earthly neither as being neither of the Flesh nor of the Faith of Abraham with whom God entred Covenant 4. Without any hope from the Promise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not having the hope of the Promise or not having hope of peace and reconcilement with God as being ignorant of the promised seed in the first or any following Promise 5. Nay without Christ without any saving Interest in Christ or knowledge of Christ untill the Gospel came amongst you for what could your great Goddess Diana make known unto you of God manifested in the flesh yea 6. and Lastly Remember ye were without God in the world ye were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ye lived like and were Atheists in the world as 't is said of the poor brasileans at this day that they are sine fide sine Rege sine lege without common Faith or honesty without a King without a Law either to punish or protect them So was it with heathen Ephesus and thus also with our Pagan Predecessors Let me then be thy faithfull Remembrancer O England to put thee in minde what thy primitive and first estate was See thy face in this Ephesian glass what Ephesus was England was in each of these particulars but now how hath the Lord exalted thy horn and brought thy people near unto himself Psal 148. ver 14. nay may I not apply that of Israel to thee Deut. 4. ver 7. What Nation is there so great that hath God so nigh unto them as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for Oh that England would remember how it was and how it is how it was in Pagan in Popish and Prelatical times and how it is now as to Liberty as to Purity as to Protection and as to Countenance in all the good wayes of God Sure there would be better bloud better spirits better dispositions and better carriages in those that are true and genuine English towards God his wayes and people then now there are if former times were oftener thought upon and O that all the Saints would much and often reflect upon what they were compared with what they are in a spiritual and Gospel account that you would remember often what you were and how nigh unto the pit and place of silence when recovering grace first took hold upon you Consider that misery in which we were all involved through the first Transgression under which we might truly speak the words of my Text Vnless the Lord had been our help our soules had everlastingly dwelt in silence And that I may the more provoke mine own heart and others to a due and to a thankfull acknowledgment of that rich and singular grace I shall enforce it with these three Considerations 1 Consider The danger we were all exposed unto by the breach of the first Covenant 2. Consider What sad distractions the sence of this danger brought forth in our soules at our first awakening 3. Consider How unexspected and how welcome grace and mercy were then unto us under all our sad fears and horrours Consideration 1. For the First Work home upon your hearts a right sence of the danger we all were exposed unto by the breach of the first Covenant Note which I shall exemplifie in these words That man by nature is borne within an hairs breadth of Hell upon the very brink of the pit so that except Divine Grace had contributed saving help unto him by Jesus Christ he would have tumbled from the womb into hell Nothing but grace free grace mere grace and rich Grace hath preserved man from sliding into the bottomless pit From nature to grace and from grace unto glory is lost man's journey home again The journey is long and man's leggs are weak and not able to go it Mr. Lokier in Coll. 1.13 p. 18. and therefore God doth bear him from the one to the other and transferre him all along Observe the road You will finde none going that way but in Christs armes It is with man in an estate of nature as with an Infant in swathing bands laid upon the sharp ridge of an high building or upon the edge of a steep precipice who without some hand to stay it would soon roul down and dash it self in peices The Holy Ghost takes this resemblance of an Infant Ezek. 16. to set forth the helplesness of man in his lapsed estate That he was cast forth in the day he was born no eye pitying of him that when he lay in his bloud c. the love of the Lord was manifested who out of pure love and mere good will spread the skirt of his garment over him and said unto him Live The Apostle Paul doth excellently comment upon this Text in Rom. Chap. 5. Ver. 6. where he sayes when we were yet without strength Christ died for us How fitly doth this comport with a new born Infant who hath neither strength to work nor power to secure its own life from eminent and approaching danger The word signifying weak or strengthless and wherefore did Christ die for strengthless sinners what moved the Lord Jesus to receive that dreadfull charge of wrath from God and man The just to suffer for the unjust why when they lay in their bloud their time was a time of love from the Eternal Father Vers 8. God commendeth his love unto us in that whilest we were sinners Christ died for us Jesus Christ came upon the Errand of his Fathers love that cup which his Father put into his hand to drink was brimmed up with his love to sinners Bernard Oh! Ama amorem illius Love that love of his and never leave meditating thereon donec totus fixus in corde qui totus fixus in cruce Until whole Christ be fixed in your hearts who was fastened on the Cross But if you ask as some proud Justiciaries have done What needed all this affection in the Father and all this affliction on the Son I answer The necessity of sinfull man required all this to keep him out of Hell I. Reasons Reason Because man in his naturall capacity is under the first Covenant as he hath his standing in the first Adam Now Rom. 3. ver 20. The Apostle speaketh plainly that by the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified in the sight of God not they who were Jews by nature no more then they who are sinners of the Gentiles Gal. 2. ver 15 16. and Gal. 3. vers 10 He concludes positively as many as are of the works of the Law are under the Curse confirming this Thesis with a double Reason 1. Because Every one that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them is cursed for which Assertion he quoteth Deut. 27.26 Here 's an Obligation of Individualls to Individualls every person is obliged to every precept yea to continue in the doing of them the word signifying to stand firme like a foursquared stone in a building
to faith to thankfulness c. in every mercy as in afflictions so in preservations the Lords voyce cryeth and the men of wisdome see his name they see and own God in this and that dispensation and hear the rod yea and hear the staffe too and take notice both who and wherefore he hath appointed it what the intendments of God are in such or such a providence otherwise the fruit yea and comforts of both are lost We must not behave our selves like children who when they perceive the hearts of their parents run out in a great deal of tenderness towards them take liberry from thence to play the wantons or Absolom like to act rebellion against them such a frame is very unsuitable to such dispensations and no wayes answering the intendments of the Father of mercies how ill the Lord resents this carriage is evident in many Scriptures See that Deut. 32. vers 10. He found him i.e. Israel in the wilderness he kept him as the apple of his eye I but vers 15. Jeshurum waxed fat and kicked as a wanton colt that is high fed and lusty turneth his heels upon his own damn so played Israel with the Lord his Maker God calleth him Jeshurum from Jashur rectitude or uprightness as expecting this from every true Israelite especially under such engaging providences but in what a cross way doth Israel walk how doth he turn the heels upon God both by murmuring Idolatry and manifold disobediences what then doth God take it well no vers 19. When the Lord saw it he abhorred them because of the provoking of his sons and daughters Oh! to be sons and daughters near and dear to the most high God under eminent discoveries of divine favour and yet kick this provokes unto great wrath read and inlarge this Scripture in your own thoughts God cannot indure to be slighted in his mercies and to be evil-intreated for his good will Oh! such returns are grapes of gall and bitter clusters they are laid up in store with him and sealed up amongst his treasures God bears them in minde they stick with him So Jer. 2. vers 6. They said not Where is the Lord that brought us up out of the land of Egypt that led us through the wilderness through a land of desarts and of pits through a land of drought and of the shadow of death through a land that no man passed through an where no man dwelt They did not own God in these various and choice providences when their own turnes were served and they were quietly possessed of a land flowing with milk and honey they did not at all ask after God nor make mention of him he was grown a meer stranger in Israel all these acts of kindness had no work upon their hearts to fix them in the good wayes of God but they went far from God they ran after this and that Idol and changed their glory into that which did not profit Oh England see thine own face in this glass How do we run from errour to errour how do we set up our opinions as so many Idols to worship yea how have we turned our glory truth and holiness and the good old Puritan-zeal and sincerity which was our glory into disputes and wranglings anger and animosities which do not profit But to go on how doth the Lord take this why vers 9. he tells them he will plead with them commence a suit and lay his action in his high Court of Justice against them yea with their childrens children will he plead Oh it is very sad let us apply it the children yet unborn may rue their fathers wantonness of spirit it may make our preservations but reservations beleeve it friends God will not take this at our hands no more than at Israels he is not so prodigal of his mercies as to spend them alwayes on such unworthy persons Minde that Josh 24. vers 20. If yee forsake the Lord and serve strange gods then will be turn and do you hurt after he hath done you good he will turn the very mouthes of his Cannons against you Oh that England would lay this to heatt and all the faithful of the land had that text as a constant Remembrancer before their eyes both upon a personal and national account Jude vers 5. I will therefore put you in remembrance though you once knew this how that the Lord having saved the people out of Egypt afterward destroyed them that beleeved not The reason why the Apostle layeth down the example of Gods Justice upon the Israelites after he had fetched them out of Egypt by a deliverance so full of wonders you finde mentioned vers 4. becausesome men under profession Gods ancient judgements were ordained to be our warnings and examples for answerable practises make us partakers of their guilt and therefore involve us in their punishment See Mr. Manton in Iude p. 241.242 had turned the grace of God into wantonness translating it from its proper end by arguing from mercy to liberty which is the Devils Logick when as the right method is to argue from mercy to duty Oh let this be a seasonable word to all the Lords people what greater deliverance than that of Israel out of Egypt yet being abused by them their carkasses fell in the wilderness Joshua and Caleb onely excepted and what greater deliverances have many ages brought forth then these of ours yet how have we abused them how sadly may we fear that as England hath paralleld Israel in murmuring unthankfulness impenitency lustings and wantonness of spirit which are strange abuses of such glorious mercies so it may fare with us the men of this generation as it did with Israel some few Joshua's and Calebs onely excepted who follow the Lord fully I know this is much and sadly upon the spirits of some gracious ones who being mourners for these things are the marked ones of the Lord. I shall shut up this Use with two Scriptures the one of a national and the other of a personal reference Ez. 9. vers 13.14 it is that holy mans acknowledgement before the Lord in prayer After thou O God hast given us such a deliverance as this should we again break thy Commondements and joyn in affinity with the people of these abominations Mark that and apply it to the times that are lately past wouldest thou not be angry with us until thou hadst consumed us so that there should be no remnant nor escaping In all the judgements wherewith God threatens his own people he ever promiseth a remnant shall be reserved but here such a sense of the greatness and provoking nature of sin wa upon this good mans spirit committed and continued in and after such a signal deliverance that God would go beyond all presidences and comminations even in the utter extirpation of them so that there should be no escaping No not for a remnant A sad storm after so sereno a calm a dreadful doomesday after so elear
heart-deadness neglect of Family-discipline and that Formality even amongst Professours and Christians of long standing they would not sit down in such a lazie Profession and tolerate that Ignorance that profaneness and those abuses in their Families and Towns if they were throughly awakened by a due collection and serious communication of experienced mercies how often and how signal their deliverances have been from the jaws of death Oh receive in love this word of exhortation from an unworthy hand and the Lord set it home upon your hearts 2. I come now to the pure spiritual part of the exhortation Are the appearances of the Lord eminent and immediate for the help of his people in their greatest straights have you experienced this can you set your seal to this truth hath the Lord engaged for your help and brought you off with safety and comfort when you were under the greatest hazards then make a good use of such mercies and take my advice in these following particulars 1. Make a serious and speedy enquiry whether you are brought of from sin and wrath by Jesus Christ and what have been the methods of God toward you in your spiritual deliverance 2. Quicken up your selves to duty in all your deadness and damps of spirit 3. Be much in the sence and meditation of grace received keep up the consideration thereof To the first Improve your temporal preservatious by way of inquiry after your spiritual safety whether the Lord who hath made bare his Arm in signal deliverances for the life of your bodies hath also stretched forth the right arm of grace for the life of your souls and how the Lord hath methodized the ways of his grace unto you make these two particulars the matter of your great enquest 1. Put this question unto your souls and be serious in it as a matter of most concerning and everlasting import I shall speak now to single persons and therefore shall direct the enquiry to the Reader as though he was that very person I wrote this unto and for Say to thy soul Man The Lord hath often fercht me off from temporal dangers But O hath the Lord wrought that great deliverance for my soul Am I brought off from a state of nature by renewing grace Am I delivered from the bondage of fin and corruption by redeeming grace Am I brought back from spiritual Babylon by restoring grace Am I ransomed from under the power of Satan by victorious grace God hath given me life from the dead for my body but have I life from the dead for my soul also Oh! what will all these temporal deliverances avail me If I have not deliverance from wrath to come by Jesus Christ What advantage will it be unto me that I have often been kept out of the grave if when I dye I drop into hell What comfort will it be to me at a dying hour that God hath saved me out of six troubles yea out of seven if I shall then have no assurance of eternal salvation but rather perplexing fears of perishing everlastingly what was it for Cham to be preserved in the Ark when an overflowing deluge swallowed up the whole world of the ungodly seeing afterward he lived and dyed and lay under the curse of God to eternity or for rebellious Israel to be brought by so many miracles out of Egypt and yet entered not through unbelief into the land of rest Do not therefore hastily conclude from thy temporal salvations that thou shalt be eternally saved for that is unsafe but rather take occasion from thy temporal to enquire into thy everlasting safety let this put thee upon a strict and narrow scrutiny The Apostle urgeth this 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your own selves whether you be in the faith prove your selves know ye not your own selves that Jesus Christ is in you except you be reprobates The first word in the proper signification implies a piercing through timber 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that tryal may be made what it is within whether sound or rotten or the piercing of a vessel that the Vintner may taste the wine and try the goodness of it thus Chrians must pierce through and through their hearts that they may know the soundness of them Men have a plausible profession yet but rotten hearts men may think their estate to be very good when it is starke naught and conclude they are brought over to God when they are still in the divels quarters therefore the Apostles advice is to try and to do it exactly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The divel is called the tempter because he goes through stitch with his work and tryes to purpose he perforates and pierceth through the heart and if there be any unmortified corruption or unsoundness there he will be sure to finde it out nay as though one word was not enough in a business of so great import the Apostle adds prove 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which refers to that trial which Goldsmiths make of their mettal that they may not put a cheat upon themselves And here the exhortation is doubled that the duty might be more enforced as being a most needful but a much neglected duty Hence as Zeph. 2.1 The Prophets says Excutite vos iterumque excutite vos Fan your selves yea fan your selves so the Apostle doubles his charge Examine your selves yea prove your selves as if he had said make it much the matter of your enquiry whether ye be in the faith whether Jesus Christ be in you otherwise notwithstanding all your gilded profession 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and form of godliness ye will be laid aside as counterfeit coin yea cast of as reprobate silver at the great day of tryal when the Lord will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and make manifest the councels of all hearts 1 Cor. 4.5 and though your deliverances have been never so remarkable your preservations never so admirable as to thy temporal safety yet thou wilt be a cast-away and perish everlastingly if thou be not in the faith Christ be not in thee Oh then enquire into thy spiritual estate and labor to evidence the truth and life of grace in thy soul that as thou knowest and ownest deliverances from such and such dangers so thou mayest with safety conclude thy deliverance from wrath to come by Jesus Christ this wil sweeten all the providences of God unto thee this will make the remembrance of forepast deliverances pleasant unto thee Num. 13.23 and will be as the grapes of Eshcol upon which thy soul will feed with delight as Mat. 26.29 having some rellish of that wine which thou shalt drink new to eternity with Jesus Christ in the Kingdom of his Father But when thou speakest or meditatest how and how often and in what cases of imminent danger the Lord hath preserved thee and then for want of a through tryal of thy spiritual estate thou beest in doubt what will become of thee to eternity then
and evidence of divine truth propugned and asserted it in these times of great opposition and also thankfully acknowledg the integrity and faithfulness of the Civil and Supream power which hath been as a covering Cherub to the godly Ministery notwithstanding the many temptations which have been upon them to the contrary so as a suitable return both to God and good men I make it my humble proposal to my reverend brethren of the Ministery that they would strengthen the hands of the Lords people and by encouraging Arguments quicken them up to lay out themselves in their several capacities and in a wise improvement in their several advantages to win over sinners unto God If Eldad and Medad prophesie in the camp why should Joshua dislike it my Lord Moses forbid them Numb 11. ver 25 26. If the Christians of our respective Congregations should keep up private communion amongst themselves at due times and in due order or if sober and experienced Christians should minister words of advice and exhortation to their carnal neighbours provided they do it out of right principles to right ends and in a a due manner would it not hear ill if we should cry to my Lord Mâ—ses to forbid them rather let us say Would God that all the Lords people were Prophets Ver. 29. and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them that they may receive abilities from God to minister unto others That God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 4. ver 12. O then my dear Christian brethren rise up in the name and might of our Lord Jesus Christ seek the eternal welfare of your carnall neighbours I will not enlarge upon directions for the right management of this great duty onely entreat you that with modesty and Christian sobriety you would observe the boundaries that the Lord himself hath set betwixt a called Ministery and a Christian Laity that in your undertaking of this great charge you would be much and earnest in your addresses unto God and be faithfull in discoursing over experienced mercies from God If you meet with sinners that are hardened in their wayes obstinate wilfull and sermon-proof tell them so it was with you I doubt not it hath been some of your cases but when the Lord came in upon you by the thorow convictions of his Spirit he awakened your consciences to such a sight of sin and sence of wrath filled your soules with such terrours from the Law and softened your hearts with such a shower of Gospel grace that you were immediately humbled broken and brought in you threw down your weapons begg'd a parly and submitted to the Lord Jesus You found such a strange and secret work upon your hearts that you cryed out with Saul Lord what wilt thou have me to do Acts 9. ver 6. and Ephraim-like Though you had been as a young bullock unaccustomed to the yoke yet now the Lord hath turned you and you are turned Jer. 31. ver 18. and tell them thus it will be with them if ever they have a conviction unto Conversion God will break their stomachs soften their iron sinews subdue their Gospel-enmity and give them a spirit of holy compliance with his blessed wayes and will and that God can bring forth this work in their hearts though obstinate and obdurate as well as he hath brought it forth upon yours and then they will be of another mind however at present they stand it out with that boldness and daringness of spirit against Law and Gospel If you meet with sinners whom the arrows of the Lord have wounded his Spirit hath throughly awakened and his Word hath filled with such sad apprehensions of sin and wrath that they cry out with them Acts 2. vers 37. Men and brethren what shall we do or with the Jaylour Acts 16. v. 30. Sirs what must I do to be saved tell them this was your case tell what methods of mercy the Lord used to the healing up of your wounds and to the quieting of your consciences that so they may be encouraged to the use of Gospel-means and to an hope of the same grace and goodness of the Lord towards them If you meet with as you will with many proud presumptuous Formalists that fill their sails with vain hopes of Salvation without any saving change wrought upon them without any inward principles of life light planted in them or without any lively Acts of Faith Repentance Self-denial Mortification c. put forth by them tell them this was your case you had the same perswasions you were such foolish Virgins and that then you thought your penny as good silver for heaven as the best deriding the precise Puritan and scoffing at the power of Godliness but when the Lord opened your eyes and shined into your soules with a beam of saving light you soon discovered your Errour how you had built upon the sand that your Infant-baptisme was but sand your outward Priviledges were but sand your Formal Profession was but sand yea all you built upon was but sand so that had death and Judgment like windes and waves forcibly beat upon your house it would certainly have fallen and you had been ruined to all eternity but now you have digged deep and laid your foundation sure upon a rock you have built upon a new foundation for heaven now you finde a new creation wrought in you now you mourn over those sins which formerly you made your selves merry with now you contest against those lusts which formerly you cherished now you are broken off from those lewd Companions with whom you were formerly bound up in wayes of sin now you act faith upon Jesus Christ for the pardon of sins rejoyce in him and have no confidence in the flesh Phil. 3. ver 3. Now you are convinced that grace is the onely way to glory and that without holiness no man shall see God Heb. 12. ver 14. you now owne Religion in all the duties of it love the Ordinances which formerly you loathed delight in the society of the Saints which formerly you derided maintain communion with God in the Spirit which formerly you mocked at and that now The God of hope hath filled you with peace and joy through believing Rom. 15. ver 13. and you find Christ in you the hope of glory Col. 1. ver 27. Pursue this method as the Lord puts opportunities into your hands and as you meet with new cases suit your experiences according to what you have been and now are and I doubt not you will finde encouraging success for though I honour the word I hope as much as any as having the greatest authority upon the consciences of men and as being the great instrument of new birth especially when it is faithfully dispensed by faithfull messengers Jesus Christ giving a clear proof of his speaking in them 2 Cor. 13. ver 3. yet certainly Christians as such though they do not invade the ministerial Office
being mainly intended for them 1. Be frequent in your reveiws of those feared dangers and fretting distempers those painful sicknesses and perplexing sorrows from which the good Hand of God has fetcht you gather up your dangers and deliverances your pressures and preservations how the Lord has granted you life and favour life with the comforts of it to make it sweet and desireable Iob 10.12 and his visitation has preserved your spirit has secured your lives in the midst of many dangers which surely have been many from infancy to gray hairs that so you may visite him in duty who hath so often visited you in mercy there are frequent visites past betwixt friends God is your best friend account that day lost wherein you do not visit him and keep up sweet communion with him It was a gallant speech of a brave man Marquess of Vico. accursed be that man who values the wealth of the world worth one daies communion with God Psal 34.2 4. and act up unto David's pattern I will bless the Lord at all times c. I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me out of all my feares which were many and lay hard upon him when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech and acted the part of a mad man which so sober a person as David would not have done had not his fears been strong and his faith weak 2. Get your Spirits tinctured with a deep sense of that darkness which was upon you when day first broke upon your souls what desperate courses you were engaged in and out of what company the Lord pluckt you with whom ye were folded as thornes before conversion own the conduct of that providence whereby you have been led from Beth-haven to Beth-El from profane places and societies into such families such fellowships and Congregations where Religion has been owned family-duties carefully observed Sabbath-strictnes advanced the Word spiritually dispensed and holiness has been contended for whereby a saveving change has been brought forth in you or you have been more built up in faith and holiness Let the consideration of what you are compared with what you have been be much upon your spirits that you may with thankfulness adore the riches of that mercy by which you have been differenced as to present grace and hope of future glory from the profane world 3. Keep up your first love to Christ and your first hatred to sin Yonge converts have usually strong affections Those sinnes which have been Peccata in deliciis which have had most of the heart are most upon the conscience most in the confession most in the holy mournings and are most the abhorency of new Converts Again such is their sense of differencing mercy that they are all Love to God and all Zeal for his glory Apoc. 2.2 3. Mihi sane Auxentius nunquam aliud quam diabolus erit quia Arrianus Hilar. you may read this in the gallantrie of the Ephesians spirit I know thy works and thy labour and thy patience and how thou canst not bear them which are evil either passions in thy soul or persons in thy society c. a high strain of Love the stream must needs be strong that turns all these wheeles it argues a great force of affection to draw out the soul into all these noble actings for Christ but as a well-kindled fire abates in heat and light as the fuel wastes or as a passionate lover remits of that violent affection when the person beloved has been some time enjoyed So it fareth with these Ephesian Christians they left their first love the love of their Espousals and so became Aphesis Mr. Trap. n loc remiss and careless possest with a spirit of sloth and indevotion O let not this charg be drawn up against us that the candlestick may not be remooved from us What attempts have been made to un-church un-sabboth and un-gospel us and how signally the Lord has appeared for us you know O remember that strength of zeal that warmth of spirit that height of love to God his truth waies and people those sighings prayings fastings fightings c. that were amongst us when the yoak was loosned from our necks and when a doore was first opened unto us for Religion and Reformation in the long Parliament Labour therefore to keep up your first abhorency of sin and your first affection to Jesus Christ 4. Cherish an high esteem of Gospel-ordinances Remember how pretious the word was then unto you when visions were scarce how you blessed God for it and rejoyced in it when you ran to and fro to find it how your feet stood in the house of the Lord and you flew as Doves to their windows swiftly and in flocks when Pulpits began to be filled with zealous spiritual and conscientious Preachers O let not this Manna lose any of it's sweetness upon your tastes now that you have it in so much peace and plenty Bread if wanting is called for though the table be heaped with dishes The word is bread to all creature-comforts 't is that which makes them noble and nourishing O then be often in the galleries with the King Cant. 7.5 drink deep of his spiced wine feed freely of those dainties which are prepared and served out by the Eternal Spirit When you here a Sermon-bell think you hear a voice from heaven calling you in the words of Divine Herbert Come hither all whose taste Is your waste Save your cost and mend your fare God is here prepar'd and drest And the feast God in whom all dainties are You know and lament the negligence of some and the wantonness of others thin Congregations and empty seats is not the complaint of a simple Minister 1 Pet. 2.2 Still desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby Do not wean your selves from the breast whilst you are in a growing estate and never think you are past growth Ephes 4 13. until you be come to a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ which state of perfection Scripture and your own experience duly consulted with will tell you is not attainable on this side Heaven 5. Maintain an evangelical brotherly love amongst your selves Love is the greate Gospel Soder and Cement a characteristical note of Christ's Disciples without which the highest pretence to piety and profession is under censure by the Holy Ghost Iac. 3.14 15 16. O how did Christians cling together in times of trouble What friendly entertainment did Saints find in the hearts and houses each of other when they were forced from their dwellings by an enraged enemy how did the old Primitive and puritane love begin to spring up and flourish in England And now that we have no enemy to quarrel with will you needs quarrel one with another What an unsuitable return is this unto the God of Peace for his astonishing mercies and preservations Ah friends well
place where he lives 206 The Saints are the best neighbours 207 1. In communicating to the outward wants of the poor ibid. 2. In procuring the blessings of God upon the Families and places where they live ibid. 3. In diverting or delaying of Judgements impending 208 4. In lengthening out the day of Gods Patience to the prophane world 209 5. In promoting the Conversion of their carnall neighbours 210 Considerations to stirr up Saints to endeavour the Conversion of sinners 211 112 213 214 Consid 1. It is a matter of great well-pleasingness unto God 215 Consid 2. It is an honour to Jesus Christ 216 Consid 3. The Providences of God which have gone over the Nation ib. 217 Consid 4. That we ought to do unto others what we would have others do unto us 218 219 Consid 5. That what your carnal neighbours are you were 220 Consid 6. That it is a piece of good friendship to your selves 221 1. It is an high point of spiritual good husbandry ibid. 2. It makes much for your personall safety ibid. 3. It makes much for your personall comfort 222 4. It layes a good foundation for posterity 223 224 5. It hath a tendency towards your everlasting comfort 225 Prov. 7.30 compared with Dan. 123. 126. Six positions laid down 127 Consid 7. That bad men are very active and industrious to gain over others to their bad Principles and worse Practises 229 Proverbs 1.10 11. opened in some particulars 129 230 231 The 4Vse by way of comfort and encouragement in 4 cases 1. When Church-affairs do meet with a dark and gloomy day 232 233 234 2. When the Saints are under sufferings for the name and in the cause of Christ. 235 236 Some further grounds of comfort offered 237 1. That God will stand by you in the day of your suffering because your sufferings are upon you for God ibid. 2. That the spirits of all the faithfull will be up in prayer for you 238 239 3. That God doth many times so moderate and allay the fury of men that it extends not to the taking away of life 241 242 4. That your death will be life from the dead to others in a spirituall sense 243 244 245 246 5. That 't is an honourable advancement to be singled out by Christ to suffer for him 247 248 3. When you are under sore and sharp temptations from the wicked one 249 250 1 Cor. 1.30 opened 251 252 253 254 4. When you are under castings down from a fear of your eternall welfare 255 256 The last Vse of Reproof 1. The profane and carnal world are reproved in 3 Particulars 257 1. For their uncharitable censuring of suffering Saints ibid. 2. For their unjust charge of hypocrisie upon them 258 Job 8.6 7. opened 259 260 3. For that definitive sentence which they pass upon suffering Saints as though they were cast of by God 261 Isa 49.14 opened 262 Jer. 37.20 opened 263 2. This reproves those who strengthen themselves with the arme of flesh and lean upon the creature when afflictions overtake them 264 265 3. This reprooves those who will not wait the Lords time but discover Impaciency if helps come not at their own time 266 The evil fruits of impaciency 267 1. Vnbelief 268 2. Discontented murmurings ibid. 3. Vse of unlawfull means 269 Psalme 78.41 opened ibid. 4. This drawes up a charge against those that retain not a remembrance of the great mercies of God toward them neither give him the glory of them 270 Hosea 13.5 6. opened 271 5. Those are reproved who do not live up to the signal preservation they have received from the Lord. 272 273 274. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 OLD JACOB's ALTAR newly Repaired OR THE SAINTS TRIANGLE of Dangers Deliverances and Duties Text PSALM 94. vers 17. Vnless the Lord had been my help my soul had almost or quickly dwelt in silence THis Book of the Psalmes hath been honoured and that deservedly with high Commendations by the Antients being termed The Soul's Anatomy The Law 's Epitomie The Gospel's Index a little Bible The Summary of both the Testaments being alledged or aliuded to eighty four times or thereabouts in the New Testament as one observeth A sweet Field and Rosary of Promises Precepts Predictions Praises Soliloquies c. A Physick Garden richly furnished with all sorts of healing plants and Medicinal herbs suited to all the Spiritual distempers frail man is incident unto The holy Pen-man being a person of choice spirit and of large experiences meeteth with all the conditions of all the Saints in their state of militancy so that out of them as out of a Storehouse every Saint may meet with rich supply suting his respective condition and his addresses to God still finding much of his own estate in some Psalme or other as though the spirit of God spake de se in re sua of him and in his particular case As Athanasius observeth containing the Characters and Representations of his thoughts meditations affections and workings of spirit towards God towards man towards himself throughout all the changes of his Pilgrimage An Epitomy of the Bible or a little Bible as Luther calls it in this present world The Apostle James Chap. 5. ver 13. gives this general advice Is any afflicted let him pray Is any merry let him sing Psalmes Lo here is the bread of mourners for sad spirits and here is the oyl of gladness for merry hearts here are healing potions for all heart distempers and cordial waters for all sinking spirits yea choice experiences to strengthen fainting soules in the day of their distress more pleasant then the pooles of Heshbon more glorious then the Tower of Lebanon more redolent then the oyl of Aaron and more fructifying then the dew of Hermon as one expresseth it and amongst many Psalmes though this hath not the Title Michtam of David affixed to it to wit A golden Psalme or David's precious jewel yet it is as the first borne among many brethren from a very small Parcel whereof viz. vers 17. we may consider a double acknowledgment 1. Of imminent danger set forth 1. By the nearness of it 2. By the greatness of it 2. Of eminent Deliverance in two considerable Circumstances 1. The reasonableness of Help 2. The sufficiencie of Help Which Considerations will appear to be very genuine and to be the plain meaning of the Prophet if we take the Text in pieces and examine each word apart 1. Except the Lord or if the Lord had not stood by me and appeared in the very nick of time this implieth the seasonableness of help the Lord usually reserving his hand for a dead lift as that passage Psal 124. vers 1 2 3. If it had not been the Lord who was on our side now may Israel say if it had not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us then they had swallowed us up quick the word is used Psal 119.
