to offer unto me So that we may see that Gods calling of men to the estate of grace it respecteth no place but in any place in any Countrey of the World the Lord will call them in due time but this point for the substance we have formerly handled But hence we may gather briefly thus much viz. That distinction of place in regard of holinesse Doctrine is now taken away in the time of the New Testament it is now abolished one place is not now holier then another but in every nation in every place God will have people to worship him neither is the worship of God now
much as they can the very Conscience that is placed in the heart of man it is a plain evidence that there is a God and so let this suffice to stop their mouthes Is this so that the conscience is thus placed in the soul of man as a Vse 2 witnesse to whatsoever it is that man doth will or think or speak or affect or do surely then it must follow that it cannot possibly be that any man or woman should sin without witnesse though they sin never so secretly though it be in the very secrets and inwards of their own hearts that none can discern but God alone the Conscience discerneth it and seeth it and taketh notice of it and will manifest it in time if they have but an evil thought against God his Church or Children the conscience is a witnesse to that very thought indeed men presume upon it and do account it no sin if they can do it in a secret corner and have a dark place to act it in from the sight of men as Job 24.15 The eye of the Adulterer waiteth for the twilight and then disguiseth himself and saith none eye shall see him Alas though thou couldest hide thy sin from all men and Devils yet thou canst not hide it from God nor from thine own conscience that will one day come in as a witnesse against thee and lay thee open to the sight of men and Angels unlesse God give thee repentance The Conscience of man is a tell-tale it will lay it open and witnesse against thee Indeed I confesse that the mouth of the conscience may be muzzeled and sometimes be choaked and fail in doing the office of it to bear witnesse or a man may lay violent hands upon his own conscience and as it were cut the throat of it for a time his conscience being asleep or benummed for custome in sin taketh away the feeling of the conscience for a time and as One saith well The light of the Conscience may be shadowed because it is not good but quite extinguished it cannot be because it cometh from God and is of him in the heart by the hand of God it may be asleep and benummed but it will awake either in the day of affliction or in the hour of death when the Conscience will be raised and awakened and will then not spare to witnesse against thee or if it be so that thou dost dye without any sense or feeling of sin thou dyest like a senselesse stone as it is said of Nabal his heart dyed within him so it may be thy heart may be so hardened as that in the hour of death it hath no touch of conscience at all yet know this though thou dyest so yet thy conscience dyeth not it is a natural faculty of thy soul it cannot dye and though it touch thee not in the hour of death yet the day will come when the Judgment of the Lord cometh it will come and appear before thee and then it will speak and not spare it will witnesse against thee the sins that thou hast done in hugger-mugger and in secret and thy dissembling and close dealing either with God or man thy Conscience will not then spare to speak against thee And therefore in the fear of God take notice of it and let this ground of truth teach us to take heed of presuming to sin because we are in the dark whether Usurers or those that travel up and down from Ale-houses to Taverns in the night to commit sin their consciences go with them And in this respect take we heed of dissembling of hypocrisie of double dealing in the sight and presence of the Lord thou mayst blear the eyes of men and deceive them but thy own conscience will not be blinded it will bear witnesse even of thy bosome sins and although it may be mute for a time yet it will speak and that aloud too before the Judge of all the world Let this therefore work inward soundnesse and truth in the heart that our Consciences may witnesse good before God of us who knoweth the inwards of thy heart and soul The Apostle addeth further That the Holy Ghost did testifie with his Conscience My Conscience witnesseth with me in the holy Ghost that is as it is rectified and guided by the holy Spirit of God to witnesse with me holily and truly as it is ordered by grace and sanctified to that end and purpose so then the Conclusion is this Doctrine That the Conscience of man doth then onely witnesse with him holily and truly and to his comfort touching the things that is said or done by him when it is rectified and guided by the holy Ghost it is the conscience and the conscience sanctified that is a true a holy and a comfortable witnesse to man when I say with the Apostle the Conscience beareth witnesse in the Holy Ghost it is that conscience that is a true and a holy witnesse touching good thoughts words or actions the Conscience regenerate holy and sanctified is only a conscience that is a comfortable witnesse Reason For why such as the Conscience is such is the witnesse and testimony of it now a natural conscience is impure polluted and defiled Titus 1.15 to the unbelieving and defiled is nothing pure but the mind and conscience is defiled even the conscience of a natural man witnesseth impurely unsound and uncomfortable onely the conscience regenerate and sanctified that is purged and purified by faith Act. 15.9 faith purifieth the heart and that conscience so purged and purified is only a true and a holy witnesse and that Conscience that is so regenerate and sanctified by grace it giveth witnesse and testimony of that righteousnesse which is called the righteousnesse of the conscience and is ever joyned unto it namely it giveth witnesse of a true and sound and constant purpose in the heart seconded with a holy endeavour and careful use of all good means not wittingly nor willingly to sin against God in any thing but to labour to please God in all things whatsoever this is the witnesse of a pure conscience Heb. 13.18 We are assured that we have a good conscience in all things desiring to live honestly and this was the witnesse of the Conscience of the good King Hezekiah that he was able his conscience being regenerate even upon his death-bed to say Now Lord remember how I have walked before thee-with an honest and a good heart Esay 38.3 he had walked before God with a perfect heart in the truth of his soul here was a regenerate heart that thus testified how he endeavoured not to sin against God but to please him in every thing so that by this it appeareth to be a truth that the Conscience of man then doth only witnesse holily and truly when it is rectified by grace then is it a holy witnesse of our thoughts words and actions Vse This serveth to discover unto us that many deceive themselves even touching this witnesse the
witnesse of the Conscience Many there be that think of their consciences witnessing holily and truly of the good things said or done by them when indeed and in truth there is no such matter when their Consciences telleth them that they pray and hear Sermons as the consciences of all erring spirits Papists and Anabaptists Familists and others their consciences cannot witnesse truly with them and holily they fail in their Judgment and their consciences must needs be erroneous and so cannot possibly afford them any true comfort surely they think they do exceeding great service to God but they are deceived and their Judgment is erroneous But to draw near unto our selves Thus standeth the case with all unregenerate persons and such as be in their natural estate the consciences of unregenerate persons do many times witnesse much good in respect of the good things said or done by them Their conscience telleth them oh they have much good and great comfort in hearing the Word especially if they live a civil honest life and be free from grosse sins and deal justly and truly with men their consciences telleth them that they are in a marvellous good case and you cannot drive them from it for why their Conscience telleth them so that they are no Drunkards no Theeves no Swearers and God is well pleased with them and they have much good and comfort by the testimony of their consciences But their Conscience doth witnesse falsly so as the Prophet saith a deceitful heart hath cousened them Esay 44. and their Conscience cannot possibly truly witnesse any comfort to them For the good things they have done be they the best works or words or deeds done that possibly can be spoken or done their conscience cannot truly witnesse so long as they be unregenerate and therefore to conclude this point If thou wouldst have thy conscience to witnesse holily and truly and to thy comfort never rest untill thou find that thy conscience is sprinkled with the blessed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ Heb. 9.14 which is able to purge thy conscience and that thy heart is purified by faith and sanctified by grace and then thy Conscience will witnesse with thee in the Holy Ghost otherwise it is but a deceitful conscience that maketh men soothe up themselves and esteem themselves in a holy and good estate without cause VERSE 2. That I have great heavinesse and continual sorrow in my heart NOw from hence in that the Apostle doth set down his grief and sorrow for the rejection of the Jewes I might stand to shew that Gods Children are not stocks nor stones free from natural affections Gods Children have humane affections of joy and sorrow and love which is common to the nature of man but those are rectified and by grace guided to right objects and that by due measure and moderation according to the nature of the object to which they are moved The Apostle maketh this a note of such that are given over to unnatural sences Rom. 1.30 that they want natural affections and doubtlesse the more true and sincere grace is in the heart of Gods children certainly the more tender are the affections of that heart and soul and the more effectual apprehension of any true cause of matter of sorrow or grief but to passe by that And to come to the main point In that the Apostle doth manifest that he had great heavinesse and sorrow and that for the rejection of the Jews that was the object of his sorrow because the Jewes were left in the blindnesse of mind and hardnesse of heart and did not imbrace the Gospel this was matter of great heavinesse to the heart of the blessed Apostle in the first place the observation is this That we are to be grieved for the known miseries of others Doctr. and especially for the known miseries of the soules of others we are to grieve and to mourn for others that we know do lye under any heavy trouble or affliction or distresse in respect of any outward calamity but beloved our hearts must bleed and be broken for the evils that we know do lye upon the soules of others we are exceedingly to be grieved for the blindnesse of the mind and hardnesse of their heart that they go on in sin without repentance with an high hand that they are led by the lusts of their own hearts and according to the lust of their vile hearts in security and brutish lusts this is that which must stick close and wound us especially Besides this evidence in the example of the Apostle we have testimony in other places of Scripture in Ezek. 9.4 we read of the godly who should be marked and have a mark set on their forehead that they should not be destroyed in the common overthrow of Hierusalem they were such as cryed and mourned for the abominations that were committed by others in that City their hearts bled not so much for the overthrow of the City as for the hardnesse of the hearts of men such as did abominably and in Jer. 13.17 saith the Prophet when the people would not hear him and yeeld obedience to the voyce of God in his Ministery My eyes shall weep in secret and why for the hardnesse of the hearts of the people that they would not take notice of the Word of God and the Judgments of God denounced against them for their sins Oh saith the Prophet I must needs grieve for your obstinacy and Psal 119.136 saith David my eyes gush out with rivers of water thereby expressing the grief of his heart why because they were under any calamity no because men keep not the Law of God even for the sins that lye upon the soules of men and the hardnesse of their hearts And the Apostle witnesseth of that holy man just Lot that his soul was vexed with the filthy lusts and unclean conversation of the filthy Sodomites 1 Pet. 2.7 they vexed just Lot from day to day with their filthy abominations and it is witnessed of Christ himself in Mark 3.5 that he mourned for the hardnesse of the hearts of the Pharisees even the blessed soul and heart of the Lord Jesus mourned for the hardnesse of their hearts that they would not be humbled for their sins and in Luke 19.41.42 The Lord Jesus wept for what because Hierusalem should be ruinated not so simply but also especially for the hardnesse of their hearts and that they would not take notice of those things that did belong to their peace the Lord had sent his Prophets and his own Son and yet they would not hearken so that we see it is a clear truth that we are especially to be grieved for the miseries and the known evils of the soules of others those that continue in their sins and will go on with perseverance in swearing Sabbath-breaking Drunkennesse and the like for these we are especially to mourn and to be grieved The Reason Reason is because the evils that be upon the soul of
