whether you will serve Him and praise Him for it God is Trying whether you will now often say Bless the LORD O my soul and all that is within me God is Trying whether you will now think What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits Let us be as Gold by affording now a good Experiment Secondly Let them that are in Adversity likewise behave themselves as under the Tryals of the Lord. We may most or all of us Lament I am the man that hath seen Affliction there is a Variety of Calamity which we are try'd withal God forbid that we should procure to our selves the Brand set upon that wicked man of old In the time of his Distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD Never was there in this world a more doleful sight than that of a Theef on a Cross yet Neglecting and Affronting the Son of God. We that have been lately under Affliction particularly under that Affliction of Sickness have as it were lain among the pots God has as it were laid us by among the meanest Lumps of clay but O that we may now come sorth Doves having Wings covered with Silver and Feathers with yellow Gold O that we may come forth of our Tryals more gracious more Savoury more Heavenly than ever we were in our lives before that the Iron-Age of Grief may issue in a Golden-Age of Grace unto us that our Adversity may procure more grace to to us than ever the Prosperity of Solomon did gold to him T is to be desired that the Transmutation of Metals may be Exemplified in us and that the most exquisite Vitrioliâ— powder may not be so powerful to make Natural gold as the Dust of Affliction may be to make Spiritual gold of our souls Look to it Lest our Character be that Reprchate Silver which is rejected by the Lord. The First DESIRE Let us come forth more out-of-Love with Gold which perisheth Our GOD hath taught us that no gold will deliver from Death and Hell and that no gold can be carried away with us at our Departure hence Our God hath told us That though we should have never so much gold about us we may in a moment be taken away from all Wherefore Let us become Indifferent unto gold and all the Delights of this miserable World. Look Look upon thy most golden Comforts and imagine thou hearest that Voice of GOD in Prov. 23. 5. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not When one of the Martyrs had money proffer`d unto him he Refused it saying The Coyn is not current in the Countrey to which I am going O despise all gold but what will be Current there The Second Desire Let us come forth more Admiring of more Affected with such things as are better than gold The Fear of God is one of those things Whereof t is said it Job 28. 16. It cannot be valued with the Gold of Ophir Let it be then our prime and cheef Study to be daily acting of it yea Since we have lately seen Time loudly calling on us to Redeem it Let a Respect to God now ennoble all the Actions of our Lives The Word of God is another of those things Whereof t is said in Psal. 19. 10. It is more to be desired than much fine Gold. Let us then set an unspeakable Value thereupon Yea since we have lately seen an End of all Perfection elsewhere Let the Bible of God be now more than ever the Companion of your Solitary Hours Finally The SON of GOD is the Pearl of great price which no Gold is to be equaliz'd unto We read of a Brazen-Serpent or more truly a Coper-Serpent marvellously useful to Israel of old O let us now Esteem the Antitype of that Brasen or Coper Shadow before the Richest Gold. The holy God has newly sent me back from the Sides of Eternity to tell you That One CHRIST is worth ten Worlds T is a thing whereof you have been heretofore advised with frequent solemn lively Warnings from the Eternal God As Ioshua could say in Cap. 24. 27. Behold this stone shall be a Witness for it hath heard all the words of the Lord. So may I say Let this Pulpit and these Walls and Seats and Pillars Remember if you have forgotten That you have been often told All the gold in the world is not worth one Christ. And behold I repeat unto you one Warning more Let this House be a Witness and be you witnesses of it O ye Angels that are invisible here That it has been earnestly affirmed in our Hearing A Christ is better than a Thousand Worlds and they that slâ—ight Him will be miserable for infinitely more than ten Thousand Ages LIFE DESIRED Vpon the Death of a Relation Psal. CXIX 175. Let my Soul live and it shall praise thee and let thy Iudgements help me SWeeter Words than these could not come from the Sweet Singer of Israel himself The Hundred and Nineteenth is the longest and yet if the Comparison be not odious the sweetest of all the Psalms and perhaps the Psalm like the Grace wherewith it was Composed has a growing Sweetness towards the Conclusion of it The one and twentieth Octonary in this excellent Psalm is a Bundle of Heavenly Affections this two and twentieth Octonary is an Heap of Holy Petitions There are especially Six Petitions in this last part of the Psalm The fourth and fifth of them are in the words now before us He begs First for his Life then for God's Help The Life petition`d for may be understood as Two-fold it is called The life of the Soul both Natural Life and Spiritual Life may be intended in that Expression But cheefly the former Let my soul live it is q. d. Let my Self live T is an usual Hebraism In that signification it was the Choice of Sampson Let me dy in the Hebrew it is Let my Soul dy with the Philistines The Help petition'd for has Two Things declared concerning it We have the For-What of this Help this is That he might attend the Business for which he desired to live namely To praise God. And we also have the From-Whence of this Help this is From the Iudgments of God. Thy Iudgments this is one of the Ten various Phrases used here to signify the Wayes and Means whereby God reveals Himself unto the world In short the Doctrine before us is That While we pray to live we should account the Praises of God to be the Cheef End of our Life in which the Judgments of God are to be sought and used as our Help The Propositions which may shape this Truth unto our minds are these Prop. I. The Praise of God is to be accounted the cheef end of our Life on Earth If our Souls do live in our Bodies if we enjoy that Life which is an Union between Soul and Body this is to be the End of it That we may praise the God of our lives It was the pious
and give your Hoary Head to be found in the way of Righteousness May You have before you the Exemple of that Nehemiah who was A man come to seek the welfare of the Children of Israel of that Cornelius who was A Devout man that jeared God with all his House and pray'd to God alwayes of that Treasurer who made the Bible his perpetual Companion and Beleeved with all his Heart and as You have Opportunity Do Good unto all men May the Death I dare not say the Loss of your Ten Children the last of which going from you made a Tenth Wave in your Tryals only promote your Vnion Communion with Him who is Better than Ten sons and may you enjoy in the House of God a Place and a Name better than that of sons daughters May all the Storms besides those which the Adventures of your younger years upon the Atlantic Ocean made you betimes acquainte withal in an unstable a tempestuous World prove so many fresh fair Gales to be friend your late but sure Arrival unto the Rest which remains for the people of God Wherein the Anchor of your Hope is already Cast and where to You are with the more-than-half Furled Sails of Time hastening apace after him that said I desire to loose Anchor and be with Christ which is by far the best of all T is by these Prayers that I would approve my self Sir Your Dutiful Son and very humble Servant COTTON MATHER THE GOOD MANS RESOLUTION Josh. 24. 