vers 92. Vnless thy Law had been my delight I should then have perished in my affliction which was the Lantgrave of Hessen's support Melancthon reporteth that he told him at Dresda That it had been impossible for him to have borne up under the manifold miseries of his so long imprisonment nisi habuisset consolationem ex verbo divino in corde suo If the Word of God had not brought in consolation into his heart Joh. Manl. loc comm pag. 139. alledged by Mr. Trap. in Psal 119.92 2. Had been my help the word signifieth not onely Help but summum plenum auxilium an helpfulness or full help the Hebrew hath a letter more then ordinarie to encrease the signification as learned Mr. Leigh observeth There is the sufficiency of help 3. My soul i. e. my life the word in the Heb. being often translated life of which the soul is the spring and fountain as Job 2. vers 6. The Lord saith unto Sathan Behold he is in thine hand but save his life I give thee full commission against the body of my righteous servant Job to fill it with diseases and distempers as he did it to purpose but not to take away his life This argueth the greatness of David's danger his Life had dwelt in silence that is his life had been gone and his dead corps had been laid in the grave as Psal 115. vers 17. The dead praise not thee neither any that go down into silence Hence the Latines call dead men Silentes silent ones 4. Welnigh or almost The word signifieth A little space of time or place as if he had said so near was I unto death that there was but a minute or hair's breadth betwixt me and it a parralel place though upon a spiritual account you have Prov. 5. vers 14. I was almost in all evil quasi parum or parum abfuit quin or with in a little of all evil This sheweth the nearness of the danger so that the Psalmist speaketh after this sort If the Lord had not seasonably and fully appeared to my help so great and unavoidable was the danger I was just dropping into I had been a dead man and my dwelling had been in the quiet and tenebrous cloysters of death The Text thus opened presenteth you with these three Observations I. Obser ∣ vation 1 That the saints Exodus to heaven is through a red sea and a wilderness II. Obs 2 That the people of God are sometimes cast upon such streights that seem to cut off all means of relief from them III. Obs 3 That the appearances of God are eminent and immediate to the rescue of his people in their greatest streights I shall speak to the two first but sparingly and be more copious and enlarged on the last the prosecution whereof is mainly intended And take up the former in the Applicatory part of this Doctrine That the Saints of God do meet with many dangers Doctrine 3 and much adversity in this life Their Exodus to heaven is through a red Sea and a wilderness Psal 34. ver 19. Many are the troubles of the righteous The Account of their sufferings riseth very high the gross summ of their affliction is very great Isa 43. vers 2. they must pass to their Land of rest through fire and through water Acts 14. v. 22. We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdome of God Malcolm Plana via ad patriam coelestem est crux The readie way to heaven is the Cross-way If there be any way to heaven on horse-back Mr. Bradford surely this is the way saith that blessed Martyr The stones were not set into Solomon's Temple untill hewen neither is the corne laid up in the garner untill the flail hath passed upon it Flesh-pleasing formalists take up a delicate Profession thinking to divide betwixt Christ and his Cross coasting about in their wilde and roaving thoughts to finde out a way that will bring them to the Crown and yet baulk the Cross but alas their mistake will one day sadden their hearts when they shall read their present folly in their future disappointment Those whom John saw in the vision of the Spirit Apoc. 7. ver 14. cloathed with long white robes standing before the throne of God and of the Lamb are said to come forth of great tribulation implying they had been in great affliction they had all their share of breaking Oppressions This is a truth confirmed by the joint Testinonies of all ages and handed down to us writ in the bloud of many precious Saints 1. Then they that argue the certaintie of future blessedness from their present worldly happiness and conclude that God loveth them because they abound in those things which are beloved by them do reckon without their Host and must one day sore against their wills be constrained to reckon again The Rich man Luke 16. found it otherwise He was clothed with purple and fine linnen then which the best wore no better and fared sumptuously every day every day was a gaudie day to him second and third courses served to his table yet verse 22 23. This Rich man dieth was buried and turned into hell where he had misery without mercy sorrow without succour pain without pleasure he drank of the wine of Gods wrath without mixture Apoc. 14. ver 10. had judgement without mercy Oh that all cruel Oppressours and hard hearted Misers could consider this in time that suffer many a poor Lazarus to starve at their gates Oh! the time is drawing nigh when they shall be snatch'd from their full bowles and full barnes from their heaps and their hoards and shall be tumbled into hell from whence they may see despised Lazaras above in the bosome of Abraham Think of that unmerciful Courrier Christopher Landsale who suffered a poor Lazer to die in a ditch by him And he himself by the just hand of God dyed in a ditch also God sometimes payeth unmercifull men in their own coyn amongst whom the depopulating encloser leads the Van Isa 5.8 9 10. Hence they are asleep who dream of an earthly Paradise or an easie Religion Mic 2.2 as a meanes to arrive at that heavenly one and fancy a Profession without persecution a rose without prickles and a lilly without thornes Saint Paul sayeth otherwise Rom. 8. vers 18. I reckon that the sufferings of this present time concluding the present time to be a time of suffering and that all the day long ver 36. the whole course of a Christian's life is but a slaughter time or the whole day of the Gospel may be termed a slaughter day In Dioclesian's time 17000 Christians were slain in the space of one moneth In the Parisian Massacre 30000 in as little space and within the year 300000 as hath been computed And how fitly doth that sad story of the Christians of Calabria agree with this passage of the Apostle for being thrust up into one house together as into a sheepfold the
12. vers 3. not quarrelling with men or means but owning the goodness of the Lord in the seasonableness and fulness of our distress What should I mention the Angels staying Abrahams hand when it was lifted up to slay his beloved Isaac What should I name Jacoh's Mahanaim the Host of God which appeared to him when he feared his brother Esau lest he should slay the mother with her children or Joseph in the pit or in the prison or Israel at the red Sea what should I say more the time would fail me if I should reckon up what the Holy Ghost hath recorded of this kinde How often may the saints and how many of them may truly speak the words of my Text Vnless the Lord had been my help my soul had almost dwelt in silence but God appeared relief came and deliverance was sent from the Lord in the very nick of time Oh! if God had deferred his help for one hour nay one minute nay less then one minute if time could be parcel'd out into a lesser moment I had been undone life and all had been lost But you will say what moveth the Lord to this full and seasonable appearance for his people in their greatest streights I answer Reason 1. Because God sometimes leadeth his people into streights therefore it is for his honour to fetch them out again Some Commanders have been very bold and forward to lead an Army on but have had little care and skill to bring them off by means whereof many thousands have been slain in some desperate assaults but the Lord of hosts will not do thus he will not fall back with his reserves and suffer his Vriahs to perish by the sword of the children of Ammon he will bring off with safety when he putteth his own people upon danger Exod. 15.3 The Lord is a man of war the Lord is his name He knoweth the stratagems and postures of warre and like a brave Commander standeth upon his honour and therefore will bring off where he leadeth on Abraham had express order from Jehovah to offer up his son Isaac and we see how the Lord stepped in betwixt the cup and the lip as it were and biddeth him hold his hand when it was now lifted up to slay his Son Gen. chap. 22. Therefore Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-iireh The Lord will see or the Lord will provide ver 14. Moses and the children of Israel received orders from the Lord of Hosts for their march out of Egypt and had their way and quarters assigned by him Exod. 14. vers 1.2 The Lord spake unto Moses saying speak unto the children of Israel that they turn and encamp before Pe-hahireth between Migdol and the sea over against the Sea over against Baal-zephon before it shall ye encamp by the Sea What could be more express then this well what followeth why Pharaoh with all his host pursues them and having got them up into this cramp maketh no doubt but the day is his own and well he might for if we view the ground we shall finde them thrust up into a narrow room and in very sad streights if they look before them and think to save themselves by flight the sea is there and they have neither bridg nor boats to pass over it if they think to wheel on the right hand high mountains are a baracado against them if they think to steal away on the left hand that cannot be done for they must climbe up high and plain hills which will give the enemy a full prospect of them if they think to retreat and to slip back into Egypt by some secret way Mr. Burroughs notes upon Hos 2. p. 30. that they cannot do because Pharaoh's Army is betwixt them and Egypt so that they must march through the head-quarters of the enemy if they attempt that nay to add weight to all they were before Baal-zephon the God of watching an Idol which the Egyptians had high exspectations from being set at the mouth of those mountains before Pe-hahiroth to watch the passage that none might escape without a passport out of Egypt Here Pharaoh overtook them vers 9. These were their streights and 't is plain God brought them into those streights but what doth God leave them in the lurch no God will save them by a miracle he will make a way in the deep for them As they marched between mountains of earth before so they shall march between mountains of water now and they who feared that their enemies would dig graves for them in the wilderness do now stand upon drie ground and behold the whole hoste of Egypt buried under two huge mountaines of water ver 28. and all this the Lord of hosts did to maintain his honour in point of faithfulness to his people and to evidence his power in point of omnipotency upon their enemies as Moses upon another occasion argueth it out with the Lord. Numb 14. vers 15.16 If thou shalt kill all this people as one man then the nations which have heard of the fame of thee will speak saying because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them therefore hath he slain them in the wilderness An high impeachment against God in respect both of power and faithfulness a charge very dishonourable to the Lord and therefore the Lord bringeth them off at least the loyal and obedient ones with honour and safety from all those hazzards he had led them into Hence the Prophet David speaketh in the person of the Church Psal 66. vers 9 10 11 12. Rea. 2. Because sometimes the servants of the Lord meet with troubles in the world for their love to God and management of the Lords work They speed ill with men for their good will to God and are sufferers from men because they will not sinne against God therefore it is that the Lord espouseth their quarrel and taketh part with them This was the case of the three Jewish worthies Dan. 3. vers 12.13 they would not dishonour the true and living God by owning any thing of God in a dumb and dead Idol and therefore are bound and cast into a fiery fornace but how sped they did God suffer them to be cast into that fiery prison and perish there for his debt no God was with them in the fire and fetch'd them out without one peny damage to them their hair was not singed neither were their coats changed nor the smell of fire had passed on them vers 27. In like sort did wicked men deal with Daniel Chap. 6. vers 10. and the Lord brought him off without the least hurt upon this basis the Lord Jesus bottometh that precious promise Luke 21. vers 15. I will give you a mouth and wisdome which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay or resist and wherefore are the vouchsafements of God so eminent unto them vers 12. because they suffered for his name and
his cause which truth hath been more then once attested by suffering saints so much of the spirit and wisdome of God hath been discovered in their answers that their adversaries and accusers have been non-pluss'd by illiterate men nay filled with astonishment Thus the Apostle Rom. 8. vers 36. For thy names sake we are led as sheep to the slaughter and what followeth why Vers 37. in all these things wee are more then Conquerours through him that loved us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we do over-overcome super-superamus if the cause be Gods we may trust our selves and it in Gods hand and possess our souls in patience when we have this assurance that not an hair of our head shall perish Luke 21. vers 18 19. Reas 3. Therefore God steppeth in to the help of his people in their greatest streights that he may give real testimony of his hearty good will unto them that they may know and their enemies also that they have a friend who will stick to them in the day of their distress affliction is the trial of affection Prov. 17. vers 17. A friend loveth at all times * Hebrew in all times that is in every opportune time in the fittest season now the timings of love the timings of acts of friendship addeth both worth and weight unto it Prov. 15. vers 23. A word spoken in season in his time saith the Hebrew how good is it how good is a word of comfort spoken to a drooping soul in a day of mourning How good is a word of peace spoken by the Lord to a wounded spirit and then when its wounds are fresh and bleeding can any heart but the heart of Experiences conceive what healings those words of Christ brought to the poor woman Luke 7. v. 48. thy sinnes are forgiven thee being spake at that season when her heart was poured out under a deep sence of sinne Who can calculate what revivings of spirit the saint-thief felt from that seasonable Promise To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Luke 23. ver 43. being so rightly timed even in ipso articulo mortis in the very moment before his death and when his conscience was both awakened and wounded with sinne Oh! surely the timeing of love doth marvellously add to the beauty of it and when is it so seasonable as in a day of distress A cup of cold water with one morsel of bread given to a weary and thirsty Traveller is more then a full meal at another time How pleasantly did Iael's milk relish upon Siserah's pallate when he was thirsty Judg. 4 vers 19. A small piece of silver given to a poor man when he wanteth to buy bread for his family is more then a great sum given at a time when his cupboard is full of bread Abrother is born for adversity and sure kindness shewed to a brother in a day of adversity speaketh up love with the loudest accents Now God reserveth his paternal love to such a time and then he unbosometh himself unto his people and at such a time his people read the love of God in the most legible Characters some drops of love taste sweeter then and are owned more then full draughts of love at another time Good Asaph experienced and acknowledged this Psal 73. vers 25 26. Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee None in heaven none on earth No God is above all in this good mans esteem How cometh it to pass that God hath such a glorious high throne in Asaphs heart Oh saith he there is good reason for it and you will say so too when you know what love and good will God hath shewed unto me Oh! I was in such a sinking and dispairing condition That my flesh and my heart failed me heart and hope and help and all were gone I but then The Lord was the strength of my heart my heart stayed upon God as upon a firm rock the Lord was unto me as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land and he is my portion for ever he hath put in security for my everlasting safety Oh behold what manner of love is this and therefore he draweth up this conclusion It is good for me to draw nigh to God to rowle upon God in all my streights These appearances of God do make his love so visible and glorious that Angels and men may read it and say Behold how he loveth them 4. Again God doth hereby more engage his people unto him Reason 4 he maketh them more his own getteth into their very hearts and setteth up his royal standard there There is nothing layeth stronger engagements upon an ingenious person then friendship in a day of adversity Jonathans interposures for David when Saul hunted for his life were so powerful upon Davids spirit that he wanted ways and words to express his sense of them his heart like a vessel of new wine sought for vent even when Jonathan was dead 2 Sam. 9.1 He putteth the question or rather maketh general proclamation Is their yet any left of the house of Saul What Is David afraid of a Corrival in the Kingdom Would he cut of the whole family of Saul to secure the crown upon his own head No this is not the ground of his enquiring but That I may shew him kindness not a word of revenge notwithstanding the hatred and hostility of Saul their father But why kindness Why he explaineth himself For Jonathan sake and again he reneweth his enquiry vers 3. To which Ziba replieth Jonathan hath yet a son who is lame of his feet A son of Jonathan that 's well but he is lame yea lame of his feet and so serviceable neither in Court nor Campe fit neither to stand before a Prince nor to march in the head of an Army No matter I will shew the kindness of God unto him and vers 7. when the lame son of Jonathan is brought David said unto him Fear not it seemeth the remembrance of Sauls cruelty caused a trembling upon his Grand-sons spirit therefore David meets him with a cordial at the very door Fear not for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy fathers sake Oh! Jonathan was my friend a dear friend he hazarded his own life to save mine and therefore I am obliged to shew kindness to him even in his posterity in like manner the hearts of Gods people are drawn out unto him under the sence of great deliverances See how Moses and Israel were up in their spirits unto the Lord when they were now brought off from Egypt and beheld their cruel Taskmasters quackened in the red Sea Exod. 15. ver 2. Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song c. The Lord is my strength and my song and he is become my salvation What then Oh! He is my God and I will prepare him an habitation God shall keep house in my heart there shall be
love to a person or people when their testimony is single and something else be not superadded to render it more authentick for wicked Cham had the same preservation in the ark from the deluge of waters as godly Sem had and Samariah's siege was raised in a way of miracle under wicked Jehoram as well as Jerusalem's was under good Hezekiah Compare 2 Kings 7. verse 6. with Chap. 19. vers 35. It was false Divinity that those Barbarians preached when the Viper fastened on Paul's hand No doubt this man is a murtherer whom though he hath escaped the Sea yet vengeance suffereth not to live Acts 28. vers 4. which our Saviour fully consulteth in the case of the Galileans and the eighteen persons on whom the tower fell in Siloe Luke 13. vers 1 2 3 4. 5. But the glorious and remarkable outgoings of God when falling in with the witness of grace and the spirit when they are the returns of the Saints prayers the fruits of their holy wrastlings and the issue of their hope conceived in the womb of Gods gracious promises are comfortable conclusions of divine favour and do very much seal to the peculiarity of God's love thus the Saints in their own cases can distinguish love from hatred by the things which are before them they know the voice of Christ and read the love of their father in the streight lines of his providencial favours toward them Psalm 87. vers 2. God loveth the gates of Zion how doth this appear Trap. in loc All my thoughts are upon thee with greatest delight All my bowels are in thee making them to be the words of God promising plenty of grace and comfort to them as from overflowing overslowing fountain though other expositours think them to be the Psalmists word see Mr. Jackson in loc why vers 7. God saith All my springs are in thee his wisdome goodness mercy power c. are not in Zion as water in the cisterne pump'd in and soon run out but like water in the fountain streams of mercy flouds of favour and flowings forth of loving kindness Oh! it is clear God loveth Zion if all his springs be in her especially when drought is upon the earth and other parts of Judah are like Gideon's fleece Isa 38. ver 17. Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption good Hezekiah read love in the dispensations of God toward him and putteth that Interpretation upon his miraculous restitution to health Surely he doth much offend against the generation of God's people and wrongeth the mercies of God also who concludeth that God loveth us not because he hath prospered our warfare and underwriteth hatred to all those glorious victories which the Lord of hosts hath given to his people in these Nations and then when a day of distress was sadly upon the godly and the contest was very much betwixt the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent Yet I desire we may all look after other evidences of divine love amongst us these are good superstructures where the foundation is well laid and are Zion's security against the gates of hell provided everlasting doors be set open that the King of glory may come in and keep court amongst us 3. This Inference may be drawn from the point That the siunes of saints are circumstanciated with highest aggravations the care of God over them and his love unto them in their distressed estate against both which they offend in sinning do give a sad tincture to their sinnes Sin is sin in any person but circumstances do render it much more sinfull It was high water as to the guilt of sinne for Zimri a Prince of a chief house of the Simeonites to bring a Midianitish woman into his tent and commit whoredome with her when the Lord had so eminently appeared for Israel in turning Balaam's curses into blessings and saving them from the sword of Midian Numb 25. vers 6. Yea when the whole congregation was weeping before the Lord for the business of Baal-Peor where the wrath of God brake forth upon them so that there fell in one day three and twenty thousand 1 Cor. 10. vers 8. The Apostle instead of the cloak of the heat of youth Trap. in loc putteth upon fornication a bloody cloak bathed in the blood of 23000 as one observeth How doth the Lord by his Prophet aggravate David's sin 2 Sam. 12. v. 7 8 9. I anointed thee king over Israel and I delivered thee out of the hands of Saul and I gave thee thy Masters house and thy Masters wives into thy bosome and gave thee the house of Israel and Judah c. What an enumeration of mercies is here How doth the Lord expostulate with him And what doth the Lord inferre from hence why surely that David was acted by a spirit of great dis-ingenuity to sin against such goodness such bounty to break such cords of love which the Lord had cast upon him Wherefore hast thou despised the commandement of the Lord to do evil in his sight what David commit Adultery what David put the bottle to his neighbour to make him drunk thinking to cover sin with sin what David slay Vriah with the sword of the children of Ammon what David slay an innocent person in cold blood what David murther an husband that he might have his wife what David take the Adulteress into his bed and bosome what David do all this Does David give occasion to the enemy to blaspheme Had another person committed adultery or murther nay all this who had been under less obligations unto me who had onely shared in common providences and for whom I had done nothing extraordinary I should have taken it better at his hands and should not have reckoned it such an high dishonour but for David David to do this whom I honoured in the sight of all Israel when he was but a stripling in the slaughter of great Goliah of Gath the Philistines Champion David whom I singled out from amongst his brethren to pour the anointing oyl upon his head David whom I eminently preserved in six troubles yea in seaven when he was hunted as a Partridge upon the mountains David whom I carried as upon eagles wings to the throne through such amazing dangers that himself cried out I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul yea David whom I owned and gave this glorious testimony of I have found David a man after mine own heart who shall fulfill all my wills Oh! for David for this David to do all these abominable things which I hate Oh! Alluding to his gross hypocrisie in seeking to palliate and cover his sin and shame from man what aggravations are wrapped up together to render the sinne of David exceeding sinfull hence himself phraseth it the iniquity of his sinne Psal 32. ver 5. Observe that 1 Kings 11. vers 9. The Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned from
him thy servant slew both the lyon and the bear and what doth he infer from hence that This uncircumcised Philistin shall be as one of them seing he hath defied the armies of the living God I but these are the words of a proud youth and words are but winde Thrasonical bravado's what bottome hath he for his confidence why faith is up and experience keepeth it steady The Lord who delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistin What is this Golliah in the hands of a mighty God more then the Lyon and the Bear And why should I doubt the good presence of God whereof I have had so late and eminent experience A like passage you have 1 Sam. 30. vers 6. David was greatly distressed his own army mutinies against him and talketh of stoning him Surely it must be an high provocation which maketh an whole army to rise up as one man against their General and sure the distress must needs be great when a multitude of armed men and enraged too set themselves against a single person this was General David's case The soul of all the people was grieved every man for his sonnes and for his daughters Oh! such losses come near the heart well might they rise high in their lamentations and high in their indignation also against David because he had led them out upon a designe and in their absence the Analekites had sinitten Ziglag the city which Achish had given to David Chap. 27 vers 6. and burnt it with fire and had taken their wives and their sonnes and their daughters captive and were gone away with them But what doth David do in this straight he encouraged himself in the Lord his God the word is derived from Chazak and importeth he laid hold on God with all his strength as men when they are in danger of drowning will lay such fast hold that their fingers will sooner be broken then loosened thus David being almost under water stretched forth his hand of faith strengthened with promises and experiences and layeth sure hold on the rock of ages whereby his head and hopes are kept above water in this dreadfull storme what a noble gallantry of spirit did good Nehemiah shew Et Turnum fuglentem haec terra videbit Omnia de pâ—aesumas prater fugam Palinodiam was a brave Speech of Luther to Staupicius when Shemaiah advised him to take sanctuary in the Temple because the enemy had designed to fall upon him by night and slay him a word of advice which a carnal heart consulting more his own safety then Gods honour would readily have listened unto but what is the answer of this heroick saint Neb. 6. vers 11. Should such a man as I flee and who is there being as I am would go into the temple to save his life I will not go in why not go in what safety could he pretend unto you may suppose him arguing thus I am under an eminent call from the Lord to build the city of the sepulchres of my fathers I have seen the face of God in bowing the heart of King Artaxerxes to contribute his royal aid and commission me to the work I have found the Elders of the Jews willing to owne my authority and to rise up as one man to build strengthening their hands for that good work Chap. 2. vers 18. as it was 2 Chron. 30. vers 12. In Judah The band of the Lord was to give them one heart Oh that the Lord would give that oneness of heart unto us in the work of our God Hence Nehemiah gathereth up his spirits and speaks like a brave man Should such a man as I flee a choice spirit a gallant pattern to be ey'd by all who are called forth by the Lord to serve out their generation in doing his work and if it hath a direct aspect to any age or nation surely to none more then to ours both in an eminent call to work and in eminent preservation of the workmen We may experimentally apply that promise as very much fulfilled upon us Isa 4. vers 5 6. The Lord hath created upon every dwelling place of mount Zion and upon her Assemblies a cloud and smoak by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night for upon all the glory there hath been a defence Chuphah The word implyeth a covering Cherube or nuptial vail under which the bride the Lamb's wife hath been hid from the rage of men Oh! how should this fortifie the Saints against future dangers and argue them to a dependent resting upon God! for them to cry out with the prophets servant Alas Master what shall wee do or with the disciples when tempest-tost wee perish as though there had been no hope of escaping as an high dishonour to them as Saints but more to the Lord Jesus as King of Saints especially to sink so low in their Faith as to say The Lord hath forsaken me and my Lord hath forgotten me this argueth them to be low in the sence of the care and love of God expressed to them in former mercies Oh then ye distressed of the Lord take sanctuary in this point and bewray not your infidelity by a sinking spirit in an evil day Is it so that the appearance of God are eminent and immediate in the day of his peoples distress Vse 2 Of Caution hath he given in security unto them by experienced preservations that he will be the Lord their Redeemer Oh this is a choice dish upon the Saints table they need not faint nor famish that have such a mess to feed upon yet as wholesome food may send up unwholesome vapors if unseasonably eaten or to excess and good Physick may produce bad effects if due order be not observed so this soveraign potion may nourish ill distempers if not rightly ordered And therefore I shall entreat you to take this Cordial with these cautions 1. Take heed you do not precipitate your selves into needless hazards and rashly cast your selves into dangers under the protection of this truth It is sinful to argue and would be unsafe to attempt it that because Elijah forded Jordan and made it passable with his mantle therefore thou wilt attempt the same rather then step out of thy way to go over the bridge or because the three Jewish worthies were preserved in the fiery Furnace therefore thou wilt throw thy self into the flames and presumptuously expect the same preservation no God will have his people learn the difference between tempting and trusting him It is folly not faith for a man to drink down a draught of deadly poison and say I believe the promise of Christ Mar. 16. vers 18. and expect to be antidoted against the venome of it the Israelites Numb 14. vers 44. are a said witness to the danger of presumption read the passage The Lord liketh not this language We will