That the glory of God and the glory of Christ ought to be most dear to us yea dearer to us then our own salvation we ought to prefer the glory of God and the glory of Christ before the best good thing we do enjoy or hope to enjoy yea even before heaven it self and we are to be willing rather to lose our part of happinesse and glory in heaven if it were possible we being the Children of God then that God or Christ should lose any part of their glory And thus it was with the blessed Apostle in this place and thus also it was with Moses the servant of God Exod. 32.32 we there find that Moses desired the Lord if he would not pardon the sin of his people Israel but proceed in wrath against them and destroy them as they had deserved by their sins that then he would blot him out of his book of life that he had written Moses knew that with the preservation of the people of Israel who were then the visible Church of God was Gods glory joyned both in respect of the promises made to the Fathers which it was not for Gods honour to frustrate and in regard of the blasphemies which the Egyptians and other spiteful enemies to God would have been ready on the ruine and destruction of the Lords people to cast out against him Moses therefore did not onely look to the preservation of the people but to the glory of God also and in respect of that he was even carelesse of his own salvation and he preferred Gods glory before his own eternal happinesse and salvation indeed we find not any other example in the Scripture to this purpose saving onely these two of Moses and Paul but these do sufficiently shew that though we cannot attain to that measure of zeal to Gods glory that was in them yet we must aym at it and we are to labour and strive to the uttermost of our power to come to it and these examples do evidence to us that thus it ought to be with us that we ought to esteem the glory of God and the glory of Christ most dear to us and to prefer that before the best good thing we do enjoy or hope to enjoy yea even before our own happinesse and glory in heaven it ought to be dearer to us then our own soules and the Reasons and grounds of it be these First the glory of God is the end of all the creatures of God and for Reason 1 his glory were all things made we live and move and have our being from God to this end principally to yeeld him glory and all our thoughts words and actions are to tend to this that God may have glory by them it is that we are taught to pray for in the first place Hallowed be thy Name 1 Cor. 10.31 And secondly the glory of God is the chiefest good it 's better worth Reason 2 then all things in heaven or earth And hence it is that the Angels and Saints in heaven make it their whole joy and felicity to sing praise and glory to God yea they are so ravished with the love of Gods glory that they never faint nor grow weary in sounding forth the praise and glory of God they cease not day nor night saying Holy holy holy Lord God Almighty which was which is and which is to come Revel 4.8 and therefore on these grounds it followes directly and necessarily that the glory of God and the glory of Christ ought to be most dear to us and we are to preserve that before the best good things we do enjoy or hope to enjoy yea even before our own happinesse and glory in heaven and it ought to be dearer to us then our own soules A duty to apply it and to lay it a little nearer to our consciences a duty I say wherein most of us come far short for consider it Vse are we so affected to the glory of God and to the glory of Christ as we hold that dearer to us then our own lives yea then our eternal good and comfort and the everlasting salvation of our own soules alas if we examine the matter we shall find that many of us prefer a little worldly pelf a little ease or pleasure or a little vain credit in the world before the glory of God and the glory of Christ Do not some who have abundance of wealth wherewith they might do much good and honour God and Christ exceedingly as Solomon exhorts Prov. 3.9 honour God with thy riches they might imploy their wealth to many good uses to the promotion of Gods glory and to the furthering of the Gospel of Christ And do they not prefer the keeping of their wealth after a base and sordid and miserable manner before the doing good with it to the advancement of the glory of God and the glory of Christ and do not some love their ease and the contentment of the flesh so well as they prefer that before the enduring of a little hardship or a little pains or a little suffering for the name and glory of Christ Jesus They will rather as they say sleep in a whole skin though it be with a breach a wound and an hole in their Conscience then they will undergo any trouble or hard measure from the hands of men for doing such things as ought and might bring glory to God and might advance the name of the Lord and whereby Christ might be magnified as Philip. 1.20 And so for the matter of vain credit and good liking of men in the world Be there not many so poysoned with the love of that as they prefer it before the glory of God and the glory of Christ Are not many ashamed to professe the name of Christ and to be sound and sincere in the profession of the Gospel because they shall be disgraced in the world and be counted Puritanes they will not adorn the doctrine of the Gospel they professe Tit. 2.10 they will not endeavour to be blamelesse and pure and the sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a naughty and crooked nation and to shine as lights in the world as the Apostle exhorts Phil. 2.15 Though God and Christ might be thereby much glorified because then they shall be out of favour and credit with men yea haply with their best friends as they account them with those on whom their preferment depends yea are there not many in the world and amongst us so far from accounting the glory of God and the glory of Christ so dear to them as they could be content for that to part with the best good thing they do enjoy or hope to enjoy even to part with heaven for it if it might be as that indeed they will not part with any one beloved sin for the glory of God and for the glory of Christ They will not for the glory of God and for the honour of the Lord Jesus part with their pride their
and honour to his name his name must be honourable and pretious unto us and when we either think upon or have any occasion to make mention of the holy name of Jesus Christ we are to do it with honour and reverence and to give unto it due praise and due glory yea we are to mention it with fear and trembling And to illustrate this point hence it is that we find many excellent epithets given unto Christ importing the glory of his name 1 Cor. 2.8 the Apostle saith he is the Lord of life and glory and in 1 Tim. 6.15 The Apostle speaking of Christ saith thus he is blessed the Prince of princes King of kings Lord of lords blessed for ever and in Heb. 1.2 3. the Authour of the Epistle saith he is the heir of all things the Lord and Governour of heaven and earth the brightnesse of his glory the ingraven image of the Person of God yea he hath a more glorious name then the Angels These titles do point unto us the excellency of his name and do manifest unto us that indeed the name of Christ must be honourable unto us and we must look that we think and speak of it with reverence and honour And there is good Reason for it Reason 1 Because he is God and Man in one Person and as he is God his name is great and glorious honourable and fearful Psal 111.9 he hath commanded his Covenant for ever holy and fearful is his name as he is God and in respect of his Manhood surely he is more excellent then the very Angels and doth exceed all of them in wisdom holinesse goodnesse power Majestie and glory and as the humane Nature the Manhood of Christ is received with his Godhead it is to be adored and worshipped with Divine and religious worship not apart by it self but as it is considered as united to the second person it is to be adored with the same worship wherewith we adore God Heb. 1.6 even then let all the Angels worship him even when his Manhood is received into unity with his Godhead and therefore the name of the Lord Jesus ought to be honourable and pretious and we are to give him praise and glory due to his name Justly then are they to be taxed and reproved that do abuse and abase Vse 1 the name of the Lord Jesus you will say Is there any so vile and so debauched as to abase the name of the Lord Jesus Yes many do First of all the Papists when they repeat the name Jesus after the manner of exorcisme to drive away the devil and to put away some evil from them or to bring some good and thus do witches and wizzards when they use the name Jesus in their charms and inchantments and think there is vertue in it and are able to work a feat or wonder by the name Jesus they prophane the holy name of Jesus Yea is it not a common thing with many ignorant persons amongst our selves to abuse the name of the Lord Jesus what more common then with many to swear by the name of Jesus and of Christ and what more usual then for some upon every trifling occasion out of a foolish admiration or in merriment or laughter to say oh Jesus oh Christ Jesus God they abuse his name what is it but an abusing of the holy name of God a thing little thought upon yea some will say what shall we not have the name of God in our mouthes must we name the devil but let these know that they take the name of the Lord their God in vain and prophane it and assure thy self the Lord Jesus will not hold thee guiltlesse that so takest his name in vain and there is no other name to come to life and salvation but onely this Act. 4.10 and doest thou look for salvation by it thou deceivest thy self the Lord Jesus will not suffer that sin to escape his punishing hand we are not to name it upon every trifling occasion of laughing and merriment for know that the hand of the Lord will one day overtake them and therefore break off this sin before the revenging hand of the Lord light upon you for assuredly that hand will crush thee both body and soul to hell without timely and hearty repentance And in the second place learn we every one of us to acknowledge the Vse 2 greatnesse and the glory of the blessed Name of the Lord Jesus the best of us all howsoever ignorant persons are taxed herein come far short in acknowledging the honour due to this Name Learn we therefore to magnifie it and give him the glory and the praise and say blessed for ever assenting unto it Amen And to this purpose consider if so be the name of the Lord Jesus which is pretious and honourable in it self if it be not honourable and pretious to every one of us when we either think upon it or have occasion to make mention of it that we have not our mouthes opened in lauding and praising of it it is a sign that our hearts are not right within us our hearts are rotten and corrupt we are not affected with the greatnesse of the holy Name of God as we ought we have not a lively sense and feeling of the comfort to be found in Christ the name of Christ to us is not a pretious oyntment poured out Cant. 1.2 For without question every honest and good heart is ready upon the consideration of the comfort to be found in Christ to break out in magnifying and praising that holy Name so if our eyes be opened and we see the sweetnesse found in Christ Jesus to be the Fountain of all happinesse how can we but blesse him and praise him and give him the honour and glory due to his blessed Name all generations do call the Virgin Mary blessed because she found favour with God so far as to bear in her womb the Lord Jesus and those whose hearts are truly affected unto Christ cannot but praise and magnifie the Instruments of publishing the name of Christ the very feet of such are beautiful unto them Esay 52.7 How beautiful are the feet of them that bring the glad tydings of peace and of reconciliation between God and man Now then if we would be sure of it that our hearts are right within us and that indeed we are heavenly minded and that we are such that have Jesus Christ in a due admiration and have a lively sense and feeling of the comforts in Christ then let us whensoever we name Christ do it honourably and reverently and when we do speak of it either in publick or private take heed of abusing his name but speak of it honourably for if we do not love the name of the Lord Jesus let him be had in execration let him be accursed 1 Cor. 16.22 Therefore let us be stirred up to the practise of this duty to praise the name of the Lord Jesus saying Blessed praised magnified and