15. But as for MEE and MY HOVSE we will serve the Lord. SECT I. NEVER was there in this world a People more obliged or encouraged unto the Service of the Great God than we the New-English Israel are The God of Heaven is Our God and it becomes us to Fear Him our Fathers God and how much ought we to worship Him To serve God was the very Errand which we were brought into this Wilderness upon and has hitherto been both our Glo-Glory our Defence That we now grow so dull and cold in this we may write an Ichabod upon all our enjoyments and therein see our Chariots and our Horse-men gone To Revive the Decay'd Service of God among us would be to reduce us into that Favour and Friendship of him who was The Hope of our Fathers which would make us happy enough to refute all the Lies of our Enemies Thus would God the Lord speak peace unto us Thus would Salvation be nigh to us and Glory dwell in our Land. SECT II. TO do some and gain more Service for our God the Text now before us is to be Discoursed on These words are among the last words of Ioshuah the servant of the Lord they are a Devâ—ut and a Divine sentence uttered by the renouned Ioshua in a Speech to The Parliament of Israel The Dying Words of all Great and Good men have usually been esteemed Remarkable by the Survivers and those books which contain Apoâ—â—thegmata morientium have been reckoned perhaps among the most useful in the world Tho the Dying Songs of Swans have not been such things as the Vulgar Error has reputed them yet the Dying Words of Saints have afforded a fit Moral for the Fable The speech of a Dying Saint has as deep a favour of Heaven as the Breath of a dying man has of Earth But mâ—thinks the Dying Words of a Ioshua should be peculiar Oracles peruse them and you will find them so He had been first the Lord-General of Israels Army and was now the Lord Protector of Israels Common-Wealth In this Capacity a few months before he dy'd he issued our orders for a Convention of States to meet at Shâ—chem a place about forty miles from his own Abode The Senate the Iudges the Officers and all the Representaâ—tives of the people being assembled before the Tabernacle which on this extraordinary occasion was removed hither this famous Prince endeavours to settle confirm them in the Service of the living God. It is likely he seared a secret Retaining of Idolatry among many while he was yet alive but it is certain he fore-saw an open Defection to Idâ—â—atry hastening upon them when he should be dead and gone Wherefore he laies in against it by a most powerful and pathetic Speech which has in it First An History of Memorable Providences wherein they had experienced the matchless kindness of God unto them Secondly An Inference from this History which is expressed in two things First A Counsil He concludes Now therefore fear the Lord and serve Him. Therefore Wherefore Why inasmuch as you find the Lord so bountifâ—l that you cannot possibly Aâ—mend your selves if you leave Him or excuse your selves if you grieve Him. Therefore are you to fear Him serve Him. Every Mercy of God hath a Therefore in it it calls for Gratitude and Obedience When God has been merciful to us even common Ingenuity end much more holy Ingenuity will put us upon that Enquiry What shall I render to the Lord Behold an Answer in this Therefore We are Therefore to fear the Lord and serve him we are Therefore to put away all our Idols all our Follies for ever more Secondly A Copy He gives them a Precedent an Exemple to induce them hereunto The Pattern of a considerable person has no inconsiderable Influence upon the Observers of it Such an one does good or ill even like a Briareus with an Hundred Hands An Hundred an Hundred more will do like Him. If he be wickked he does according to the Language of Solomon Speak with his Feet If he be Godly he is according to the Character of Iohn a Voice Such an One most effectually bespeaks all about him as Gideon did once Do what you see me to do Thus Ioshua enforces his farewel Exhortation here saith he Be it known to you that I and my house will serve the Lord I was once your Leader pray let me be so still As I leadd you into the Canaan of the Lord let me have so much credit with you as also to lead you unto the Service of the Lord. Be assured I shall be a Witness against you another day if you do not now receive me as a Copy for you You have here Ioshua's Resolution and it was founded upon such moral Reasons that we may take it as Written for the Admonition of us all Wherefore this is the Doctrine which I would demand your Attention to DOCT. Every man should engage both HIMSELF and HIS HOUSE in the Service of the Almighty GOD. SECT III. VVE have diverse Propositions now before us to discourse upon The First of them is this PROP. I. The whole Duty of man is contained in the true Service of God. Both in the First Covenant and in the New Covenant which God has made with man there is a Duty which man must pay to God. In the First Covenant this Duty was to be paid in a way of meritorious Obedience in the New Covenant this Duty is
the Tenders of the Gospel might be made unto us We are told of some in 2. Pet. 2. 1. Who Deny the Lord that bought them Ovile Sacriledge and Impiety That we might all have the priviledge of 〈◊〉 Invitation to the Service of God this has cost no less than the Heart-bloud of Christ and what a monstrous villany were it for us now to despise the Invitation Again The Redemption of Christ has made our Serving of God a Reasonable thing We are all among the Redeemed either in Reality or at least in Possession all the Chosen and Called of God are most really interested in the Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus and therefore for them to decline the Service of God were as unequal as it is unlikely But every one of us is at least professedly interested in it Man art thou willing to quit all claim unto the Death and Blood of the Lord Jesus O No not for ten thousand worlds Every one saies I hope I am Redeemed Well then The Service of God is that which we must count our selves Redeem'd unto What saies the Appostle in 1. Cor. 6. 20 Ye are not your own for ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie God. We that have been the Captives of the mighty and the prey of the terrible apprehend our selves to be set at Liberty from their horrible Tyrannies by the Suffering of Christ What less than the Service of God are we thereby obliged unto In a word We are the Bought servants of God and wo to us if our Behaviours be not agreeab to our Obligations REASON III. The Lords daily Mercy to us requires our hearty Service to Him. It is noted of the rudest among the Gentiles in Luâ— 22. 25. Their Benefactors exercise a Lordship over them Never Never had we any Benefactor like to our God who daily loads us with his Benefits Unthankful wretches are we if we shake off the Lordship of such a Lord. It was an Address once made to a Governour in Act. 24. 2. By thee we enjoy great quietness and very worthy deeds are done unto us by thy providence It were a disloyal an unworthy thing not to serve such a Governour Truly From God we enjoy great quietness by the Providence of God we are delivered from a Thousand perils every day and we are surrounded with ten thousand Comforts Every day by the Providence of God we are directed protected sustained and supplyed every day This calls for the Service of God at our hands T is said in Rom. 12. 1. I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice unto Him. What a persuasive piece of Oratory is that I beseech you by the Mercies of God. He that urges you to the Service of God may thus plead with you I beseech you Brethren by the Mercies of God that God may not have one Servant in the world the less for you I beseech you Brethâ—â—â— that when the Goodness and mercy of God is following of you you do not turn your backs on the Service of God. To pursue this Argument I beseech you Brethren Whose Light is it whereby you are every day revived It is God's Whose Air is it whereby you are every day refreshed It is God's Whose Fire is it that warms you Whose Meat is it that feeds you Whose Raiment is it that covers you All is God's O then Serve Him. These are the Cords of a man with which we are bound to the Service of our Lord. This is the Poesie which God has inscribed in the Ring of every mercy O learn to serve the Giver of this It was a sad Complaint which the Lord made in Isa. 1. 2. I have nourished them and brought them up yet have they rebelled against me Alas what a YET is there Our God has been as a Father to us and yet shall not we Serve Him as our Master He Relieves us He Supports us He Bestowes on us the mercies of Children and shall not we yet return so so much as the Respects of Servants unto Him The Heavens will hear and be amazed the Earth will give â—ar and be astonished at a thing so much exceeding Brutality it self as this SECT V. BUt we are not to be Alone in the Service of God Man is a sociable Creature as he does need so he must help Humane Society in this Grand concern Wherefore we have a Third Proposition yet to be reflected on PROP. III. Every man should engage HIS HOUSE also in the Service of the Almighty God. We are all related unto some House or other Sometimes a Nation is called by that name So t is said in Exek 3. 