of laying too great a burden upon a creature bottome Isa 31.3 The Egyptians are men not God and their borses flesh and not spirit This Antithests speaketh fully to the creatures feebleness there is nothing of Omnipotency in the creature A man may be brought to that streight wherein creature-helpers do stoop in vain and wherein all created power may speak to the expectancy of man as the King of Israel to the women I the Lord do not help how should I help and the reason is clear in the text they are not God not spirit that is their power is limited beyond which they cannot work When the Lord shall stretch forth his hand both he that helpeth shall fall and he that is holpen shall fall down and they all shall fall together As if a man should underprop a ruinous house and the props being too weak to bear the burden do break and so the house and they fall down together How free is the Church in the acknowledgement of this truth when she had bought it by dear experience Jer. 3.23 Truely in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills and from the multitude of the movntains there is a great deal of significancy in the two first words Acken Truely of a truth as if they had said There is truth and faithfulness in the word of Gods promise we may venture safely upon this bottom he cannot deny himself for he is a faithful God nor doth he promise beyond the reach of his power for he is an Almighty God and therefore the Church affirmeth Truely in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel Israel never failed of salvation when they waited for it from the Lord their God who is a God of truth But on the other side if Israel the best of people do lay their expectancy of help from the hills the creatures in its highest advancements and advantages yea from the multitude of mountains which Harim Metaphorically relate to the greatest persons and to thing of greatest height and excellency upon worldly accounts Mich. 6.2 Yea combined and associated they shall certainly fail in their hopes and meet with disappointments because Sheker it is in vain they lye or deal deceiptfully there 's falshood in their promises and feebleness in their power which is confidently asserted by that holy man Psal 62.9 Surely men of low degree are vanity Bem-Adam sons of Adam this being a common name to all mankind is used here for men low in the world in respect of estate or power which are as the valleys or hillocks of earth these are vanity little can be expected by way of help from them because of their emptiness who can expect water out of an empty vessel or safety from a mole-hill when a Cannon bullet flyeth at him But what shall we say to the great ones of the world Why men of high degree are a lye Beni-Ishi The sons of Ish men of highest advancements in the world are but a lye they will speak you fair no doubt David had many complements from Sauls Courtiers lift you up into great expectations by their plausible promises and pretensions but in a day of distress their words vanish into smoak and they appear to a needy petitioner as a dry lake to the thirsty traveller Oh! how sadly can thousands now alive with sad hearts bear witness to this truth And Oh that it were not a spot in Gods people What volumes may be writ upon this subject with the tears yea the blood of the oppressed The Lord humble us for this sin and so manage the spirit of our Rulers That they may loose the bands of wickedness under the heavy burdens let the oppressed go free and break every yoak then shall their light break forth as the morning and their health shall spring forth speedily their righteonsness shall go before them and the glory of the Lord shall be their Rere-ward Isa 58.6 8. Then shall the poor and oppressed say the Lord bless thee O habitation of Justice O England where Justice dwelleth See that Isa 9.10 The bricks are fallen down but we will build with hewen stones the Sicamores are cut down but we will change them into Cedars They run from creature to creature and change creature for creature the weak for the strongest yea do what Art and Nature improved to the best advantage can do for safety but with what success truely very little For vers 12. The Syrians before and the Philistins behind shall devour Israel with open mouth So true is that Hos 5.13 applied to an expectancy of help from any creature disjunctively from God When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah saw his wound then went Ephraim to the Assyrian and sent to King Jareb or to the King that should plead their cause or their defender But how sped they Yet could he not heal you nor cure your wounds it is the way of carnal hearts to shift out to the creature for help in times of straights Mr. Burrogh in loc and a sad evidence of a carnal heart so to do But it is a truth handed down from father to son that creature-recumbency avileth not no healing no curing nay 't is not onely not encouraged with a blessing but thundered against with a curse Jer. 17.5 6. Cursed be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his Arm and whose heart departeth from the Lord wherein doth this curse shew it self It followeth For he shall be like the Heath in the desart Heath-ground is usually barren but Heath-ground in a desart upon which nothing of cost or culture is spent addeth to the barrenness of it nay further And shall not see when good cometh the showers of mercy fall upon this place and the dews of good-will from the Lord distil upon this person in such or such comforts or enlargements I but creature-relyers shall not taste the least of all the noble mans punishment 2 King 7.2 shall be their portion They shall see it with their eyes but they shall not taste thereof no they shall inhabit the parched places of the wilderness in a salt land and not inhabited Oh apply this and let the consideration of this caution you from a creature-dependency use the means but do not trust in them there is nothing provoketh more to wrath nor rendereth the choisest means unserviceable more then this Oh! let us be humbled for this fault for sure it hath been much our fault and our folly which doubtless hath caused the Lord in displeasure to us to dash many excellent instruments in pieces like earthen pitchers and in all our creature-improvements let us wisely sail betwixt these two extreams in tempting of God and an overt rusting to means both which are very dangerous 4. Lastly Take heed of abusing providential appearances and preservations to wantonness by a neglect of those duties you owe to God for them besides the general there is a particular command and call to duty to holiness to repentance
a morning The Lord awaken the Nation and give us wisdome to improve our deliverances lest we also fall after the same example of unbeleef Heb. 4. vers 11. The other Scripture is that Psal 30. vers 6 7. In my prosperity I said I shall never be moved Lord by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong David thought himself cock-sure as we say of Gods favour and safe from the fear of any change because the Lord by his favour had made his mountain to stand strong He was not long fince a little hillock of a mean family in Israel and now he was grown up to be a mountain both in honour and power to be above all men in his present standing as the hills are above the vallies he was brought to this high and raised pitch by the favour of God nay had an establishment in that state and estate not by man but by God himself who hangeth the earth upon nothing supporting that weighty body without any Basis but his own will and word of power and all this not according to the course of his ordinary providence but in a way of special favour and that by the concurrence of many and glorious providences Yet for all this because he abused these mercies and came not up in his deportments to the Lords expectation God hid his face withdrew his covering Cherub and providential supplies and then his mountain his standing-strong mountain met with an earthquake though the house of Saul was gone yet his own house was a seed-plat of troubles unto him Amnon defiling Thamar Absolom slaying Amnon usurping the Crown and driving David from Jerusalem c. The Lord set this home in much mercy Vse 3. I shall come now to an Use of Exhortation Are the appearances of God eminent and glorious to his people in the day of their distress Hast thou experienced them to be so in thine own case canst thou witness this truth Except the Lord had heen thy help thy soul had well night dwelt in silence thou wert within a hairs breadth of death Oh consider what thy straights have been hast thou been in perils of waters or in perils of robbers or in perils of the City or imporils in the wilderness or in perils amongst false brethren in perils of war at home by thy own Country-men and abroad by strangers and hath the Lord been seen upon the Mount hath he come in with seasonable supplies and brought thee off from the borders of the grave Oh! what have thy returns to God been what improvement hast thou made to his glory and thy own spiritual growth how hath thine heart gone after the God of thy salvation If thou hast taken up the cup of blessing and praised the name of the Lord if thou hast paid the vows which thou madest in the day of thy distress If the sense of mercy hath had a kindely work upon thy spirit and brought forth the blessed fruits of sanctity newness of life new obedience and a total resignation of thy self unto God if thou livest in a lively sense of these things resolving in the strength of grace received to spend that life which thou receivedst from the dead not to the lusts of men but to the will of God and from a sense of thy temporal doest work out thine own eternal salvation with fear and trembling my work is done my end attained I have nothing to urge by way of exhortation upon thee onely desire to bless the Lord with and for thee endeavouring to draw up after thee exhibiting thy pattern as exemplary to my practice I profess my self to be much at the foot of the hill and far below such high attainments although my obligations to the most High God are very many and my experience of preserving mercy hath been very signal the sense whereof hath led me out to this Discourse and made these meditations publick Hence then by a frequent converse with mine own heart and often feeling the pulse of mure own spirit I have grounds to beleeve that a word of advice may be seasonable upon this subject to others and to my self seeing too little of this nature doth come either from Press or Pulpit there being very few who say Where is the Lord that brought us out of Egypt that led us through the wildernes through a land of drought and of the shadow of death And therfore in the strength of the Lord conduct of his teaching Spirit I shall improve this Doctrine by way of advice 1. To some peculiar Christians in a distinct capacity from other men I mean to some ranks and orders of men 2. To Christians in general without such particular references onely as they meet in Christ the common head and in the Church the common body In my first address I shall onely single forth five ranks of men to speak unto 1. The Magistrates 2. The Ministers 3. Military-men 4. Mariners and Merchants whose traffick and imployments lye at Sea 5. The restored ones of the land whom the Lord hath ransomed from the grave in these late dayes of Visitation 1. I humbly crave leave to be-speak the Magistrates with a word of Exhortation Ye that be the Rulers of the people and Judges of Israel let me beseech you seriously and often to consider the worth and weightiness of your office that though this or that title this or that form of administration be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an humane creature an ordinance of man 1 Pet. 2. vers 13. yet Government and Magistracy it self is an Ordinance and Institution of God himself Rom. 13. vers 1 2. That the cause which cometh before you is the cause of God Deut. 1. vers 17. That ye judge not for man but for God who is with you in judgement 2 Chron. 19. vers 6. that the dignity of place unto which ye are advanced is exceeding high ye being the Vicegerents of the most High God in all Civill administrations and upon whom the Name of God himself is called Ps 82. v. 1 6. I have said ye are Eloh'm Because God had conferred a part of his 〈◊〉 and Judiciary power upon them Mr. Iackson in lec Gods and all of you are children of the most High not by adoption of grace but by administration of office That the expectation of the Lords people is great from you That now the Lord hath turned his hand so much and often upon you as the Potter turns and fashions his vessel upon the wheel your dross should be purely purged away and all your tin wasted and that their Judges should be as at the first and their Counsellors as at the beginning such as David Hezekiah and Josiah were amongst the Kings and such as Joshuah Zerubbabel and Nehemiah were amongst the Judges and Governours of Israel that so their Jerusalem may be called the City of righteousness and their Nation an habitation of Justice That Zion may be redeemed with judgement and her converts
among the Nations and their off-spring among the people so that all they that seem may acknowledge them that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed Isa 61. vers 9. Suffer therefore an unworthy Son of Zion and Minister of the Gospel for the good of a part of that people over which the Lord hath set you to be a Remembrancer from the Lord unto you that mercies received may be improved by you and enkindle an holy zeal for God in you 1. To make good the Covenants and Oaths of your God which are upon you and into which by your authority and ensample at least many of you we entred that the sense of Covenant-mercies may provoke unto Covenant-duties for the advancement of the Kingdome of the Lord Jesus in unity peace purity and the power of godliness that Sabbath-strictness may be asserted by you Gospel-Ordinances may be vindicated a Professing-people may be countenanced a faithful Ministry may be still incourageed and protected such bounds may be set to that act for liberty that Heterodox opinions may not like a land-flood overflow the Nation but that horrid Impostors and notorious offenders may be punished that all Israel may hear and fear Deut. 13. vers 11. And that the anointing of God may give you safe rules of tenderness that guilt may not lye upon you from God nor just blame from good men for that softness of spirit you shew towards the Lords people who in these times of light and liberty do conscientiously act under different perswasions in indifferent things and therefore do much stand in need of Christian and prudent Moderators who may keep our fingers out of one anothers consciences may protect us from the violence of imposing spirits and principles and that uniformity may not be pressed with a Prelatical but with an Evangelical spirit in disciplinary points when the winde bloweth high and cross if the Pilot doth not wisely govern the helme the ship is in danger to be split at least much of the precious lading to be lost 2. That a sense of eminent preservations may stir you up to a careful suppression of sin and wickedness by a vigorous pursuit of such penal Laws as are now in force and by enacting more severe or adding to the former wherein they are defective that the Nation may not abound with oaths pride drunkenness thefts uncleanness oppression by depopulating inclosures and other abominations as it hath done and still doth nor mourn under a sad fear of that great controversie which the Lord may justly take up against it for them Hos 4. vers 1 2 3. That in order to this active and conscientious Magistrates may be placed in every County godly and stirring officers may be chosen and encouraged in every Town which affordeth persons meet for such a trust that the number of Ale-houses which have been the seminaries and seed-plots of vice and villanies may still be suppressed as they have lately been in great measure by the care of some worthy persons among us and that in order to both the Tables you may be a terrour to evill works not bearing the sword in vain Rom. 13. vers 3 4. having this inscription engraven upon all your Judiciary proceedings as was upon the sword of Charles the Great Decem preceptorum custos Carolus Charles is keeper of the ten Commandements and that upon account of your lenity and remisness to offenders that may not justly be said unto you by the Saints as was by the poor Smith to the Lantgrave of Thuring Duresce Duresce O infoelix Lantgrave 3. Improve your share in National mercies and personal yea Magistratical preservations to the comfort and countenance of the good people of the land though poor and inconsiderable upon any worldly account These all along have prayed for you and ventured all under you that you may speak those words Zech. 12. vers 5. The Governors of Judah shall say in their heart the Inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of Hosts their God Surely the people of the Land who have a Covenant-interest in the Lord of Hosts have been much your strength under God both upon the Mount by praying and in the valley by fighting when your straights have been the greatest Oh then what Rabshekah spake in a bad sense give me leave to speak with some change of words in a good sense Isa 36. verf. 9. How then will ye turn away the face of one Captain of the least of my Masters servants So just how then will ye turn away your faces from the complaints of the least of my Masters servants the Saints and subjects of the King of Zion or how then will you dis-ingage the least of them that they should turn away their faces from praying for you much less turn their prayers against you Oh remember they have been your strength in the day of battel your sleighting of such in their addresments unto you and not pleading their cause in case of wrong and oppression when their Adversaries have been too mighty for them and relief could only be had from a Court of Equity and in a course of equity hath been much complained of upon earth and will hear very ill in heaven in the ears of the Lord of Hosts their God Oh then be Eliakims to the poor of the flock and make good that Prophesie That upon you may be hanged all vessels of smaell quantity from the vessels of cups even to all the vessels of flaggons Isa 22.24 Great vessels can stand upon their own bottoms And surely the fresh records of those glorious things which the Lord hath brought forth by you and for you will engage you to the things propounded yea to greater then these if set home by the Lord upon your hearts and that as returns for received mercies I shall apply this doctrine to my brethren of the Ministery suffer I beseech you a word of exhortation from one who is low in name and gifts in Israel yet your brother and fellow labourer in the Lords vineyard for the bringing in and building up of souls that I may give up my accounts with joy and through rich grace and free mercy in Jesus Christ may receive a crown of glory which fadeth not away when the great Shepherd shall appear 1 Pet. 5.4 whose glorious appearance we look for and long after and which according to Cronological computation and the opinion of some draweth near and indeed to believers ought to be ever at hand in the meditation and expectancy of it and mostly to the Ministers that we may be quickened up to duty and diligence That when our Lord cometh he may finde us doing his own works The elders therefore I exhort who also am an elder as the Apostle saith 1 Pet. 5.1 though unworthy of that honor and office that you would improve the appearances of God which have been eminent and immediate in the day of his peoples distress Ah brethren hath a day of
Proverb Bos debet edere ex tritura sua the Ox should eat of the corn he treadeth out But now adays by slight or might they so muzzle the labouring Ox that they make an Ass of him says one in many places they allow him nothing but straw for treading out the corn and so much straw as themselves please saith another did not men deal with those faithful Ministers as those Grecians did with their servants that put an Engine about their necks called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which reached down to their hands that they might not so much as lick of the meal when they were sifting it It was long since complained of Dr. Stoughton That many dealt with their Ministers as Carriers do by their Horses they lay heavy burthen upon them and then hang bells about their necks So they require hard work and onely give them good words But now the Lord hath prepared a table before us in the midst of our enemies and caused our cup to overflow Psal 23.5 The whole land is before us and the Lord hath made us to dwell in the best of the land many of us Gen. 47.6 which is envied by many and is much the ball of contention But though I own the goodness of the Lord in that plentiful provision which his bounty hath now made for us and conclude the Apostles assertion to be Gospel and Authentick 1 Cor. 9.7 Who goeth a warfare onely at his own charge doth the souldier fight without his pay or who planteth a vineyard and eateth not of the fruit thereof Do not many bunches of Grapes and flagons of Wine go to the Masters table And who feedeth a flock and eateth not of the milk thereof Hath now the Shepherd his wages either in milk or mony or both Say I these things as a man or saith not the law the same And if so it is not a gain of oppression upon which Ministers live seeing Gods law and mans law both assert their property yet I would not be mistaken as though I affirm the Jus Divinum of Tythes or plead for a maintenance to such a proportion or that Ministers should work onely for wages feed the flock only for the Fleece sake I hate such a mercinary spirit and so do many of my brethren and I trust we should still do as some of us have done even be as zealous for God and faithful in our Ministery with a little as with a liberal maintenance if providence should alter the state of affairs amongst us and should rejoycingly own a liberty to preach as a choice mercy though we had not a Living to preach for but why a godly Minister should cast off an established maintenance to humor a sort of people and why they should have a command to be hospitable 1 Tim. 3.2 and have nothing to support it I know not I think we may without sin before God or offence to good men own with thankfulness our present fulness and I beseech you my brethren to consider that since the Lord hath given us the places and people of many Idol-Ministers and lazy drones what new tricks have been invented and new Engines contrived to pluck that bread of allowance out of our mouths Tythes yea all setled maintenance hath been decryed and how had we been reduced to our former indigency if these mines had taken fire The bill for setling Ministers insequestred livings for their lives being passed but that the Lord by our Christian Magistrates hath still secured our propriety and an establishment provided for them who are but tenants at will at least but for the lives of others the want whereof hath much sadned both good Ministers and good people and hath given opportunity to corrupt Patrons upon vacancies to thrust in formal if not carnal Ministers upon them 6. Lastly Consider how not onely our persons have formerly been shot at by the Archers and our lives in jeopardy many of us every day but that of late times our office hath been much oppugned attempts have been made once and again to prove not our maintenance onely but our Ministery also Antichristian and this not onely buzzed among our people by some errant Sectaries but published in print with all virulent Sarcasmes and invectives against us plots have been laid and parties made formidable enough to have carried it against us in a Parliamentary way Oh! let us seriously and often reflect upon these and many other eminent acts of divine favour and bounty towards us and let us make a wise and holy improvement of all to excite and quicken us up 1. To a more faithful discharge of our Ministerial trust have we had our lives given unto us for a prey in all places where we have been Jer. 45.5 Oh let us consecrate them now to the glory of a good God in seeking the lives of those dead souls which are in our respective congregations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Si quo modo Syrus interpres Let us in meekness instruct those that oppose themselves if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledgement of the truth and that they may recover themselves out of the snares of the devil who are taken captive by him at his will 2 Tim. 2.25 26. Oh 't will be our honour to be daily fetching in our souls unto Christ out of the devils quarters 2. Again are the doors of the Lords house opened unto us which were formerly shut upon us Oh let us enter in and let our feet stand in the courts of the house of our God Is there a preaching liberty gained for us Oh let us improve it with all diligence Let us often con over Saint Pauls lesson and own it as a duty 1 Cor. 9.16 Though I preach the Gospel I have nothing to glory of for a necessity is laid upon me and wo is unto me if I preach not the Gospel Preach man preach thou wilt be damned else as one said to his friend How can we bear witness against the negligent which are ejected but by our diligence what honour will it be to the Lord Jesus What credit to the Church or what advantage to our people if lazy droans have been cast out and we succeed them in their laziness Oh le ts not stand idle in the Market-place when there is so much work to be done in our Massers Vineyard Lift up your eyes and look upon the fields for they are white unto the harvest Joh. 4.35 O then let us bestir our selves that we may reap with joy what others have sown in tears That we may gather fruit unto eternal life Oh what joy is there when God gives a full harvest and good weather to gather it in They joy before me according to the joy of harvest Isa 9.3 But O consider what a joy it will be to us at a dying hour and more at the great day of our accounts if we have been faithful unto our Lord and brought in a full
sacrifice to your nets nor burn incense to your own drags do not say your own sword and your own bow hath gotten you the victory and so shut out the King of Saints and his anointed ones from any share in your many victories Take heed of Elations and up liftings of spirit in ascribing too much to your own prowess and policy and so carry away the honor of the day from the Lord of Hosts it is much a fault in many who will not own God in you nor acknowledge you as a Battle-ax in the hands of the great God whereby he hath broken the enemy and dasht in pieces the powers of the world which hath stood up against the Lord and his people and it would be much your sin if ye should by a proud Monoply engross the glory of the work wholly to your selves if any thing of this nature hath been upon your spirits or faln unwarily from your lips let me bespeak you in the words of an excellent woman and think it not dishonour to be counselled by the mouth of a woman though Abimelech did to fall by the hand of a woman 1 Sam. 2.3 Talk no more so exceeding proudly let not arrogancy come forth of your mouth for the Lord is a God of knowledge and by him actions are weighed He that trieth the heart and weigheth the spirits will certainly weigh such carriages and finde them too light if souldiers say with Ajax I know no God but my sword they shall surely finde that the sword of Gideon is but a wooden blade if the sword of the Lord be not with it be much in working that passage upon your hearts Isa 10.15 Shall the ax boast it self against him that heweth with it or shall the saw magnifie it self against him that shaketh it c. Ye know concerning whom these words were spoken proud Senacherib and upon what occasion to wit the vaunting of his success in wars and what follows why vers 16. Therefore the Lord the Lord of Hosts shall send among his fat ones principal Officers leanness and under his glory he shall kindle a fire May not that contempt which the Lord hath poured upon some ones of you spring much from this root of pride I onely interrogate and such are the respects I bear to the Restorers of our peace and liberty that I wish the Dream may be to those that hate you and the interpretation unto your enemies Dan. 4.19 2. Own the people of the Lord who have owned you and the cause ye have ventured in They have had a large share in the fraughtage of that ship which by the blessing of God hath been steered by you through stormy Seas into safe harbour Read often Prov. 27. vers 10. Thine own friend and thy fathers friend forsake not You cannot own God fully if you dis-own his people who under him have assisted in the work ye have had many Auxiliaries who have helped the Lord and you against the mighty Some have jeoparded their lives unto death with you in the high places of the field Judg. 5.18 It would be very disingenuous to lay such aside as depontani and over-look them as men unworthy of your knowledge now ye sit in the high places of the Nation An heathen mans conscience smote him for this crime The Popish Souldiers that went against the Angrognians said that the Minities with their prayers conjured and bewitched them that they could not fight And did not ye at Edge-hill say with others now for the fruits of prayer and did not ye receive the fruit of it Gen. 11. vers 9. and shall the guilt thereof rest upon you And some again have been upon the Mount when you have been fighting with your enemies in the valley and they have not been your worst friends neither have ye received the least aid from them When Moses held up his hands Israel prevailed and when he let down his hands Amalek prevailed Exod. 17. vers 11. Ye owe much of your success and safety in the late wars to a praying people It was observed and it was very observable that immediately after monthly Fasts ye got ground of the enemy in some places did not the Lord proclaime in your Camp that this and that victory was as well the procurement of a praying Assembly as of a fighting Army And that it was as well fetched from heaven by the tears of his Sanctuary as finished upon earth by the blood of his Souldiery Indeed ye deserve blame if ye sleight them who have wept and mourned fasted and prayed yea wrastled hard for you and by whom the war hath been much carried on in heaven and we are equally blame-worthy if we slight you who have laboured and marched and run the hazzard of limbs and lives yea fought and bled and by whom the war hath been carried on upon earth The Lord heal all hard-thoughtedness betwixt you and us and make us one as ever in the truth and cause of Jesus 3. Be humbled before the Lord A great Queen said she feared more the prayers of Ioha Knox and his Complices than an Army of thirty thousand men Trap in Mat. 18.19 for all the acts of violence and injustice either acted or permitted by you in the heat of war for all the breaches of Oaths or Covenants with God or man for all your failing in or falsifying of the Vows which ye made to God in the day of your didistress And that there hath been any root bearing wormwood or gall springing up among you that of your selves men have arose speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them Act. 20. vers 19. It is too evident and hath been that the File-leaders and heads of many errours that I say not of all have been either of or found shelter in the Army both have many witnesses at this day living It took no great impression upon us that some stragling persons blurted off their pot-guns at us but when we were drawn upon by the Souldiery or by a sort of men abetted by them and marching under their protection this was great grief of heart unto us this was a sword in our bones and drew tears from our eyes in our secret mournings before the Lord This made our prophane neighbours scoffe at us when they heard those truths opposed those doctrines contradicted those wayes of the Lord evil-spoken of and those Ordinances sleighted for which ye and we had contested so long with tears and blood This made the Cavalier-Minister laugh in their sleeves and deride when they beheld the faithful Ministers faithful to the Lord to you and to the cause contended for vilified disdained and traduced and that by a party of our own Army when they themselves met with no such trouble from them This we looked upon as very disingenuous to us and as unsuitable returns to the Lord. The Lord clear up his great Gospel truths above all possibility of mistake by his own people and fill