upon his promise and mercy in Christ for salvation unlesse we rest upon the main promise of Christ we cannot rest upon him for outward good things with any comfort for the promises of God whether of this life or the life to come they are yea and amen 2 Cor. 1.20 in Christ they are ratified and confirmed Come we now to the Promise it-self In the same time will I come and Sarah shall have a son or at this time twelve moneths shall thy wife Sarah have a child Here we see that God doth promise to Abraham a temporal thing and limiteth and setteth down a certain time when he would accomplish his promise and the time set down he broke not the day with him as appeareth in Gen. 21.2 where the text saith that Sarah conceived and bare a son in her old age according to the very time of God that he had appointed did Sarah conceive and bear Abraham a son hence the Doctrine is this Doctrine That the Promises of God that are made to his concerning good things of this life or the life to come are fulfilled and made good in Gods own time in the time that God hath appointed hath God fulfilled and will fulfill his promise I shewed you a point formerly like unto this That Gods Promises are firm and stable But now the point is That God doth perform his promise in his appointed time he keepeth his time strictly in the very nick and point of time will he accomplish it Gen. 15.13 14. God told Abraham that his seed should be a stranger in a land not theirs and should be in bondage and thraldome for a long time but when that time shall come to an end I will judge that nation and they shall come out with great riches how was this fulfilled read Exodus 12.41 when that the very time was expired in the same day in the very self-same day all the power of Pharaoh and Egypt could not hold them but they were delivered and Pharaoh and his host destroyed So the Lord threatened that Israel should be in Babylon 70 yeares as we read Jer. 25.11 12. they should be in thaldome there so long But when the time was come and the very day Daniel understanding it by books he goeth unto God by prayer Dan. 9.23 and in the very beginning of his humiliation and supplication unto God did the decree come forth in the peoples deliverance in the very day that the time was expired and in Habbac 2.3 saith the Prophet The Vision is for an appointed time the time shall come and not lye though it tarry long and not to heap up many places indeed all the Promises of God are of an appointed time and when that time is come God doth fulfil and make them good to his children what is the ground of this Reason Because the Lord is most wise and he knoweth the fittest time for the fulfilling and accomplishing of his Promises and what in his decree he hath set down not all the power in earth or hell can hinder him from performing it in the very season Vse This serveth as a ground of Instruction to all that are Gods children for the Promises are made unto them and it serveth to teach us that we are to believe the promises of God not only in the general in the matter and substance of them but we are to believe them with the particular circumstance of the time that there is a set and an appointed time of God for the accomplishing of all his Promises and we are to wait untill that time come when we are under any distresse of body or mind we must not onely believe that God hath promised ease and comfort and refreshing and deliverance but that he hath promised an appointed time for their deliverance Not onely to say I am a child of God and God hath promised me deliverance why doth he not deliver me but let me lye under the affliction surely God hath forgotten his promise No no the Lord hath set his time yea consider also that not onely dayes and minutes of comfort are not onely known to the Lord but are most strictly and precisely known and kept of the Lord and as we cannot come in particular to any comfort for our bodies or soules till the time come so when the time is come we may assure our selves God will not passe one minute of an hour he will not break with thee but will give it thee in his time therefore wait untill that time come Hester 4.16 when Hester denyed to go unto the King saith Mordecai breathing and deliverance shall come but thou and thy fathers house shall perish Mordecai was sure deliverance should come in his appointed time Oh learn we then in time of trouble and distresse to carry the Lords leisure till the good hour be come Gods good hour is not yet come when he will send deliverance to his people certainly deliverance will come and take heed that thou dost not limit the Lord nor tye him to thy time and find fault that God hath forgotten thee and respecteth thee not take heed of this seek unto the Lord earnestly by prayer and if the Lord seem to deny thy prayer and will not hear thy prayer though thy throat be hoarse and dry yet do thou believe that God will fulfil his promise Esay 28.16 he that believeth maketh not haste he that believeth not onely the Promise in general but the particular time that when the Lord seeth it fit he will perform it Oh this is an excellent comfort to consider that the Lord will make his Promise good in his time when we are under Afflictions to consider oh Gods time is not yet when his time is come he will send ease refreshing and deliverance and will not passe a minute of his time VERSE 10 11 12 13. And not onely this but when Rebekah also had conceived by one even by our father Isaac For the Children being not yet born neither having done any good or evil that the purpose of God according to Election might stand not of works but of him that calleth It was said unto her The elder shall serve the younger As it is written Jacob have I loved But Esau have I hated FRom the ninth verse in that God saith to Abraham Sarah shall have a son Sarah who was now 90 years old past child-bearing A woman of fourscore and and ten is past bearing of children I might here stand to shew That nothing is hard and impossible to God he is the God of Nature he is not tyed to nature or the order of nature he can give children and power to one to bring forth children that have no natural power at all God can bring things to passe when there is no probability in nature But to passe by this as not intended by the Apostle here in this place Come we now then to the tenth Verse and so to the verses following to the 14 verse for they all make
God Now these words our Apostle bringeth to prove that Gods promise of mercy grace righteousnesse life and salvation did not nor doth not belong to all that came of Abraham and Isaac by the course of Nature and that all Gods promises appertained not to the Israelites for saith the Apostle before those children which Rebekah had conceived in her womb by Isaac our Father before they were born when they had neither done good nor evil It was thus said unto Rebekah The elder of thy children shall serve the younger therefore those promises of God belong not to all that came of Abraham and Isaac by course of nature Now the words of this verse they are thus to be conceived That it was said unto Rebekah even by God himself that the elder of her children should serve the younger and should be in subjection to the younger and that the younger should rule over the elder And that this should be made good both personally in their persons and also historically in the Idumeans or Edomites which came of Esau and in the Israelites which came of Jacob yea I withal farther shewed you in laying open these words that these words had not onely a respect to a temporal Dominion and servitude the one should be a lord and the other a servant but they had a spiritual meaning and had respect to things concerning salvation and damnation and under these words the elder shall serve the younger we must understand that the one of Rebekahs children was chosen to salvation and the other refused and cast off to damnation so that we are thus to conceive the meaning of these words Now to come to stand upon the verse more particularly you see here our Apostle affirmeth it was thus said unto Rebekah even by God himself who cannot lye the elder of thy children shall serve the younger I will not curiously stand here to search in what manner or how the Lord made this known unto Rebekah touching the different estate of her children whether by dream by vision by Urim or Prophet a certain truth it is she received such an Oracle from God the Apostle affirmeth it that it was thus revealed by God who cannot lye he did manifest and make known thus much unto Rebekah when she was thus with child with her two children that the elder should serve the younger and that the one was received and the other rejected which thing without question when Rebekah heard it no doubt it troubled her much she not being without natural affection for a woman having two children in her womb and receiving this Answer from God consulting with him that the one was received of God and the other rejected and cast off it would be a hard Answer For a woman to consider surely one of my children is an elect child of God and the other a reprobate so doubtlesse it was a very unwelcome and a harsh and a very unpleasing answer unto her and yet we find that this good woman did not once mutter or reason against that Answer which was given unto her we find not one such thing in the Book of God she might have thought alas what one of my children reprobated to be damned in hell but she never uttered a word against this Answer of God but quieted her self in the good will of God revealed unto her and contented her self in the good will and pleasure of God thus delivered unto her Indeed we find that afterwards she set her love upon Jacob chiefly and used means though she failed in it as appeareth in Gen. 27.6 to the 14. she used means to get the special blessing she took away her chief love from Esau and set it upon her son Jacob her youngest son that should be lord over his brother and therein she followed the good will of God yet we find she did not once open her mouth to mutter against the good will of God for her son Esau's rejection Her example is imitable it is to be imitated and followed of us we are according to the example of this holy woman Rebekah to rest and to quiet our selves in the good will of God made known unto us touching the things that concern our selves or our children or those that belong unto us and not answer or open our mouthes to mutter against this good will of God though it seem clean crosse and contrary to our corrupt reason but to quiet our selves in God and not to repine against him for it is a bitter fruit of our cursed corruption for a man or a woman to mutter and reason against the good Will of God in such things as are harsh and hard and unpleasing unto us As to keep to the point if so be a Mother looking upon her little Infant lying in her lap born of her body have thus thought Alas my poor Babe I make much of thee I tender thee I nourish thee I dandle thee and yet it may be thou art a reprobate it may be thou art rejected of God it may be thou shalt one day become a firebrand of hell this is impious and monstrous and not to be thought on for it is a secret and secret things belong to the Lord Deut. 29.29 nay what do I propound this For some women there be that have discovered thus much this hath been their very thought they have thought I nourish thee my child and cherish and dandle thee and yet it may be thou art not a child of God but a reprobate this is wicked and impious and this is to go beyond our compasse to know whether the poor infant belongeth unto God or no for secret things belong unto God Deut. 29.29 and we are not to meddle with them what if the Lord should say unto a mother as he said unto Rebekah this little infant of thine that thou doest make so much of I have cast it out and have refused it it is a reprobate it is out of my love and favour we are then after the example of this woman Rebekah to trust confidently in this Will of God revealed with contentation and not to mutter no not in our very secret thoughts for the Will and Counsel of God though it be many times secret yet assuredly it is ever just yea that that is revealed unto us in the holy Word of God concerning the matters of duty or practise or faith or whatsoever it is we must rest upon it and not mutter against it Come we now to stand upon the speech of God himself the elder shall serve the younger these words being understood as before we have heard they do afford unto us two things of special good use and consequence as first of all it being thus spoken to Rebekah and that according to Gods eternal purpose and unchangeable Decree even of him that cannot lye the Doctrine hence is this Doctrine That not only the everlasting and heavenly estate and condition of men but also the different estates and conditions of men
of his own mercy I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy I will shew this kindnesse unto thee to see the back parts of my glory because I will have mercy on whom I will Now by mercy in this text of the Apostle and the other of Moses we are to understand the act the exercise and work of mercy and by compassion the act the exercise and work of compassion and pity or rather tender love for the word compassion cometh from a radix Dilexit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that signifieth to love with such a tender affection as mothers do love their children naturally such love as the woman exprest to her child before Solomon And this mercy and pity being attributed ascribed and given to God it signifieth either a propension a readinesse of his Divine will to help those that be in misery which is the essential and natural property of mercy in God Or else it signifieth the act and exercise and the work of Gods mercy extended and reached out unto his people and so we are to understand it here not the property of mercy which is natural and essential in God but the extent of it to the creature And when the Lord saith I will have mercy and compassion on whom I will his meaning is the act and exercise and work of my mercy and compassion and tender love it is ever by me extended reached out and exercised to those amongst men to whom I will exercise extend and reach it out and that merely and onely of my own free will nothing in man or coming by man moving me to do it so then thus briefly conceive we the meaning of the Apostle in this verse God saith unto Moses in Exod. 33.19 upon Moses request unto him God promising out of his favour to him to shew him his back parts that the act and exercise and work of my mercy is ever by me extended and reached out to those amongst men to whom I will extend and reach it out and that merely and onely of my own good pleasure nothing in man coming from man moving me to reach it out I wil have mercy on whom I will Come we now to matter of Doctrine And beloved I cannot passe it by without noting that the Apostle here alledging a text of Scripture uttered by Moses saith God spake it so saith God to Moses whence it is clear That the Scripture the Word of God the written Word of God Doctrine it is a speaking word of efficacy not a dumb Word and it is Gods Oracle as the Apostle calleth it in Rom. 3.2 yea God speaketh to his people and Church in and by his written Word and in every part and parcel of it so saith the Apostle God saith unto Moses Indeed I grant that God spake all the words of the ten Commandements after a more special and peculiar manner Exod. 20. God spake all these words and said but yet the whole Scripture is Gods speaking Word and Gods Oracle yea his lively Oracle not a dead or dumb Oracle as the Holy Ghost saith Heb. 4.12 the Word of God is lively and mighty in operation sharper then any two edged sword a quickening word and a word of