1. Speak to the House of Israel And thus every man should labour to promote the Service of God in the Nation which he belongs unto All that can be properly done by him for his Nation in his Station to set up and bring in the Service of God so much every man is to do if ever he would give a good Account of his Talents in the Day of God's appearing But most usually a Family is called by this Name and so it is in the Text now before us T is a Metonymie the House is put for them who dwell in the house Those who cohabit in the same house are to endeavour that the same God may be served by all under the Roof And this is incumbent especially on the Superiors in the House All that are About us but cheefly all that are Vnder us are by us to be drawn or driven to the Service of God. The Master of the Family is to see unto it that every one under his Charge become the Servant of the Lord. And this because of such things as these REASON I. We should engage our Houses to the Service of God out of Respect to God Himself To the Householder it may well be said For Godâ—s sake look after thy House For God's sake Let there be Godâ— Service 〈…〉 To speak particularly First The Commandment of God calls for it We have this Commandment often repeated unto us That we should be careful about the Instruction and Conversion of them that we are charged with T is a Commandment incâ—lcated in the Old Testament We have in Deut. 6. 6 7. The words which I command thee thâ—u shalt diligently teach them unto thy Children We have it again in Psal. 78. 67. He commanded our fathers that they should make known unto their Children that these might set their hope in God and keep his Commandments We have it once more in Deut. 4. 9 10. Gather the people that they may learn to fear me and that they may teach their Children T is a Commandment not unmentioned in the New Testament also We find in Eph. 6. 4. Ye Fathers bring up your Children in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord. Behold How many solemn Charges are laid upon us to do our part that God may be served by all that are under
and they do his Commandments An Angel said once to Iohn the Apostle I am thy Fellow-Servant That Angel is yet alive he makes the motion to every one of us Wilt thou be my Fellow-Servant before the Lord Yea the SON of GOD Himself gives you this Call. Of Him saith our God in Isa 42. 1. Behold my Servant Shall God say thus of Christ and shall He not say it of thee O do not scorn to be the Servant of that GOD who has for a Servant Him whom all the Third Heaven is with endless Raptures adoring of Consider yet again What your Service is while you serve the Almighty God. No Service was ever so delightsome as this t is All peace and perfect peace No Service was ever fo profitable it brings in those things The gain whereof is better than fine Gold you shall be sure to experiment the Truth of that Maxim God is a Rewarder No Service was ever so Honourable It prefers us to be Favourites of a greater Monarch than he that had an hundred and seven and Twenty Provinces under him A Service do we count it No t is a Freedom We are Lords when we are The Lord's Then as he said sumus Domini is true not only in Genitivo singulari but in Nominativo plurali It is a Freedom Yea t is a Kingdom It gives us to sing Lord Thou hast made us Kings and Priests It has been well said Deo servire est regnare We have Crowns on our heads all the while we are in the Service of God but how massy how weighty will they be grown when our Pay-day comes Every Servant of God may now say as in 2. Tim. 4. 8. Henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness But Then Then we shall ascend those glittering and glorious Thrones which Eye hath not seen on them we shall be ever with the Lord. Consider finally and let me warn you faithfully If you do not Resolve to serve God it had been good for you that you never had been born All that forsake the Service of God are employ'd in another Service which every soul may tremble at the Description of 't is a Service to those hellish Tigres in Eph. 22. The course of this world the prince of the power of the air and the lust of the flesh You cast off the Service of One but you incurr a Bondage to three let Horror sieze thee O man and let thy ears tingle at the intimations of it The World the Flesh the Devil are thy Lords if God have not Service from thee All the Galleys in the Mediterranean Sea cannot shew a more dismal Vassalage And what will the Issue of that Service be Truly The Wages is Death God will not save you if you do not serve Him. You that now grind for the Philiâ—â—ines of Hell every day must one day be requited with only Coals and Wounds for all your fatal Drâ—dgeries and though you then roar Lord pitty me He will reply with a furious Rebuke Depart I know you not Let me then address you in the Words of Ioshua Choose now whom you will Serve Come speak up come to some Resolution Say Will you serve the cursed and cruel Enemies of your Souls or will you serve the GOD Whom it is good for you to draw near unto O make this Return Lord we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God. SECT VII YOu have been told Why now here How you are to become The Servants of God. There are diverse Counsils to be given hereabout The First COUNSIL Renounce and Forsake the Service of those Idols which you have heretofore been enslaved unto We must as Ioshua here assures us we must put away other gods if we we would serve the Lord. Our Lord has admonished us in Matth. 6. 24. Ye cannot â—erve God and Mammon Even so Ye cannot serve God and Satan And again Ye cannot serve God and Sin. The Holy God may say of you as of them long since Ye have served strange gods But O do you now say to Him as they in Isal. 21. 13. O Lord other lords besides thee have had dominion over us but we will noâ— be for Thee alone Become weary of your Captivity under those Task-masters which have hither to been torturing your souls There are two sorts of Tyrants that every unregenerate man is a Servant unto his Tempers and his Tempters Let the Tempers within us no more cause us to toil and run and sweat for the gratifying of them Let the Tempters without us no more hurry us too fro that their Humours may be pleased Souls I give you no bad counsil when I propound this and I do propound it O Run away from your old masters Come away poor souls come away from the land of your Captivity Look upon the grim face of the Patroons undâ—r which you groan say to them all Farewel you malicious you bloudy you for did Masters Farewel We hope you shall never have any of our Service more O look upon the Calamities of your Service under your invisible Adversaries and say T is enough Say The time past may suffice Thus Take ye the Wings of a Dove and flee away The Second Counsil Bind your selves unto the Service of God by a Covenant never to be Forgotten It was the good Counsil of Hezâ—kâ—ah in 2. Chron. 30. 8. Yeild yourselves unto the Lord. In the Hebrew Original t is Give the Hand unto the Lord. The giving of the Hand was a Rite in the making of a Covenant Men and Brethren Look Zionâ—ards I beseech you and say now I will join my self to the Lord in a perpetual COVENANT Think on the Service which God is to have of you and be able then to declare as in Psal. 119. 110. I have sworn it and I will perform it Make a solemn Covenant that you will be the Lord's Yea a Written a Formal a subscribed Covenant for it has by some been advised and practised Written and Formal Indentures are made between man and man Why should not there be so between God and man when a Service is to be Entred into Especially since t is said in â—sai 44. 5. A man shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord In a Sacred Covenant say I Renounce all the Vanities and Idols of this World. I Engage that I will cleave unto the Lord Iehovah as my Best Good and my Last End promising to live upon Him and unto Him hoping are long to live with Him for ever I Engage That I will cleave unto the Lord Iesus as my Prophet and my Priest and my King Promising to acknowledge Him as the Author of all my Salvation I Engage That I will ever study what is my Duty in these things and wherein I find my self to fall short I will ever count it my Grief my Shame and for pardon betake my self to the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant All this I Engage humbly imploring the Grace