the earth with the knowledge of the Lord as the water covers the Sea Isa 11.9 that ye and we may go forth by the footsteps of the flocke that ye may feed your kids by the shepherds tents and all of us may know where the Lord Jesus feedeth and where be maketh his flock to rest at noon Cant. 1. vers 7 8. For why should any of you be as they that turn aside by the flocks of strangers 4. Quicken up that ancient zeal those burning affections and that fixedness of spirit in you for the Lord his truth his cause his Ministery and his people which once ye had O if ye find your present peace and pleasure honor and full estates dignity and dominion to begin raise unwholesome damps in your souls the sense of grace received and mercies received so eminent as yours have been and the Nation in you will excellently scatter them if well improved Oh then the Champions of Israel who have vanquished Christ and his Churches enemies in the field draw up gallantly against corruptions in your own hearts As ye have subdued Kingdomes so work righteousness As ye have bled for Christ in time of war so bow down to Christ in time of peace As ye have sealed the walls of the mighty so pull down the strong holds of sin within your own bosomes As ye have cast down the high ones of the earth from their seats so cast down imaginations and every high thought which exalteth it self against the knowledge of God As ye have captivated Nations and people to the obedience of your commands so bring all the thoughts the Nations and people of those little worlds your hearts into captivity to the obedience of Jesus Christ and his Gospel-commands 2 Cor. 10. vers 5. Your war is an In-land war now the weapons of your warfare are not now carnal but spiritual your enemies are not High-landers but In-landers not Cavaliers but Corruptions not the wilde Irish but the wilde Asses Colr principles of proud corrupt nature And now as your conflicts are harder so your conquests will be happier As your enemies are more dangerous so your victory will be more glorious Prov. 16. vers 32. he that ruleth his own spirit is better than he that scaleth a City Oh it would be very sad and much sadden the hearts of many of your Christian friends if any of you who Sampson-like have slain the Philistins should yourselves be slain by a Philistin Delilah that your locks should be cut and the strength of the Lord should depart from you Oh how would the Daughters of the Philistins rejoyce how would the Daughters of the uncircumcised triumph when this should be told in Gath and published in the streets in Askelon and how would the Daughters of Israel weep over you and say How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battel the spiritual warfare How are the mighty fallen and the weapons of war perished 2 Sam. 1. vers 24.25 27. Oh then stand to your Armes make good your Sacramentum militare your military oath to be true to Christ and his cause there is not such a thing in a Gospel-sense belonging to your Christian warfare as an honorable retreat Mr. Gurnab part 1. of his Christian in Compleat Armour pag. 374. not such a word of command in all Christs military Discipline as fal back and lay down your arms till called off by death as a Reverend Divine saith Oh then now the war is ended and the Lord hath given us peace by your means attend that spiritual work and spiritual war and go to the Armoury of the great Captain of our salvation opened by St. Paul Eph. 6. vers 11 12 13. c. and take out such peeces as you want yea every peece of Armour that you finde in that spiritual Magazine that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand that so having fought the good fight of faith ye may hold on eternal life and receive that Coronam militarem that Crown of righteousness which the Lord will give to all those who love his appearing 2 Tim. vers 4.7 8. 4. Here is a word from the Lord to Mariners and Sea-trading men And O that our Sea-Commanders and Souldiers would rightly improve this truth If this poor Treatise shall come into any of your hands the good Lord set it upon your hearts If the appearances of God be eminent and immediate to any in a day of distress sure they have been so to you ye of all men do see much of the power and providence of God at least may see it if your eyes be opened and your mindes savingly inlightned The Psalmist tells us and though I be not a Seafaring man yet I beleeve it they that go down to the Seas in ships that do business in great waters these see the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep for he commandeth and raiseth up the stormy wind which lifteth up the waves thereof they mount up to the heavens they go down again to the depths Psal 10. vers 23 24 25 26. Cannot ye comment upon this Text cannot ye seal to this truth their soul is melted because of trouble runs as thin as water they are ready to dye for fear of death Junius understands it of extreme vomiting as if they were casting up their very hearts One doubted whether he should reckon Mariners who were put to Sea amongst the living or the dead in the censure or Registry of a Nation Another sayes that a man will go to the Sea at first I wonder not but to go a second time it is madness They reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man nutant nautae vacillant cerebro pedibus there is a great deal of elegancy in the phrase and it is very significant men that are full of drink that are loaden with liquor they go with a very unsteady and tottering gate reeling now against this wall and now against that if they walk in a narrow street so Mariners in a storm are thrown first on one side then on the other side of the ship A tempest is a sad Sea-quake which throws all on heaps nothing hardly keeps due order and its right place in the ship again a man that is down drunk as the phrase is is reason-struck his intellectuals are shattered he is fit for no head imployment so Mariners in a storm are at their wits end all their skill and strength fail them at once All their wisdom is swallowed up Heb. that is the art of Navigation is now of no use unto them Card and Compass and all laid aside and forced to let the ship run a drift hath not this been your case in great stress of weather Have ye not met with such a storm at sea which hath brought forth all these fears and terrors in you have ye not often thought ye should have been entombed within walls of water and
is past the summer is ended and we are not saved sickness and death have not removed their quarters neither is there any amongst us that knoweth how long their abode shall be Psal 74. vers 9. Their commission being under the Privy Seal of Heaven and if their hostilities be so great this winter season what wasting and desolation may we fear at the time when Kings go forth to battle 2 Sam. 11. ver 1. if winter agues be so violent what will the summer feavers be if these diseases sweep our Townes so much what will the besome of destruction do If we have run with the footmen and they have wearied us then how shall we contend with horses If we have been wearied in the land of Jordan O that the sence of our present sickness and the fear of an approaching mortality invading the land was set home upon all our hearts that we might improve the Lords counsel Hos 14.2 to take with us words and turn to the Lord and say unto him take away all iniquity and receive us graciously that we might prepare to meet our God with an entreaty of peace before the decree come forth Oh that all especially the men of wisdome in the Nation would hear the rod and who hath appointed it Mic. 6. vers 9. and receive teaching from it My humble advice from the Lord to those who have been sick and now are west who are now in the land of the living when as many labouring under the said distempers are gone down to the chambers of death is this I. That you would own with thankfulness the healing mercies of God whereby you have been restored Let your thoughts often reflect upon your former weakness what pains and faintings seased upon you what the opinion of your Physicians and the fears of your Relations were when your pulses beat low and softly when you drew your breath short and painfully when paleness had covered your faces when the grashopper was a burden to you such was your weakness Job 16. vers 16. when the shadow of death was on your eye-lids and all the symptomes of death appeared in you and all this at such a time when graves were opened very many in most places when God himself was the preacher and that upon this text Isa 40. vers 6 7. All flesh is grass and the goodliness of it as the flower of the field the grass withereth and the flower fadeth because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it which was fully confirmed every passing bell being a proof of the point and every dead corps a reason of the doctrine so that if ever now it might safely be affirmed the people is grass and you as grass might have withered into dead hay and though flowers might have faded into loathsome Carcases if the Lord had not preserved a secret sap at the root Oh consider to receive a message of life from the Lord when you had received a message of death from man to be kept alive by his almighty power when you were within an hairs breadth of death is a mercy worth the owning at all times but calls for more abundant thankfulness at such a time as this was when so many some out of the same houses and many out of the same Towns have been carried forth unto the places of burial when many of those had the same advantages for life yea greater some from men and means then ye had yet they are dead and ye are alive Oh these considerations lay great ingagements of thankfulness upon you especially if you seriously take notice what your sickness was by which ye received an arrest from the Lord it was not an ordinary disease it hath been very much ludibrium medicorum few Physicians have found out the true cause and the right cure of it the distempers have so varied and the effects have been so different in several persons and places so that with the Egyptian Sorcerers all have been forced to confess it was no other then the finger of God The Lord having made good upon us that threatning Deut. 28. Verse 61. In bringing a sickness among us which is not written in the book of the Law a Scripture parralel whereof in every particular cannot be found I shall represent it to you under these Considerations 1. It was general no County no Town no Family scarcely escaped the rod nay almost all persons found some alterations in their bodies as tendencies to that disease having as large a Commission as to smiting as the destroying Angel had Ezek. 9. vers 5 6. Go ye through the City and smite let not your eye spare neither have ye pity slay utterly old and young both maids and little children and women 2. It was suddain Many Diseases have their Prodromio's their forerunners which bring news of their coming some dayes or weeks before they seize a man but when men were in their apprehensions perfectly well and at their labour perceiving no symptomes of a sickness they were suddenly surprised some in the Towns some in the fields and brought home sick As if a man should walk in a Corporation and suddenly should be snapt by the Sergeants and carried to the Jaile when he feared nothing less 1 Thes 5.3 3. It was violent It seized many strong men with that violence at the first onset as though it would strike but once many thinking at their first surprisall they had been dropping into the grave like that Job 16. v. 12 13 14. I was at ease Read Mr. Jakson's notes in loc but he hath broken me asunder he hath also taken me by the neck and shaken me to peices and set me up for his marke His archers compass me about he cleaveth my reins asunder and doth not spare he poureth out my gall upon the ground He breaketh me with breach upon breach he runneth upon me like a Giant 4. It was weakning the strength of the strong man was suddenly taken from him that he was either chained to his bed or like an old man walked with his staffe in his hand through age Zech. 8. ver 4. for Job 6. ver 4. the arrows of the Almighty are within me the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit And Psal 38.8 10. I am feeble and sore broken c. My heart panteth my strength faileth me by reason of inappetency Psal 107. ver 18. Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat 5. It was languishing many diseases do their work in a few dayes either the distemper wears off and health returns or else sicknesse prevails and death comes In some cases the Malefactour is committed till the next Goal-delivery and then set free with a little scarre in his hand But in other cases a man is kept prisoner from Sessions to Assizes and from Assizes to Sessions and knows not when he shall have his freedome or whether his life will be spared at last So some diseases have their fixed periods of time after which health is restored but in
this distemper many have been referred from Sessions to Assizes have had many hopefull intervalls and yet are detained bound over from the feaver to a quartan ague and after long detainment find little strength and as little hopes of life at the last See Job 13. ver 26 27 28. and chap. 16. ver 8. thou hast filled me with wrinkles which is a witnesse against me grief had made surrows in his face and his tears filled them 7. It was inevitable No way to avoid the stroke Vid. Trap. in loc no Antidote would prevent it no closet could secure against it as 1 King 22. ver 34. like that Psal 90. ver 5 6. Arrows fly swiftly and secretly though Ahab had disguised himself that he might not be known and armed himself that he might not be wounded yet a certain man drew a bow at a venture and smote him between the joynts of the harnesse 7. It was mortall to many persons in many places 1. In the present stroke some never came off from their sickbeds till they were carried to their death beds to wit their graves 2. In the effects and consequents of it though the disease it self kill'd not some presently yet it slipt them into Dropsies Consumptions and Quartans which have since been mortall to many Now then set home these considerations give God the glory of your lives in the words of the text ascribe your healing onely unto him in the words of Eliphaz Job 5. ver 18. He maketh sore and bindeth up he wonndeth and his hands make whole and go sing good Hezekiahs song to the stringed instruments all the dayes of your life in the house of the Lord Isa 38. ver 20. II. Make good your sick-bed thoughts and purposes what you intended when sick be intent upon now well what you then purposed now practise sick people usually have the best minds but the worst memories when they are under an arrest from the Lord and brought within sight of the Prison then conscience is awakened then their debts to God lie heavy upon their spirits then their thoughts are how to make even with God and fly to their surety then if mercy will but put in Bail for them if God will but spare them a little before they go hence and be no more if he will but have patience they will pay him all No Saint under heaven can promise fairer and further then they what they will do and what they will be if the Lord restore them to health Luke 11. ver 24. The unclean spirit often goeth out upon a sick-bed there is a cessation from sin that work goes not on then but alas sad experience hath let us see too often that words are but winde and all the sick-bed resolutions vanish into air the unclean spirit returns when restored to health and finds the heart swept and garnished then goeth he and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked then himself and they enter in and dwell there and the last estate of that man is worse then the first As health comes on Religion goes off and they forget the vows of the Lord that were upon them Indeed it fares thus very often with the Saints themselves what a vow did Jacob bring his soul under when in distresse Gen. 28. ver 20 21 22. Mr. Calamy Con. in Psal 119.92 I knew a man who in the time of his sickness was so terrified in his conscience for sin that he made the very bed to shake upon which he lay and cried out all night long I am damned I am damned and made many and great protestations of amendment of life but became as wicked as ever yet this good man made slow haste to perform it until God was fain to jog him and be as a faithful remembrancer unto him Gen. 35. ver 1 2 3. then and not till then did Jacob purge his family and go up to Bethel to perform his vow which computing the time was about seven and twenty years after he made it good Hezekiah fell into this distemper also you shall hear how his spirit was up in thankfulness to God Isa 38. ver 19. The living the living they shall praise thee as I do this day the father to the children shall make known thy truth that is I will perpetuate the memoriall of this mercy by handing down the knowledge thereof to my children yea my command shall be upon them as a speciall charge in my last will that they shall give God the glory of my recovery good words spoken and probably from a reall intention at that time But alas the sence of this great mercy was but an Ephimera it soon wore off 2 Chron. 32. ver 25. Hezekiah rendred not again according to the benefit done unto him for the recovery was signal attended with many remarkable circumstances as 1. The sentence of death was reversed which was passed in foro externo for God had sent him a speciall message by the hand of Isaiah to set his house in order for saith he thou shalt die and not live chap. 38. Object But did not the Prophet speak his own apprehensions onely considering the mortality of that disease which had seized upon him Sol. No he prefaceth his message with Thus saith the Lord and 't is certain he knew the Lords mind concerning him at least so much as was then revealed there being not any person then alive who was Consiliarius è secretioribus to the most high God more then Isaiah was and who knew more of the councels of Heaven witnesse his glorious and Evangelicall promises and Predictions 2. The reversall of the sentence of death was the single return and procurement of his own prayers and tears for ver 5. The Lord gives a second command to the Prophet to go to Hezekiah and deliver this message from him Thus saith the Lord the God of David thy father I have heard thy prayers I have seen thy tears so that as Hannah said of Samuel her son 1 Sam. 1. ver 27. For this child I prayed and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him The same might Hezekiah for my life I prayed and wept and the Lord hath given me my petition Nay the Lord makes a large addition to his life Psal 21.4 he asked life and the Lord gave him length of days the life of man twice told in our ordinary law compute even fifteen years which did very much accent the Lords mercy seeing Hezekiah was so exceeding earnest for life having then no Son to succed in the throne and the affairs of Church and state being very unsetled 4. This also gave a great Emphasis to the mercy in that he had such a suddain return to his prayer The Lord did not make him wait long for answer thereby tormenting his spirit with perplexing fears but before the Prophet was gone out into the middle Court 2 Kin. 20.4 the word of the Lord came unto him the Lord
met him and sent him back with a message of life to Hezekiah Oh t is matter of great comfort to have a quick dispatch of business especially in things relating to life and death 5. Yet further the immediate appearance of power from the Lord in effecting the cure doth marvailously greaten the mercy that Hezekiah should be visited with so sharpe a distemper Leigh Crit. Sac. probably the plague of pestilence for Shechen signifies an hot ulcer boil or push and may refer to a Plague sore also however the disease in it self was mortal and that so slight an application as a plaister of figs should perfect his recovery and that suddainly within three dayes 2 King 20.5 whereas we finde lighter distempers are long in carrying off where able Physitians are consulted with and all means attempted 6. And then that the great God should work a miracle in heaven to confirm his faith in the certainty of the cure that he should command the Sun to a retrograde motion to go back ten degrees not onely the shadow upon the dyal of Ahaz for that had not been so visible and universal but the body of the Sun in the heaven for so t is Isa 38.8 So the Sun turned ten degrees by which degrees it was gone down Dr. Richardson in loc whereby that day became ten hours longer then otherwise it should have been allowing half an hour for a degree and the motion of the Sun regular in its going backward and coming forward which things with safety may be supposed seeing the miracle was so notable and amazing that the King of Babilon put on 't is likely by his Astrologers sent Ambassadors on purpose as to congratulate Hezakiahs recovery so to know the certainty and manner of that great wonder a brute or flying report whereof he had heard 2 Chron. 32.31 Now though Hezekiah was a good man few better and had obtained of the Lord such a notable cure circumstantiated with so many miracles yet he was no sooner come into the world again but the Pompe and Grandieur of it wash't away the sense of this great mercy for being taken with the King of Babylons complement Tales esse perseveremus sani quales nos futuros profitemur infirmi he shews his Embassadors all his treasures and that out of pride and ostentation 2 Kin. 20.12 13. And therefore friends watch narrowly over your own hearts and be earnest in prayer that the Lord would keep them in an humble and holy frame or else you 'l soon finde that as health comes on holiness and humility will go off and your old companions and corruptions will complement your spirits into their former frame III. Commune with your own hearts be very strict and serious in your enquiries why the Lord hath so afflicted you God doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men Lam. 3.33 It is foraign to the nature of God who is a God of mercies to delight in acts of cruelty towards his creatures or causlessly to chastize his own children A discreet Father doth not take the rod untill his child provokes him by some miscarriage nor doth the Father of spirits by whom actions are weighed correct his covenant ones untill they have offended Psal 89.30 31 32. He will not visit with the rod untill they have transgressed nor with stripes untill iniquity hath been committed The widdow of Sareptha so soon as ever her son was dead presently chargeth her sins with his death and laies his blood at sins door 1 King 17.18 What have I to do with thee thou man of God Art thou come to call my sins into remembrance and to slay my son Holy David toucheth the same string in that mournful ditty of his Psal 38.3 4 5. There is no soundness in my flesh because of thy anger neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sins for mine iniquities are gone over mine head as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me here he speaks of his sins in the gross sum but afterwards descends to particularize that sin which he owned as the introducent cause of his sickness My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness The word signifieth unadvised rashness saies Mr. Trap. And t is probable he meaneth that particular sin in the business of Vriah Thus the Apostle writeth the Corinthians sin in their unworthy receiving the Lords Supper upon the teasters of their fick-beds and the cause of their death upon their grave stones For this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep 1 Cor. 11.30 Oh then let your spirits make diligent search as Asaph did be much in searching untill you have found out the true cause of your late distempers I shall lend you some help in your serious enquiry by shewing you what sins are mentioned in Scripture as introducent of sickness and which God either threatneth or punisheth with diseases As 1. Covetousness Isa 57.17 For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth and smote him I hid me and was wroth and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart 2. Deceit Mic. 6.10 11 12 13. Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked and the scant measure which is abominable shall I count them pure with the wicked ballances and with the bagge of deceitful weights The inhabitants have spoken lyes and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee in making thee desolate because of thy sins 3. Murmuring 1 Cor. 10.10 Neither murmure ye as some of them murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer Num. 14.27 c. Say unto them as truely as I live saith the Lord as ye have spoken in mine ears so will I do unto them your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness and all that were numbred of you according to your whole number from twenty years old and upward which have murmured against me doubtless ye shall not come into the land concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein Lay this to heart for this sin is as Epidemical as our sickness 4. Neglect of Religious education of children Ezek. 16.20 21. Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and daughters whom thou hast born unto me and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured Is this of thy whoredoms a smal matter That thou hast slain my children and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them therefore verse 23. Wo wo unto thee saith the Lord God 5. Covenant breaking Levit. 26.25 And I will bring a sword upon you that shall avenge the quarrel of my Covenant and when ye are gathered together within your Cities I will send the pestilence among you 6. Formal profession and hipocrisie Ananias and Saphira his wife so sadly bear witness to this who for their spiritual juggling and deceit were not onely smitten with sickness but with suddain death Act. 5.1 2 3 4
5. 7. Undue receiving of the Lords Supper 1 Cor. 11.30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep 8 Heresies Apoc. 2.22 Behold I will cast her into a bed and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation 9. Want of due respect unto and fear of the great name of God Deut. 28.58 59. If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this Law that are written in this book That thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name THE LORD THY GOD then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderful and the plagues of thy seed even great plagues and of long continuance and sore sicknesses and of long continuance Cause these sins as Joshuah did the Tribes of Israel 7.16 to pass before your consciences to finde out the Achan for which the Lord hath so sorely afflicted you and having found out those particular sins be humbled for them repent of them and carefully avoid all future tendencies unto them as Samuel advised Israel 1 Sam. 7.3 Put away the strange gods from among you and Ashteroth So do I you put away from you the love of all sins and especially Ashsteroth that sin which hath been the root of your disease and think you hear the Lord Jesus by his spirit speaking these words unto you Behold ye are made whole sin no more least a worse thing come unto you Joh. 5.14 And improve your late visitation with the present opportunities of grace That ye may be partakers of Gods Holiness Heb. 12.10 Consecrate your lives which ye have received a new from the dead unto the Lord devote your selves wholly to the service of the great God let me bespeak you in the words of the Apostle 1 Pet. 4.2 That ye live no longer the rest of your time in the flesh to the lusts of men but to the will of God and that not onely in the general duties of your general Callings as Christians but with a special eye to your particular standings and capacities as Magistrates Ministers or as Christians so and so related and qualified Three things are hinted in this verse 1. That the time of mans abode in the flesh is fixed and dedetermined by God That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and residue of time is stated in heaven I may here allude by way of resemblance unto a piece of cloath which as to the number of yards is laid in the warp so soon as brought to the Weaver and every hour he works in the woof he lessens the bulk of yarn that is wrapped upon the beam untill at length he finisheth the whole piece and cuts it off leaving nothing but the thrums behind the heathen had this in their three fatall sisters And Job alludes to it Chap. 7.6 My days are swifter then a Weavers shuttle before man is born into the world whilst his substance is yet imperfect in the wombe of his mother like raw yarn in the shop as all his members are in Gods book so the measure of life is fixed in the appointment of his great Creator and every day he lives Weaves off somewhat of his life until at length nothing is left upon the brain but the thrums of a crazy and putrid carcass which is cut off and thrown into the grave Hezekiah alludes to this Isa 38.10 12. I said in the cutting off of my days I shall go to the gates of the grave I am deprived of the residue of my years mine age is departed and is removed from me as a shepherds tent I have cut off like a Weaver my life 2. Whilest man lives to the lusts of men he lives not according to the Law of his Creator Ego te non Catelinae genui sed Patriae as he said to his son I begat thee not to serve Cataline but thy Country so speaks the Lord Jehovah to man I created thee not to serve man but thy Maker not to live according to thy own or other mens lusts but according to my laws now the lusts of the flesh and the laws of an holy God they are inconsistent and opposite each to other It is a sad thing to be a servant of men in many cases but in none so sad as in this It was the great English Cardinals complaint in the day of his distress If I had served my God with half that faithfulness as I have served my King he would not have left me now or to this sence Many men have rued it and will at the great day of accounts that they have been such slaves to the lusts of men their pride avarice ambition uncleanness c. And have so cast off the easie and noble yoak of Gods laws many servants have much to answer for the Lord give them timely repentance and masters too else their own and their servants sins will stand upon their score 3. He only lives up to the rule of his creation who lives up to the will of God this is the royal standard under which we all must march This is the maine wheel which must govern all our motions Obedience to this is that which denominates us both men and Christians and as our duty obligeth us to obey the will of God in the gross and general so far as it is revealed so our Allegiance to God as men and more as Christians binds us to observe our particular calls and cries as God revealeth things to be his minde and will there are indeed standing commands which run through all ages of the world without the least variation to obey which all men especially Christians stand equally obliged But the wise God is pleased to parcel out his will in particular commands to persons as to time manner and matter in many things as his own councels ripen and bring forth his pleasure into the world now a Christian must not onely observe the will of God as it speakes to him in common with other men but as it speaks unto him and calls for something from him in such a standing and capacity and not onely observe the will of God which hath been owned in all ages as the entertainment of his Son sanctifying his Sabbaths waiting upon his own appointments c. But also to act up unto it in our respective stations as he makes it known to us in the present providences and products of it Mr. Hamner in his preface to his excerbitations on confirm And therefore as a learned Writer lately observes That God committed the receiving and refining of truth from Antichristian power and mixture to the forgoing worthies of this and foraign Nations which were happily performed by them but discipline and order seem to belong unto us and which the Lord hath preserved for this period of time wherein the work of reformation is to be carried on to greater perfection this doubtless the late providences speak to be the Lords will and his expectation from the men of this generation Oh then ye servants of the Lord whom