power and hence it is the Prophet Esay sendeth the people of his time to enquire of God Esay 8.19 20. saith he should not a people enquire of their God then presently he adjoyneth To the Law and to the Testimony there you shall hear God speak and know his mind Now if any do object that of the Apostle in the 1 Cor. 7.12 Object where the Apostle saith Reliquis autem ego dicò non Dominus and to the remnant I say and not the Lord It seemeth therefore the Apostle speaketh here and not the Lord I answer the meaning of the place is Answ that the Lord hath not given any such expresse Commandement in any place of his Word as the Apostle doth there deliver it but the Apostle did gather so much by interpretation of the Scripture and he so spake as he was guided by the Spirit of God as he saith in the 40 verse Et ipse Spiritum dei habeam and I have the Spirit of God I speak it in the name of the Lord So then this is a truth that the Scripture is the speaking Word of God it is Gods speaking word he uttereth his voyce his Church in the Word Application Wickedly therefore deal the Papists in this respect Vse In that they fill their mouthes full of bitter and blasphemous speeches against the truth of God in that they term the holy written Word of God to be dead Ink and a dumb Judge say they put a scarlet gown upon an Image and see what it will speak so say they is the Scripture And they set up other Judges in the place of Gods Word as the authority of the Church or a general Convention or the Pope speaking Judicially out of his chair setting him up as a Judge in all matters of controversie refusing the Scripture as insufficient and calling it dead Ink and a dumb Judge Thus they shew themselves to be utter enemies of the holy written Word of God and seek to crush the authority of it and to set up the voyce of a sinfull man the son of perdition the limb of the devil over the Church and to disclaim the voyce of the living God speaking to us in his holy Scripture But we must learn to acknowledge and to reverence the Scripture as Gods speaking Word and the written Word of God to be that which God uttereth to his people and not say as some ignorant people do Oh if God would speak unto us from heaven in his own immediate voyce and if Christ would come upon the earth and preach unto us how attentive would we be we would not fall asleep then at Sermons But if thou wouldest know what God saith to his people then come to the written Word of God It is folly and madnesse in the foolish Familists and others of that sect that they depend upon Revelations besides the written Word of God but not to contend with them to apply it to our selves Vse 2 What is it better then madnesse and folly in us to rest upon the fancies and conceits and Judgments of men touching the events and coming to passe of such and such things Against superstitious observation of dayes because men tell us such a day shall be such and such disasters and such a day such fearful signs and wonders thunderings and lightenings and such and such direful wonders shall come to passe yea there is a day of special note amongst ignorant people now at hand namely St. Swithin's day if it rain on that day it will rain more or lesse fourty dayes after these are dotages of idle braines and are suggested by a lying spirit even by the spirit of the devil whereas the Lord saith Esay 8.20 To the law and to the testimony if men speak not according
that can befall man in this world and yet they see it not Oh here is the hand of God already they are blind in their minds and hard in hearts And take notice of it the Lord doth not now in this latter age of the world stand over men with his Judgments and whips and his sword of vengeance in temporal plagues and punishments but rather in spiritual plagues and Judgments upon the soules of men in hardnesse of heart and blindnesse of mind and the nearer the general day of Judgment is at hand wherein the Lord will render to every man according to his works the more the Lord doth surcease from temporal Judgments and plagues and lets them go on filling the number of their sins and then he layeth load upon them so that the nearer the day cometh the more the Lord surceaseth temporal punishments and punisheth with blindnesse of mind and hardnesse of heart and therefore let none think that they are well and in good case as many do because they are free from temporal plagues and punishments nor sick nor molested with these and these troubles and yet in their soules they lye under the heavy hand of God in blindnesse and hardnesse in ignorance and obstinacy for herein God hath begun to execute his Judgments already God now sitteth in Judgment upon him his heavy hand of wrath and vengeance is now over him and doth now point and mark him out for a cast-away and seal up unto him his own everlasting damnation the fearfullest and miserablest estate and condition that can befall a man Doth God harden none but Reprobates and such as are fitted for Reprobation Vse 2 Oh learn we then in the fear of God to take heed of that which provoketh God to give us up to blindnesse of mind and hardnesse of heart the ten plaguess of Egypt were not so great unto Pharaoh as the hardening of his heart and if we would know what that is it is this Custome in sin continuance in known sins wittingly and willingly and a going on in known sins after many Instructions many admonitions many exhortations used to the contrary when men are come to this passe and to this height of sin that they are obstinate and wilful and they will not be reclaimed nor reformed from evil they will swear and swagger and be drunk and run into every idle and new fangled fashion they will live and continue in the damnable sin of Usury in the prophanation of the holy Sabbath of the Lord whosoever speaketh against it surely when men come to this passe and are thus obstinate in sin then the Lord cometh in Justice against them and giveth them over to blindnesse of mind and to a filthy life and so to passe on to their own destruction And to presse it a little nearer take heed whosoever you be that darest justle with the threatening and denunciations of the Word of God that are applyed to your particular sins as in particular that are applyed against your pride and vanity in apparel you that are so shamelesse and so impudent that say we have no warrant to speak against it no have we no warrant and if we have no warrant we are false prophets and deliver visions of our own braines Oh it grieveth my soul to think that you of whom we should have better hopes do speak so wickedly and so shamelesly have we no warrant for it take heed God is stronger then you it will be to the confusion of your soules because you stand in defence of your pride I will not go so far with you as to say that you are already given over to blindnesse of mind and hardnesse of heart but take this with you you are at the very next door and near unto it to be given over of God and blindnesse of mind and hardnesse of heart to go on with a full swing and full wind and tyde to hell I grant you the best of Gods children may sometimes through the corruption of their minds cast away wholsome admonition as David did 2 Sam. 24. yea though he was dutifully admonished by Joab not to number the people yet David through the pride of his heart would do it so the servants of God may refuse reject and cast off wholsome admonitions and counsels but when men are come to that height that the Prophet speaketh of in Zach. 7.11 12. that they will not hearken but they will have brazen faces and whores foreheads and they dare stand to outface the Preacher and they will not be reformed they are swearers swaggerers Usurers Sabbath-breakers and filthy persons and they will be so they do then provoke the Lord to give them over to Reprobation yea to give it them under the great Seal of Heaven thou art a Reprobate which indeed is a condition fearful and miserable and to be considered with trembling Vse 3 Last of all Is it so that God hardeneth reprobates and none but reprobates are hardened do not thou whosoever thou art imagine or once think that God will ever give thee up to blindnesse of mind or hardnesse of heart altogether that art a Child of God I grant God doth sometimes withdraw his grace from his dear children but in part and a child of God may sometimes in some measure and in some degree be blinded in his mind and hardened in his heart yea a child of God may feel in him the grace of the holy Spirit of God wonderfully decayed but not utterly extinct Psal 51.10 11 12. Oh cast me not away from thy presence with-hold not thy Spirit from me c. What do these prayers argue but that he felt his heart rotten and corrupt and yeelding unto lust and some of his light gone but yet God never blindeth their minds and hardens their hearts altogether for this is proper to Reprobates and such as belong not to God It is the complaint of the dear children of God sometimes Alas I feel such a deadnesse and dulnesse in my heart and soul that I doubt God hath left me forsaken me and given me up to hardnesse of heart I can mourn and weep for other things but I cannot mourn and weep for my sins that I fear I am given up to hardnesse of heart Oh take comfort in it thou that fearest the hardnesse of thy heart it may be a testimony thou art not altogether given to the hardnesse of heart because thou feelest it where there is feeling there is life Corruption feeleth not corruption grace feeleth corruption and if there be a feeling of hardnesse of heart and a groaning and a sighing under it thou art not altogether given up to hardnesse of heart and blindnesse of mind therefore comfort thy self For the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh Even for this very end have I stirred thee up that I might shew my power in thee And that my name might be declared throughout the earth ANd beloved it is not to be passed by without noting that the Lord saith his
neither the Word of God which is as a piercing fire and as a sword to divide between the joynts and the marrow Jer. 23.29 cannot humble them Nor the exhortations of the Word of God which are as soft rain and dewe Esay 55.10 11. cannot mollifie them nor afflictions can better them surely then the Lord hath a purpose to destroy and root them out and they are near unto utter destruction when the Lord withdraweth the grace of repentance and of amendment that they are not humbled by the denunciation of the Word of God nor mollified by the exhortations nor bettered by afflictions nor by any means the Lord vouchsafeth unto them surely the Lord maketh it apparant that their destruction is present and at hand and this is to be considered by every one of us It is a point that we have stood upon formerly for the matter and substance of it that those whom God doth harden it is a sign of their reprobation and therefore I passe by it onely upon occasion of this truth some Objections are to be answered Object As happily some may say why the Lord doth not will the death of a sinner he doth so make it manifest by his Prophet Ezechiel in the 18. chapter and the 23. verse Have I any desire that the wicked should die no He rather willeth that they should live if he return from his wickednesse And so in the last verse Have I any delight in the death of the wicked saith the Lord God no cause him to return and live I have no delight nor desire in his death And again the name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is given in Scripture to God it sounds forth nothing but Essence and being yea and everlasting being He is called Jehovah because he hath his being of himself and the Nature of God is Essence and being and he giveth Essence and being to all things Now death and destruction make things cease to be that already are death in man utterly overthrowes destroyes and ruinates life how can it then be that God doth purpose to destroy and extirpate any man seeing death and destruction come not from God Answ To answer this first we must know that the Prophet Ezechiel in the place alledged speaketh of penitent sinners mark what is precedent and in the sequel verses and you shall easily see it and then death and destruction God willeth it not neither shall they die eternally And again we must distinguish between the absolute will of God and Gods recompencing will simply God doth not will death for death came by sinne as Rom. 5.12 But God doth will death as a Just judgement for sinne As a Judge simply willeth not the death of an offender as he is a a man but as he hath committed the fault and the offence so God in his just Judgement doth will the death of a sinner as a recompence for their sinne Again it is true that the Name of the Lord doth send forth nothing but essence and being and an absolute subsistence The Lord is life and being of himself and from him every thing hath life and being yet notwithstanding the Lord can withdraw and withhold life and being at his own good will and pleasure Psalm 104.28 29. saith David If thou take away their breath they perish and die life is in thy hand and man returneth to dust again but to passe from that Again For this purpose have I stirred thee up that my name might be declared throughout all the earth That is that the praise and the glory of my Justice appearing in the ruine and Destruction of so mighty a King rebelling against me might be propagated and spread abroad throughout all the Corners of the world and every where spoken of getting my self a name in thy destruction the point hence is this That God will have glory in the confusion of wicked hard hearted Doctrine and impenitent sinners they that live in their blindnesse of mind hard heartednesse and impenitency the Lord will have glory and glorifie himself by them such as go and walk on stifly stubbornly and rebelliously in their sins God will have glory in their everlasting confusion and utter destruction Psal 50.17 Consider this you that hate to be reformed so he describeth them for saith he in the 22. verse he will tear you in pieces he giveth it them