of the Mediator to be sufficient for me It would hurt no Godly man to set his Name with Hand and Heart to such an Instrument afterwards frequently Reflecting on it frequently Renewing of it However let every man this Day make this Confession in Psal. 116. 16. O Lord truly I am thy Servant I am thy Servant The Third Rule And now demean your selves in all things as the Servants of God ought to do There is a Four-sold Concernment that will now lye upon you First Be studious to know what Service God calleth for Ly at His Feet and say as Paul of old Lord What wouldest thou have me to do or like Samuel once Speak Lord for thy servant heareth Be daily Reading of the Word be daily Thinking on the Word upon every opportunity say I will hear what God the Lord will say To all add That as your daily Petition unto God in Psal. 119. 115. I am thy servant O Lord give me understandeng that I may know thy testimonies Secondly Be ready to Do what Service God calleth for Never object never cavil against any of Gods Commands never dispute any thing that He requires but own 'T is all holy and just and Good. Be not more undutiful unto God than the servants of the Centurion were to him If He say Go then go if He say Come then come if He say Do this then do it without any Grumbling at it Say not I won't altho there be Hard Sayings pressed upon thee Albeit God may enjoin this Pluck out thy right eye cut off thy right hand and albeit the Injunction of God may be Take up thy Cross yet Comply yet Conform without any Reluctancies and say with him in Psal. 119. 128. O Lord I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right Thirdly Be greatly Contriving how to be most serviceable unto God. Ponder well What you are What you have What you can and Ponder how all may be improved in the Service of the Lord. Thus be Zealous of good Works Never be satisfied unless you can say I am at work for God. Let even your Eating your I â—â—ding your Visiting be done as a Service for the Lord and let your Time your Strength your Estates all the Powers of your Spirits and all the Members of your bodies be ingeniously laâ—â— out in that Service Often ask your own souls What is there that I may do for God Even court and hunt Advantages to be serviceable Say like the Prophet in Isa 6. 8. Say Lord if 〈◊〉 hast any Service to be done here I 〈…〉 me Fourthly Be sweetly Contented with all the Allowances of the Lord. Iohn Bapiâ—st gave this Counsel to the servants in the Roman Gaâ—â—sons Luc. 3. 14. Be content with your Wages The Servants in God's Houshold haâ—e the same Counsel in Heb 13 5 Be content 〈…〉 as you have Tho you should have but â—hort Commons and straw lodgings in the world tho you should be without many Flesh â—â—leasing Curiosities and Conveniencies let this quiet you I am a Servant Don't complain of the Lord as the slothful and wicked servant once He is 〈◊〉 hard Master Let your Wills be moulded and melted into His and cheerfully leave Him to judge What may be Food convenient for you Count that you have enough when God saies you shall have no more and alwaies have a good Opinion of Gods Disposals Learn Pauls Lesson In whatever state to be content It is not for Beggars nor Servants to be Choosers This This t is to be a Servant of the Lord. Blessed is the servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing SECT VIII BUt This is not all that we have to do We have Houses too that we ought to be concerned for Wherefore The Second Exhortation is Let us also study to Engage OUR HOUSES in the Service of God. It is the property of every Good man to desire Company in the Service of the Lord. O that we might have the Company of all that belong to our Houses in it But What shall we do In short Would we truly say with Ioshua My House shall serve the Lord We must then Do like Iesus Iesus the blessed Name-sake and Antitype of Ioshuah hath a Three-fold Offfice that of a Priest a Prophet and a King. In His lesser Family of Disciples once in His greater Family of Believers alwaies we find Him so Every Householder should be all of this in his own Family Each man pretends to he a King in his own house he should there be a Priest and a Prophet too There are Three great Cares lying upon us in our Families there is Family Prayer and Family Instruction and Family Government T is by the Discharge of these three things that we engage our Houses to serve the Lord. Family-PRAYER SECT IX FIrst then Let Family-Prayer be maintained in our Houses that they may serve the Lord. My Neighbours I have told you often and I now tell you weeping That it will be a sad thing if so much as one Prayerless-Family be found among you all The owners of that House will never be able to stand or live in the fiery day of of God's pleading with him You have been Warned and Warned full many a time that if your Houses be not Warmed with your Prayers the fierce Wrath of God abideth on them and I hope none of you will venture to meet me at the Bar of the Lord Jesus with the fearful heavy guilt of this Omission upon your souls The very Turks themselves at this day uphold a Family-Worship among themselves God forbid that any styled Christians here should be worse than they SECT X. THe Method in which I shall treat with you here about shall be I. To offer some Directions about Family-Prayer The First Rule Let all Persons that should attend Family-prayer count themselves concernd to Pray without â—easing Eveâ—y Master of an House is to carry on the Prâ—yer in it That man is not fit to have aâ— Hâ—use that cannot make a Prayer But if the Maâ—ter be absent Then the Mistress is to see â—till that Prayer be not wanting It seems affiâ—med of Eâ—ther a Woman in Cap. 4. 16. That she Pray'd with her Maidens There should not be one Prayer the less in a Family because 〈◊〉 is become the Ruler there No the Lâ—sses of a Family should increase the Prayers of it And let the Master of a Ship remember That the Sailers are his Family He should pray with them aboard every day while they are at Sea together You that see the Wonders of God together should together sing the Praises of God and together beg the Mercies of God. Methinks the poor Sea-men should be the best 〈◊〉 in the world With what face can you pray in a Storm if you do not also pray in a Câ—lm Now Master t is your Work t is part of your Order from your great Ownâ—r to see that this â—e done 〈◊〉 all Mariners call upon
their Master as thosâ— Marâ—ners did upon the Passinger in 〈◊〉 1 6 Arâ—â—e 〈…〉 God that we perish 〈◊〉 Let the Master of 〈◊〉 School also Remember That the Scholars are his Family He should pray with them and bless them in the Name of the Highest God provides Angels and will not you afford Prayers for the safety of those little ones We read of some in Mark. 10. 13. who brought young children unto the Lord Iesus Christ The Children that are brought to you by Parents or Guardians these are by you to be brought unto the Lord Jesus that He would lay His Blessing and saving hands upon them Yea the Captain of a Train'd Band is to esteem the Souldiers as his Family That good Captain Cornelius could sâ—y in Act. 10. 30. I prayed in my House As for those that will not pray in the Field t is to be questioned whether they will Fight there Trainings without Prayings are like to degenerate into meer Debaucheries The Prayeresâ— Captain gives a very dangerous and desperate Word of Command when he saies Follow your Leader Briefly All Superiors generally have a Family in the Kind of their Superiority which they are to attend Prayers withal The Second Rule Let all the Matters that would hinder Family-Prayer be put far from our Tabernaâ—les There are diverse Impediments of our family-Prayers â—hiâ—h â—e are to be Cautioned against As now Let not family Iarrs hinder family-Prayers The Aposâ—â—â—â—aith to them that are in â— Câ—njogal Reâ—lation that they should be meek tender lovâ—ng for this cause in 1. Pet. 3. 7. That your Prayers be not hindred if Peace be gone from a family then Prayer is gone How can Scolding and it may be Striking too agree with Praying in which we are to lift up pure â—ands without wrath Again Let not family Scabs hinder family-Prayers Bad-Members in a family often cause that there are no Prayers in it Many men will not pray because others will scoff and flout But let your Houses have no such In-mates no such Ishmaels in them It is recorded of Elisha in 2 King. 4. 33. he would not have a servant with him which he could not pray withal If any profane graceless Despisers of Prayer would impose themselves upon us let us then say to them Depart ye workers of iniquity for I will call upon the Lord. Once more Let not Family-Prayers be hindred by unsuitable Times The earlier we dispatch them the easier We should not ordinarily let Business royl us in the Morning nor â—roâ—siness drown us in the Evening before Family Prayer be over As To every purpose â— thus to every Prayer there is a time and judgment and a wise mans heart will discern it The Third Rule Be frequent enough and yet very serious in your family Prayers Very shameful is their neglect who have Prayers in their Families but once a day The Apostle saith in Col. 4. 