they cannot be saved We answer it puts a necessitie in God of infallibilitie that he cannot be deceived but not a necessitie of constraint on men to force them to sinne As the Angels full of glory did most voluntarily sin in Heaven so did Adam full of goodnesse most freely sin in Paradise and so doe wee now in the world God doth not reprobate because â—ee may be sure to sinne but because he sees we are sure to sinne therefore he doth reprobate with predamnation And therefore notwithstanding his eternall thoughts of predamnation he allowes every man sufficient outward meanes inward light to understand those means before he doth actually damne them in hell So in the said 2 Chron. 36. Pro. 29. Our second answer is this That predestination is a long golden chaine impregnable inseparable that not the least linck can be broken off So Rom. 8.29 30. Ephes 1.3 4 5 6. to the end of 12. per. 2 Tim. 2.19 So that if we see but the least and last linck fastened to our hearts as to sanctifie us or to make us unfeignedly call in his Name or sincerely desire and endeavour to depart from iniquitie you may be sure that the other end of the chaine is fastened to God heart by eternall election Third answer Consider in those places of Rom. 8. Ephes 1. Gods deâ—â—ee relates first in order to Christ and as it were passeth through him so that as we looke on Christ and behave out selves towards Christ to receive him or refuse him so wee may conclude of our predestination Thus of the birth of Gods thoughts 3. The life and actings of those thoughts how they move how they forme themselves and put forth themselves towards us and the manifestation of them to us 1. They are thoughts that delightfully reflect on themselves God takes a great deale of pleasure in his own gracious thoughts to poore sinners Deut. 30.9 God is said there to delight to doe us good And Micah 7.18 Who is a God like thee that pardoneth iniquitie and passeth by transgression he keepeth not anger for ever because he delighteth in mercy Though mercy seemes most to concerne us yet God is joyed in his own thoughts of mercy Wee may be sad at something in the best thoughts we thinke for some mixture of sin or vanitie in them but Gods thoughts are so excellent like himselfe that he rejoyceth in them as in himselfe 2. These thoughts delight in minding the good of poore sinners and so consequently take delight that poore sinners should be the better for them So in the said two places of Deut. 30.9 Micah 7.18 The precious stones with the names of the Tribes in them on Aarons breast signifie how Christ carries sinners in the thoughts and affections of his heart 3. They are compassionate-relenting thoughts if I may so say over a poore sinner that God hath wounded in the heart for sinne and is now complaining of his sinne Jer. 31.18 I have surely heard saith the Lord Ephraim bemoaning himselfe thus Thou hast chastised mee and I was chastised that is I felt it Turne thou mee and I shall be turned for thou art the Lord my God Surely after that I was turned I repented and after that I was instructed I smote upon my thigh I was ashamed even confounded because I did beare the reproach of my youth Thus Ephraim Now heare the Lords compassionate relentings over these broken repenting praying hearts ver 20. Is Ephraim saith the Lord my deare sonne Is he a pleasant childe For since I spake against him I doe earnestly remember him still Therefore my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. O admirable soule comforting place God first puts these repenting thoughts into a poore sinner and then how doth his heart melt with compassionating thoughts of mercy resolving to shew kindnesse unto him 4. They are patient opportunitie waiting thoughts to doe a poore distressed soule good Isai 30.18 And therefore will the Lord waite that he may be gracious unto you and therefore will he be exalted to have mercy on you So in the Hebrew For the Lord is a God of judgement or equitie and uprightnesse blessed are all they that wait for him See the Lord sets himselfe forth as some good man that is full of thoughts to doe some worthy worke to shew some notable kindnesse who stands observing and meditating when and how he may take the best opportunitie to doe it He sets himselfe like some Generall in some high eminent place to view when he may step in to rescue and relieve those that are in danger and distresse By which is held forth to us that God is thinking kinde thoughts to us when he is not acting And that he will not deferre a minute to shew us mercy when his time is come 5. Tender caring thoughts for and to the meeke and broken heart Isai 66.2 But to this man will I looke saith the Lord even to him that is of a poore and a contrite heart and trembleth at my Word God will not onely look on such a one to have thoughts of pitie but he will look to him have a care to bind up his wounds The poore that is despised of the