as a Caveat and forewarning Consider this you that forget God for he will tear you all to pieces Again in Rom. 2.5 Thou saith the Apostle after thy hardnesse and heart that cannot repent heapeth unto thy self wrath against the day of wrath and the indignation of the just Judgment of God As if the Apostle had said Thou hard-hearted wretch that goest on and continueth in thy sins thou dost but heap up wrath against the day of wrath when the Lord will revenge himself upon thee and execute his wrath and vengeance to the full thou whose heart is as it is said in Jer. 5. as hard as a stone and as Adament the Lord will get himself glory by thee and in Prov. 16.4 The Lord hath made all things for his own glory sake yea even the wicked for the day of evil as if he had said howsoever hard-hearted and impenitent sinners do contemptuously rebel and refuse to yeeld glory to the Lord yet even those wicked reprobates are made for the glory of God as well as others and they are appointed to the day of vengeance the Lord will have his glory in their Destruction they will not glorifie God in their lives he will have glory in their confusion and destruction and good reason there is for it Because the good which God aymeth at in the doing of all his actions Reason intentions and purposes is the advancement of his own glory and the Lord doth delight in that as in his chiefest glory yea the Lord can bring good out of evil glory out of shame he can bring glory in the confusion of the wicked and assuredly the Lord will not lose his glory by them he will not lose his chiefest happinesse but he will be glorified one way or other Oh then consider it you that dare go on in your sins and do continue Vse 1 and daily increase in your grosse evils and fearful sins that live in most unnatural and wicked evils as in pride and in swearing their mouthes are full of oathes and of unclean and debauched evil speeches and in their drunkennesse and Sabbath-breaking and usury and the like though they do not say with Pharaoh VVho is the Lord yet they kick against the holy Word of God and they set light by the threatenings of it when they are denounced against their particular evils they make put a pish and a tush of it and so they live in open contempt of the great honour and glory of God and this is the lives of many amongst our selves they hate to be reformed though they hear their sins beaten against and they told of them
and the reason why the Lord is thus pleased so to do is this Because that so they might have both space and time of repentance given vnto them Reason and that they might hereby be stripped of all excuse and may have nothing to plead for themselves they shall have their mouthes stopped in the day of the Lords visitation Therefore the Lord is pleased to vouchsafe the means of mercy of grace and of repentance that they might have nothing to plead for themselves and they still despising the riches of Gods mercy of his patience and of his bountifulnesse Romans 2.4 which is manifested in the means of grace that leadeth unto repentance which is still sounding in their ears and still goe on in sinne so that when they come before the Judge of the World they can have nothing to say they cannot say if we had had such and such means and such time we would have amended but they have all means and they despising the bountifulnesse of God are left without excuse Object But happily some may say it seemeth it is but in vain that God giveth wicked men a time and space of repentance and sendeth his Gospel unto them and invites and cals them to amendment because the Lord having decreed their everlasting destruction they can never come to repentance therefore it seemeth a vain and an idle thing in God may some say to give unto them time and space of repentance and to crie out unto them come out of your sins turn to God repent of your sins and here is mercy for you God having decreed their destruction they can never come to repentance Answ It is true indeed God having decreed the everlasting destruction of reprobates they can never come to repentance and yet it is not in vain that God is pleased to give them space and time of repentance and to invite and call them and crie unto them Oh sonnes of Men when will you turne unto God For though the Lord is not bound together with the means of grace to give grace and to make the means effectual for the conversion of Reprobates yet thereby the Lord doth manifest and make it to appeare that he doth approve of the worke of Conversion and of Repentance in all men yea the Lord doth approve of the work of Conversion in Reprobates as a good thing in it selfe and hence it is in 2 Peter 3.9 it is said God will have all men to come to repentance Hath God decreed some to destruction and yet will have all men to come to repentance in his will approving and it is not in vaine that God calleth for it thereby approving of the work of Conversion in Reprobates as a good thing in it self and thereby he leaveth them without excuse Object But if any plead and say alasse they cannot doe otherwise God denying his grace unto them what can any man doe They cannot but continue hard hearted and obstinate If God denie his grace they cannot doe otherwise but continue hard hearted and obstinate To this I answer Answer it is true indeed that God denying his grace men cannot possibly come out of their sinnes to Repentance and amendment of their lives yet for all this God doth reprobates no manner of wrong at all in calling upon them and approving of that work in them he is not to be taxed because in the beginning before man was created God was not bound to create man in holinesse in the estate of Innocencie which he made them and much lesse is the Lord bound to restore these things unto them they having lost them they having forfeited the bond they having wilfully and rebelliously deprived themselves of these things having wilfully broke the Covenant and made a defection and a falling away from God so that God is still cleare and doth them no wrong at all Vse Is it so that God is so patient toward wicked sinners and such as are appointed to everlasting destruction that he forbears them and of a long time they provoking him to anger everie minute of an houre when he might throw them down to Hell Oh then let men and women whosoever they be that go on in their sins let them not thinke that they are in no danger of the wrath of God and punishing hand of God because God beareth with them and doth not speedily execute his vengeance upon them and cast down his thunderbolt upon them Oh let them not think that therefore they are free from the wrath of God though beloved it is a common Conceit of wicked and ungodly persons even of such as goe on in the practise of known sinnes of drunkennesse of uncleannesse to imagine within themselves that they are in no such danger as the Preacher will make them believe no saith a wicked and gracelesse wretch let the Preacher speake his pleasure and threaten me with the curse and the vengeance of God to light upon my soul and bodie and threaten me with damnation What need I fear Why for all this I am sure I thrive I goe on and I prosper I have good successe in the world he telleth me of the curse of God because I break the Sabbath yet I thrive I goe forward I have good successe in my businesse Oh let them take heed you are onely under Gods long patience and Gods long suffering and there is but a step between thee and Hell if death come you must to hell without repentance there is but a hairs breadth between you and hell It is a common saying forbearance is no acquittance you are but spared as the Amorites Genesis 15.16 Vntill your sinnes be at the full and you fil up the daily measure of your sinnes and then commeth the hand of God down upon you in a fearful manner and the longer that God is a striking the more fearful is his blow and the more deadly after long forbearance as Solomon saith Eccles 8.12 13. Though a sinner doe evil an hundred times many times together yet it shall not be well with him in the end howsoever he may thrive and grow great and prosper in the world and have blessings powred upon him abundantly yet it will not goe well with him in the end Nay I beseech you remember Gods patience abused it turneth into fury and into rage and Gods mercie despised and neglected Patientia lasa fit furor not leading to repentance becommeth judgement mercilesse Now is the day of grace and mercie is offered unto thee while the Lord giveth thee means of grace and of mercie but there will come a day of wrath and of vengeance upon thee it will come certainly and without mercie and without pittie now is the time of patience and of long forbearing Now is his voice calling upon you if you make a pish and a tush at it the time will come when the Lord will rise up in wrath and vengeance and bring woe unto your soules Again for a second use this being so that God
1 a standing at the staves end with God as it is said of the Jewes Abusing the patience of God and not making a holy use of the meanes of grace is resisting of God Act. 7.51 that they being a people of hard hearts and not bettered by the Apostles preaching what are they he describeth them that they confront the Lord and resisted the Holy Ghost Oh you of uncircumcised hearts you have alwayes resisted the Holy Ghost and though the Lord be a God of long patience yet he will not suffer them long to resist he will have the better in the end he will shew himself to be a revenging God to those that abuse his patience Again continuance in sin without repentance and going on wilfully in sins Reason 2 is the onely thing that bringeth the just wrath of God upon the soules and bodies of men it is not one sin no nor many sins Not sinning but continuance in sin that brings the wrath of God upon the bodies and soules of men that bringeth the wrath of God though God may justly condemn for one sin yet it is not that but it is long continuing in sin without repentance that is the thing and the onely thing that bringeth the wrath of God when men abuse the patience of God and long-suffering of God and go on continuing in sin even then the wrath of the Lord falleth upon them so that though the Lord spare for a long time yet at the last he will punish them Therefore hence take we notice of the fearful estate of those that God suffereth to thrive in sin such persons as live in foul scandalous sins Vse The miserable estate of such as continue in sin and the Lord is patient toward them and doth not strike with a visible plague or outward punishment but they go on and are hardened in them surely they do treasure up the just wrath and vengeance of God upon them against the day of wrath they go on without rub or without disturbance they follow their sins with a full swing they heap up the vengeance of God against the day of wrath And know it for a certain truth that they are in the worst case of all others that do abound in the plenty of outward good things and withal God suffereth them to thrive by usury and by unlawful means unlesse they repent they are in the heaviest case of all men for they being not led by the long-suffering and patience of God to repentance surely they provoke God to inflict most heavy and fearful vengeance upon them Oh then consider it thou that art a most vile and grosse sinner an usurer or whatsoever thou art if thou art so far from being bettered by the outward blessings of God as that thou goest on in thy sin with an high hand thou art in a miserable estate and condition thou dost provoke God to most just anger and wrath And the longer the Lord doth forbear and suffer thee to go on in the practice of any sin the deeper will be thy condemnation and Judgment yea beloved to abuse the patience of God and turn it to a licence to sin what is it it is a mark of a Reprobate and it is more then a probable sign thou art in the state of Reprobation for it is the abuse of Gods long sufferance that bringeth us to destruction Vse 2 Again this teacheth us to take heed of abusing the long patience and long suffering of God Let us take heed how we abuse not Gods patience by wilfulnesse and obstinacy in sin he is a patient God he calleth and cryeth unto us Come out of your pride your drunkennesse and filthinesse come to the house of God receive the Word of God Oh take heed then of abusing the patience of God The Lord offereth unto us the means of grace for our reformation we must be bettered by every Sermon we hear and take heed of obstinacy and rebellion in sin it is the heaviest hand of God upon our soules that can befall us Take we heed of custome in sin And to this end take we heed of yeelding unto sin time after time many persons that are not hardened in sin if they yeeld unto them time after time grow hardened yea we shall find if we observe it that men harden their own hearts before God hardens them they live and continue in sin and care not for profiting by the meanes of grace and then the Lord giveth them over in his just Judgment to hardnesse of heart therefore take heed of wittingly and willingly continuing in any known sin whatsoever resisting the grace of God and make your selves lyable to the vengeance of God The phrase and form of speech observable Again mark we further the Apostle doth expresse Gods vengeance on Reprobates by this term to shew his wrath hence note we thus much That Gods punishing hand wheresoever he lets it fall it falleth heavy Gods punishment and Judgment lighting upon ungodly persons they are Doct. 4 most heavy and fearful God in shewing of wrath doth after the manner of men that are furious Anger and wrath are not properly in God but they are given unto him by way of Metaphor for our capacity the Lord will shew himself a God of rage and fury unto those that abuse his long-suffering and hence it is that the wrath and fury of God is compared to the breaking out of fire as we say fire and water have no mercy Psal 2.12 Kisse the Son lest he be angry and so his wrath be kindled and break out and burn suddenly so in Deut. 29.20 if you follow after the stubbornnesse of your heart and adde drunkennesse to thirst the wrath of the Lord shall burn against that man Vse This for the use of it discovereth unto us the folly of such persons that make light account and reckoning of just punishments of God threatened against them yea some make a mock at it when they are threatened with that fearful sentence at the last day Go ye cursed they say if they can scape so long let them alone In Prov. 19.12 it is said the anger of a King is like the roaring of a Lyon if it be so then the wrath of the Lord is more to be feared then hell it self Gods wrath more to be feared then hell it self yea it is Hell for the apprehension of Gods wrath is hell and we see it by experience that the Anger and wrath of God apprehended by a wounded Conscience it is a burthen unsupportable it maketh men to hang and drown themselves and to cut their own throats it maketh them mad to be eased of it a wounded conscience who can bear therefore learn to consider the wrath of Gods punishing hand in Nahum 1.5 6. verses saith the Prophet before his face when he is angry the Mountains flie away the rocks cleave in sunder and turn into dust and powder what hearts have we then Job