of conscience and woundings of spirit ye then were under what faintings of heart ye had when you found your evidences for heaven writ with so pale a hand that ye could not read them at least by that weak and wan light which then shined in your soules what a loss ye were at for the Lord Jesus weeping with Mary because they had taken away your Lord and ye knew not where they had laid him nor how to lay hold on him for peace and pardon nay perhaps your cases weremore desperate your sins were writ in so deep a crimson your Atheisme ignorance Gospel enmity your former scoffings at Religion your flouts and flings at godliness your contempt of Gospel-Ordinances and your rejection of Gospel-grace did so fly in your faces grate and gnaw so upon your spirits and filled you with such a sence of divine vengeance that conscience that bird in the bosome like the night-raven croaked many a sad and dismal note unto you and so presented you with the black side of the cloud that ye verily thought if ye should die at that lare ye should drop into Hell Remember what then your thoughts were how then ye resolved that if ye recovered health again ye would not leave heaven under such uncertainties hereafter ye would give diligence to make your calling and Election sure ye would not for all the world be harassed again with those dreadfull fears and terrours like unto an unwary Traveller who to save a little mony ventures upon the washes without a guide and suddainly lights upon a quick sand which threatens to swallow up him and his horse and whilest he is tugging and striving to get out he lifts up his eyes and sees the water appearing upon the levell and hears the tide roaring toward him Oh what are his thoughts now what his fears sure that he shall die Pharaoh's death and be overwhelmed with the sea if timely help come not and having by Providence had an escape how doth he resolve never to travail that way without a guide whatever it cost him nor plunge himself again into the same fears for his whole estate Was not this your case ye thought your sickness to have been but washes ye could easily have passed through it but suddenly you slipped into a quicksand such a deadly heart-sinking fit that ye saw the grave opened and the wrath of God rolling upon you what were your thoughts then what your fears did ye not think your passing bell was ready to ring and the prison-doors were opening to receive you did ye not then resolve if your life was spared ye would tugge hard for Heaven ye would never be at the same stay again did ye not finde sickness an ill time and a sick bed an ill place to take your first rise for heaven from did ye not see your folly to lay the greatest burthen upon your horse when he was weak and tired to set out for heaven when your sunne was now setting when as it is an whole dayes journey thither and he that begins late usually fall's short of it to carry the seed basket into the field when your neighbours are crying harvest home Oh then since the Lord hath restored health unto you and brought you off from those heart-melting fears act up to the Aposties advice Phil. 2. vers 12. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad finem asque opus perducite bring salvation-business to a good issue that ye may never be surprised with those fears and tremblings when surprised with diseases I come now to the second part of the exhortation Second part of Exhortation applying this Doctrine of Gods appearances in mercy and the Saints deliverances from danger to the generality of men and women who fear and know the Lord and to believers as they meet in Christ the common-head and in the Church the common body and I shall improve the truth proposed 1. In a mixt sence referring both to temporall and spirituall preservations 2. In a pure spirituall sence referring to recovering and Redeeming grace As to the first sence I shall interweave something of a spiritual nature it being usual with the Holy Ghost to mingle Gospel treasures with the lading of the world in the same bottome and this I shall do in two particulars First I do humbly entreat the servants of the Lord to keep up the memorial of the Lords mercies to keep Diaries of their great deliverances to preserve Records of their signall preservations And secondly as occasion serves to communicate and impart them to others for I shall twist these two together Oh let not God lose the glory of any mercy let not time wear off the remembrance of eminent preservations God expects that his works should be registred by us as well as our words are registred by him Mal. 3. vers 16. This was commanded by the Lord Deut. 7. vers 18 19. David was much in the practice of this duty read Psal 66. ver 12 c. He gives a royal summons as by the sound of a trumpet to all the Lords people to give their attendance whilest he discovereth over the gracious Administrations of the Lord he is no niggard no close-fifted Miser that hoards up all and keeps all close to himself but keeps open house and invites all the Lords people to his banquet of wine He would fain lift up the great name of God in the world and display his bounty that they which have hard thoughts of God may be convinced of their errour and make a recantation and that all dejected Saints may by his example and experience be encouraged to roul themselves upon God under assurance of comfort and support in an evil day which will appear to be his designe for ver 5. he gives a generall invitation to all people to see and admire the wonders which were wrought by God t is like in Egypt he is terrible in his doings towards the children of men implying probably the dreadfull execution of his vengeance upon the Egyptians in those ten Plagues he sent amongst them and in bringing in the waters of the red Sea upon their whole Host as appears Vers 6. He turned the sea into dry land they went through the flood on foot to wit the children of Israel there did we rejoice as Exod. 15. doth fully shew when Moses and the people celebrated the praises of God and by that song not onely kept up a lively sence of that glorious preservation in their own hearts but transmitted the memorial of it unto posteritie that the children then unborn might read in that the glorious appearances of God for his people Oh how few such songs are penned in our dayes what little care is taken to commemorate deliverances though they have been so great and many Is it not the shame of this Nation that the next age shall finde no Records and if any such Compendiums of those wonderful deliverances which we
have had that such miracles of mercy and mirrours of loving-kindeness should be lap'd up in the dust and printed onely on the sand Oh that some faithfull and able person might be encouraged to this work to write a Chronicle of late transactions that posterity may see what a God their Predecessours have had and through how many straights of warre and seas of blouds peace and the Gospel light and liberty have travailed down unto them This was done by King Ahasuerus his personal preservation from the Treason of his two Chamberlains was recorded in the book of the Chronicles Hest 6.2 What provision did Mordecai and the Jews make to keep up the memorial of that great mercy in their deliverance from Hamans wicked and bloody conspiracy Hest 9.27 28. The inhabitants of Geneva stamped new mony with this inscription post tenebras lux after darkness light in memory of the reformation begun among them The Helvetians caused the day and year when the Gospel begun to take place amongst them to be engraven in a pillar in letters of Gold for a perpetual memory to all posterity Have not our Ancestors taken care to perpetuate the memorial of eighty eight and the fifth of November and shall we raise no monument neither commit any thing to the press which may preserve the memory of our late mercies will it not be Englands sin before God and Englands shame before men 2. In the eighth verse he gives a general exhortation to the Redeemed of the Lord to mention with thanksgiving the great things wrought by a great God for them Oh! bless our God ye people concerned in these mercies let your hearts silently breath forth his praises let your meditations be much and often taken up with thoughts of Gods goodness which is more I fear then most of us do but stay not here do not make this as the land-mark and boundary of your duty but make the voyce of his praise to be heard let it have an Eccho in the world by communicating and speaking over what and how deliverance came from the Lord unto you 3. He layes down the reason of this call to praise vers 9. because he holdeth our soul in life or puts our souls into life alas when a day of distress was upon us our hearts did even sinke within us life was gone joy was gone hope was gone and heart was gone too in some persons There is a strange recess and retirement of the soul under great and sudden calamities it lyes close like a poor debtor within doors the blood and spirits retire little of activity appears nay some in sudden surprizals have even dyed away into swooning through fear It was thus with Saul though a valiant Prince when he heard what evill was coming upon him 1 Sam. 28. vers 20. He fell streightway all along upon the earth and there was no strength in him And whence was this swouning fit why from fear he was fore afraid and why was he afraid because of the words of the Witches 2 Sam. 28.20 This was old Elies case when tidings were brought unto him that the Army of Israel was routed Hophni and Phinehas slain and the Ark of God taken 1 Sam. 4. vers 17 18. He fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate and his neck brake and he dyed I but here the Prophet saith God holdeth our souls in life or lives Be-chaiim and suffereth not our feet to be moved gives us a sure foot-hold and safe standing in our present peace and well-fare 4. He mentions the distress that were upon them in the nature and in the kind of them vers 10.11 Thou O God hast tryed us as silver is tryed How is that why in the fornace of affliction thou broughtest us into the net Thou layedst affliction upon our loins thou hast caused men to ride over our heads we went through fire and through water How fully doth the carriages of former times paraphrase upon these verses How have the sufferings of many Saints ran parallel with these expressions but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place well-watered as the word implies a place of springs and rivers by which he means a prosperous estate in that full plenty and security which he with the Church then enjoyed And therefore vers 13 14. He speaks his sence of these mercies and the resolvedness of his spirit to act in thankfulness suitable to these engagements 5. I will go into thy house with burnt-offerings and will pay thee my vows which I promised with my lips and spake with my mouth when I was in trouble A good resolution of a gallant man Oh! that such a spirit in the power of it was upon us Did not I Did not others Did not Magistrates Did not Ministers protect promise covenant in the day of our distress Have we paid our vows Have we performed our promises The Lord help us to see and to humble our selves much before the Lord for our violations of promises and protestations both to God and man 6. He stands upon the mount of God and by way of proclamation calls in all the people of God that they may hear the stories of Gods mercies unto himself when he had mentioned the great things God had done for his Church he comes down to a particular narrative of what God had done for himself vers 16. Come and hear all ye that fear God and I will tell you what God hath done for my soul Le-myrheshi which word being of a doubtful signification and used for both soul and life in reference to things of a temporal and spiritual concernment we need not confine it to either 1. Ye have the holy summons Come a word of much use both in a good and in a bad sence there is in Scripture mentioned a religious come and a rebellious come the Saints have their come and the wicked have their come there 's too much of the last come in our days and too little of the first if there was more communion this come would be more used 2. The persons to whom the summon is directed exprest 1. By a particular Character they are such as fear God 2. By a note of universality they are all that fear God onely they that fear God and all they that fear God are summoned 3. Ye have the matter of the summons or the end wherefore the summons is sent forth and that is that he might in the audience of them all make a full and true report of what the great God hath done for his soul So that the words hold forth a double duty 1. To consider the mercies of God 2. To communicate the mercies of God You may see from hence That it is a duty by way of special incumbency upon the Lords people to commemmorate themselves and to communicate to others the vouchsafements of grace and mercy which they have had from the Lord as to fix the sense and remembrance of mercies received upon
they might get a name and repute among believers and be counted somebody would be forward enough in this work speaking lies in hypocrisie and pretending to great things which they never expe rienced like that Amalekite 2 Sam. 1.6 7 8 9. who told David a fair tale how he stood upon Saul and slew him and took the crown that was upon his head and the bracelet that was upon his arm c. and all this that he might win credit with David and gain his favour by slaying his enemy who stood betwixt him and the crown when as the whole story was false this would be the case of some false-hearted hypocrites Again some of the servants of the Lord who are real converts would be at a loss within themselves not being able to give an account when and how the Lord first wrought upon them who can onely say with the blind man Joh. 9.25 This one thing I know that whereas I was born blinde I now do see the work of grace upon the hearts of some as to the quando and quomodo time and manner is undiscernable by them The Lord spiritualizeth their morals sanctifies their principles of education and drops down his spirit upon the seed and his blessing upon the off-spring so that they spring up as among the grass as Spring Flowers which lye buried under ground the Winter season and sprout forth as the year ariseth Isa 44.3 4. To this the Lord Jesus speaketh Mark 4.26 27. So is the Kingdom of God as if a man should cast seed into the ground and should sleep and the seed grows up he knows not how God sows the seed by the hand of a godly Parent or Pastor and in due season when and how they know not neither Parent Pastor nor the Person himself it bringeth forth fruit the word works sometimes many years after as they say of the Elephant that she brings not forth till the thirteenth year after she hath conceived The first springs in the womb of grace are precious and carefully preserved by the spirit and when they put forth it may be without any noise For the Kingdom of heaven doth not always come with observation Thus Timothy knew the holy Scriptures from a child 2 Tim. 3.15 not onely the bare letter and form of words that 's but little but knew them so as to love them to read them with delight and look for salvation wisdom in them through faith which is in Christ Jesus and probably by the care of his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice sure gracious parents and godly education do contribute much though not infallibly to the seasoning of tender years and it was well if parents would make it much their care as blessed be God some do to furnish their children whilest children with Gospel-knowledge Mr. Trap. in 2 Tim. 3.15 It is reported That the Lady Wheatenhall so plyed her young Neece Mistris Elizabeth Wheatenhall that before she was nine years old she could say the New Testament by heart and was able to name the book and chapter where any word or passage was A singular president worthy of admiration Oh that Christian parents would take this hint The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul Psal 19.7 That 's the genuine and native fruit of it at least through the blessing power of the spirit conversion is in it and from it and who knows whether the word being engraffed by godly parents may not bring forth early conversion in their children Sure we are there have been and are young Saints in the world who have rellished the ways of God and walked in them before they have travailed many years journey from their mothers wombs now to these I do not direct this particular advice but to those whose conversion hath been visible their change so signal that the whole Town ye Country hath rang of it some such there are who are able to say that at such a time under such means by such a word in such a way the Lord was pleased first to work upon them they can circumstantiate their conversion in all the occurrences of it Paul could tell the errand he went upon which was bad enough the company with whom the time of the day the manner how and the plat of ground as it were upon which he fell when the Lord fell in with him by converting grace as he discourseth at large Act. 22.6 7 8. compared with Chap. 26.12 13 c. Now then to such in a more peculiar manner I speak as thou dost observe and discourse over the passages of Gods providence toward thee in helping thee out of great straights and tellest thy friends what they were and how nigh unto death thou wast and how the Lord came in at such a time in such a manner and by such means and brought thee off with safety so be much in observing and shewing forth what God hath done for thy soul what providential passages were antecedent to thy conversion what awakening teaching and leading providences were in order to thy conversion whether God did not first awaken thee by such an affliction give a check to thy spirit in the high careers of sin by such an humbling providence or made way for the entertainment of Christ and Gospel by disappointing thee in such a worldly design or won upon thee by some notable deliverance as was the Jailors case Act. 16.28 or how the Lord was pleased to bring thee into such a family or into acquaintance with such godly Christians or under such a powerful and soul-searching Ministery these all through grace have had a sub-serviency to the great end of God in bringing sinners home unto him Then again consider those ways of God which were concomitant and as means were instrumental to thy conversion in what method the Lord was pleased first to work upon thee what measure of the spirit of bondage to fear thou wast under what sin thou wast first convinced of how long thou wast under conviction before conversion was brought forth in the fruits and evidences of it what lust the spirit first struck down in thy flesh what repentance and godly sorrow for sin was wrought in thee what attempts the divel made upon thee how forceable they were and with what success and how long thou didst ly under the sence of sin and wrath before thou hadst any quieting apprehensions of pardoning and accepting grace through the blood of Jesus let these and things of like nature be observed by thee and reports thereof seasonably made to others Nay Lastly take notice of the after-visits of the spirit of God and grace to thy soul what sweet and suitable returns the Lord gave thee in to thy prayers what seasonable succours thou receivedst in an hour of temptation what power from the spirit of holiness came in in thy contesting with some Lady-lust what measure of consolation was cast in after thy days of mourning how far thou hast been sealed with
many of the Gentile-Grecians here the hand of the Lord implyed the blessing power and concurrence of the spirit of Christ so Christ put in his hand by the key-hole that is sent in his spirit to awaken reprove and convince the spouse of her great unkindness toward him by the way take this note Note That the spirit can finde a passage into the heart though the doors be barred and bolted never so fast The key of David will open any lock Satan with all his skill and artifice cannot frame a lock of such cross and curious wards and work that this key cannot open the spirit acts with irresistibility in the saving communications of grace to the stoutest sinner Lord what wilt thou have me to do was Sauls question the lock was soon opened the spirit had quickly got into his heart So here the spirit was quickly within doors and what then her bowels were moved for Christ she had no rest in her spirit her bowels yearned after him There was a strange tumult raised within her Heb. the word carries that signification her heart aked and quaked being by the spirit convinced of her unkind and inconjugal carriage toward her dear Lord This brought her off from her bed now she could put on her coat and feared not the fouling of her feet she starts and stirs and hastens to open the door and as soon as she had taken the key in her hand Her hands dropt with myrrhe and her fingers with sweet smelling mirrhe that is she had new tokens of Christs good-will refreshing consolations from a comforting spirit which being added to her former experiences of love had such a force upon her heart that she breaks off all delay runs to the door and opens and not finding her beloved there she fails poor heart she sinks down and swouns the sence of Christs dear affection to her and her disloyal carriage to him did so seize upon her that she sinks under it And being come to her self she seeks and enquires after him suffers for him breaths out her soul in strongest affection towards him breaks forth into highest Eulogies and commendations of him and through the whole Song you never finde her under any of this heart-deadness any more but full of love and full of life Thus it was with the Church of Israel Hos 2. The Lord brings her in vers 5. speaking forth such resolutions as these I will go after my lovers that give me my bread and my water my wooll and my flax mine oyle and my drink as if she had said I am resolved to stick close to mine Idols who have recompenced my service with such plenty and abundance The allusion is to a man and his wife betwixt whom before there is a final divorce and departure there is usually some decay of conjugal affection some neglect of conjugal duties some eminent failing in conjugal offices and thereupon follows a strangeness and at length a parting asunder So heart-deadness damps of zeal flatness of spirit freezings of affection neglect of communion in the Gospel-duties and appointments formality in profession earthly-mindedness and some kind of liberty and boldness to sin are usually precedaneous to an Apostacy and departure from God Thus it was with Ephraim But how doth she recover her self Why verse 7. she argues her spirit into a returning frame Mr. Ier. Burroughs in loc I will go and return unto my first husband for then was it better with me then now Hence it is the note of a late godly Divine That the sight and sence of this how much better it was when the heart did cleave to Christ then it is now since its departure from Christ is an effectual means to cause the heart to return unto him He brings in a repenting backslider under these reasonings of heart Heretofore I was able through Gods mercy to look upon the face of God with joy when my heart did cleave to him when I did walk close with him then the glory of God did shine upon me and caused my heart to spring within me every time I thought of him But now now God knows though the world takes little notice of it the very thoughts of God are a terrour unto me the most terrible object in all the world is to behold the face of God Oh it was better with me then it is now Before this my Apostacy I had free access unto the throne of grace I could come with humble and holy boldness unto God and pour out my soul before him such a chamber such a closet can witness it but now I have no heart to pray ye I must be haled to it merely conscience pulleth me to it yea every time I go by that very closet where I was wont to have that access to the throne of Grace it strikes a terrour to my heart I can never come into Gods presence but it is out of slavish fear Oh it was better with me then then it is now Before Oh the sweet communion my soul enjoyed with Jesus Christ one dayes communion with him how much better was it then the enjoyment of all the world but now Jesus Christ is a stranger to me and I a stranger unto him Before Oh those sweet enlargements that my soul had in the Ordinances of God! when I came to the word my soul was refreshed was warmed my heart was enlightened when I came to the Sacrament oh the sweetness that was there and to prayer with the people of God it was even an heaven upon earth unto me but it is otherwise now the Ordinances of God are dead and emptie things to me Oh it was better with me then then it is now Before Oh the gracious visitations of Gods spirit that I was wont to have yea when I awaken'd in the night season oh the glimpses of Gods face that were upon my soul what quickening and enlivenings and refreshings did I find in them I would give a world but for one nights comfort I sometimes have had by the visitations of Gods spirit but now they are gone Oh it was better with me then then it is now Before Oh what peace of Conscience I had within whatsoever the world said though they railed and accused yet my conscience spake peace to me and was as a thousand witnesses for me but now I have a grating conscience within me Oh the black bosome that is in me it flyeth in my face every day after I come from such and such company I could come before from the society of Saints and my conscience smiled upon me now I go to wicked company and when I come home and in the night Oh the gnawings of that worm It was better with me then then it is now Before The graces of Gods spirit how were they sparkling in me active and lively I could exercise faith humility patience and the like now I am as one bereft of all unfit for any thing even as a dead log before
God made use of me and employed me in honorable services now I am unfit for any service at all Oh it was better with me then then it is now Before I could take hold upon Promises I could claim them as mine own I could look up to all those blessed sweet Promises that God had made in his word and look upon them as mine inheritance But now alas the Promises of God are little to me before I could look on the face of all troubles and upon the face of death I could look upon them with joy But now the thoughts of affliction and of death God knowes how terrible they are to mee Oh it was better with me then then it is now Before in all creatures I could enjoy God I tasted the sweetness and love of God even in my meat and drink I could sit with my wife and children and see God in them and look upon the mercies of God through them as a fruit of the Covenant of Grace Oh how sweet was it with me then But now the creature is as an empty thing unto me whether it come in love or hatred I do not know It was better with me before then now Before I was under the protection of God wherever I went but now I do not know what dangers and miseries I am subject to dayly what may befall me before night God onely knowes Before the Saints rejoyced in my company and communion now every one is shie of me Before I was going on in the wayes of life now these wayes I am going in God knows and my conscience tells me are the wayes of death Oh it was better with me then then it is now I have been large in transcribing these excellent and precious passages because the times we are cast upon do much abound with backsliders and who knows whether God may not in a way of recovering mercy bring this Treatise and this particular passage under the serious view of some Apostate and bless it with a healing virtue to his soul who happily never read it nor should have opportunity of reading it in the large Volume of Reverend Mr. Burroughs And who knows what gracious effect this may have upon some unstable spirits to settle and fix them sure upon God that the evil heart of unbelief may never cause their departure from God However there is a suteableness in it to the head we are improving And sure the people of God will finde a serious reflection upon the goodness and good Providences of God as an excellent means to heal heart-distempers and damps of spirit as also to quicken up and enflame their zeal and affections more unto God that they will say with that holy man Psal 73. ver 28. It is good for us to draw nigh to God they will find that it is best with them when they are nearest to God and therefore will bring back their hearts upon any recess from God by a lively sense of the goodness of the Lord unto them 3. Be much in the sence and meditation of grace received keep up the consideration thereof vigorous and lively in your hearts pray much preach much hear much and act much in the sence of what you were compared with what through discriminating and renewing grace ye now are How that except the Lord had been your help your soules had not almost but altogether and for ever dwelt in silence Oh 't is of excellent use they that have tried have found the usefulness of it The Apostle Paul you know was much in this as many passages in his Epistles do fully speak to I shall onely instance in that 1 Tim. 1. vers 12 13 14 15 16. I thank Jesus Christ our Lord who hath enabled me for that he counted me worthy putting me into the Ministery There 's a great Emphasis in me that Jesus Christ should do this for me why Who was Paul or what was he that it should be owned by him as such a singular act of Grace to be put into the Ministery The next Verse tells you yea he himself tells you who was a Blasphemer and a Persecutor and Injurious bad enough and these words carry weight enough with them but I obtained mercy but how did he purchase mercy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oh the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus not onely Grace but exceeding grace not onely exceeding but exceeding abundant grace it is a pleonasme yea a superpleonasme and all little enough I had need of all I was a Blasphemer and so sinned against the first Table I was a persecuter and so sinned against the second Table and I was Injurious and so came near the sinne against the Holy Ghost and all these together do sadly speak me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gerson August at least in my own sence the chief of sinners primus quo nullus prior a file-leader one that marched in the Van and Front of the battel imo quo nullus pejor worse then the worst He strikes sail takes down all his Flags which he displayed Phil. 3. ver 4 5 6. sit's down in the dust and view's himself in his lowest abasement that so he might the more admire the riches of free grace and might bring his heart more under command for God the vouchsafements of whose goodwill had been so free and so full unto him neither doth he monopolize this and drive on a close trade betwixt God and his own soul as though he would engross all to himself and cared not how empty other mens coffers were so that his own were full like the Merchants of this world but he commends and by an Apostolick power command's this course unto others as Eph. 2. ver 11 12 13 14. When he had carried the Ephesian Saints up into the Paradise of God and displayed the mysteries and priviledges of grace even to the ravishment of their souls in the first Chapter and in the ten first Verses of this then he comes on with a Memento Remember that ye being in times past Gentiles in the flesh that at that time ye were without Christ being Aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the Covenants of Promise having no hope and without God in the world Ye were in as bad a condition as men could be in ye dwelt as nigh the borders of Abaddon as people could dwell no people were in worse trading for heaven then ye were in ye had nothing that brought you within the outward Court of the Temple or gave you the least advance toward happiness ye were like dogs without Apoc. 22. vers 15. and how could it be otherwise seeing your wants and withouts were so many 1. Without the Mark of an Israelite in your flesh as being uncircumcised 2. Without the Camp and Common-wealth of Israel as being neither Hebrews nor Proselites 3. Without the Covenants having no covenant right to any spirituall good thing no nor