world God will look to and shall be blessed in his thoughts Mat. 5. The contrite he will heale Luk. 4.18 Those that mourne for want of a sacrifice as they thinke they bring a thing more acceptable then a sacrifice unto God Psal 51. They that are affraid because of the Word they have here assurance that they are high in Gods thoughts 6. To prevent any objection that sinne might hinder good things from us he tells us that his thoughts are sinne-surpassing thoughts super-abounding above all sinnes And indeed this seems sometimes in some to super-abound the Text that saith My thoughts are above your thoughts For many times some poore sinners cannot get their thoughts above their sinnes but their sinnes doe master their thoughts so that they cannot thinke but that their sinnes surmount all that they can thinke But now in this particular is shewed that Gods thoughts super-abound all our sinnes and unworthinesse Rom. 5.20 Where sinne did abound grace did much more abound And 1 Tâ—â— 1.14 And the grace of our Lord was â—…ing abundant or as it is in the Greeke did super-abound 7. And lastly to number no more particulars The thoughts of God are all 〈…〉 thoughts for them that love him Rom. 8.28 And 〈◊〉 know that all things worke together for good to them that love him How doth the Apostle prove this This he proves from Gods thoughts vers 29. c. Whom he foreknew thâ—◠〈◊〉 predestinated to be confirmed to the image of his Sonne Gods plot is no other then this That 〈◊〉 poore sinner that loves him shall fare no worse according to his measure then his Sonne Christ Jesus Wee are apt to thinke we shall be made thus and thus miserable but Christ
GODS GRACIOUS THOUGHTS TOVVARDS GREAT SINNERS JER 29.11 But I know the thoughts I thinke towards you saith the Lord thoughts of peace and not of evill to give you an expected end EPHES. 3.19 The love of Christ passeth knowledge LONDON Printed by Matthew Simmons dwelling in Aldersgate-street 1647. NATHANAEL HOMES TO THE CHURCH IN FELLOWSHIP WITH HIM DEare Brethren and Sisters as my compassions to some bleeding hearts among you did put me upon this discourse in our more private weekly meeting so their unexpected importunitie for Copies have necessitated me to print it so as it was suddainly compiled and ruggedly delivered unpolished and untrimmed for publike view of all abroad But being willing you should have it I would rather deny mine own honour then you of any spirituall comfort I might hold forth to you who am yours in the Lord by many strong obligations N. H. From my study in Mary Staynings Decem. 2. 1646. GODS GRACIOUS THOUGHTS TOWARDS GREAT SINNERS ISAIAH 55.8 9. For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your wayes my wayes saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher then the earth so are my wayes higher then your wayes and my thoughts then your thoughts THe former part of this Chapter is a most glorious invitation of poore sinners to free mercy vers 1. to the end of the 7th verse in which 7th verse the Lord tells all commers to him that he hath mercy for them and mercy with eminency namely that He will have mercy on them And he will abundantly pardon Or as it is neerer to the Hebrew and is so expressed in the Margin of your Bibles He will multiply to pardon or Multiply pardons The freenesse fulnesse and faithfulnesse of this glorious grace and favour the Lord most strongly demonstrates to confute all doubtings and chase away all feares that are in the hearts of drooping sinners in the verses of the Text. The Catastrophe and upshot of all is this That the Lord having removed their sinnes he will remove their judgements and change their sorrowes into joyes vers 12 13. The substance of the verses of the Text in the sense of them are the matter of the Demonstration The coherence or inference of them in the severall FO RS are the forme that forme them into arguments to remove their doubts and feareâ— As if the Lord should say When I say I will have mercy and abounding or multiplyed pardoning mercy you ought not to doubt of it or feare FOR my thoughts are not your thoughts c. FOR as the heavens are higher then the earth so are my thoughts higher then your thoughts FOR as the raine comes down from heaven c. So that one FOR backs another And then saith the Lord Your sins being done away your judgements shall be removed Ver. 12 13. FOR you shall goe out with joy c. You shall by the effect of removing of your sorrowes discerne the cause viz. the pardoning of your sinnes Doctrine Out of all for the designe in hand I picke and cull this one Doctrine That the incomparablenesse of Gods gracious thoughts towards poore sinners above and beyond their thoughts is sufficient to stop the mouth of all objections and still the cryes of all dejections in all their miseries 1. Note for explanation of this rich Doctrine that our miseries are twofold Afflictions Transgressions Those the threed these