33.21 that can consider the wrath of God against sin and not tremble at it Therefore in the fear of God consider it and do not mock and scoffe at it lest the wrath and vengeance of God break out upon thee to thy utter Destruction What and if God would to shew his wrath and to make his power known suffer with long patience the vessels of wrath prepared to destruction COme we now to the second end of Gods long suffering and patience to wicked men and that is not onely to shew his wrath The second end to make his Power known but to make his Power known The Lord is patient and long suffering to reprobates to this end that they abusing his patience being obstinate and not being bettered he may at the length make it appear that he is a God of Power He makes it appear that he is a God of Power able to pull down the stoutest sinner in the world how soever he may seem to wink at it able to beat down the most stubborn hearted wretch that is living upon the face of the earth and able to bring upon them utter ruine and destruction to the praise and glorie of his own Power Now then from hence we may easily gather this conclusion That God will one day shew forth his Power in punishing of wicked and ungodly persons such as goe on wilfully in their known sinnes Doctrine and continue obstinate in their evil courses and will not be bettered by his patience and kindnesse toward them Though the Lord doe suffer obstinate and rebellious sinners to goe on a long time yet at the last he will rise up and then manifest his Power and make it appear to all the world that he is a God of Power in their just vengeance thus the Lord speaketh in Deuteronomie 32.22 That when once he taketh hold of his sword of vengeance he will pay them home As if he had said though I may suffer vile and obstinate sinners to escape my Power a long time yet at the length I will whet my glittering sword and take hold on judgement then will I shew forth my Power in executing vengeance upon the wicked and obstinate sinners In the 50. Psalme the Psalmist in the 16. verse bringeth the Lord reckoning up the sinnes of the people of Israel and in the 21. verse He shutteth up all in a word These things hast thou done and I did forbear thee and because I did forbear thee therefore thou diddest think that thy course of life was pleasing unto me but saith the Lord The time will come that I will call thee to account and set thy sinnes in order And then mark that which my speech aimeth at in the 22. verse there is added a very pithie and powerful speech by way of Exhortation Consider this you that forget God the great God of Heaven and Earth least he will teare you in pieces and there shall be none to deliver you which is verie emphatical wherein we see the Lord compareth himself to an hungerie Lion that having gotten his prey rendeth and teareth it in pieces and none can rescue or take it off from the paw of the Lion so will the Lord one day rise up in judgement against those that are wicked obstinate and rebellious sinners and then he will shew himselfe even as an angrie Lion that crusheth the bones of a poore sheep between his teeth so he will manifest his Power in punishing wicked sinners and none can be able to free them from his punishing hand And in Revelation 11.17 We finde that the Saints gave God thanks and praise in this manner VVe thanke thee O Lord God Almightie that art from everlasting and shalt continue for ever c. Then in the latter end of the verse they render a reason of this their thanksgiving unto God in these words and terms For thou hast received thy great might and thou hast obtaind thy Kingdom Why is God stronger then then he is now No but the meaning is That though God be a great God in respect of Power and alwaies retaineth fulnesse of Power and Might and shall not at the day of judgement receive any greater power or might then now he hath yet at the day of judgement shall exercise and shew forth his Power in the utter overthrow of his enemies and deliverance of his Church and therefore he is said to receive his mightie Power and then shall the 24. Elders sing their song Now is thy Might and Power come So that we see though God doe for a long time suffer the wicked to goe on in their sinnes yet he will shew forth his Power in punishing of them and it must needs be so for these Reasons Reason 1 Because the Lord having in divers places of the Book of God threatned and denounced plagues and fearful punishments and judgements against wicked and rebellious sinners and he being able to make good what he hath threatned he will not suffer his threats and denunciations alwaies to be in vain and to lie dead and never be brought to execution but in his due time appointed he will make them good upon the bodies and souls of those that live and die in their sinnes Reason 2 The Lord will be known as he is a God of Power here he sheweth himself to be a God of Patience but he will be known to be a God of Power in executing judgement and vengeance upon the wicked Psalme 9.16 For this is one proof that there is a God That he will execute his Power in bringing destruction upon the wicked rebellious sinners though the Lord suffer them to goe on in their sinnes for a long time yet he will one day make it apparent that he is a God of Power in their just punishment howsoever he seemeth to see as if he saw it not yet he will one day make his all-seeing Power known Object But now if any doe object against this that of the Apostle in 2 Thessalonians 1.9 where the Apostle saith That Christ Jesus at his comming unto judgement shall come in flaming fire and rendring vengeance to punish the wicked in everlasting perdition from the presence of his Power So that we see the Apostle saith he will separate the wicked from his Power they shall have nothing to doe with it how is this answered Answ To this I answer the Lord will execute vengeance upon the wicked and put them from his Power what Power not his destroying Power but his saving Power God hath a saving Power and a destroying Power his glorious Power James 4.12 There is one Law-giver even God who can save and destroy so that they shall be severed from the saving power of God but not from the destroying power that shall fall upon them heavily and fearfully Vse 1 Upon this ground of Truth take we notice of the miserable and woful estate and condition of all wilful and rebellious sinners that goe on in their sinnes with
an high hand that are drunkards filthie persons Sabbath-breakers revilers of Gods Children and the like God is justly angrie with them for their sinnes that they can confesse but they say as it is their common Proverb Vana sine viribus ira anger without power is in vain for a man to be angrie and have no power to execute his anger is nothing worth but this God he is a God of Power and he will one day shew his strength and his power in punishing of them and in executing wrath and vengeance upon them Oh then who is able to bear the punishing hand of God and the stroke of his arm can a wicked sinner endure it when God striketh with the strength of his arme Psalme 90.7 Oh then consider it whosoever thou art a wicked and rebellious sinner that hath been told of thy particular sinnes thy drunkennesse thy whoredome thy usurie thy Sabbath breaking and the like Thou that persistest and goest on in thy sinne a drunkard yesterday and still the same an Usurer yesterday and still the same thou art obdurate in thy sinne Consider the Lord is angrie with thee and justly offended and hee is not onely justly offended but he is a God of infinite power able to execute his wrath yea consider further that God is not onely a God of Power able to doe it but he is also a God that will doe it he will execute his power and his wrath Who is able to stand against the Lords revenging power and when he so doth What shall become of the drunkard What shall become of the usurer and what shall become of the Sabbath-breaker and the whoremonger and the blasphemer of the Name of God when the Lord shall execute his wrath and put forth his vengeance Oh consider it and tremble We know it be experience amongst men Men that are of a revenging spirit given to seek the hurt and ruine of those they are offended withal nothing will satisfie them but their very heart blood And according to the might and power of those men so revengeful the more mighty and powerful is the evil and hurt that they inflict upon those The greater their might the heavier their stroke against whom they are enraged Oh then consider Is this so with men of revengefull spirits Oh then the Lord is a sin revenging God and he being provoked unto anger by thy wilful obstinate and rebellious sins he will punish thee consider then whom hast thou provoked a God of infinite power and he will make it appear in thy just destruction and in thy just punishment the heart of man is not able to conceive or imagine the fearful punishment that will befall thee Oh that those that are obstinate and rebellious sinners would consider this that God is so offended with them for their rebellious sinnes it would make them to tremble and affright them and make their bones shake in their skins and their hearts ake in their bodies but this is one and a chief part of their misery Hab. 3. that they never think nor consider it in their hearts and so we may conclude that they are in a fearful estate and condition Again this being so that God is such a revenging God against obstinate Vse 2 sinners let this then keep us from the revenging of our wrongs that are done by spiteful enemies and such as seek our ruine why should we seek to be revenged though we have never so much power leave it unto God and know this that we cannot desire a greater vengeance to light upon them then the Lord will inflict upon them and consider if our spiteful enemies do continue seeking to do us wrong the Lord will one day take thy cause in hand and punish them according to the greatnesse of his power Alas what is our power if we had the might of all the men in the world it is nothing to the power of the Lord if the Lord should give our enemies into our hands and should say Do with him what thou wilt could we be avenged so as the Lord will for our sakes if we be patient and commit the cause unto the Lord for the Lord will be avenged on them if they continue and live and dye in their spight and envy And to conclude in one word let us when we are wronged and hardly dealt withal by malitious and spightful enemies that are full of rancor and malice commit our cause unto the Lord and without question his punishment will be greater then the bitterest stroke that we can wish to fall upon our enemies and therefore we ought to comfort our selves with this when we are wronged that the Lord will revenge our cause and he will shew forth his vengeance upon them in their Destruction and that according to the greatnesse of his power What if God willing to shew his wrath and to make his power known endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had before prepared unto glory THere is one thing yet remaineth to be further observed from this 22. verse The Apostle saith that God will one day shew his wrath upon Reprobates the vessels of wrath and he will also exercise his power he will make it apparent manifest and evident that he is a God of power in their just punishments so that these two things are here coupled and put together as the ends of Gods long patience and forbearance toward the Reprobates namely the manifestation of his just wrath and his power in punishing of them hence then take we notice of this Observation which lyeth plain before us viz. Doctrine That the highest and utmost end of the everlasting destruction of the Reprobates is the manifestation of Gods Justice and of Gods power which here are coupled and put together in their destruction The destruction of the Reprobates is indeed the nearest end in respect of Reprobates themselves but God respecteth it no further then as it maketh and tendeth to the manifestation and declaration of the glory of his Justice and power The highest end which the Lord aymeth at in the punishment and destruction of the Wicked what is it it is nothing else but that he might have his Justice and Power glorified the Lord aymeth not at their destruction though it be the nearest end to them yet farthest off in Gods intention for he aymeth at his own Justice and Powers glorification And to this purpose speaketh Solomon expresly Prov. 16.4 The Lord hath made all things for his own sake yea the very wicked for the day of evil he hath made them for the day of destruction ayming therein at the manifestation of his Justice and the glory of his power this is the main end the Lord aymeth at In Rom. 11. The Apostle having largely discussed and stood upon the rejection of the Gentiles in the 36. verse he concludeth
