declare thy name unto my brethren in the middest of the Church will I sing praises unto thee Christ in the middest of the Church sings praise to God When people meet to praise God Christ praiseth him It is a mighty encouragement in praising God So in prayer when we meet to seek God Christ seeks him for he is at the right hand of the Father making continuall intercession for the Saints Christ himself joynes with them in the work that their prayers may be heard and answered Again it is the stile and title that God glories in to be a God hearing prayer therefore he will hear and answer Again prayer is the pouring forth of the spirit to God the spirit that is so be beautified with the graces of his own spirit now the pouring forth of such a precious spirit to God so beautified and principled with the graces of the holy Ghost certainly this cannot but be answered by God Indeed the Scripture saith of the heart of the wicked that it is little worth Let their heart be poured fourh God doth little mind or regard it but the heart of the righteous is much worth it is very precious before God therefore when their hearts are poured out and God sees the beauty and glory of his graces on them it is exceeding delightfull to him and such pouring out of their hearts are heard and answered If God have a bottle for all their tears he hath a bottle also for all their expressions and pouring out of their hearts in prayer Further the exceeding delight that God hath in his Saints must needs cause God to regard their calling unto him They are his darlings now there is no man that loves to deny a suit to any that he delights in Lastly it were not for the honour of God that his people should call unto him and not be answered nor receive that comfort they pray for It is reported of Titus though he were a heathen Emperour yet he would not that any man should go sad out of the presence of the Prince God accounts it an honour that none should go sad out of his presence Therefore those are called on to rejoyce that seek the Lord. Let the hearts of them rejoyce that seek the Lord Psalm 105.3 not onely let the heart of them rejoyce that find the Lord that obtain that they seek but those that seek the Lord while they are seeking should rejoyce in seeking him But now I will onely take away that great objection and reasoning that is in the hearts of many men against this point and then come to the application You tell us that the prayers of Gods people are not in vain But when they call unto him he will answer them and by Gods mercy now and then we have found some comfortable hearing from heaven but ordinarily we find it otherwise How many prayers have we put up to God and find not the issue we pray and pray and the enemies prevail though now and then God give us help Now for the taking away of all unbelieving reasonings against this point I will not go from the Text at this time Therefore the first answer is this You say you have sought God and have not what you would have and therefore God hath not answered when you have called Though perhaps this that you now say is something yet it makes not the text void Remember what hath been before heretofore you have sought God and God had answered your seekings remember the times of old let that for the present a little stay you It was that that stayed the Psalmist he began to reason as you do that he had sought God without answer Will the Lord cast off for ever and will he be favourable no more is his mercy clean gone for ever doth his promise fail for evermore c. Psalm 7 8. here seems to be as much unbelief as in your reasoning but mark what follows v. 10. And I said this is my death but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most high O it is my sinne and weaknesse that I should reason thus I consider not what to do when I reason thus but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most high vers 11. I will remember the works of the Lord sureâ—y I will remember the wonders of old v. 12. I will meditate also of all thy works and talk of thy doings Thy way O God is in the sanctuary who is so great a God as our God Thou art the God that doest wonders thou hast declared thy strength among the people v. 14. Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people the sons of Iacob and Ioseph v. 15 Mark at length he recovers himself with this though present things seem to go hard yet he remembred what God had done so do thou in this case In this book of Isaiah you have a complaint of unbelieving hearts as if God had been sought in vain Isa 40.27 Why sayest thou O Iacob and speakest O Israel my way is hid from the Lord and my judgement is passed over from my God Art thou one of the seed of Iacob and hast sought God and sayest thou hast had no answer God reasons the case and will confute their unbelief Hast thou not known hast thou not heard that the everlasting God the Lord the creator of the ends of the earth fainteth not neither is weary there is no searching of his understanding He giveth power to the faint to them that have no might he increaseth strength Even the youths shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fall v. 28 29 30 31. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as Eagles they shall run and not be weary and they shall walk not faint Hath not God done great things heretofore in 88. and in the powder plot and at other times and though we be in some streights remember what God did before This should appease your hearts what though thou have not present audience for the thing thou seekest yet think I deal with a God that hath an understanding that I cannot search God it may be lets the adversary prevail sometimes I cannot tell what glory God may get by it I cannot conceive how God can bring his own glory about when Israel flees before the Philistines But why sayest thou so O Iacob there is no searching of Gods understanding God sees further then thou canst see that thing that thou thinkest will make against his name may make for it therefore lay thine hand upon thine heart He giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might God stayes till men have no might till they faint and are ready to fail and then he comes and helps them That is the meaning of that Scripture in Luke where Christ saith God will avenge his elect that cry night and day to him though he tarry he will