is me I am undone I am in a lost and perishing estate and indeed needs must it be thus with them those especially who have been brought out of a state of great profanenesse who have acted high and long against the Lord and there is great reason for it because they are brought home by a through conviction both of sin and wrath alas fools as they were formerly they made a sport of sin it was but childrens play with them to swear be drunk profane Sabbaths commit uncleannesse c. they went as nimbly away with all the load of sin upon their consciences as Sampson did with the gates of Gaza on his shoulders they wondred at the down exact-looks and scoffed at the whining complaints of mourning sinners I but now the case is altered when the spirit of bondage is upon them to fear now they find that guilt in sin feel those pangs of conscience and fear that indignation from a sin-revenging God that there is no rest in their bones the arrows of the Almighty stick fast and deep in their souls now they are pricked in their hearts they feel as those Jews did Act. 2. ver 37. the nails wherewith they had crucified the Lord Jesus sticking like so many goads yea stings of Scorpions fast in their hearts and cry out men and brethren what shall we do or like the Goaler brimmed up with tetrour and astonishment they call out for help Sirs what must we do to be saved Oh! what will become of us what will a righteous God do with us how shall we escape wrath to come What shall we do what course shall we take Oh! we shall be in hell in hell before help from the Lord will come unto us It was well replied by a reverend Divine to one that was under trouble of soul about his salvation I tell thee it is able to trouble the whole world how many can speak much to this the extremities that many awakened sinners have been brought unto have been very sad they have been struck down with Paul yea laid for dead brought into a despairing condition they have said and sigh'd yea sob'd it out also can such a wretch as I am hope for mercy did the Lord Jesus shed his precious bloud for such a vile sinner as I am Is it possible that my abominations should be pardoned that there should be any accepting grace for me for me who have been so great a sinner yea the chief of sinners a sile-leader in the black regiment of sin Oh much of this nature farre beyond what I felt or can expresse hath fallen from the lips and lain upon the Spirits of some of the Saints at their first awakening being in their own apprehensions irrecoverably undone hath this been any of your cases as sure it hath been Oh then how should your hearts be drawn out into thankfulnesse to the Lord when ye call to remembrance your fears and tears and terrours at your first conversion and then consider how welcome Consid 3 and unexpected grace mercy comfort and the good news of a Saviour were unto you in these bitter agonies O how welcome was Moses and his message of freedome from the Lord to the children of Israel when they were weary of their lives by reason of their hard bondage how welcome is a calme after a violent storm to the affrighted Mariner how pleasant is a bright morning after a black night to the wearied traveller and how doth the heart leap up to meet a message of mercy when 't is broken and even spent with misery when David said my foot slips then it follows thy mercy O Lord held me up and who can estimate the worth of succouring and supporting mercy at such a pinch the mothers eye is upon her child and her hand also to stay it from falling or to snatch it up so soon as down the child shall not cry long upon the ground in the mothers hearing and yet a mother may forget the son of her womb but God will not forget his children Isa 49. ver 15. So soon as ever Israel had cried our our bones are dried up and our hope is lost we are cut off for our parts Ezek. 37. ver 12. The Lord replies Behold O my people I will open your graves and cause you to come forth of your graves and bring you into the land of Israel When the pangs of new birth are strong and violent even ad deliquium animae to the fainting of the soul then doth the comforter come in with his cordial spirits and stay 's up the sinking soul when the Jews laboured for life being stab'd to the very heart Peter presently applies the promise and brings forth the new birth in them Act. 2.38 when the Goaler was even sinking into hell Paul claps to him and stay 's him with this Gospel-assurance believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved Act. 16. ver 31. And what follow 's did the plaister stick had the word any saving work upon this desparate wretch yea ver 34. he rejoyced believing in God with all his house here 's a strange and sudden change a blessed turn of things he that just now was upon the borders of hell is now brought within the suburbs of heaven in the joyful apprehensions of pardoning and accepting grace through Jesus Christ The out-goings of God in comforting his drooping Saints and his returns unto them after his withdrawings from them are not lesse or lesse refreshing How did the Spirit of the Church fail within her Cant. 5. ver 6. when she could not find her dear Redeemer in his wonted presence of joy and comfort yet at the end of the chapter she find's and feel's Christ in her soul and in a full sense of her interest in and her union with him breaks out into these joyful acclamations this is my beloved O ye daughters of Jerusalem and this is my friend memorable is the story of Mr. William Cooper a Scotch Divine who was early brought into Christ even when he was a School-boy and approved himself before God and good men to be a pious painful and profitable Pastour of the Lords flock his usual course being to preach sive times aweek but this could not secure him from Sachans buffettings being exercised with inward temptations and great variety of spiritual combats a short account whereof with the gracious returns of God in mercy to his soul I shall give you in his own words reported by Mr. Clark in vita patrum Once sayes he Mr. Clark in vita Patrum in great extremity of horrour and anguish of spirit when I had utterly given over and looking for nothing but confusion suddenly there did shine in the very twinkling of an eye the bright and lightsome countenance of God proclaiming peace and confirming it with invincible reasons Oh what a change was here in a moment the silly soul that was even now at the brink of the pit was instantly raised
acquaintance who had the same advantages of Education Ordinances and Gospel-Opportunities with me in ignorance and unbelief and hath he enlightened me called me wrought faith in me appointed me to obtain salvation by Jesus Christ and shall not I be active for Christ shall I sit still brooding over a patch of this base world or drive on the interest of mine own honour or advantage when the name of God is blasphemed the honour of Christ is empeached Gospel-truths are corrupted Gospel-Ordinances reviled and the way of God evil spoken of did Croesus his dumb son cry out for the life of his father and shall I that can speak now be dumb Do I thus requite the Lord is this my kindeness to my friend Jesus Saint Paul had another spirit like that of Calebs 1 Cor. 15. ver 8. last of all he was seen of me also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the emphasis lies in Me there 's an accent upon that word of Me vile Me wretched Me sinful me unworthy Me who was a blasphemer a persecutour and an injurious person but by the grace of God I am what I am by the Grace free grace and rich grace of God I am a chosen vessel a servant of the Lord a believer an Apostle of Jesus Christ and what followes doth he lap up this talent in a napkin doth he sing a requiem to his soul and bid her take her case no saies he his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain but I laboured more abundantly then they all minde here how the sense of grace received carries out his soul in activity for God to labour yea to abound in labour for from Jerusalem round about to Illyricum he fully preached the Gospel of Christ and wrote more Epistles then all the other Apostles did hence he exhorteth the Saints vers 58. alway to abound in the works of the Lord Oh sure there would not be that selfishness and sloth among Christians if this course was duely practised a draught of t his wine taken next thy heart every morning would make the lips of them that are asleep to speak Cant. 7. vers 9. it would shew its strength and generosity in a wakening and enflaming the spirits of believers so that the most dull and slow of speech would there be made good and cloquent speakers in the cause of God and thus live best to God II. You will live best to your selves to your own spiritual advantage if you live much in the sence of grace received Gain is a great incitive unto action what will you give me was Judas his question and is too much the compass by which many sail Christians are generally prudent and providential in their family provision That advice of the Apostle Rom. 12.17 Provide things honest in the sight of all men is followed by most and may be without blame if the care be moderate and the provision be of things honest that is if Christians follow lawful callings and so play above-board that they be not afraid who see what they do nor ashamed to be accountable to man for every penny which they return when they fear neither sin nor shame though all men were eye witnesses to their way of trading these are things honest indeed and if Christians onely provided these the mouths of many would be stopt yet I will shew you a more excellent way surely those things which tend to the well-being of the soul to the enriching of that and filling your coffers with grace and comfort that 's the way these are the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the honest and good things which Christians should trade in and turn every stone to obtain now there is no way will sooner do it and with more safety then that which is mentioned that will bring in the quickest returns as will appear in these particulars if rightly improved 1. You will live best to your selves upon this account Because you will live most off from sin sence of pardoning and redeeming and renewing grace gives a notable check to lust and marveilously banks up corruption Rom. 6.1 2. What shall we say then shall we continue in sin we that are justified by faith so have peace with God through Jesus Christ shall we continue in sin we that have a surer standing in grace through Jesus Christ then Adam had when he had his standing in innocency shall we continue in sin we who when we were enemies were reconciled to God by the death of his Son who shall be saved by his life and having now received the atonement do joy in God yee rejoyce in hope of the glory of God having the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost which is given unto us shall we continue in sin Oh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God forbid How shall we who are dead to sin live any longer therein that were unreasonable and to an ingenuous renued nature impossible Oh! when a Saint seriously reads over the counsels of God ministred not with ink and paper but with the blood and spirit of his eternal Son and that in a way of free-grace and rich mercy his heart must needs rise against sin if it be in a right frame when he argues it out thus was I born a child of wrath within a hairs breadth of hell Did sin and death pass upon me and over me from Adam was I under judgement by one person and one sin to condemnation and have I received abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness to reign in life by one Jesus Christ And shall I sin against such a God against such grace Oh far be it did we often remember the dreadful terrors we lay under at our first awakening the doleful pangs of new birth the bitter wormwood wine which we drank in many and large draughts at our first repentance and sorrow for sin the sad fears of hell and wrath which overwhelmed us and then consider the riches of that grace which hath appeared tous in converting quickning quieting comforting and securing our souls against wrath to come we should find them singular yea sovereign antidotes against sin and may herewith put to silence the most audacious and importunate lusts See how the Apostle the weapons of whose warfar were mighty through God to pull down the strong holds of sin grapples with the national and common sin of Corinth 1 Cor. 6.13 14. ad finem and that was fornication and uncleanness a flesh-pleasing sin natures minion a sin for which Corinth was famous all over the world having store of Stews and Brothel-houses and a temple dedicated to Venus full-stockt with notable harlots yet the Apostle useth this way of Argumentation to bring them off I mean the Corinthian Professors from all unclean practices he lays before them First Their former estate how they were immersed in that sin of uncleaness and carried away with the torrent of those lusts some of you were fornicators adulterers effeminate Secondly The
large in that peculiar Ordinance of the Supper to be a departure from the flock and fold of Christ for in this their breathing after Gospel-purity they walk agreably to a Gospel-rule 1 Cor. 5.11 Cha. 10.16 17. but when a people run into destructive errors and take up opinions or practices inconsistent with the truth and holiness of the Gospel this I call a wandering from the flock and fold of Christ 4. When sheep begin to wander and are got out of their usual walk so inobservant are they that they straggle over all mountains and hills and know not where to stay nor how to return home again how sadly and how often hath this been evidenced in our days what errors new or old have not been taken up and entertained by some of the Nation how have some wandered from mountain to hill and knew not where to fit down and how far have they straggled out of their knowledge that they knew not how to get back again 5. That wandering sheep become meat to every beast of prey single sheep and silly sheep when they are from under the care and oversights of their keepers can hardly save themselves by flight or fight from the evening wolves how suddainly have many been caught in our days Joh. 15.6 6. That there are many beasts of prey which lay wait for wandering sheep to devour them Foxes and Wolves have been always stirring and are not many now a days Wolves in sheeps cloathing who have cunningly drest up their opinions with such an Evangelical trimming that nothing of the Wolf appears even to them which hold him by the ears 7. That it is much blame-worthy in shepherds when they suffer their sheep to go astray and run themselves into danger the Lord chargeth high as a piece of great unfaithfulness in the over-seers of his flock when through their default his sheep do straggle and become a prey to the beast of the field you may hear him expressing himself in words of greatest distast Ezek. 34.10 Thus saith the Lord God Adonai Jehovah or Jehovah who is your Lord behold I am against the shepherds and I will require my flock at their hands and cause them to cease feeding my flock t is known to most that in Scripture-language Magistrates and Ministers are termed shepherds and have in their respective capacities a joint over-sight of the flock committed unto them by the chief shepherd but alas how have ye Magistrates shuffled off the care of the flock to the Ministers and how have the Ministers shifted back the over-sight of it to the Magistrates and betwixt them both many sheep have wandered and some have been worried Though most were desirous that the Foxes should be taken yet it came under dispute who should take them and though at all hands it was agreed that deceiving Jezebel should be dealt withal yet how and by whom hath hitherto been the question Ask the Magistrate and he will tell you Ministers must do it by the sword of the spirit and ask the Minister and he will tell you that the Magistrate must do it by the sword of his civil power And whilst we have been disputing what to do and who should do it errors have sadly spread and a considerable part of the flock hath straggled and is become a prey to the beasts of the field the blame whereof is laid by some at the Magistrates door upon account of his tenderness and gentleness of spirit and countenance to such as differed onely in disciplinary points refusing to establish by his civil sanction that way of discipline as universal and imposing upon all which they own and would enthrone as the government of the Lord Jesus as also for their remisness and too much indulgence to evil persons and opinions in not punishing the one nor suppressing the other which amounteth to a toleration And many charge the blame hereof upon the Ministry by reason of morose austere and rigid carriage toward those who differ from them in the way of discipline or onely in some lesser doctrines that are not fundamental or because they remit much of that care watchfulness and oversight which the duty of their places and the present necessity obliged them unto but the day will declare it and t is not good for either to plead not guilty the Lord help us to mourn that the folds are broken up and that the flocks are scattered The Lord teach us all our duty and by his own spirit in the word determine that great question what is to be done and by whom That the sick may be healed the broken bound up the lost may be sought up those that are driven away may be brought again and the residue secured against future scattering And the Lord give stability of spirit to his people that they may be kept from topling in these tottering times when so many backslide some in profession not in opinion some in opinion who yet retain a profession and some in opinion and profession both stepping into Religion without any precedaneous and inward change and so soon in soon out making that good 1 John 2.19 They went out from us because they were not of us And now you will finde upon due trial this an excellent means to fix your spirits when you read over those acts of grace which the Lord hath drawn out upon your hearts in the blood of his own Son How did this fix the Apostles Joh. 6.67 Many of the disciples went back and walked no more with the Lord Jesus upon which he puts the question to them will yee also forsake me there was need of such a question for Nemo errat sibi-ipsi Seneca sed dementiam spargit in proximos the heathen could say no man errs to himself but evil men and erring do spread their madness unto their neighbors as weeds endanger the good corn bad humors the good blood and an infected house the whole neighborhood Therefore the Lord Jesus tryes their pulses whether this great defection had not tainted them with some infection and behold the fixedness of their spirits in Peters reply 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lord to whom shall we go thou hast the words of eternal life and we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ the Son of the Living God we have certainly and experimentally known by those glorious works which thou hast wrought before us and by the saving communication of thy grace and light unto us when we were in a dark and dead estate that thou art Christ the Son of the living God and therefore we will not leave thee this cemented and knit their hearts unto Christ it was a brave speech of old Polycarpus when the Proconsul perswaded him to deny the Lord Jesus Eighty and six years have I served Christ and he never did me hurt but good and shall I now deny him Oh! absit God forbid Thus Saint Paul argues back the Galathians Gal. 3.1 2. O foolish Galathians who
hath bewitched you that ye should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth See Mr. Baxter in loc crucified among you This onely would I learn of you received ye the spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith c Oh did ye much and often read over the passages of divine love unto you and would be true to your own experiences it would antidote you against many errors of the times and keep your hearts close with God 3. This serious recognition and review of the Lords mercies brings most comfort unto the soul and sure he lives best to himself who lives most to his own comfort a life of comfort is the sweetness the desireableness and life of life What is life to the bitter in soul which long for death and dig for it more then for bid treasures which rejoyce exceedingly and are glad when they finde the grave Job 3.21 22 23. And what comfort have men in living upon a natural account when those dayes are come wherein they say we have no pleasure in them Eccl. 12. ver 1. and is it not so in a spirituall sense a wounded spirit who can bear but a good conscience is a continual feast and the Kingdome of God is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost Rom. 14. vers 17. Then do we come nearest heaven and live in the suburbs of it when we are filled with peace and joy in our soules when we experience a sedateness and serenity of spirit rejoycing in hope of the glory of God now sence of grace received doth marvellously comfort the soul 1. In our addressments unto God by prayer when we have any request to make at the throne of grace this will work a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and holy boldness of spirit in us we may encourage our selves to hope that we shall speed in our desires and have acceptation in heaven when we consider that God hath manifested the love of a father and given the portion of a childe unto us how he sought us up when we were gone astray met us with a welcome home at our returne and clasped us in the embraces of his paternall affections when we have the robe and ring to shew the spirit of Adoption which cryeth Abba Father and therefore if parents that are evil know how to give good things to their children See Mr. Teat in Matth. 7. vers 11. much more will our heavenly father give the holy Ghost to us that ask him Luke 11. vers 13. even 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good things yea all good things for the Holy Ghost is a comprehensive and superlative terme all good things and that which is more then all besides sure we should not have that listlesness and loathness unto prayer that heart-deadness in prayer and those dead hopes as to expectancy of comfort from prayer if we were much and often in the meditation of Gods love Oh t is an excellent heart preparatory unto prayer and the readiest way to find the returnes of our prayers Care his Plus cum Deo quam hominibus loquitur while prayer standeth still the trade of Godliness stands still also and soul-wants are great and many all good comes into the soul by this door and all true treasures by this Merchants ship And sure they who have their hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and their bodies washed with pure water that have the sence of justifying and sanctifying grace have boldness and heart-willingness to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus and may draw near to God with full assurance of faith Heb. 10. vers 19 22. in which the life of comfort doth much consist and by which it is much preserved in the soul 2. This heart-commanding will give you comfort in your attendance at the posts of wisdome O when you sit at the feet of Jesus in his teaching ordinances and your hearts are heated and heightened with a serious meditation upon the truth and work of grace you 'l taste comfort in every word and draw sweetness out of every dug if sin be roundly dealt withall and the arrowes of the Lord be keen to strike through the very heart of a lust you will rejoyce in it because 't is done against an enemy sin and you are now implacably fallen out and therefore you dare speak in the words of the Psalmist Psal 139. ver 21 22. Do not I hate them which hate thee and am not I grieved with them which rise up against thee I hate them with a perfect hatred I count them mine enemies Indeed in a sense we are to love our enemies but those that would draw off our hearts from the Lord and loosen our affections from holiness as sin would Oh they are enemies indeed and we shall bless God when the word wounds them deepest that they bleed and breath out their last Time was when we had secret heart-risings against the word when a reproof came too close and Ahab-like we have hated the Micaiah and have gone home to our houses heavy and displeased because of the word which hath been spoken unto us 1 Kings 21. vers 4. I but now we take pleasure in a sin-wounding Sermon a lust-laming discourse when the word gets a leg or an arm from the body of death so when impenitency is reproved and sentenced we shall be comforted when we find that God hath given us soft hearts and granted repentance unto life Acts 11. verse 18. If Gospel unbelief be threatened and the wrath of an eternal God denounced our hearts will be comforted by a reflection upon our faith of which Jesus Christ hath been the Author and will be the finisher Heb. 12. ver 2. nay if the bottomless pit be opened and a vision of that brimstone-lake belching forth smoke and sulphur be presented the sight whereof makes the sinners of Zion afraid and surpriseth the hippocrites with sinking fears crying out in the greatness of their distress who amongst us shall dwell with devouring fire who amongst us shall dwell with everlasting burnings Isa 33. ver 14. our hearts will feed upon this sad truth with comfort when we know that with Noah we are in the ark and with Lot we are in Zoar waiting for our Jesus from heaven who hath delivered us from wrath to come 1 Thes 1. vers ult The Devil is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a roaring lion roaring after the prey but our comfort is that the Lord Jesus is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lion of the Tribe of Judah which rescueth us from the paws of this Lion Nay farther if Gospel priviledges be displayed Gospel-promises be applyed Gospel-treasures be opened and the name of Christ like oyntment be powred forth we may by an Act of believing grasp at all and say all is ours we are Christs 1 Cor. 3. ver ult yea Christ is ours Cant. 5. ver ult In a word if the state of after
blessedness be discovered upon and heaven in all its glory be revealed according to frail man's utmost capacity to apprehend it Oh it will be matter of heart-rejoycing to us when our soules can go up to God with that triumphant Eulogy 1 Pet. 1. ver 3 4 5. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to this inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and which fadeth not away reserved in heaven for us who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation in every truth the sence of grace received will give in comfort to a believer Oh try this and you will find a sweetness in the word however dispensed This also will render your approaches to the Lord's Table more acceptable to the Lord and more comfortable to your own soules for having tried the truth and coming in the sence of grace received you may lift up your hearts with chearfulness and humbly expect that the cup is the new Testament in the bloud of Jesus for the remission of your sins Matth. 26. v. 28. that all the benefits of the new Covenant even the whole purchase of Christ's passion are sealed up unto you if to this worthiness of person you add the worthiness of preparation also You shall then find his flesh to be meat indeed and his bloud to be drink indeed as living men and of sound constitutions find savour and nourishment from their food they take when the dead find none and distempered persons but little so shall you finde food and growth in that ordinance when 't is mors in olla the favour of death unto death to the dead Formalist and gives forth little sweetness or savour to the sensless and sleepy Christian Oh then as Deborah bespake her self Judg. 5. ver 12. Awake Awake Deborah so say I Awake awake up your glory in thankfulness to the Lord stirre up your selves and graces lean by faith upon the blessed bosome of your Jesus cleave to his Cross and ye shall suck honey out of this rock yea oyl out of this flintie rock Deut. 32. ver 13. and thus commemorating the death of Christ by those lively resemblances of his death you may lift up your hearts with comfort to look for and love his appearing 4. This serious revisal of formal incomes and experiences from the God of all grace in wayes of grace to your souls will up-heap your hearts with lively and lasting consolations in every estate it is like the Woolf which will draw a threed of comfort through the whole warp of a Christians life as might be cleared in many instances to name a few 1. Are you under breaking afflictions from the Lord in your persons or families doth deep call unto deep and are the banks of custodient providence so broken down that all his waves and billows do flow over you why what comfort and reviving will the sense of grace received bring into your souls when you minde that witness within you that you are the children of God you may look upon all your afflictions as the rod of a Father and his end in all to be the taking away of sin Isa 27.9 not by satisfaction for that 's the peculiar fruit of your Redeemers blood but by sanctification 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 club it down 1 Cor. 9.27 wisely governing his corrections To beat down the body and bring it into subjection to the government of the Lord Jesus grace received will light a candle unto you whereby you may read the minde of God and the methods of his paternal discipline Heb. 12.6 Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth that son in whom he is well-pleased says Mercer in Prov. 3.12 the lower the ebbe the higher the tyde the lower you descend in humiliation 1 Chron. 4.9 10. The Holy Ghost says Jabez was more honourable then his brethren and his mother called his name Jabez because I bore him with sorrow Jabez signifies sorrow and wherein did his honor appear why in that God granted him his requests viz. blessed him enlarged his coast strengthened him by his hand and kept him from evil thus in a spiritual sense an afflicted Saint is a Jabez not onely as a man of sorrow but as an honourable person the rod is a pledge of love and badge of honour hae sunt gemmae pretiosa ornamenta Dei says one pointing to his sores and ulcers These are the gems and jewels wherewith God decketh his best friends The Lord hath prepared me a neck-lace of pearl was the saying of a gracious woman when a sickness took hold upon her the Lily is sown in her own tears And Gods vines says one bear the better for bleeding there may be a plethory of blood as well as superfluous branches which may hinder fruitfulness these are the preludes of your everlasting triumphs and as your constancy in them doth witness your love to God so your support under them doth witness Gods love to you Omnis Christianus cruclanus Luther which begins with the cross here but shall end with the crown hereafter Jam. 1.12 Blessed is the man which endureth temptation from the Lord in ways of afflictions for when he is tryed he shall receive the crown of glory which the Lord hath promised to them that love him 2. Are you under the bufferings of Satan do his fiery darts fly about you and doth he fire his granado's upon you Mr. Gurnals exposition in Eph. 6.12 p. 306. 307. nay do principalities and powers worldly Governors and spiritual wickednesses draw up against you and that in heavenly places namely to take away your crown from you to plunder you of your joy and peace here and to block up your way to heaven hereafter Why follow the streams to the head of the fountain endeavor to work up your hearts to a serious apprehension of grace received in the life and sence thereof and you will receive much contribution from it as to your peace and safety though Satan may beat you from your out-works and seize upon some of your Artilery and thereby discourage yea much discompose you in your addresses to God yet the consideration of pardoning purging adopting and accepting grace will be as a Fort-Royal an impregnable Cittadel wherein you may secure the choicest of your heavenlies and from whence you may have reserves in the hottest onsets the experiences of the goodness and good pleasure of the grace of God in Jesus Christ unto you will be as chariots of fire and horses of fire round about you 2 King 6.17 to circumvallate and safe-guard your souls The Apostle 1 Pet. 5.10 tells you That Satan roareth after souls as an hungry lyon after his prey and gives in this by way of advice unto you vers 9. Whom resist stedfast in the faith that is keep your ground