under a despised and afflicted estate and therefore they esteem basely of them but they lift up their conceit in regard of men that are great and mightie in the world they have cappe and knee and all outward pomp given unto them Alas they are blinde and cannot see and discern their miserable estate for all the honour that great and mightie men have it is nothing in comparison of a Childe of God No though their excellencie did mount up to Heaven and touch the skie with their heads and make their nests among the Stars yet being not in the estate of grace they are in a base condition and shall be tumbled down and trodden down as the dung under their feet therefore they are deceived that magnifie them and honour them so much Haste thou then good evidence that thou art a Childe of God and in Vse 2 the estate of grace surely then know this to thy comfort thou art in a most excellent and honourable estate though thou be in a mean estate far better then those that lift up themselves and cheer up thy self thou art precious in the sight of God Esay 43.4 Because thou art precious and honourable in my sight yea thou art honourable in the sight of all the holy Angels of God yea of the Saints of God And howsoever the world doe seek to blemish thee and to cast dirt in thy face and say thou art a Schismaticke a Puritan an Hypocrite yet they cannot possibly disgrace thee for the honour that is put upon thy head is put by the hand of God and it will make thee honourable and glorious in the sight of men and Angels Alas the honour of the world conferred upon men it hath many interruptions and breakings off and if it continue as long as they live yet then it leaveth them and they leave a rotten and stinking name behind them but the honour conferred upon thee is holy and heavenly Honour and continueth after death Yea consider that thou being a Childe of God thou art the Childe of him that liveth for ever thy Father never dies and assuredly thy Father never dying there is no end of his dayes and glory so he will make thee glorious also and crown thee with Eternal happinesse and therefore thou art an honourable person VERSE 27 28 29. Esaias also crieth concerning Israel Though the number of the Children of Israel be as the sand of the sea a remnant shal be saved For he will finish the worke and cut it short in righteousnesse because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth And as Esaias said before Except the Lord of Sabbath had left us a seed we had been as Sodoma and been made like unto Gomorrah IN these three verses our Apostle affirmeth and further amplifieth the vocation and calling of the Gentiles by an Antithesis namely by the rejection and casting off of the Jewes for the body of them and the greatest part and number of them the Lord only calling a few and a remnant and a seed of them And this our Apostle confirmeth by two Testimonies from the Prophet Esay The first as you may reade in Esay 10.21 22. verse which is here laid down in the 27. and 28. verses The second Testimonie is in Esay 1.8 and here put down in the 29. verse Now in these two Testimonies tending both to one and the same purpose there are in general two things considerable First of all the thing witnessed and secondly the amplification of the thing witnessed The thing witnessed is that a very smal number of the people of the Jewes in comparison of the multitude shal be saved expressed under the term remnant in the 27. verse and seed in the 29. verse and the amplification of the thing witessed is in 5 particulars First of all the person witnessing the Prophet Esay Secondly the manner of his giving Testimonie that is with crying Thirdly the confession of a grant made by the Prophet and here cited by the Apostle That though the number of the Children of Israel were exceeding great set out by a comparison of the sand of the Sea yet but a remnant shall be saved Fourthly the Reason and ground of this why but a remnant shal be saved and that is Gods purpose and Gods will which is amplyfied by the execution of it in righteousness in the 28. verse Fifthly a magnifying of Gods mercy in saving a few and a small number of the people of the Iewes which is set out by a comparison taken from Sodom and Gomorrah and also by a Title given unto God who is called the Lord of Hosts Thus we see the general matter of the Holy Ghost in these three verses Now come we to handle them particularly and first of the 27. and 28. verses for these verses are very difficult and hard to be understood As Esaias also crieth Crying doth import a loud a plain a bold and an earnest speaking not an ordinarie speech but a speaking with an extension and lifting up of the voyce and he crieth concerning the people of Israel what doth he crie That though the people of Israel were as the sand on the sea That is though they were a numberlesse multitude even as sands upon the Sea shore Yet but a remnant shal be saved The word remnant is taken from tradesmen Metaphorically who use to cut out a whole piece of cloth into parcels until a little be left and that they call a remnant or remainder so a remnant a very smal number of the Jewes shall be saved Shalbe saved Now the Prophet he saith not a remnant shal be saved but shall return in Esay 10.22 meaning historically they shal return from the Captivitie of Babylon yet we must know that the Prophet under the title of return doth intend a further matter namely a spiritual returning a returning to God as he saith in the 21. vers of that Chapter The remnant of Iacob to the mightie God shal return that is they shal repent of their sinnes and be saved so the Apostle and the Prophet do wel agree For he will make his account draw near and bring it to a short summe in righteousness Not to trouble you with varietie of Expositions with which this verse is exceedingly vexed and doth much pusle Interpreters but the words of the Prophet Esayias are these The consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness and here the Apostle saith for he will make his account and draw it to a short summe in righteousnesse And for the understanding of this we must know that the thing intended and signified both by the Prophet and Apostle is this as we may easily gather from the context That God hath purposed and ordained to bring the sinneful and unthankful people of the Jewes to a small number and a short summe and that justly for their unthankfulnesse and sinnes which the Prophet expresseth in these termes The consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousnesse because the Prophet knowing that
be plain and bold in preaching the Word for Application How far short then are those Ministers and Preachers of the Word Vse 1 that do flatter and sooth up men in their sinnes and lull them asleep in their carnal security and will never come near them to tell them of their sinnes unlesse it be in a general manner all along and never come to instance in particular sinnes No they are afraid of offending and of angering their hearers Yea there are many who are justly to be taxed that doe not onely Lull men in their sinnes but doe encourage men in a course of evil and strengthen the hands of the wicked Jer. 23.19 so as that they cannot return As for example Doe not not some Ministers and Preachers of the Word tell men they need not be so strict in observing and keeping the Sabbath as from Morning to Evening and after that repetition what need all this adoe to be so strict and so nice in their ordinary Communication as not to swear by faith and troth what these are nice things they themselves will doe this and say they there is no such danger as these foolish fantastical and puritanical Preachers will make you believe they will tell you you are in danger of hell fire for breaking the Sabbath and swearing by Faith and Troth but there is no such matter These are they whom the Lord complaineth of in Jer. 6.15 They lead the daughters of my people with sweet words and say peace peace all is well when there is no such matter when they are ready to be swallowed up of the devil And as the same Prophet saith in Jer. 14.13 When the true Prophets did come and threaten sword and famine upon the people the false Prophets come and tell them they shall have no such thing such Ministers and Preachers are odious and hatefull in the sight of God Jer. 23.14 These daubing and soothing Preachers the Lord saith he will feed them with Wormwood and they shall drink of the water of gall yea if the Lord doe not give them repentance they shall one day drink of the deep Cup of his vengeance in the pit of Destruction in hell But to passe by that if we that are Ministers of the Word must thus tell our people of their sinnes Then our Hearers must be content to bee plainly dealt withal and to be told of their danger they must have their lives ript up and their sinnes displayed and their Consciences ransacked and rifled and their danger laid open and men must not rage nor flye in the faces of their Minister Drunkards Whoremongers uncivil shag-hair'd and Civil honest persons they must be told of their estate and that so long as they remain therein they are in danger of hell and destruction and unlesse they repent the Lord will one day come against them in vengeance and they shall be as thornes bound up in a bundle and as Drunkards in their drunkennesse and as stubble ready dryed for the fire Nahum 1.10 For while they be folden together as thornes and while they are drunken as drunkards they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry And thou must not be offended if a man should come and tell thee that fire hath took hold of thy house and unlesse thou make speed to quench it it will burn thy house to the ground wilt thou be angry with him And shall the Ministers and Preachers of Gods Word stand and cry Fire fire fire yea the fire of Gods wrath and vengeance which is kindled with the breath of the Lord as a river of brimstone shall he I say thus cry out The fire of hell is ready to burn thy soul and body and wilt thou be angry with him Oh consider with whom art thou offended surely with God for God speaketh it and art thou offended and angry with God whence cometh it it cometh from thy own vile Corruptions helped forward by the Devil Oh then to conclude learn then whatsoever thou art with patience to hear the Word of just reproof and to hear thy faults reprehended for it is the best good that a Preacher can do to thy soul to bring thee out of the snare of the devil unto amendment of life that thy soul may be saved eternally in the day of the Lord Jesus Esayas also cryeth concerning Israel Though the number of the Children of Israel be as the sand on the Sea a remnant shall be saved For he will finish the work and cut it short in righteousnesse because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth c. THe next thing here to be considered is the persons against whom the Prophet cryeth and the thing he cryeth The persons are the Children of Israel and the thing that though their Number were as great as the sand on the Sea yet but a remnant shall be saved Now what were the Children of Israel they were the seed of Abraham descended of the holy Patriarks a very honourable people yea they were Gods people his peculiar people they had the Law the Temple the Sacrifices the service of God amongst them yet the Prophet telleth these people that though their Number were as the sand on the Sea-shore yet a Remnant shall be saved and this the Prophet doth to shake the hypocrites amongst them who going on in exceeding great impenitency boasted themselves that they were of the seed of Abraham and that God had fulfilled his promise in them in making them a great multitude and therefore the Lord loved them Now the Prophet he sheweth that this was a vain brag and notwithstanding their great number this will not help them nor avail them in the case of salvation this was the general thing intended by the Apostle Now from hence ariseth two Propositions to be observed the first is this That a great Number of people may bear the name of Gods people Doctrine and yet but a few of them have true repentance or put it down positively that Multitudes of people may bear the name of Gods people and have the true Worship of God amongst them ordinarily and commonly and yet but a few of those be true repentant sinners and in the estate of grace and of salvation this Proposition hath ground and footing in other places of Scripture Gen. 6.1 2. When men began to multiply upon the face of the earth then the Text saith they ran on in sinne together with the multiplication of men and women upon the earth there was a multiplication of evil and sinne a great number of sinnes yea the Sonnes of God the godly and righteous seed such as were the Worshippers of the true God they began to degenerate and to run on in sinne And the Apostle Peter saith in his first Epistle second Chapter and fifth verse that there was onely Noah and seven other with him who was the Preacher of righteousnesse were saved and the world of ungodly had the deluge brought upon them and in the first verse of