some that lived in Samaria that were Samaritans that wrote to him to desire his favour that were not their own selves Iews but Samaritans and Iosephus saith they wrote to him in this stile To Antiochus c. Antiochus the mighty God they gave him this title of honour He was a great man on earth accounted where he lived among the Samaritans a mighty god yet the Scripture calls him a vile person And then his name Epiphanes which is as much as illustrious or glorious He hath that title of almighty god and illustrious and glorious and yet he was a vile person Thus it is where God sees not the work of grace The consideration of this might give us some hope that there will be a time wherein God will appear for his Saints It is not probable that God will alwayes suffer his Iewels to be trodden under feet in the world that God will alway look upon such as are excellent on earth and see them so abused in the world so contemptible as they are surely this will not be alwayes God hath this time to make it manifest to the world that they are the excellent of the earth They are now Iewels yet they are such as are in the dirt and so are despised contemned but there is a promise that the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people for they shall be as the stones of a crown lifted up as an ensign upon his Land Zach. 9.16 As the stones of a Crown God will lift them up and make them honourable And there is another Text which is very observable for every one to take notice of Gods intention to make these excellent ones famous on earth The governours of Iudah shall say in their heart The inhabitants of Ierusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hosts their God Zach. 12.5 There was a time when the governours of Iudah despised those that were gracious godly but God hath promised that the governours of Iudah shall be convinced of their errour and shall say in their hearts the inhabitants of Ierusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hosts their God However now through the calumnies of the world however now through the reproaches that are cast upon the Saints of God it falls out many time that even the governours of Iudah despise and contemne them and say they are seduced people that they are factious and turbulent and so their hearts are against them hate and abhorre them look upon them with such an evill eye as those that they name puritans yet there is a time promised when the governours of Iudah shall say in their hearts the inhabitants of Ierusalem are my strength in the Lord of hosts O ye inhabitants of Ierusalem Gods Church and people his sanctified ones for Ierusalem typified the estate of Gods people under the Gospell Gods sanctified ones under the Gospell shall be such as the governours of Iudah in their hearts shall say My strength is in them I see they are my best subjects my chief strength is in them and they are of principall use for me and my Kingdom is upheld in peace for them and there is the blessing of God on them they shall be my strength in the Lord of hosts their God Now I see God is their God God hears their prayers and hath done much for them we are convinced of it O this will be a blessed time when it shall be that the governours of Iudah shall say so Blessed be God that they do say so in any measure that the governours of Iudah say at all of the inhabitants of Ierusalem of the godly that their strength is in them that they may see those that are the excellent of the earth in any measure to be truly the excellent of the earth It were a ruefull spectacle and would draw tears of bloud to see the excellent ones to have that usage that they have had But now to see those excellent ones countenanced in a publick way especially in publick courts of Iustice it is glorious when the governours of Iudah shall do it And this we are to pray for that it may be more and more seen amongst us and to say no more let us learn to honour them that God hath honoured since they are excellent ones and God hath put excellency upon them do you so too look on them according as God esteems them It is observed that God in the time of the law did not require them to offer in sacrifice Lions and Eagles those brave creatures but Lambs and Doves mean creatures he would have offered in sacrifice So God doth not regard the brave spirits of the world that strut it out but if there be any that be gracious and godly though they he never so poor and mean as Lambs and Doves God honours and respects them they are a sacrifice to him the broken heart is a sacrifice to God The sacrâ—fices of God are a broken spirit a broken and a contrite heart O Lord thou wilt not despise Therefore when God would lift up himself in glory he saith He that dwells in the high and lofty place What of him he looks to those that are of humble and contrite hearts and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit As if there were no other subject in the world worth looking upon he looks onely to them As a thing that is before ones eye that he prizeth his eye is fastned on that so God looks on them as if they were the onely object to be looked at therefore let them be looked at by us with reverence in our hearts it is fit that we should honour those that God honours Therefore it is observed in the message of the King of Babylon to Hezekiah 2 Chron. 32.31 When Hezekiah was sick and God had given him a sign of his recovery that the sun did go backward It was a wondrous honour that God put on him that the sun should go backward The ambassadours of the king of Babylon came to congratulate with Hezekiah after his recovery but what was the businesse not onely to congratulate with him for his recovery but to enquire of the great miracle so the Text saith the ambassadours of the Prince of Babylon were sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land Why did they enquire of this wonder there were many wonders done but they were not sent to enquire of others but of this Because they worshipped the sun for their god and because their god had put such an honour upon Hezekiah they perceived the altering of the sun that it went backward and they enquired of the matter concerning the alteration in the sun and after enquiry there was news that it was for the sake of Hezekiah Now because they worshipped the Sun as their god and so apprehended that their god had put such an honour upon Hezekiah they honoured him