the needle For these are they that prick and sting to the quick These the sting in the mouth or tayle of afflictions The sting of death is sinne 1 Cor. 15. A confluence of all afflictions of themselves cannot sting so as the single essence of the sinne when God will set it on the conscience Pauls concupiscence stings him more Rom. 7. then his being killed all the day long Rom. â— Afflictions whip the body sinne the soule The spirit of a man saith Solomon may sustaine his infirmities But a wounded spirit who can heare That is of himselfe without Gods grace Now secondly observe that in all these afflictions and sinnes Gods thoughts towards us poore sinners are such as are incomparable and transcendent above and beyond that wee can thinke 1. Father with simple cogitation That is we cannot thinke towards others in the like case of misery as God thinkes towards us in the same case 2. Or with reflexive comprehension or apprehension that in to conceive what those thoughts of God are towards us in our misery just as he thinkes them Both these seeme to be cleerly in the Text. For the first I can saith the Lord shew mercy wheresoever there is a sence of misery though that misery did as well provoke me by the sin of it as it did grieve man with the affliction of it For my thoughts are not your thoughts For the second If there be abundance of sinnes bringing abundance of iudgements I can saith the Lord abundantly pardon For my thoughts are above your thoughts As if the Lord should say of the first thus Can you have such thoughts of mercy on misery as I can especially where you are provoked Doe not you usually repell violence with violence Doe you not use to render evill for evill Are you not usually for the punitive way Or if you passe by a few wrongs can you passe by abundance Doe you not cry against multiplying of offences Immedicabile vulnus c. cut the putrifying limbe off Doe you not after once or twice warning fall to harming Do not your Magistrates burne in the hand then hang up the neck And you admonish then punish But I can thinke thoughts of mercy contrary to all these as hath been shewed in the Text. For the second You as if the Lord should say can hardly thinke that I can thus thinke but I can For my thoughts are above yours You are men I a God you corrupt I pure I prove it thus Doe you see the disproportion of creatures of the Heavens above the earth Much more between an infinit Creator the creature Can you take the just altitude of the Heavens above the Earth Then note how high my thoughts are above yours Therefore these my thoughts I propound and presse to hush and stop the mouth of all objections and still your sorrowing fearing complaining-dejections If you object any crooked unworthy thing to disparage my thoughts and so to prejudice your selves in laying hold on my thoughts let the answer be my thoughts not as yours Mine in substance are all good right c. As my words are Psal 19. so are my thoughts No evill no iniquitie no crueltie in my thoughts If you thinke any you bring it with you you can finde none in me you goe about to pervert the straight wayes and thoughts of the Lord Act. 13.10 But the Lords thoughts are like himselfe The Lords thoughts and wayes are equall they are yours that are unequall Ezek. 18.25 As if the Lord should say take it for a generall rule What ever your thoughts are if
of bowels doth import that as a father is not a naturall father if he loose his bowels so God must keep his bowells of mercie as he will keep his relation of Father to his And as a fathers bowells of mercies descend to the children of his Naturall bowells so Gods compassion is to his You see by how many titles our tenure of mercies hold good One while as we are servants to God or Christ our master Truly I am thy servant saith David I am thine save me Another while as a Wife to Christ Hos 2. Another while as Children to God and brethren to Christ and so this Text And adde to all that if we should faile so as to undeserve that God should be called the Father of us as his children yet this must stand firme God is the Father of mercies Namely to pitty us as a Father doth the childe as it is Psal 103. And to spare us and beare with us as a Father doth a weak childe that serveth him as he can though as a weak childe as Malachy speaks chap. 3. vers 18. And he is the Father of Mercies in the plurall Numerosa proles Store of mercies As God cannot be the Father of Christ as Christ alone All beleevers are included in him and so is well pleased It is not said with but in him Matth. 