Testimony of our Reverend Brethren of the Province of London to the truth of Jesus Christ and to our solemn League and Covenant as also against the Errours Heresies and Blasphemies of these Times and the Toleration of them subscribed by 59 of the Ministers of Cheshire Some Observations and Annotations upon the Apologetical Narration humbly submitted to the Honourable Houses of Parliament by the most Reverend and Learned Divines of the Assembly and all the Protestant Churches here in this Iland and abroad by Adam Stuart D. D. Wholesome Severity reconciled with Christian Liberty or a true resolution of a present Controversie concerning Liberty of Conscience by George Gillespy Consolations for troubled Consciences of Repentant sinners by M. William Perkins The English Presbyterian and Independant reconciled setting forth the small ground of difference betwixt them both therein clearing the misunderstanding between the English and the Scots as which Nation hath broken the Covenant each with other setting forth withal on which side the offensive War betwixt us and them on which side the defensive is and how it came to be waged by John Stafford Esq The Deafe man cured wherein three things are handled First Christian Charity 2. Humane misery 3. The Divine Power and Mercy of Christ upon Mar. 7.32 33 34 35. by Tobias Higgins The strife of Brethren and a Treaty for Peace in two Sermons on Gen. 13.8 and Ier. 9 2. by M. Iohn Fathers Divine Meditations and Contemplations upon several heads of Divinity by G. Raleigh The Signs or an Essay concerning the assurance of Gods love and mans salvation gathered out of the holy Scriptures by Nicholas Byfield The spiritual Touchstone or the signs of a godly man drawn in so plain and profitable a manner as all sorts of Christians may try themselves thereby together with directions how the weak Christian by the use of these signs may establish his assurance The Sum of the Principles or a Collection of those Priciples of Religion which are set down in the little Treatise called the Principles or Pattern of wholesome words where they are at large explained proved and applyed Luthers fore-runners or a Cloud of Witnesses deposing for the Protestant faith gathered together in the History of Waldensis who for divers hundred years before Luther successively opposed Popery professed the truth of the Gospel and sealed it with their blood being most grievously persecuted and many thousands of them Martyred by the man of sin and his superstitious adherents and cruel instruments translated out of French by Sampson Lennard Canaans Calamity Jerusalems Misery and Englands Mirror The Doctrine of the Sabbath wherein these five things are contained First that the fourth Commandment is given to the Servant and not to the Master onely Secondly that the fourth Commandment is Moral Thirdly that our own light works as well as gainful and toylsome are forbidden on the Sabbath Fourthly that the Lords day is of Divine Institution Fiftly that the Sabbath was instituted from the beginning by Richard Byfield The light of Faith and way of holinesse shewing what to believe and for what to strive together earnestly contend and suffer for in this contending Age and how to live in all estates conditions and degrees of relation according to this faith Altare Christianum or the dead Vicars Plea wherein the Vicar of Gr. being dead yet speaketh and pleadeth out of Antiquity against him that hath broken down his Altar by John Pocklington Dr. D. Ashes General Tables to the Common Lawes of England being a compleat and large Dictionary thereof c. The Doctrine and Conversation of John Baptist delivered in a Sermon at a Visitation on John 5.35 by Henry Denne A Sermon in Commemoration of the Lady Danvers late wife of Sir John Danvers by Iohn Donne Dean of Pauls together with her son G. Herberts Commemorations of her A Meditation meet for a Christian every day or an Epitome of Promises for the Saints support in times of trouble The Hunting of the Fox an excellent discourse against flattery by Henry Hartflete Articles of Religion agreed upon by the Arch-Bishops Bishops and the rest of the Clergy of Ireland in the Convocation holden at Dublin 1615. Constitutions and Canons Ecclesiastical treated upon by the Arch-Bishops of Canterbury and York c. Hidden works of darkneknesse brought to Publick light or a necessary Introduction to the History of the Arch-Bishop of Canterburies tryal by William Prinne Esq The Book of Martyrs by Mr. Iohn Fox lately Printed in three Volumes in large Folio where unto is annexed certain additions of the like Persecutions which have happened in these latter times Psalterium Davidis Latino-Saxonicum vetus A Iohanne Spelmanno D. Hen. fil editum H. vetustissimo exemplari Ms. Bibliotheca ipsius Henrici cum tribus aliis non multo minus Vetustis Collatum 40. A Register or a General Almanack for every year containing an introduction to the knowledge of yearly Almanacks by J. Pont. M. Abbots holinesse of Christian Churches or a Sermon prepaced to be Preached at the Consecration of the Chappel of Sir Iohn Baker of Sussingherst at Cranbrook in Kent Baronet upon 1 Cor. 11.2 2. A taste of the truth as it is in Jesus consisting of ten Questions and Answers and a brief exposition upon the same together with ten General Directions how private Christians and Governers of Families are to serve God in all the parts of Gods worship The Reformed Spaniards or motives against Popery in French 12 o. Sir Ben. Rudyards speech for augmentations of Ministers Livings The Cure of hurtful Cares and Fears by Thomas Pierson on Phil. 4.6 with Mr. Christopher Harveys Conditions of Christianity or the terms on which Christ will be followed on Luk. 9.23 Samuel Hartlibs Legacy or an enlargement of the discourse of Husbandry used in Brabant and Flanders wherein are bequeathed to the Common-wealth of England more Outlandish and Domestick Experiences and Secrets in reference to universal Husbandry Antidotum Lincolniense or an answer to a book entituled the holy Table Name and Thing c. said to be written long ago by a Minister in Lincolnshire by Peter Heylin Mr. Harveys Synagogue in imitation of M. Herberts Temple An Explanation of those Principles of Christian Religion expressed and implyed in the Catechism of our Church of England set down in the book of Common Prayer useful for House-holders that desire heaven in earnest and are willing to discharge their duty in examination of their charge by William Crompton A Brief Treatise of Testaments and Wills very profitable to be understoood of all the subjects of this Realm of England desirious to know whether whereof and how they may make their testaments and by what means the same may be effected or hindred and no lesse acceptable as well for the rarenesse of the work as for the easiness of the stile and method Collected by Henry Swinburne sometimes Judge of the Prerogative Court at York The Bible of the last Translation in the Largest Volume that ever was Printed appointed to be used in all Churches The Bible in Folio of the Largest and fairest Roman Letter now Printed with the Concordance added to it Vindiciae Gratiae Potestatis ac providentiae Dei hoc est Libelli Perkinsiarii de predestinationis modo ordine institutum à Iacobo Arminio Responsio Scholastica III. Libris absoluta Authore Guilielmo Twisso D. D. The sum and substance of the Conference which it pleased his Majesty to have with the Lords Bishops and others of his Clergy concerning Religion contracted by William Barlow D. D. Cononel Robert Monro his Epeditions and Observations being an Abridgement of Exercise for the younger Souldier his better instruction ending with the Soudiers Meditations going in service Cyprianus de bono patientiae De Vnitate Ecclaesiae Collatus cum M. S. Oxoniensibus A Treatise of Love written by M. Iohn Rogers late of Dedham in Essex Run from Rome or a Treatise shewing the necessity of separating from the Church of Rome disputed in these terms every man is bound upon pain of Damnation to refuse the faith of the Church of Rome by Anthony Wotton B. D. Reformatio Legum Ecclesiasticarum ex Authoritate primum Regis Henrici 8. inchoata deinde per Regem Edvardum 6. provecta adductaque in hunc modum atque nunc ad pleniorem ipsarum Reformationem in Lucem edita Danica Literatura antiquissima Vulgò Gotica Dicta Luci Reddita operà Olai Wormii D. Medicinae in Academia Hasniensi profess P. cui accessit de priscâ Danorum Poesi dissertatio FINIS
of God melt within him for joy When he considereth the infinite love of God unto him in his election it maketh his heart to break within him and especially when he considereth it together with the rejection of others comparatively that he poyseth his salvation was so dear and precious to the Lord that the Lord preferred him before many thousands in the world equal to him and every way comparable and in his saving mercy vouchsafed to choose him to life and salvation and rejected others Oh this maketh the heart of a childe of God to break within him for joy Oh the comfort of this Doctrine is wonderful great to consider it arightly it stirreth up a child of God by all means possible to magnifie the great and unspeakable goodness of God and therefore the Doctrine of Reprobation is not to be kept secret but ought to be taught and published Again The Scripture saith unto Pharaoh for this purpose have I stirred or raised thee up That is as I shewed you in opening the words for this same purpose have I withheld my grace and hardened thy heart even in my just Judgment hardened thy rebellious heart and made thee not to profit by my messages sent unto thee by the mouth of my servant Moses and by my Plagues and Judgments Now Gods hardening of Pharaoh it was without question a manifest sign of Pharaohs Reprobation that Pharaoh was a Reprobate and a cast-away and that God hath rejected him for observe it and you shall never find in all the Scripture read it from the beginning to the end never shall you find Gods hardening applyed unto any in Scripture but unto Reprobates so then the observation hence is this Doctrine That God hardeneth Reprobates and none but reprobates are hardened by God As saving faith is proper to Gods elect and therefore called the faith of Gods elect in Titus 1.1 So Gods blinding and hardening are things proper and peculiar to the Reprobate and whomsoever God doth blind and harden by the malice of the devil out of all question those persons are in the state of Reprobation I meddle not now with the manner of Gods hardening for that belongeth to the next verse but onely I point out the subjects of Gods blinding and hardening and I say they onely are Reprobates and none but Reprobates are hardened of God And hence it is that we find in Scripture that it is said that God departed from and forsook some particular persons being Reprobates Indeed the Lord doth many times withdraw himself from his Chosen withdraw the light of his countenance from his best children but he doth never depart from them altogether never forsake them utterly Now we read in Scripture of some that God departed from finally in the 1 Sam. 18.12 it is said that the Lord departed from Saul and not onely forsook him but sent an evil spirit a Devil to torment him and gave him up to be tormented of his own vile lusts to anger and fear to envy and hatred to envy David And thus also we find God gave up the reprobate heathen unto their own hearts lusts in Rom. 1.21 God gave them up to their very hearts lusts and in the 26. verse he gave them up to vile affections and in the 28 verse he goeth a step farther he gave them up reprobate to minds to do things not comely And in the 2 Thess 2.10 the Apostle saith expresly that those persons whom Satan by Antichrist shall seduce and draw into errours by his lying wonders and signes who are they such as perish whose comeing saith the Apostle it is with the working of Satan and in all power of signes and lying wonders and in all powers of the Devil and shall deceive whom those that perish those that shall be damned those that shall be strongly deluded and drawn into the errour of Papisme Beloved I will not affirm all Papists shall perish I doubt not but God hath some of his chosen in Rome in Babylon in the chief seat of Antichrist as it is said in Revel 18.4 Come out of Babylon my people you that are there come out so that I will not say all that are seduced shall be destroyed but the living and vital members of Antichrist such as are relieved by him whom God hath given to be seduced and to be the peculiar limbs and members of the Devil and of Antichrist such as they are shall perish and utterly be destroyed in the 2 Corinth 4.3 4. If the Gospel be hid it is hid to them that perish to them that shall go into hell and be damned whom the god of this world the devil hath blinded their eyes that they should not see the glorious Gospel undoubtedly shewing that such that are blinded by Satan and are hardened by God and are given over to a Reprobate sense they are such that shall perish and be damned Reason 1 Because God never blindeth any but to this end that the truth of God to salvation might not be seen of them nor be acknowledged by them And God hardeneth not any but it is to this end to deprive them of all possibility of repentance to remove from them all possibility of amendment to this end the Lord doth blind that the means of salvation might not be seen and to this end the Lord doth harden that they might not have any amendment Esay 6.9 10. saith the Lord to his Prophet Go and say to this people you shall see and not perceive you shall hear and not understand but your hearts shall be hardened so this is the cause why the Lord doth blind and harden lest they should see and understand and so become righteous to salvation so that the Lord doth harden none but Reprobates and whosoever the Lord doth blind and harden by the malice of the devil undoubtedly they are in the state of reprobation First of all this being a truth it discovereth unto us the miserable and Vse 1 fearful estate and condition of all that are given over to blindnesse of mind and hardnesse of heart to do whatsoever their own hearts doth lead them unto without check or controlement they are under the heaviest hand and judgment of God that can possibly befall man in this world they are under such a hand of God that doth point out unto them to be reprobates Beloved many please themselves in this in that they are free from outward plagues and punishments they are neither sick nor sore but are well and wealthy not under any calamity in the world and yet they live under a heavy Judgment of God they are blind and hard-hearted and do every thing that their minds doth lead them unto and to follow their lusts they think it is happinesse whereas herein the hand of God is heavy upon them in this very particular in that God sitteth upon them in Judgment already he doth not stay till the Judgment day but now they are under the Judgment of God yea the heaviest Judgment