2. Masters continue in prayer he speaks with a manifest Allusion to the daily Offering under the Law of old which was both morning and evening We should have Morning-Prayers and Evening-Prayers correspondent unto the daily Sacrifice And hence because the Sacrifice was doubled on the Sabbath I have known some pious people pray four times every Lords-Day with their Families Be sure Twice a day is ordinarily the seldomest and slenderest Repetition that our Family-prayers are to have O but we should therein stir up our selves to take hold on God. When you keel before the Lord you should not be rash hasty sudden in it you should not be sleigâ—ty in this great Excercise of of Religion Before we pray we should think Think seriously To WHOM am I to pray and For What am I to Pray and How soon may I dye and my praying seasons all be over And before we pray we should Read. Read seriously something of the Things which are commanded you of God. The Scriptures are to accompany our prayers T is said They are to dwell with us The Bible is to be one of the House When we betake our selves to our Pâ—ayers we should not let the Bible say I should have been as one of the Family pray why was not I called in The Fourth Rule Let not your Family-prayers be your only prayers Understand that Seâ—ret Prayers â—s â—â—ll as private Prayers are to be performed by â—s all For this the word of our Lord is very positive in Matth. 6. 6. When thou prayest enter into thy closet and when thou hast shut thy door pray to thy Father which is in secret T is a great fondness and folly in any of us if private prayer cause us to lay aside secret prayer No There is Closet-Prayer as well as Parlour-Prayer which we ought to labour in I would say as our Lord in another case One you ought to do not leave the other undone We have special Transâ—â—issâ—â—ns to be confessed in our prayers these are 〈◊〉 to be confessed To divulge a secret 〈◊〉 is to add a further sin Our secret sins do call for our secreâ— Prayers We have special Tempâ—â—â—â—s to be bewailed in our prayers and these 〈◊〉 secâ—etly to be bewailed Our Desires are sometimes to be too secret for our Neighbours Our secret Griefs and our secret Fears call for our secret Prayers And as one of the Ancients elegantly expresses it Invisible prayers are to be often made to an invisible God. Secret prayer is one good sign of a gracious heart Let the Lord oft see you like Nathanael at secret prayer under the 〈◊〉 and He will say Behold an Israelite iâ—deed Would you get Internal Blessings then pray in secret Solomon got his Widom his Vertue by secret prayer Peter by secret prayer in 〈…〉 carâ—ied with Tranâ—es and Raptures into the other world Would you get External Blessings Then pray in secret Hâ—â—nah with secreâ— prayer asked one Son and had six Iacob had all his House preserved by secret prayer Yea Would you be General Blessings Pray then in â—â—câ—et Moses by secret prayer diverted wrath plagues from all the Congregation That infamous Apostate Iulian was killed by the secret prayer of a good man at that hour very far distant from him What shall I say No Supe sedeas no Diversion should ever be given to your secret prayers Moreover besides your Prayers with all the Family you may do well sometimes to Reâ—â—râ— unto prayers with this or that particular person in it Some do so translate that passage in Gen 25. 21. Isaac entreaâ—ed the Lord with his wife It were but a discreet and a decent practice foâ— married persons to 〈◊〉 likewise Thus holy Pâ—rents have often taken their Children one by one alone and there pray'd and wept and pour'd out their souls over the poor lambs in secret places before the Lord. Thus are we to do Thus to pray SECT XI BUt the Sluggard will pretend A Lion in thâ— way Wherefore I pass on II. To Remove some Objeâ—ctions against Family-Prayer A Threefold want is pleadâ—d
by many to â—â—â—cuse their Prayerless Conversation with a Want of Time a Want of Confidence and a Want of Vtterance The First Excuse One man doth so Excuse himself I want Time for Family-prayer especially in a Morning I can't spare the Time. This is a most horrrid and wicked Excuse Thou Madman From Whom hast thou all thy Time All thy Time is given by God and shall None of thy Time be given to God What No Time to pray with thy Family God â—uowes thou canst find time to eat with thy family time to sleep with thy family perhaps time to smoke with thy family and no Time to pray with â—em Once more What is it that does engross thy Time and put by thy Prayer T is the World the World And is that such a Portion indeed as to bespeak thy Contempt of an Eternal GOD and of an immortal Soul in the pursuance of it Thou shalt quickly take an everlasting Farewel of all this World This World will not stand thee in any stead ere long when thy Soul thy Soul shall â—e trembling on thy cold lips just ready as the Atheist said to â—ake a great leap in the Dark Yea That very Day wherein thou goest abroad without thy Family Prayers may prove the very Day wherein an Angry God may say This day shall thy soul be required of thee And what a phrensy is this To be extreme busy earnest about the trifles of this world while a precious never-dying soul is unprovided for I wish that all Prayerless Houses had this Admonition engraved on their walls What is a man profited if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul Could you see it engraved on those walls with an Hand writing like what Belshazzer saw of old it would no doubt amaze and startle you Look into these leaves and see iâ— with a sharp Style engraven here Besides Family Prayers are no real prejudice to Saecular Affairs They should not be Long Tedious Burdensome and they 'le hinder no Iourney no concern all will prosper the better for them In short God will find an Eternity to Damn the man that cannot find a Time to Pray The Second Excuse Another man doth so excuse himself I waâ—â— Confidence for Family prayer I would pray but I am Asham'd This Excuse is little beter To be ashamed of Prayer is to be ashamed of Christ And it is the plain Word of our Lord JESUS in Marc 8. 38. Whosoever shall be ashamed of me of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed O direful Doom Will not such a smart Thunder clap cause â—hee and thâ— Familâ— to fall down â—pon their knees Never be ashâ—mâ—d of Prayâ—r but be ashamâ—d of sin t is a 〈◊〉 to live without prayer If you have any Scoffers in your Houses whom t is not fiâ— you should pray before then do as Abraham did e'en â—urn â—em out of the doors Better Turn them out than Turn Goâ— out They that use not Family-prayer say to the Almighty Depart from us The Third Excuâ—e But the Excuse of some is I want Utterance for Family-prayer I would pray but I am not gifted for it I cannot pray To this I answer we often say I cannot when I will not is the Bottom of it Suppose a sevcre pâ—nalâ—y were by the Magistrate laid upon every prayerless Family Daniel because he would pray with his Family was thrown to the Lions for it Suppose a lighter punishmâ—nt far away were to be inflicted on all them who do not pray in their Family Suppose a God or a Fine were inflicted on you for it Would you then continue Prayerless Behold the great God has by the Statute Lawes of Heaven ordeined that a Prayerless Family sahll have all manner of Calamities inflicted on it The Lions the Devils of the pit below shall devour the unhappy Master of such a Family And will not this make you pray Besides When you find that you Want things then you don't wanâ— Words the poor man does not want words when he is to Ask Alms. O sit down and look upon the the Wants Woes of your pooâ— Family you cannot then but have something to say for them And what tho you cannot pray Quaintly Yet you may pray Gracioâ—sly and pray Acceptably Florid Elegant Orations in your Prayers God expecteth not a few humble penitent broken-hearted Groans are of more account with Him Tho you Chatter like a Crane or a Swallows 〈◊〉 once Hezekiah did yet the success may be wonderful and glorious What shall I say Moses was unwilling to do what God bade on this very Score in Exod. 4. 10. I am not Eloquent â— But the reply of God was Go and I will teech thee what thou shalt say O that you would make a Tryal of it Friend By'nd by Call thy Family together Tell them That you must not let them remain prayerless any longer lest the Wrath of God break out upon them So Fall down before the Lord among them all and pray as well as God shall enable thee go I am verily perswaded God will teach thee what thou shalt say I am sure thou wilt never have cause to Repent of the Attempt SECT XII YOu have not so much as a shadow of Reason to render why you should not pray with your Families Let me now a little repreâ—â—â—â— why you should for I am III. To propound some Incentives unto Family-Prayer And there are cheefâ—y Two Considerations which I have to set before you Consider First the Direful grievous Curses which prayerless Families are exposed unto Such Families they are the very Suburbs of Hâ—â—â— it self A Prison A Dungeon is to be chosen before a Living in them There is a Words aâ— awfull Word which a Prophet of God haâ— written in a certain place Methinks that Word 〈◊〉 like a Thunderbolt of Death upon the Families in which God is not prayed unto 〈◊〉 t is Written in ler. 10. 25. O Lord pour out â—hy fury on the beatheâ— which know thee not on the Families which call not on thy name Strikes it noâ— cold unto the heart of the Reader Man These are the Treful and the direful words of the Lord Tesus Christ himself He counts thy Prayerless Family no better than a Pagan Family And now he speaks not as an Advocate for thy poor Family He saies not Lord vouchsâ—se thy â—itty and thy pardon to that Family But He saies Lord pour out thy fury upon that family because it calls not on thy Name Alas have yoâ— no more Kindness for your Families than to lay them open to the Fury of a great and a terrible GOD cruel people that you are We read in Zech. 5. begin about a Flying Roll Twenty Cubits long Ten Cubits broad entring into these and those Houses to consume them I am to tell you That Prayerless Houses are to feel the force of this Flying Roll. An huge Roll of Curses belongs to that House in which Prayer is not