3. So he cannot be the Father of one mercy only but of many to have some for all yea many for every One yet he that is rich in mercies cannot leave his children poor 4. Engagement It is his stile title description that hee is The God of all comfort It is here spoken as the definition of what hee is to us therefore as essentiall to him And the like is said of him Exod 34. by way of a Royall Title or Kingly stile The Lord the Lord God Iehovah mercifull gracious long suffering aboundant in goodnesse c. So that this of Gods comforting us is one of the flowers in his crowne and God must maintaine his soveraigne stile How shall he be said to be God that is as we shewed afore infinite good if not full with comfort abounding towards us And how a God of all comfort if his people shall have none 2. For the method of these engagements in a word The God of this comfort 1. removes impediments that might hinder us their minds from God are not contented with glory And the Saints beleeving in Christ whiles they have sought what was in the creature and not God through the creature have found nothing in any thing or all things conjunctim or divisim severally or conjunctively Eccles 2.1 to the 12. verse King Solomon the great in making the utmost of all creature comforts could find nothing but vanitie and vexation Reading is an high and intellectuall delight is a while a pleasure to the mind but unlesse God comes in it furfets the understanding and is a wearinesse to the flesh Eccles 12.12 Musick is pleasant to the eare but unlesse God comes in to cheere the heart it is nauseous to a man Psal 137. And as experience tels us being too long in the hearing may surfet the phantasie with too oft playing the same lesson Odours are pleasant to the smell and some say the food of the Spirits of the Braine but unlesse God come in with health they suffocate that sence and cause faintings and swownings Food is pleasant to the tast but unlesse God give in his blessing it surfeits the stomacke In the midst of laughter in all creature injoyments saith Solomon the heart is sad Yea creature-joyes with out God are mischiefes Apparrel makes more proud then warme Authority brings forth more tyrannicalnesse than reformation Honour becomes more arrogant then usefull Wine more making mad than merry The table is become a snare As it is said of wisdome that all the creatures were inquired of a generall counsell of all the world was called the creation met in consultation to give in their answer every creature for himselfe whither wisdome was in this or that or the other they all answered no. Job 28.12 c. And so it may be said of comfort if all the world be called to its Answer it cannot say conjunctively or divisively that comfort is there without God The Sea answers that it is not in mee I am a devourer and doe make many a Merchant sad The heavens answer it is not in mee For unlesse God helpe mee I cause barrennesse Hos 2. And the sonnes of men confesse if they will speake the truth that they are as Jobs friends without God miserable comforters They can see one miserable and say this and that but without the incomes of God cannot comfort One man is contented with a little why God is there Another is not contented with much Why God is not there A little that a righteous man hath saith Solomon is better than great revenues of the wicked For God is the comfort in every creature comfort and God makes every creature to give down his comfort 1. God is the comfort in every creature It is the word command or institution of God that makes bread to be meanes of life to us Mat. 4. 2. Hee makes the creature to give downe his comfort that is in him Hos 2.21 c. I will saith the Lord in that day heare the heavens and they shall heare the earth and earth shall heare the corne and the wine and the oyle and they shall hear Jezreel And all this God will do for his because hee will make a covenant with them and betreth them to himselfe ver 18. All shall be paid downe as part of their dowrie as part of that all which is theirs in Christ Jesus 1 Cor. 3.21 Therefore why doe we travell over creature comforts without God our convoy Yea why do wee travell to creature comforts to find them without God Can the Bee finde any thing in the flower without beames and drops of heaven first fall upon them So vaine is our endeavour to presse out and distill any spirits of comfort out of creatures without Gods influence or impressions first falling upon them We thinke because God comming in with creatures they sometime comfort that therefore the creatures themselves do comfort But if a divine ordinance doth not alwayes quicken but onely when God comes in as experience tells us much lesse can earthly creatures comfort without God giving in himselfe in and through them Againe we lament the losse of such and such a creature as conceiving that we have much losse of comfort thereby But I should rather thinke that God taking them away that if they were present they should not comfort nor would God come in through them to make them comfort but that God is now upon another designe namely to give in more comfort some other way as either by and in providentiall dispensations of afflictions or in instituted ordinances of Word and Sacraments or immediately by himselfe in communication of