O friends mind the annointings of the Spirit the sealings of the Spirit the witness of the spirit and draw up a fair Copy of all the gracious visits actings and workings of your blessed Redeemer by his Spirit unto and upon your hearts that your soules may often read therein that so when you come to die as needs you must and be as water spilt upon the ground which can be gathered up no more you may then be set down in the valley of Achor nay may finde the valley of the shadow of death as the valley of Baracha God hath pluckt out the sting of death and so death is given as a favour unto you O read your own blessedness in the light and print of the spirit Apoc. 14.13 Blessed are the dead that dye in the Lord from * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 e vestigio amodo ab ipso mortis articulo Mr. Trap. in locum henceforth yea saith the spirit that they may rest from their labors and their works do follow them A Christian says one is here like quick-silver which hath in it a principle of motion not of rest never quiet like a ball upon the rackets a ship upon the waves but death brings him to his rest his body to the grave which is his bed of rest Isa 57.2 and his soul into Abrahams bosom That rest which remains to the people of God Heb. 4.9 And your works shall follow you mors privare potest â—pibus non operibus death doth strip a Saint of his wealth not of his works there shall be a resurrection of your prayers and piety yea honorable mention will be made of your charity to the poor Saints at the great day Mat. 25.35 I was an hungry and ye fed me c. Oh comfort your hearts with these considerations duly weighing what ye have read and you will find when you sive most in a lively sense of grace received and in the improvement of it you live best to your selves as to a greater freedom from sin a closer walking with God and living a life of greatest comfort 3. A sober and savourly collection of grace received will make you live best to others No man is born to himself says the heathen and no man liveth to himself says the holy Ghost Rom. 14.5 he is a monster in nature that centers onely upon himself and is fitter to dwell like an Anchoret in a Cell or like a leper apart then in a community with men and Christians as there is a circulation of the blood in natural bodies that every part may receive warmth and spirits to supply its want and to render it serviceable to the whole So ought there to be a circulation of gifts and graces in the body mistical upon spiritual accounts therefore says the Apostle We that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak either bear with them or bear up the infirm and weak Christians as pillars do the poise of the whole house or parents bear their babes in their armes and not to please our selves that is not to live onely in a way of self-pleasing as men acted by principles of self-love but vers 2. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification for even Christ pleased not himself The end of Christs coming into the world was not to seek great things for himself upon a carnal and self-pleasing score nay though the cup and cross were displeasing unto him as man and he prayed against them yet when he considered that the will of his father was to bring many sons unto glory and that by making the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings he presently submitted and said not my will but thine be done Here 's our pattern in the pursuance of others good our lives should be as so many Sermons on the life of Christ as one saith this is to walk as Christ walked and this will give boldness in the day of Judgment Now we shall best seek our neighbours good to edification when we keep up a sence of our own wants and weaknesses supplies and succours we shall thereby be like the good Scribe Matth. 13. ver 52. which is instrutied to the kingdome of heaven who hath things new and old in his treasury to bring forth upon every occasion The Rabbins Proverb is Lilmed le-lammed Learn that ye may teach and the Scribe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 extrudit copiose alacriter freely and fully gives forth his store to the needy hearer Christians as well as Ministers must be like full paps Mr. Trap. in Mat. 13.52 which pain the nurse with their fulness and therefore draw them out to their babes that they may be drawn or like Aromatical trees which sweat out their soveraign gummes and oyls But alas how few such sweating trees grow upon English ground how many dry breasts have we every where and those that are full have sore nibbles that will not give suck because of the painfulness in drawing Truely when I observed this great evil amongst the Christians of our age and Nation I was pressed in spirit to provoke unto love and good works and to publish my thoughts by way of brotherly advice unto them that a wise and faithful improvement of our own cases and graces would excellently advantage the good of our neighbours I shall instance in some Particulars 1. Your own experiences faithfully communicated will marveilously encourage young Converts they will be as a staff in the hand of the weak whereon to stay New beginners have many fears and pull-backs at their first setting forth for heaven many adversaries that do way-lay them and many enemies that do pursue them Egypt at the red sea and Amaleck in the wilderness Satan levies all his temptation to render the seed of grace abortive in their soules so that it would bring forth fruit to perfection at a slow rate if the Lord Jesus who planted it did not also water and preserve it and that every moment Isa 27. vers 3. Bendes when the Lord gives a converted sinner a vision of himself lets him see his own vileness the heaps of sin and lust the springs and falls of corruption in his nature how he lies under the guilt of black and horrid sins open to the wrath of an Almighty and sin-revenging God and ready to drop into the grave and hell out of which there is no recovery Oh the fears that are upon his spirit the dismal thoughts that roul up and down his mind the dreadfull sound that is in his ears but now if you that are Christians of some standing in the grace of God would impart your experiences and tell him what your fears and terrours and troubles were and how the Lord gave you in comfort and establishment sure this would mightily encourage a young convert and have a special influx to his peace quietness and consolation This was the Apostle Paul's way 1 Tim. 1. ver 15. This is a
blessedness Therefore fear not ye servants of the Lord Who walk in darkness and as yet see no light light is sown for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart Psal 97.11 the seed time is past and the harvest is drawing on you shall have your sheavs of joy also the vision that hath spoke to us will speak to you also Our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God even our Father which hath loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace will comfort your hearts and stablish you in every good word and work 2 Thess 2.16 17. O how may the Saints of God in all these cases mutually contribute to the comforting councelling supporting and edifying each other in their most holy faith if they would be free in communicating their experiences to one another and more frequent in holding up communion one with another The wise man tells us As Iron sharpeneth Iron so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend the point of most Christian zeal is very blunt they are sharp enough in censures and contentions to draw blood of the credit yea the consciences of their brethren But what edge would be set upon their zeal in the best sense and for the best things if they would often meet together in love and sharpen each other by holy conferrences may not the neglect of Christian communion rightly managed be much a cause of our divisions and animosities and would it not be a healing means as to love and union amongst the Saints would it not procure a right understanding to prevent Schisms and parties would it not meeken the spirits of dissenting brethren would it not dash those hot vapors which fly up into the heads of many and distemper their brains with notions and niceties and may it not through the blessing of God have an hopefull tendency to the quickening comforting confirming and spiritualizing the Saints the whole Nation over Mal. 3.16 Then in a time bad enough and it may be much worse then ours whatsoever some men say they that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened and heard and a book of remembrance was writ before the Lord for those that feared him and thought upon his name c. What an encouraging practice of the Saints and promise of the Lord is here to quicken us up to a suitable carriage we have had much talk of Classical Assemblies of teaching and ruling Elders to advance the discipline of Christ O that we might have bear the word and blame not the wish Classical communions of Ministers and Christians to advance the doctrine and life and holiness of the Lord Jesus and that now the Lord hath given all his Churches rest throughout his Nation we may walk in the fear of the Lord and comfort of the holy Ghost with one lip and one shoulder consulting our mutual edification and the enlargement of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus taking that Primitive practice Act. 9.31 for our pattern and this gives me a leading hint to offer a fourth consideration unto you how you may live best unto those that are yet without 4. You will more advance Religion in your several Towns and maintain good neighborhood upon the best account if you lend a word of seasonable advice to those that are posting to hell and jogging on with more hast then good speed to the chambers of death and thus you will best do if you speak over unto them how it hath been with you how ignorant how carnal how earthly-minded how obstinate how foolish and vain you have been and how you were in the broad way to destruction yet altogether senceless and stupid as to any right apprehension of your danger or right use of means for your recovery untill the Lord convinced you by his spirit of sin of righteousness and of judgement Joh. 16.8 granted you repentance unto life Acts 11.18 and now being justified by his grace you are made heirs according to the hope of eternal life Tit. 3.6 Now by grace you are acquitted from the guilt of sins and have a clear title unto heaven And friends who knows whether the same mercy be not laid up in store for you whether the same blessed change may not be wrought in you whether the same kindness a d love of God our Saviour may not manifest it self to you Surely discourses of this nature which you may enlarge upon occasion according to the teachings of the good spirit of God may work in them a sense of danger and hope of delivery upon a saving account T is much that the Saints do for the profane world much for their unregenerate neighbors as is their duty commanded 1. In communicating unto them in their outward wants in drawing out their bowells towards distressed persons they have a word of command Ecc. 11.1 To cast their bread upon the waters giving a portion to seven and also to eight So Heb. 13.16 To do good and to communicate forget not for with such sacrifices God is well pleased and Gal. 6.10 to do good to all men supposed in distress as objects of mercy though the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the especially in the text directs them to a larger and more liberal charity towards the houshold of faith and I doubt not much water runs out at these two spouts of Mercy and Charity that this testimony may be given of many of the Saints 2 Cor. 8.3 That to their power yea and beyond their power they are willing to supply the wants of their fellow-Christians yea fellow-creatures also and indeed it would be much their shame and more their sin if men of carnal principles and worldly expectancies outstrip them in obedience to this great Gospel command Prov. 19.17 He that hath pitty upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord and that which he hath given will he pay him again Though God be much out of credit with the world yet the Saints dare take his word and do lend much unto the poor upon his single security 2. They have a great hand in procuring the blessing of God upon their carnal neighbors though God is good to all making his Sun to rise on the evil and sending rain on the unjust Mat. 5.45 bearing witness to his goodness and God-head in all nations by giving rain from heaven and fruitful seasons filling the hearts of men with food and gladness Act. 14.17 yet even the mercies of the footstool the neither springs run much for the sake of the godly which are in the world and are much as a return of their prayers Laban the Syrian learned this by experience that the Lord blessed him as to his outward estate for Jacobs sake Gen. 30.27 Potiphar saw this also chap. 39.5 It came to pass from the time that Potiphar had made Joseph overseer in his house that the Lord blessed the Egyptians house for Josephs sake and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that be had in the
house and in the field a plain text and that which teacheth great personages to commit their affairs to the trust and care of Josephs as Stewards and Bailiffs it would go better with them then it does But alas Josephs Religious men are not the onely men in great families more 's the pity and more is there loss the Lord help them to see and all men else how much good the Lords Josephs are instrumental unto in the world that they may be more prized by all and masters may labor more to store their families with such servants how desirous soever the profane world is to be rid of the Saints sure I am they would dearly miss them Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are yet he prayed in a great drought and the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth fruit Jam. 4.17 make much then of Jacobs Josephs and Elijahs O ye men of the world you 'l miss them in your barns and in your borders I 'le warrant you when they are gone 3. They keep off many a blow from the places where they live they either divert or at least delay the execution of judgements Ten righteous persons would have preserved four Cities from perishing by fire from heaven Gen. 18.32 How did David and the Elders of Israel by their prayer and humiliation keep off the sad stroak of the pestilence from Jerusalem when the Angel was now stretching forth his hand to destroy it 1 Chron. 21.15 16 17. And truely how should we admire the goodness of the Lord that the plague hath rid circuit through most Nations in the world in late years and that by a desolating mortality in some places and yet hath not for this many years broke forth in any raging manner in this Nation of ours ought not this distinguishing providence of God since reformation first began in the long Parliament be much admired and the Lord be thankfully adored for it and may we not own a remnant in the Land as a blessing from the Lord who stood in the gap Nay farther it is upon the account of the Saints that the world continues that the fire of God doth not kindle upon the whole Creation which is combustible to melt the heavens and burn up the earth with the works that are therein the floud of waters was onely respited until Noah and his family were secured in the Ark which being done the fountains of the great deep were broken up and the windowes of heaven were opened Gen. 7. ver 11. When Lot was entred into Zoar then the Lord rained fire and brimstone upon Sodom Gen. 19. ver 23 24. 2 Pet. 3. v. 9. The Lord is long-suffering to us ward not willing that any of his should perish but when the whole election is brought in then cometh the end when the sealing Angel Apoc. 7. ver 1 2 3. had sealed the servants of God in their foreheads then had the four Angels that stood on the four corners of the earth full commission to fall pel mel upon the earth It will be a dooms day with the world when the cloudes shall catch up the elect to meet their Lord in the air 1 Thess 4. vers 17. 5. And Lastly The Saints of God may mostly advantage their carnal neighbours in promoting their conversion herein they would shew themselves friends indeed if they would use all humble and earnest endeavours to bring them home to God The Judicial Law commanded every Israelite to bring a straying ox or ass home to his master How much more doth the Law of God and Christian love oblige every true Israelite indeed to bring a straggling Prodigal home to his Fathers house All the Saints own it as their duty to glorifie God in their generation and wherein can they bring more glory to God then in helping soules to heaven and how can they find out a readier way to effect this great business then by telling Vnless the Lord had been their help their soules had well nigh dwelt in silence by making a faithfull narrative of their own conditions by nature and by grace when and how the goodness of the Lord was made known unto them upon a saving account Some of the Saints I may boldly affirm have taken this course and prospered Oh that this might be a word from the Lord to awaken up all to this great duty my soul even bleedeth within me to observe the general neglect and great aversness of most to this great business some think their gifts too low and their parts too inconsiderable to carry on a design of this importance others have such honorable thoughts of a Gospel Ministery rightly called and qualified that they judg the anointing of the Lord to be upon them onely for that work and therefore will not take their work out of their hand least they should sin in such an attempt Others cry out let them do the work who receive the wages as though they worked onely for wages which is a very unjust and uncharitable censure Some there be that go higher yet who bid the Ministers sit still for they can do the work better then they and load them with many foul aspersions that they may the better get their work out of their hands I mean their people from under their Ministerial care and oversight indeed the distemper is very sad at this day in the Nation and not a few fall under this last classis I think in no Nation more the Lord rebuke that bold and blaspemous spirit which is gone abroad humble us for our sinnes and shew us the pattern of his house in all the in-goings out-goings and ordinances of it that men of daring spirits may be bounded I like not an invasion upon the Ministry so as to destroy the office of it nor yet an intrusion unto it by men not duly called unto it neither that any who are not in some measure of Gospel-fitness qualified for it should be thrust or thrust themselves upon a people though called by man unto it much less that any should improve their gifts to set up themselves and throw down the faithfull Ministry in the hearts and affections of people least of all that any should be suffered much more encouraged who corrupt the truths and people of God who bring in damnable heresies to draw away disciples after them by reason of whome the way of truth is evil spoken of 2 Pet. 2. vers 1 2. formerly made good in those reproaches which were cast upon Religion by the Pagans in the Primitive times and are now cast upon it amongst us by Papists and carnal Professours and both upon the account of Heresies and therefore as I owne the office of a Pastor as distinct from the people being the great bequeathment of the Lord Jesus to his Church and for the spiritual edification of his Church Eph. 4. ver 8 11 12. Bless God for those able pens who have with much learning gravitie weightiness of Arguments
Schismaticks and rebells so I limit their attempt for we had many pittifull Parliamentarians who might have gone in the throng of the most ungodly Cayaliers and in likelyhood would have found favour both for life and estate if the issue of the warre had gone for the King and hath not the Lord broken them and their plots in pieces hath he not fastened his people as a nail in a sure place Isa 22. ver 23. what think you then are not these mercies obligations upon you from the Lord to pursue his honour are they not opportunities put into your hands to advise exhort and perswade your families friends and neighbours and help them to heaven O what a pattern of Gospel-charity is good Cornelius Act. 10. ver 24. He had called together his kinsfolks and near friends to partake with him in that word of salvation which Peter from the Lord was to bring unto him how desirous was he to take them all into the Gospel-wherry that they might all be wafted over to the Lord Jesus therefore ver 33. he tell 's Peter We are all here present before the Lord to hear all things that are commanded thee of God O that such a gaining spirit such a winning carriage was in all the Saints Indeed when Religion was under the hatches in the nation and the old Puritans were underlins in every town they might have feared Lot's return from the wicked Sodomites and that dogs would have snarled at them if they had given holy things unto them but now that godlinesse is advanced to the throne that the people of the God of Abraham are as Princes among the people Psal 47. ver 9. and that the Kingdome and the Dominion in a considerable measure is given to the people of the Saints of the most high Dan. 7. ver 27. they have an easier accesse to their prophane neighbours and more hope of fastening good upon their spirits would God you would every where take up this practice that you would make this as one of your returns to a good God! not to proselyte others to your particular opinions and perswasions if in any thing you be Heterodox but to win them over to the power of godlinesse and to embrace that Jesus Christ who is so fully and clearly offered in the Gospel O think you hear the Lord speaking singly to you by way of encouragement in this work and in reference to your respective towns as he did to Paul Act. 18. ver 9 10. Speak and hold not thy peace for I have much people in this city Let 's not limit the election of grace to the called ones but hopefully believe that the names of many are in the Lamb's book of life whose natures are yet unrenewed and who walks not after the Lambe in Gospel-paths and let us improve yea own our naturall preservations as a fruit of Gods-longsuffering that all his elect ones in the Nation might be brought off from a perishing estate and might all come to repentance 2. Pet. 3.9 Con. 4. Consider that it is a maxime both in grace and nature that we must do unto others what we would have others do unto us we must make other mens cases our own this our Saviour lay's down Matth. 7. ver 12. All things whatsoever ye would have men do unto you do ye even the same unto them for this is the law and the Prophets this is the Royall law the standard of equity in this kind a sealed weight and rule according to which we must converse with all men as one saith Charity t is true begins at home in regard of order but not of time for so soon as you begin to love your selves in the best sense you must then love your neighhours as your selves now then put the case by way of supposition suppose you were ignorant carnal and unbelieving and had a sense of that misery you were hastening unto that you saw your selves upon the brink of the grave and borders of hell would you not thank that Christian that would reprove you in love advise you in love instruct you in love and that would pull you out of the fire though he saved you with fear Jud. ver 23. would you not own it as a piece of highest love and good will in any that would endeavour your everlasting welfare why then what you would others should do unto you do you the same unto them if you should casually slip into the river and be near unto drowning would you not have your neighbour lend his hand to help you out if a neighbour should see a fire kindled upon any of your houses when you and your whole family were fast asleep and should suddenly awaken you by crying fire fire by which means you and yours are preserved from the flames would you quarrel with him for breaking your sleep or coming upon your ground I trow you would not but rather own it as an act of singular love why go you and do likewise to your sinking and sleeping neighbours hand them out of the depths of sin and awaken them that everlasting flames may not catch hold upon them The law of love will never rightly be fulfilled until Christians are acted by a principle of fellow-feelingnesse he that considers himself lest he be tempted will restore a brother that is overtaken in a fault with a spirit of meeknesse Gal. 6. ver 1. He will remember those that are in bonds who by a sympathizing spirit is bound with them and will consider them which suffer adversity who himself is also in the body and as a fellow-member feels the smart of their misery Heb. 13. ver 3. O this is the way to continue brotherly love and advance it when your endeavours are serious to save souls from hell and when you wish your neighbours well as to their everlasting estate when with Paul your hearts desire and prayer to God is that they may be saved Rom. 10. ver 1. Consid 5. Consider that what your carnall neighbours are you were some of you have been as vile as any and yet you have now obtained mercy the spirit and grace of God have put you into a hopefull way for heaven and why may it not be so with them are some of your neighbours fornicatours and adulterers why so were some of you are some of them idolatours why so were some of you are some of them thieves covetous drunkards revilers extortioners Why so were some of you 1 Cor. 6. ver 9 16. I speak not this to shame any servant of the Lord nor do I cast his former sins into his teeth to reproach him Isti homunciones invident mihi gratiam Dei were Beza's words to the Papists who upbraided him for his youthfull Poems De me fabula narratur there are enough will do that but to enmind him of the endeavour of good to them who at present are what he once was but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in
the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God ver 11. and why may not they be so can you give any other reason but free-grace and the meer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the good pleasure of God that you are washed whilest they continue filthy that you are sanctified whenas they are all over polluted or that you are justified whereas the guilt of sin lies upon them still and cannot the name of Christ and Spirit of God do all that in them and for them which is done in and for you Titus 3. ver 3. the Apostle gives this in charge unto Titus that he should enmind the Brethren of this as their duty to shew all meeknesse unto all men in their dealing with them under an hopefull expectancy that a gracious change may be wrought in them though little of God appears at present in them and this he inforceth by leading them back to consider what themselves once were for we our selves also were sometimes foolish disobedient deceiving serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hatefull and hating one another Con. 6. Consider that it is a piece of good friendship to your selves to endeavour the spirituall good of others you do very much consult your own advantage by it and this I shall offer in some particulars It is an high point of spirituall good husbandry an excellent way to encrease your own stock a good Minister cannot preach a good Sermon nor a sober Christian manage a spirituall discourse Nephesh Berachah the soul of blessing but they do or may receive good to themselves Prov. 11. ver 25. The liberall soul shall be made fat and he that watereth shall also be watered himself it is not the liberall hand though it be true as to acts of common bounty if rightly ordered but the liberall soul answering to that Prov. 10. ver 11. The lips of the righteous feed many by wholesome counsell seasonable exhortations and spirituall instructions now this is a fatning discourse the soul thrives bravely that observes this method your own graces will be more exercised your own consciences will be awakened your own knowledge will be more enlarged and your own spirits will be more quickened unto and established in the good wayes and truths of God you cannot be serious in reproving others but it will give corruption a wound in your own hearts you cannot perswade others to repent of their fins but it will stirre you up to renew repentance for your own sins you cannot exhort others to duty but you will be admonisht of your own and you cannot deal seriously with others about salvation but it will quicken up an holy diligence in you to mind your own salvation Surely these improvements are well worth your labour 2. It makes much for your personall safety the more there be to stand in the gap the better the breach will be made up ten would have preserved Sodom when as nine could not do it the Saints do much with God when numerous and unanimous when the whole Church prays for Peter an Angel procures his Goal-delivery you helping together with your prayers is Paul's expression owning the joint addresses of the Corinthians 2 Cor. 1. ver 11. striving together for the faith of the Gospel Phil. 1. ver 27. Paul layes much stress upon number and unity when many strive and strive together like valiant Champions and a well ordered army it is like to go well with the Gospel in the Doctrines and liberty of it Therefore cast your bread upon the waters for you know not what evil shall be upon the earth Eccl. 11. ver 1.2 Take this in a spiritual sense and you will find an inforcement in it to the duty proposed for in a time of straight Zech. 12. ver 5. The Governours of Judah shall say in their heart even from the heart acknowledg it Legio fulminea the Inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord their God By vertue of their Interest in the Lord their God evils have been diverted Judgments have been removed and blessings in their right seasons have been procured 3. It makes much for your spiritual comfort The soul of righteous Lot was vexed from day to day with the unlawfull deeds of the Sodomites 2 Pet. 2. ver 8. Is not this your case Do not your eyes run down with tears because men keep not Gods Law yea in that abundance that they swell into rivers Holy David's did Psal 119.136 Is not every profane wretch an Hazael to your eyes and a Hadadrimmon to your hearts and can you step out of your door in many places it is so and not see some piece of wickedness which cuts you to the heart or hear every man speak vanity to his neighbour Psal 12. ver 2. now how would it revive your spirits how would it rejoyce and comfort your hearts if you could see the face of things changed amongst you that you might go to this neighbours house and finde them praying to anothers and find them praising God to a third and find them reading and discoursing of the word and things of God nay that you could not walk in the streets but you should hear the Inhabitants of one city saying unto another let us go speedily to pray before the Lord and to seek the Lord of Hosts Zech. 8. ver 21. This sets forth the zeal and charity of those converts who would not come alone but draw others along in company with them to the worship of God which is lively expressed in a Mimesis Mr. Pemble in loc or imitation of the encouragements and invitations they should use one to another I will go also every one was as forward for himself as zealous for another as a learned Expositour hath it O blessed frame of spirit O religion would then flourish indeed when Ministers have their comes and calls each to other to the service of God nay that such an awakening should be upon your neighbours that here one should take hold of the skirts of your garments and here another as children catch hold on their Mothers gowns hang upon them and run after them saying we will go with you to such an Ordinance to such a Christian meeting for we have heard that God is with you we heard it formerly but believed it not yea derided it but now we have heard from the secret teachings of the Spirit of God within us and are convinced of it that God is with you with you in prayer with you in the word preached with you in all the duties of Religion with you in your private waitings upon him with you in the way of holiness Of a truth God is in you 1 Cor. 14. ver 25. and therefore we will go with you your God shall be our God your wayes shall be our wayes and your company shall be our company what a rejoycing of heart would this be to the truly godly and if the Lord give his blessing