Times we should see ouâ— young ones well informed in Give them at this day to be sensible who is the Supreme Head and King of the Church and what Orders He has appointed to be observed there Secondly There are ferious Questions with which we are to Instruct our Families And there are peculiarly Two Things which we are to question our young ones about Some Questions we are to put unto them First Which Concern their Souls And here yet further to particularize We are to try them with Questions about their Vnderstanding Our Lord Jesus asked his Disciples in Matth. 13. 51. Have ye understood all these things Thus are we to ask our young people Do you understand the great Mystery of Godlinessâ— O keep up the great Ordinance of Catechising in your houses Before your little Folks have left off living upon Milk let them be so well versed in their Milk for Babes that they may readily answer any Question there The Echoes of this Exercise are a most refreshing Melody in the ears of God himself Ask we our young ones What they think of God and of Christ and of Themselves and let them be able to refound the Words of Truth We are to search them also with Questions about their Experience As our Lord asked His Family in Joh. 16. 31. Do ye now believe So should we ask our young people Have you Experieneed a work of Regeneration in your souls Ask them Have you ever yet carried a labouring and heavy-laden soul unto the Lord Iesus Christ It was the Advice of Wisdom Know the state of thy Flocks Thus we should endeavour to Know the state of the Souls which we are to be concerned for to know whether they are in a Natural or a Renewed state Once more We are to help them with Questions about their Temptations It was a Question once given to some in Luc. 24. 38. Why do Thoughts arise in your hearts Even so we should Enquire of our young people What Thoughts are you most troubled with Enquire what Fears enquire what Snares they are most endangered by Be alwaies jealous lest as the serpent beguiled Eve so their minds be corrupted Moreover Some Questions we are to put upon them Secondly which concern their Lives It was once an Interrogatory which some were put unto in Luc. 23. 17. What manner of communications have ye Thus we are to Examine our young people about the Words and the Works that fill their Lives There are especially three things which they should be Examined about their Prayer their Time and their Company Ask them whether they live without Prayer or no Whether in Prayer they secretly and sincerely pour out their souls before the Lord Ask them How they spend their Time How much Idle Time and how much useful Time they allow unto themselves And ask them What their Company is Whom they sit withal Whether vain Persons and Fools or the Saints which are the excellent and all those that fear God Our Question will prove their Safeguard if it be well administred Thirdly There are faithful Reproofs with which we are to Instruct our Families T is said in Prov. 6. 33. The Reproofs of Instruction are the way of life When we give Instruction we shall have occasion to give Reproof too often with it There is no Family that has not Miscarriages that are to be reproved in it Young people too commonly are wild people and without some Castigations they will rarely be kept in order To some of them smart Worâ—s to others of them smart Blowes will be too often due T is said in Prov. 13. 24. He that spareth his Rod hateth his sâ—n but he that loveth him chastens him betimes Frowns are due to all and Rods to some Transgressors in the Family But there are two Negative and two Positive Rules to be minded in Reproving of them The Negative Rules are these two First Reprove not Furiously It is said in Iam. 1. 20. The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Remember Nothing will be so well done in a passion but what may be done better out of it If you are to chide yet chide not in a Fury Do not call vile Names much more do not swear do not curse do not Rage with a Tongue set on fire of hell If you are to smiâ—e yet smite not in a Fury Bloody wounding outragious Buffettings are to be avoided lest there be cause to say of you Cursed is their Anger for it is fierce and their Wrath for it is cruel Secondly Reprove not for ever T is said in Ps. 103. 9. God will not alwaies chide neither will He keep his anger for ever To be alwaies finding faults is the way never to be curing them A perpetual Warngling is a continual Dropping which there is no enduring of it prejudices the minds of them that feel it against all that shall be said unto them The Positive Rules are these Two. First Reprove Reasonably Let there be just Cause for it When you reprove it must be for a true cause As it was said of our Saviour in Isai. 11. 3. He shall not reprove after the hearing of His ears Thus we may not go by meer Hear-say when we reprove those that are under us And it must be for a great Cause T is said of the Spirit in Ioâ— 16. 8. He will reprove the world for SIN The sinful thing the thing for which the wrath of God comes the thing which the soul of the Lord hates this we are to reprove We must not throw away Reproofs upon Nothing or upon Every thing Secondly Reprove Scripturally T is said in 2. Tim. 3. 16. All Scripture is profitable for Reproof A Reproof with a Scripture comes with a more than ordinary Majesty and Authority When we Reprove those that are under us First make them read a Text which does Condemn what we would rebuke and then set it home with a very warm lively vigorous Application Fourthly There are solemn Charges with which we are to Instruct our Families It was the Character which the Lord gives of Abraham in Gen. 18. 19. I know him that he will command his children and his household after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord. O that this might be said of every Householder here I know him that he will take all of his house one by one and Charge every one of them to keep the way of the Lord What saies the Apostle in iâ— Thes 2. 11. We charged every one of you as a father his children We should call aside our young people and lay upon them the Charge of David in 1. Chron. 28. 9. My son know thou the God of thy Father and Serve Him with a perfect Heart and a willing mind for the Lord searcheth all Hearts if thou seek Him He will be found of thee if thou forsake Him He will cast thee off for ever Charge them and this especially about four Things Lay upon them
Word Let us labour now to Regain the Time that we have been cheated of The cheef way to do that is By a double Diligence for the time to come Make up the time we have made an ill market of by an extraordinary Industry and Activity in the time yet before us The Israelites in their Journey to Canaan made more way the last year or two than they had done in almost forty years before All the many Sermons in the Book of Deuteronomy seem preached by Moses in the last month or two before he dy'd O sit down and think well How shall I lay out my time for the best Advantage Let that be said of us when we dye Diu vixit licet non diu fuit He lived long in a little time To Purchase our time is to discern our time Direction IV. Let us Discern our time and let us Improve the Present time to make our peace with the Eternal God. Alas All the sinful and woful time of our Vnregeneracy is Lost time One that was converted but about seven years before he dyed ordered that Epitaph to be inscribed on his Grave Here â—â—es an Aged man who dy'd but seven years old Thou dost not live till thou dost repent till thou dost beleeve Be sure there is no Duty so much incumbent on us as that of Turning from Sin to God in Christ. Well the great God hath stated the present time for the doing of it T is the Warning the solemn warning of the Holy God unto us 2. Cor. 6. 