regard when he goes to his sport he may have a mean house to lodge in for a while but his pallace where he shews his Majestie and honour that is more glorious So the people of God and the Church is called the house of Gods honour it is not a mean house but a house of honour Further it is that house that he means to dwell in for ever he loves it so well This is my house I will dwell in it for ever I am so well pleased with it I will rest in it for ever Surely we have cause to rest our hearts in Gods people when God finds rest there and for ever It may be some of you are sometimes acquainted with the people of God at the first delight in them but your hearts being carnall you soon grow weary of them It is not so with God he delights in his people and rests there and rests there for ever But you will say how is God present with his Saints more then in other places why is God said to dwell among his people his Saints I answer in two regards God is said to dwell among his people in a speciall manner First because he makes himself known to his people more then to all the world besides There are none that know the counsell and mind of God so as his Saints do God is known in Iudah Psal 29.9 There God opens himself In his Temple every man speaks of his glory Secondly because God communicates himself most among his people God is said to be in heaven Why but because there he manifests his glory more then in other places therefore heaven is his habitation If that be his habitation where he manifests himself more then his people are his habitation because he manifests himself most there Secondly heaven is the place of Gods residence because he communicates himself most there then also Gods people are his residence he communicates himself there And he communicates himself to them in a speciall manner in four regards 1. He communicates to his people more choise mercies 2. He communicates mercies more fully 3. He communicates mercies more powerfully 4. More universally then to others 1. He communicates goodnesse among his people and Saints more choisely more choise mercies of God There is a remarkable place in the Psalmes The Lord that made heaven and earth blesse thee out of Zion Psalm 143. ult He saith not the Lord that made heaven and earth blesse thee either out of heaven or earth but out of Zion as nothing that the choise mercies that God hath to communicate are out of Zion among his people joyned together in the way of worship Would you desire that God should blesse you with the chief mercies that he hath look upon God as blessing out of Zion out of Zion God communicates his choisest mercies therefore it concerns all to be in Zion that they may have God to blesse them out of Zion there runs the sweetest of Gods mercies indeed in Zion Again God communicates his mercies more fully among his people then any other way Psalm 36.7 8. How excellent is thy loving kindnesse O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatnesse of thy house and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures They shall be abundantly satisfied how not with the creatures but with the fatnesse of thy house Neither with thy communication to them alone God hath abundance of mercies for his Saints alone but when they are among the Saints jointly together then they shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatnesse of his house and he shaâ—l make them drink of his rivers of pleasures While they are alone in corners they may have many sweet drops of pleasure from God but when they are joyned with the Saints there are rivers of pleasure and delight that come to their hearts therefore there is great delight to be had in the Saints of God when they are joyned together Thirdly he communicates them more powerfully mark in Psal 133.3 As the dew of Hermon and the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion for there the Lord commanded a blessing even life for ever more There was blessing the Lord commanded it there went a powerfull work of Gods grace upon the hearts of people there when they were joyned together in Zion there God commanded the blessing If you would have God speaking powerfully to command a blessing on your souls you must be among his people you must joyn in a holy fellowship with his people there God commands it In the last place more universally all the goodnesse of God is communicated among his people therefore the Church is called the perfection of beauty Psam 50. that some translate the universality of excellency and beauty There is a universality of all among the Church and people of God And in another place All my springs are in thee Psam 87. speaking of joyning with the people of God that is all my springs of truth that are revealed to me all the springs of comfort that I have communicated to my soul all the springs of grace that I have to quicken me they are all in thee in the joynt society and communion with Gods people I find all Thus we see the presence of God among his people in regard of the communication of himself to them and therefore what a great deal of cause there is to joy and delight in the Saints jointly together Again further there is abundance of cause to delight in them joyned together in regard of their admirable priviledges as they are joyned together They have priviledges as they are alone but as they are joyned they have committed to them the oracles of God Rom. 3.2 all the ordinances by which God conveyes himself To them are committed the seal of the covenant you cannot singly have the seal of the covenant but joyned with the people of God closing with them To them is committed the very power of Iesus Christ saith the Apostle When ye are together with the power of Iesus Christ 1 Cor. 5.4 a glorious priviledge Yea further take this one thing they are inheritours to all the promises that ever God made to the Church from the beginning of the world There is no society of Saints that joyn in Christian fellowship but they are so See a remarkable place for that in Isa 54.17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousness is of me saith the LORD That promise that God made to the Churches before this is their heritage And conceive of this one now that is of great use that all that is said in Scripture concerning Gods delight to be among his people and in Zion all were but to type out the excellent