Proteus like will the Jesuite cast himself how many hazzards of his neck will he run and how many hard journeys will he take to reconcile a poor Protestant to the Church of Rome neither do some others fall short of the Jesuites either pains or zeal to proselyte men to their opinions we have seen that made good in our dayes which our Saviour spake of the Scribes and Pharisees Matth. 23. ver 15. Ye compasse sea and land to make one proselyte What wanderers among the Nations have some of our Sect-Masters been what labours and hardships have some undergone what journeys tedious and dangerous by land and sea have some undertook what errand have they gone on what merchandizes have they exported but some old drugs and antiquated errours which the Saints in former ages and forreign parts have exploded but now being in-land commodities of the growth of our own Nation and being now put into a new dresse by men of English birth pretending hatred to the Romish Hierarchy are become vendible in most parts O what marts and markets have been kept by them in many of our towns to put off their stale and stollen wares and what sale have they had in some places who le towns almost in some places have come in to truck and barter with them the more is the pity that the spirit of delusion should gain so farre upon English ground O how should this provoke all that fear the Lord in truth to pursue salvation-work with utmost diligence to endeavour with much seriousnesse of spirit the winning over souls to God! How shall we answer the charge of our own consciences at a dying hour how shall we look our dear Redeemer in the face at the last day nay how shall we stand against the great accuser before the great tribunal when he shall charge this spirituall sloth and negligence upon us when he shall speak to the Judge of all the world and cry for justice against us urging that his servants have been more faithfull and serviceable to him then we have been to the Lord Jesus though he never bled to redeem them never underwent the wrath of a sin-revenging God for them never laid down his life to save them out of hell never gave them inward and heart consolations here neither prepared for nor ever promised unto them a state of everlasting blessednesse and fulnesse of joy in his presence forevermore hereafter and therefore shall call for sentence to be given out against us as being unworthy of that crown of glory O this is a consideration of great weight the Lord help us to take the right poise of it let us take shame unto our selves for our former negligence and be quickened up to more industriousnesse for the future Let not any of the devils drudges out-work us nor any of his merchants out-bid us much lesse any of his pedlers out-sell us for the time to come let not others do more to undo then we to save souls nor be more unwearied in their labours and travells to pervert then we are to convert men if there be a person that deserves as a badge of honour the name of that old Disciple trudge o're the world let not Jesuite and Heretick get it from us To shut up this I beseech you dear Christians into whose hands providence shall cast this treatise weigh these considerations laid down and let them with what others the spirit of the Lord shall suggest unto you or any of my learned brethren shall offer have an holy force upon your spirits to put you upon serious endeavours of doing good to your carnall neighbours if peradventure God will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth and that they may recover themselves out of the snares of the devil who are taken captive by him at his will 2 Tim. 2. ver 25 26. and that you may be used by the Lord as instruments of their salvation listen not to flesh and blood which will be tampering with you to disswade you from it and will throw in an hundred objections and carnall cavils against it onely observe your stations invade not the ministery nor despise it be humble in all your applications to your ignorant neighbours and under any successe which the Lord shall answer your endeavours with and under all discouragements and deadnesse of heart to this duty improve grace received and temporall preservations as arguments to quicken you up to this duty and to other duties which are mentioned in this treatise that you may live best to God best to your selves and best to all others and alwayes wear this text as a sign upon your hands and as frontlets between your eyes to enmind you of the Lord's mercies unlesse the Lord had been my help my soul had almost dwelt in silence Vse 4. Are the appearances of God eminent an immediate to the help of his people in the day of their distresse have you experienced this truth have you seen the outgoings of the Lord in your personall safety and preservations why then fetch comfort and encouragement from hence and lift up your hearts and hands unto God in expectancy of help and succour in these following cases 1. When Church affairs do meet with dark and gloomy day when the Gospel is under some restraint as to liberty or under some corruption as to purity in word and worships reflect upon the outgoings of God unto you and consider that mercy that goodnesse that wisdome that power c. which were engaged for your rescue in an evil day then play the good Logicians and in a way of divine induction argue à minore ad majus from the lesse to the greater if the Lord extended help to me in such an eminent manner how much more shall the arm of the Lord be made bare in the rescue of many Saints if a single believer found the Lord so present in a day of trouble how shall a society of believers find him in such a day if a little sculler was brought safe to shore from off a stormy sea how will the Lord calm the raging waves when the ship of his Church is tempest-tost if his care was so great over one member sure the whole family shall not be neglected by him O there 's much sweetnesse and much truth in this way of arguing Thus did David Psal 30. ver 1 2. O Lord my God I cried unto thee and thou hast healed me O Lord thou hast brought up my life from the grave thou hast kept me alive that I should not go down into the pit here was a personal deliverance and what doth he inferre from hence namely that the Church and people of God shall receive the same measure of mercy from him in the day of their distresse therefore he saith ver 4. Sing unto the Lord O ye Saints of his I but may the Saints say we have little cause of mirth we may now hang our harps upon the willows the waters of
in his attributes and appearances for his people He is I am in his love to them he loves with an everlasting love even unto the end I am in his Covenant which is everlasting that he will be the God of his people unto death And he is I am in mine own experience I have found him to be so to me and therefore I do comfortably argue my heart into an expectancy of help from this God and may easily say He hath delivered he doth deliver and he will deliver me The same argument may the Saints take up by way of comfort and hope to themselves in times of persecution when they consider their former deliverances and Gods unchangeableness And now give me leave to make some digression in commending my thoughts by way of comfort to you and to my self in case we should be called forth to a suffering condition much hath been spoken and much to purpose on this subject yet all is little enough and many of the Saints have found it so in an hour of temptation 1. Lay this upon your spirits that your sufferings are upon you for God for his names sake it is ye are killed all the day long and led forth as sheep unto the slaughter ye suffer not as evil doers or busiebodies in other mens matters but for Religion sake the Gospel sake and for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers as the Apostle affirmes of himself Acts 26. ver 6. and therefore ye have good cause to gather up your spirits and humbly expect that God will stand by you and strengthen you in the day of your tryal This made good Mordecai speak at that rate of assurance Hest 4. ver 14. Enlargement and deliverance shall arise to the Jews though Hester the most visible and likely person to advocate their cause lying in the bosome of Ahasuerus as his beloved Queen should hold her peace and this made the three worthies gird up the loyns of their mind and quit themselves like men yea like brave men in that great day of their tryal when in the cause of God they were threatened with a fiery fornace Dan. 3. ver 17. Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery fornace Able who question 's the omnipotency of God But how know you that he will deliver why as the eye of their faith was upon that promise Isa 45. ver 2. so it was also upon t heir former preservations they convider'd how eminently God had delivered them from the Chaldeans sword bathed yea made drunk with the bloud of many thousands in that sad day of Jerusalem how they had been kept alive in Babylon what power even to a Miracle God had put forth in preserving health and strength and beauty to them with pulse and water and had given them an honourable standing in that strange Land and therefore now they were brought forth to bear witness against the Idolatry of that Nation and to maintain the worship of the true and living God they concluded their preservation that God would own them and the cause they suffered in which made them speak with that gallantry of spirit He will deliver us out of thy hands O King This account also Daniel gave of his preservation Dan. 6. v. 22. My God hath sent his Angel and hath shut the mouth of the Lions that they have done me no hurt forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me That is he suffered as a righteous man in a righteous cause O sure it ought to be the care and wisdome of the Saints not to provoke and exasperate wicked men nor pull trouble on themselves by a contempt of or by any seditious practises against the persons of worldly Governours that when they come to a day of suffering they may speak Daniels words That innocency is found in them before the Lord and that before the Magistrate they have done no hurt by transgressing any Law of man which is consistent with the Lawes and honour of God This will quiet the spirit and bring in reserves of comforting hope and support in the saddest day How sweetly doth the Apostle argue 1 Pet. 4. ver 12 13. unto the end to the comforting and staying up believers in the fiery trial Oh! would you but sip often of this cordial wine and spice it with your own experiences of God unto you in former deliverances how would it antidote against Apostacy in an evil day and excellently prevent those sinkings of spirit which the fear of suffering times produceth in you 2. As there is hope of deliverance when ye suffer upon the single Interest of Religion and that with single hearts so also there wants not ground of hope because the spirits of all the faithfull will be up in prayer All the Saints will then hasten to the mount and put in for your safetie as being of a common concernment They consider that their lives are bound up in the lives of their brethren The Apostle argues thus Heb. 13. ver 3. Remember them that are in bonds as bound with them and them that suffer adversity especially for the Gospel as being your selves also in the bodie This Chapter is called by a Divine The Chapter of Remembrances This is a good Memento a seasonable Item to particular believers Societies and Churches to remember before the Lord their Brethren that are in bonds as being bound with them in regard of sympathy and fellow-feeling being members together of the same bodie as also in regard that the chain which is upon their brethren may suddenlie be fastened to their bodies when a scare-fire is begun in a Town every man will be readie with his bucket to quench it because he fears the fireing of his own house It was well said Tunc tua res agitur paries cum proximus ardet and will be well applyed by Believers when they foresee their own sufferings in their suffering brethren and labour to put a stop to that scare-fire as hearing these words falling from the lips of their dying brethren hodie mihi cras tibi that which is my portion to day will be thine to morrow if the Lord do not stay the rage of bloudie men a scare-fire seldome ends in the first house the Pestilence doth not often stay at the first family nor persecution end in the death of one Saint if the Lord chain not up those mad dogs they will break into the fold and make havock of the flock therefore the Saints that are in the bodie and so are lyable to the same persecutions will up and tugg hard with God for a suffering Believer and that upon the account of their own safetie Thus Acts 12.5 When Peter was kept in prison prayer was made without ceasing of the Church unto God for him the whole Church prayed and that without any intervals until they had gotten Peter loose And why so hard at work Oh it was of common concernment It stood them in
as a convicted enemy of mankind Hence he is called by one the dedicatour of the condemnation of Christians But when they say that the Lord stood by him and delivered him out of the mouth of the Lion 2 Tim. 4. ver 17. and that he had obtained liberam custodiam freedome to go abroad with his keeper nay that he had hired an house in Rome and received all that came unto him preaching the kingdome of God and teaching those things which concerned the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence no man forbidding him that he was neither slain or shut up nor yet silenced then they took courage and not onely professed but preached the Gospel without fear and scattered that precious seed within the walls of Caesar's pallace Thus the Lord governs the sufferings of his people when not unto bloud to the strengthening of weak hands which hand down and the feeble knees and to the making of streight paths for their feet that the lame are not turned out of the way but rather healed Heb. 12. ver 12 13. There 's much healing mercy to weak believers who like Mephibosheth are lame of their feet as to profession and are apt to get a wrench in rough wayes when the Lord stayes the rage of men and brings off his suffering Saints with safety both of cask and conscience Lay up this Consideration against a day of tryal And let me add further 4. That if the Lord should leave you in the hands of bloody persecutours and should give them a full commission not onely against your liberties but your lives also yet even your death would be life unto the dead in a saving sence unto others this hath been often witnessed that sanguis Martyrum est semen Ecclesiae the blood of Martyrs is the seed of the Church Many Believers have arose out of the ashes of one dying Phoenix Indeed the Gospel is the white seed wherewith the Lord soweth the great field of the world having ploughed and prepared it by the law and here and there a Church groweth up in this and that Nation and here and there a Believer springeth up in this or that family and town Dedicator damnationis Christiancrum Tertuâ— This is the most usuall seed faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word preached Rom. 10. ver 17. Yet the Lord hath a red seed which sometimes he sprinkles the field withall and that 's the blood of the martyred Saints which also through a secret blessing-power is fruitfull both to the gain and growth of many souls Ecclesia totum mundum sanguine oratione convertit the Church converts the whole world with her praying and bleeding as the lilly is increased with her own juice that flow's from it so is the Church with her own blood Julian saw this which made him spare the lives of some Christians not out of mercy to them but out of malice to the Lord Jesus lest by cutting them off he should cast seed into the ground to bring forth a fuller harvest O did ye but work this consideration home upon your hearts how would it comfort you in an evil day How would it render you strangely willing not only to suffer joyfully the spoiling of your goods but also the spilling of your blood that so ye may minister seed unto the Lord and encrease his harvest what is it besides the glory of God and the discharge of duty with comfort and conscience which quickens up faithful Ministers to spend themselves and strength in the work of the Gospel is it not that they may gain over souls unto the Lord that they may bring sinners home to God and what encourageth to this doth not the hope and expectancy that they shall shine as the starres for ever and ever Dan. 12. ver 3. and not onely as starres of the lesser magnitude but even as the Sun in the kingdome of their father Matth. 13. ver 43. O! to what an height of glory shall a poor clod of clay be advanced How shall he be the object of divine love the wonder of Angels and the envy of devils to all eternity and that the saving of souls contributes much through grace to this glory that quotation in Daniel doth fully speak not to the attainment of it by way of merit but to the enlargement of it by way of mercy Now how much of argument is there in this consideration to perswade Ministers to breath and Christians to bleed out their lives to winne souls unto God give me leave to apply that passage Psal 126. ver 5 6. To this purpose though it hear another sence they that sow in tears shall reap in joy I know if ye die Martyrs in the presence of your relations ye will sow your bloud and lives in the tears of wives and children tears are a tribute that living friends do ow to the dead upon the account of nature and grace and if your death be a Martyrium cruentum a bleeding Martyrdome it will be a wet seeds-time with you I but ye shall reap in joy it will be matter of joy unspeakable and full of glory to you if the seed ye sow takes root to bring in souls to God There 's joy in heaven at the conversion of one sinner O if a blessed Martyr when in heaven and freed from that body of sin which hinders the soul in its purest acts of joy should know what a precious seed of grace through grace his bloud was to some poor sinners how they received life from his death what rejoycing would this bring forth in him if that fulnesse of joy in the presence of God will admit of any encrease however he that goeth away weeping bearing precious seed or his seed-basket with him shall doubtlesse come again with joy bringing his sheaves with him O the great day will be a day of solemn triumph untoyou when ye shall bring those Saints yea sheaves of Saints which were gathered in and rooted to life and fruitfulnesse in your bloud Come on brave souls let the sense of former deliverance fortifie your spirit against a day of persecution and adde to them this consideration we now propose and draw up gallantly after the pattern of your great Lord and master Heb. 12. ver 2. Looking unto Jesus the authour and finisher of your faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the crosse despised the shame and is set down at the right hand of God in glory or of the throne of God it is clear that the manhood of Christ or the man Christ Jesus considered in an abstracted notior from the Godhead feared death Heb. 5. ver 7. at least the ignominy shame and sorrow of the crosse therefore we hear him once and again praying that if it was possible that cup might passe from him Matth. 26. ver 39. and yet for the joy which was set before him he endured this crosse and despised the shame it brought along with it for malefactours of the
highest rank were by the Roman Law nailed to the Crosse hence Isa 53. ver 9. the Prophet tells us he made his grave with the wicked that is suffered the death of the wicked the word imports ungodly lewd and turbulent irreligious towards God debauch't in manners and turbulent in the Common-wealth which sort of men David by the word of the Lord doomes to destruction Psal 9. ver 17. The wicked shall be turned into hell And now though the man Christ Jesus who is God blessed for evermore the Lord of glory feared death and was put to that shamefull and tormenting death the death of Hell-birds yet he endured it and despised the shame of it having his eye upon the joy set before him and what was that joy Sure much of that joy consisted in his compleating the work of his Redemption in bringing home the Elect unto God as Isa 53. ver 11. He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied Hebr. shall sit down with acquiescence of spirit shall dwell there he shall receive joy and satisfaction from the saving of sinners as a man doth that dwelleth in his own house scituated with the best advantage of profit and delightfulness It was the saturity and satisfaction of his soul and the reason thereof may be gathered from John 12. ver 32. where he sayes and I if I be lifted up will draw all men after me he knew there would be such a magnetick vertue in his death which would attract all men to wit multitudes of men and women to believe in him The Spirit being to be sent forth and the Gospel being to be universally preached after his death O then ye believing ones look unto this Jesus and look unto this joy which in some measure will be given in unto you by the attractiveness of your deaths to draw soules to Christ and settle this upon your hearts that though your bloud may be spilt as water upon the ground yet by the wise appointment of a gracious God it may be as seed instrumentally not meri-toriously for in this sense onely the bloud of Jesus is of life and grace to poor sinners and be not so streiten-ed in your bowels to the Lord Jesus or to your poor brethren as to deny an handfull of seed if called unto it to encrease the greatharvest I shall subjoin but one Consideration more namely 5. That t is an honorable advancement to be called out by Christ to suffer for him a vouchsafement of grace Magna est huâ—us verbi Emphasis ex quo intellimus omnia deberi gratuitae Dei Electioni and that in a way of speciall favour to die a Martyr a right Martyr The Apostles Acts 5. ver 41. rejoyced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that in a way of grace they had this honour put upon them that they were reputed as persons worthy to wear an honourable scar in their flesh for Christ though they were onely scourged this made Paul and Silas so meray at midnight that they sung Psalmes probably of praise to God that they were counted worthy to be shut up in the inner prison and to have their feet made fast in the stocks for the testimony of Jesus Acts 16. v. 25. Hence he tells the Philippians Phil. 1. ver 29. to you it is given 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it is a grant of grace of rich grace in the behalf of Christ not only to believe on him though that be an high honour but also to suffer for his sake as if he had said the Lord hath granted you this honour that ye shall believe on him when as he leaves thousands of your acquaintance country-men yea Betters upon a worldly score in unbelief This is worth your acceptation our admiration this calls for full returnes of praise and thankfulness but this is not all that this grant of grace conferres by way of honour upon you for ye ye that are believers shall also be sufferers be Martyrs for Christ and sure the crown of Martyrdome is a glorius crown and every soul won over to God by a dying Martyr will be as an Orient pearl and precious Diamond in his crown of far more value then that Adamant found about Charles Duke of Burgundy slain by the Switzers at the battel of Nantz sold for twenty thousand Duckets and placed as it is said in the Popes tripple crown Oh what foretastes of glory what ravishments of soul have many of the blessed Martyrs had in their suffering for Christ Hold Lord stay thine hand I can bear no more like weak eyes that cannot bear too great a light and oh what thankfulness and joy of heart have many express'd Act. and Mon. Fol. 1553. It is the greatest promotion God gives in this world to suffer saies Father Latimer I thank God most heartily for this hour Mr. Glover wept for joy of his imprisonment God forgive me my unthankfulness for this great exceedingmercy that among so many thousands he chuseth me to be one in whom he will suffer Martyr â—tiam in catenâ— gaudet August Act. Mon. Fol. 1361.1744 saies Mr. Bradford Martyr I am the unmeetest man for this high office that ever was appointed to it saies Mr. Sanders Such an honour is it saies John Carlisle Martyr as the greatest Angel in heaven is not permitted to have God forgive me my unthankfulness Oh then what the Apostle saies Heb. 12. ver 1. as the close and Epilogue of that Martyrology so say I Wherefore seing you are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily besets you and run with patience the race which is set before you Ye know not what times ye may be called unto what quaimes of fears may be upon your spirits and what temptations to self pitty from Sathan and the flesh may then seize upon you Therefore store up Provision afore hand lay up Promises lay up Presidences lay up Arguments and lay up these considerations by an unworthy hand offered unto you keep a fresh sense of former deliverances and improve them by way of comfort and support in persecuting times Argue with David Psal 9. ver 13. Have mercy on me O Lord consider my troubles which I suffer of them that hate me and probably in the cause of Religion thou that liftest me up from the gates of death ex praesentissimo en certissimo interitu from present and certain dangers which shewed me the grave gaping for me and therefore raise up your spirits and believingly say as vers 6 7 8 9. O thou enemy destructions are come to a perpetual end the date of thy commission against us is expired and shall never be renewed and thy destruction from the Lord is irrevocable and eternal but the Lord shall endure for ever vivit regnatque Christus Christ lives and raigns and shall judg the world in
he enumerates many But now when God had brought them through Jordan and possessed them of Canaan that they were filled and filled it is repeated in that fresh and fat pasture their heart was exalted and they forgot God But how doth the Lord take this why see Therefore will I be unto them as a Lion as a Leopard in the way will I observe them I will meet them as a Bear robbed of her whelps sure there must needs be great displeasure when the Father of mercies puts on the nature of such fell and fierce beasts and I will rent the caul of their heart and there will I devour them like a Lion Note the wilde beast shall tear them Put all the dreadfulness of all the creatures in the world together and all that is in the wrath of God O dreadfull consideration who knoweth the power of thy wrath Some think these wilde beasts do point to the 4 Monarchies Mr. Burroughs in locum by which God determined in after times to punish this people as Dan. 7.3 The Babilonish Empire was set forth by a Lion the Persian by a Bear the Grecian by a Leopard and the Roman by the Wilde beast so that Israels case must needs be sad when they are given as a prey to these beasts and this is engraven as an Epitaph upon their Grave-stones O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self O lay this to heart and forget not the mercies of the Lord unto you 5. Those are reprooved who though they remember the mercies of God tell large stories of their eminent preservations and seem to be much affected in reporting of them which signifies little in Gods account yet they do not live up unto them they do not receive any teaching from them more to engage their hearts to God but live as loosly and as much off from God as to any real actings for God as though they were under no extraordinary Obligation unto God which is a brand upon them and notes out a very dis-ingenious and unworthy spirit Vocal thankfulness is the least part of gratitude the whole man should be wholly taken up in the duty it is not the water which passeth through a single spout that will turn this great wheel but the full stream which through many pipes flowes from the fountain All that is within me praise his holy name David thought the all of his soul in every faculty little enough for that great work Psal 103.4 nay too little and so Psal 116.9 he saies I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living indesinenter ambulabo I will not onely take a turn or two with God but will walk constantly to the end of the race thorough the exercise of every grace the faithfull discharge of every duty the conscionable performance of every service yea though all the Acts and parts and methods of Religion and all this he engageth as a Testimony of his thankfulness to God for eminent mercy in that full and memorable deliverance which he obtained happily in the desert of Maon 2 Sam. 23.25 26. When God fetched off Saul who had begirt David and his men with his Army where he was in eminent danger to have been surprised had not the Lord in way of seasonable Providence alarum'd Saul by the Philistines who then invaded the land This was a right improvement of such a mercy But alas How few be there who tread in David's steps who act up with such resolution and fixedness of spirit for God under the sence of admirable and obliging Providences How little are Providences taken notice of how little are they improved by most so as to quicken them up to more activity for God are there not many who steal murder commit adultery and swear fasly as though they were delivered to do all these abominations Jer. 7.9 10. do they not act as high in waies of sin as ever It is with many in this point as it is with some vapouring tradesmen who live and spend all in riot and luxury till they are clap'd up by their Creditours but when their friends have compounded for them procured their enlargement and given them a trading stock again they promise fair and fair what good husbands they will be and tuckle hard to their trades for a while but within a short space they forget their poverty and imprisonment and lash out again as much as ever so 't is with many men who being brought off by the Lord from some pressing calamity they speak good words and carry it very well for a little time but then they break out into the same excess of sin and vanity as ever what a sudden and strange work was upon Israel when God had set them upon drie land Exod. 15.31 yet Moses and Miriam had scarcely finished their Psalme of praise when Chap. 15.24 The people murmured and spake high against God O take heed of this spirit lest the Lord swear unto you in his wrath as he did to Rebellious Israel that you shall not enter his rest I shall shut up this Use with that Memento of the Apostle Jude verse 5. I will therefore put you in remembrance how the Lord having saved the people out of Egypt afterward destroied them that believed not that acted not up by faith to those mercies received that improved not those advantages of mercy and providential Administrations which the Lord had put into their hands in subserviency to his glory and their own establishment in that inheritance the Grant whereof God had given to their forefathers Ah friends we have much of Israels blood in our veins of Israels impatiency murmuring rebellion and dis-ingenuity upon our spirits Our feet have often stood upon the brink of Jordan and yet we have not passed over into our land of Rest at least the Canaanites are still in the Land O take heed of Infidelity and unsuitable returns after such signal and astonishing Deliverances both personal and National lest the destroyer come amongst us and disinherit us but let us all learn the minde of God in these glorious Transactions live up unto them and acknowledg before Angels and men that Vnless the Lord had been our Help our soules had dwelt in Silence FINIS A Table of Errata's Page 2. l. 32. read seasonableness p. 4. l. 16. r. people 6. r. Jer. 45. ib. last adde h to the first word 7.10 leave out And 12.8 r. on 14.2 leave out over against the sea 24.21 r. Deut. 4.37 26.4 adde a to gain 28.17 r. his ib. 32. r. confuteth 32.35 r. unto holiness 32.12 r. habitation 33.30 r. Cant. 8. 35. add me in the margin 35.30 r. is 36. 1. r. appearances 37.36 r. commented 40.20 r. 1 Kings ib. 22. r. means of safety 41.25 r. creature 42.18 r. undo 43.30 r. a tempting 46.32 r. was 55.24 r. just complaints 56.3 r. of Jesus 59.25 Leave out the first yea 60.6 leave out those 62.13 leave out our 64. r. cucurrimus 64.14 r. unite 65.30 r. Salvianus 66.6 r. how raw and unskilfull ib. 12. r. expert 67.27 r. possession p. 68. 5. r. slashed 70.9 r. once of you 71. r. that in the margin under the second head ib. 35. adde us 72.25 r. begin to raise ib. 29. r. ye champions ib. l. 30. r. Christ's ib. 34. r. sealed 74.24 r. psal 107 ib. 30. r. census 78.27 r. If they have wearied thee in the land of peace then what wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan Jer. 12.5 89.9 r. beam 90.7 r. cues ib. 34. r. rescuing 92.14 r. Vzzah 100.7 r. Ezek. 9. 102.35 r. discourseth 105.5 r. Witches Samuel ib. r. 1 Sam. 28. 106. II. read nepheshi 107.15 r. the praises of the Lord 109.25 r. and with his own arm 121.35 r. ghnal-banim 122.4 r. quiet 122.4 in the Margin r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 133.21 r. unsuiteable 154.34 for exact r. cast 163.16 r. looked 164.27 r. praiseth 178.18 r. heart-communing 176.39 r. discoursed 181.2 r. woofe 184.31 r. feats 189.32 r. get 194.15 r. propositum 211.22 r. of their 224. II dele But 228.27 r. setters 237.23 r. Isa 43. 241.12 leave out Next ib. 21. r. diseased ib. 24. r. dele not 242.29 r. waxed ib. 38. r. saw Dedica or damnationis Christianorum is to be placed in the Margin of 242. 243.12 r. change 247.18 dele as ib. 25. r. your 251.34 r. physitians 253.7 r. was to ib. 38. r. your 257.22 adde the greatest sinners 260.25 r. Doegs 262.17 vieth 267.3 r. 1 Sam. 13.8 and 1 Sam. 10.8