2. Behold Now is the Accepted time Now is the Day of Salvation Let those that are not yet born-again discern this their time O yee souls in peril What is it that ye resolâ—e upon Your time is to Day to Day if you will hear the voice of God. Let me say about this Time as Boaz about that Land in Ruth 4. 4. If you will redeem it redeem it O Delay not Dally not Trifle not about this grand Concern Do not say as the unhappy Felix did I 'le mind it at a more convenient season No No Discern it that the most convâ—nient season is just NOW O that all unconverted men would consider the Danger the Madness of their Procrastinations T is said in Eccles. 9. 12. Man knoweth not his time Man discern thy time as a flying time and an uncertain time A Jewish Rabbi gave that Coâ—nsel to a Scholar of his Besure you repent at least a day before you dy Truly t is a fearful thing for a man when he comes to dye not to be able to say T is at least a day since that I made my peace with God. Well who of us can say that this day is not our last day We cannot be sure that we repent a day before we dy unless we repent this very day Suppose you were to suffer an horrible Death in case you had not finished some notable Undertaking before night O how would every stroke of the Clock strike to your very hearts within you Behold O Sinner be amazed stand Astonished and take the present time to get out of thy present state T is possible thou mayst be a dead man before to morrow t is possible this night thy soul may be required Horrid will thy condition be if this happen before thy peace be made with GOD. There are Graves in the Burying-Place shorter than the youngest of us all Thou mayst Conclude with saying as David to Ionathan As the Lord lives there is but a step between me and death Wherefore let me Conclude with saying as Michal to David O save thy self to night for to morrow thou mayst be slain Let no man Repent too late but let every man Discern the time T is the sigh of our GOD over us O that they understood that they would Consider their Latter END The TRYED CHRISTIAN A Discourse delivered upon Recovery from SICKNESS IOB XXIII 10. When He hath Tryed me I shall come forth as GOLD THere was a Man in the Land of Arabia whose name was Job and that man was perfect and upright The Church of GOD is enriched with an excellent History in an elegant Poesie relating the great Prosperity the sad Adversity and strange Recovery of that perfect and upright man. T is probable that he was an Edomite and the very Iobab whom Esau was Great-Grandfather unto but this I am sure of He was an Israelite indeed From a Rich and Fair estate He suddenly became As poor as Iob and while he was in this poor Condition his noble Friends gave him their friendly Visits and Respects Many admirable Dialogues now passed between them wherein they endeavoured to Accuse and Convince him of some remarkable Iniquity as the Cause of his Calamity and he laboured to vindicate himself to assert his own Integrity and Sincerity In our Context here the good man is expressing his Willingness and Readiness to appear before the Judgement-seat of God and in our Text he declares what he expects would be the Result of his Tryals by the Lord. He comforts himself by those two Considerations First that God's Knowledge did reach him He saith God knowes the way that is in me q. d. Tho I cannot see God yet God can see me and the most inward Purposes or Appetites of my mind are not concealed from Him. And Next that God's Tryal would clear him This is the Article that lyes before us to be Explained and Improved and the Doctrine which may guide our Discourse upon it is That Good men come forth as GOLD under and after the Trials of the Almighty God. It is by the ensuing Propositions that we may arrive to right thoughts about the Truth before us Proposition I. There is a various Tryal which the God of Heaven causes to pass upon His people No Christian can be without his Tryals But there are especialy two sorts of Tryals which ouâ— God will subject us all unto First There are the Trials of Divine Examinations Which will be critical upon us T is said in Psal. 11. 4 5. The Lords eyes behold and His ey-lids try the children of men the Lord sounds as the French Translation hath it both the righteous and the wicked Every man in the world falls under the Notice and so under the Tryal of the omniscient God. The all-seeing Eyes of God as it were Examine us and His Ey-lids knit themselves for a Scrutiny into our Hearts and lives The blessed God will pass a Iudgment after a Trial upon us whether we truly love Him and seek Him or no. We are told in Psal. 7. 9. The righteous God trieth the Hearts and the Reins an Assertion an Expression it may be more than seven times repeted in the Word of God! The Examination and Observation of God extends it self to the most interior parts of men the motions of their very Hearts and Reins come under His exactest Cognizance Every man may so far say after that godly man in Psal. 17. 3. Lord
Expectation of the Psalmist in Psal. 118. 17. I shal not dy but live and declare the works of the Lord. This is to be the Resolution of every man. Can we say I do not dy but live We should add I will then declare the Praises of the Lord. The first Question that the Thoughts of men should be employed upon is What is the Cheef End of Man The true and Just answer To that Question is The Cheef End of man is to glorifie God. Well put the Question so What is the Cheef End of Life The Answer to that Question too will be the same It is to glorifie God. To praise God What is that To praise God is to Render and Procure a due Acknowlement of His Excellencies Indeed all the Duties of Religion are Contained in this Comprehensive thing When we own when we serve when we Adore the Great God in any or all the waies of His Worship Then we praise Him and we further praise Him when we provoke others to join with us in doing so This This Praise of the LORD is the End of our Life in the World. This is the End of our Being We are told that We have our Being in God. Of all things whatever this is then most Reasonable that We should have our Being for God and our Being for Him is not expressed without our praising of Him. The blessed God looks from on high upon mankind and saith as in Isa. 43. 21. This people have I formed for my self they should show forth my Praise Now that which is the End of our Being is the End of our Living too Two things are to be affirmed of it First The Law of God doth Appoint this as as the End of our Lives Unto every man living this is the Voice of God I spare thy life that so thou mayst live my praise It is said in Rom. 14. 7. If we live we are to live unto the Lord. What the Apostle saith of Eating and Drinking may much more be said of Living as in 1. Cor. 10. 30. It must be unto the Glory of God. God gives our Lives God keeps our Lives and this is His reveled His Preceptive Will concerning our Lives Man I suffer thy life yea I support thy life that I may be praised loved admired by thee as long as thou livest It was an heavy dismal Charge against Belshazzer in Dan. 5. 23. God in whose Hand thy breath is thou hast not glorified The Almighty God gives us notice of this Thy Breath is in my hand at the same time He also requires this of us Let thy life be to my prâ—ise That man makes a sacrilegious Incroachment and Invasion upon Gods Right who makes not Godâ—s Praise the End of his living upon God`s Earth There is therefore Secondly this to be added thereunto The Heart of man should Embrace this as the End of our lives It becomes every man to say I live that God who is worthy to be praised may have the praises of my Obedience to Him. It was the godly purpose of the Psalmist in Psal. 147. 2. While I live I will praise the Lord. And a kin to this is the Right Thought which every man should entertain I do live that I may praise the Lord. Hence this is one of the principal Pleas which the Saints have used in their Supâ—lications for their Lives Good Hezekiah pray'd in his Distress Lord let me live And what was his Argument It was that in Isa. 38. 17. 18. The Grave cannot praise thee the living the living he shall praise thee The heart of man should readily close with such an End for the life of man. Satan saies Thou livest only to Enjoy the delights of the Flesh in the world thou livest only to seek to get and to tast the saecular pleasures provided for thee The soul of man should rise with unspeakable Indignation at this wild proposal On the other side our God saies The Business of thy life is to magnifie Mee to make my Praise glorious Here now Here the Soul of every man should fall in and Reply This is all my Salvation and all my Desire But this leads to PROP. II. Prayers for life are then and only then rightly qualified when they have Respect unto the Praises of God. To clear this matter there are these things to be conceived One Conclusion is That the Living on Earth have many peculiar Opportunities to be Praising of God. Indeed Blessed are the dead who dy in the Lord for they too are alwaies praising of Him. But yet they rest from some Praises when they rest from their Labours here The departed Saints are continually shouting Hâ—llelujah Hallelujah before the Throne of God. The Saints they are joyful in glory and the High Praises of God are perpetually Proceeding from those blessed Souls But Christians in this world have their peculiar Opportunities to be Glorifying of Him that made them This did the Psalmist speak in Ps 88. 11. Shall the dead praise thee To instance in some particulars The Living here may be praising of God by the Discharge of many Relations which the dead Saints are strangers unto We may now praise God as Parents as Masters as Officers in the the Church or Common-Wealth All those Capacities will dy with us when we shall go hence and be-no more Again The Living here may be Praising of God by Bearing many a Witness to the Truths and Wayes of the Lord Jesus Christ. We may now bestow many Rebukes upon the Errors and the Evils of a sinful World. We may part with and esteem an Estate with our Ease and our Life it self out of Respect unto the Name of God. But our Testimonies expire with our Lives Once more The Living may be Praising of God by Advancing His Kingdom here below In this Life we may be instrumental to Convince and Convert Vnregenerate Sinners to build up the Church of the Lord Jesus and to Do good among the ignorant by an Exemplary Conversation But this is to be done only below the stars Furthermore There are Graces proper to this Life which God is praised by the Exercising of The Tears of Sorrow for Sin will be dry`d up when we come to the State in which all Sorrow shall flee away Charity in Giving and Forgiving to them that need it there is no occasion for that Charity among them that are above they are all perfect and happy there Patience under Tryals belongs to our present Condition only there are no Afflictions to trouble us when our few dayes full of trouble are passed away In a Word Our Spiritual Warfare is to be attended only in this Valley of the Shadow of Death We cannot fight the Battles of the Lord and therein we cannot shew the praises of the Lord when we are arrived at the End of our Faith the Salvation of our Souls Our Fight is done our Crown is come when we have been Faithful to the Death A Second Conclusion is That Opportunities
for the Praising of God are the things for which we should desire to be living on Earth There is a Three-fold Desire of Life which the Living have There is a Natural Desire of Life This is common both to good men and bad men Nature it self startles at the Approach of Death Innocent Nature shivers and recoyls when this King of Terrors is ready to lay his cold lâ—y hand upon us This was Ioab's Desire that valiant Souldier The Lord-General of Israel himself in 1. King. 2. 28. being in cold blood under Apprehensions of Death fled unto the Horns of the Altar as a Sanctuary to save his Life There is also a Sensual Desire of Life This is that which Bad men are under the power of Many are loth to dye because they would not leave the Pleasures and Profits and Honours which did surround them here They are like the Miser who on his Death-Bed hugg'd his Baggs of Gold and cry'd out Must I leave you Must I leave you Their Love of their Life comes from their love of their Flesh. This was the Rich Fools Desire in Luc 12. 20. He wished for many Years that he might eat and drink and be merry here There is likewise a gracious Desire of Life And this is that which good men are affected with They desire to live because they desire to praise They would live because they would honour God in those matters those manners for which their Lives do afford them blessed Opportunities and Advantages Now this gracious Desire of of Life is a Regular Desire A Desire of Life for the Praise of God is the only Desire of Life that will have praise of God. This was David's Desire when he was visited with Sickness when he was weak and his Bones were pained then said he in Psal. 6. 5. O save me for in Death there is no Remembrance of thee in the Grave who shall give thee thanks Such Desires are the only right and chast Desires It is not fit for a Christian to say I desire to live because I am afraid to dy Much less is it fit for him to say I desire my life in the world that I may turn and wind still the Affairs of the World. But This is that which Legâ—timates the Desire of Life As every thing is to be iâ—â—roved for God so every thing should be desired for God. And thus Life it self We are daily Praying as he in Psal. 102. 24. O my God take me not away in the midst of my dayes Well Our God enquires of us Why art thou unwilling to be taken away in the midst of thy dayes We should have this to be our true Account of it Because O Lord I am loth to be taken away in the midst of my Praise PROP. III. The Judgments of God are to be sought and used by us as our Help in those Praises of God which are the End of our life There are blessed Helps which God hath provided for us by which we may be both Assisted in and Excited to the work of our lives Behold a double Help both implyed in the Iudgments of God. And he that shall consult other passages in this Hundred-and-nineteenth Psalm will find both under this Notion insisted on The Scriptures of Truth and the Troubles of Life First The Word of God is to be sought as the Help of our Praising Him. The Prophet of old could say as in Mich. 6. 8. The Lord hath shewed thee O man the thing that good is Thus the Lord hath shewed us how to be praising of Him by living to Him. But Where has he shewed it Truly in the sacred Bible The Bible is the Directory given to us Every Child is well taught to say The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the Rule which God hath given to instruct us how we are to glorify Him. To order a Life in a dark world is as hard as to manage a Ship in a dark night we are in the Dark about the Practises which our lives are to be employed in What shall we then do that we may leave no part of our due Homage to God unperformed The Apostle speaks fully to this Case in 2. Pet. 1. 18. We have a sure word of Prophecy whereto ye do well to take heed as to a light shining in a dark place There There it is our Bible is our Pole-Star keep an eye to That and we shall shape a course Right All the Directions all the Promises all the Threatnings of God will be so many Helps of our Obedience If any man ask How do the Scriptures of God help men in the Praises of God Know The Scriptures themselves give an Answer thereunto in Psal. 19. 7 8. The law of the Lord converts the soul the testimonies of the Lord make wise the simple the statutes of the Lord rejoice the heart the commandments of the Lord enlighten the eyes That Conversion that Instruction that Ioy and that Lighâ— which the Word of God affords unto us will be no little Help in the Praise of God. Secondly The Rod of God is to be used as the Help of our Praising Him. The Lord sends many Afflictions upon us An Hâ—man is afflicted in his mind a Iob is Afflicted in his Estate a Gaius is afflicted in his Body a Paul in his Credit and a David in his Children they live ill and they dy worse before him What is the Use we are now to make of these things Truly our Afflictions are to be the Help of our Devotions It is the Call of God in Mic 6. 9. Hear the Rod. As we should hear the Voice of the Rod so we should use the Help of the Rod. By our Afflictions we should be helped unto more Seriousness more Watchfulness more Fruitfulness Now those things are to the Praise of the glory of the grace of God. Our Afflictions are the purgings the prunings bestow'd by our God upon us What are they for but That we may bring forth more Fruit and we are told in Ioh. 15. 8. Herein is my father glorified if ye bring forth much fruit Observe it a Learning the Statutes of God is a Rendring of Praises to God those two things are one Now see what the Psalmist saith in Psal 119. 97. T is good for me that I have been afflicted that I may learn thy Statutes This then is incumbent on us under every Affliction Our study should be What Advantage what Engagement to be more holy is now put into my hands Every Afflicted man should ask How may the Sorrowes of my life promote the praises of my God But for the Vse of these things USE I. Some Evil Desires are hence Rebuked and Condemned Especially two sorts of Desires First Impatient Desires of Death are to be Reproved Something is to be said by way of Concession and something by way of Correction about such Desires First by way of Concession I would say There are some Desires of Death well-becoming