THE Godly Mans Ark OR City of Refuge in the day of his DISTRESSE Discovered in divers SERMONS The first of which was Preached at the Funerall of Mistresse Elizabeth Moore The other four were afterwards preached and are all of them now made publick for the supportation and consolation of the Saints of God in the hour of tribulation Hereunto are annexed Mris. Moores Evidences for Heaven composed and collected by her in the time of her health for her comfort in the time of sickness By ED. CALAMY B. D. and Pastor of the Church at Aldermanbury London Printed for Jo. Hancock Brother to the late deceased Eliz. Moore to be sold at the first shop in Popes-head Alley next to Cornhill And for Tho. Parkhurst at the three Crowns over against the Great Conduit at the lower end of Cheapside 1657. TO Those of Aldermanbury-Parish together with all others who attend constantly upon the Word of God there preached and more especially to such of them who are admitted to partake of the Lords Supper there administred Beloved in the Lord I Need not spend much time in giving you an account how these ensuing Sermons come to be made publick It is not because they are more worthy than those which you hear weekly Nay I may truly say without boasting they are lesse worthy though I think none of them much worth than many others It is not because I desire to bee in print But it is 1 To present you with the Pattern of a Woman whom God did pick out to make an example of great affliction and great patience that when you come into great troubles you may bee comforted with those comforts with which shee was comforted 2 To acquaint you with the pains shee took and with her diligence in time of health to make her salvation sure That so you may bee provoked to lay up sutable seasonable and sufficient provision against an evil day and not have your Evidences for Heaven to get in the hour of adversity It is the grand sin of most people to delay and prorogue their solemn preparation for affliction and sickness till they come to bee sick and in affliction There are many in Hell who purposed to repent but were prevented by death therefore Bernard saith good purposes Bona proposita geheâ—nam intrant bona opera coelum go to Hell and only good performances lead into Heaven To prevent your delaying and deferring to provide for affliction these Sermons are printed and to perswade you that whatsoever you do for Heaven you would do it speedily and with all your strength The Subjects handled are so plain and easy and the stile so rude and unpolished that I was resolved to â—ave buried them in perpetual oblivion had I not been conquered by this following together with the forementioned consideration that they are calculated only for people under great troubles at which times learned debates about Discipline and controverted points of Divinity painted Eloquence and curious Language are of very little esteem and account Afflicted consciences are oftentimes puzzled but never comforted with doubtful disputations Neat and elegant expressions may skin over but cannot cure spiritual diseases Nothing can heal a wounded conscience and keep a man from sinking into dispondency in the day of great tribulation but a real right and particular Application of the Promises to help a doubting Christian to perform this great work there are thirteen plain Rules and Directions laid down in the following Treatise My prayer is that they may prove useful and successeful Seneca indeed comforts his friend Polybius and perswades him to bear his afflictions patiently because hee was the Emperours Favourite and tells him That it was not lawful for him to complain while Caesar was his Fas tibi non est de fortuna conqueri salvo Caesare friend But this was but a poor Cordial For Caesar himself a little while after was so miserable that hee had not a friend to help him much lesse was hee able to help his friend The Word of God affords a better Cordial It bids a true Child of God not to bee over much dejected under the greatest affliction Fas tibi non est de fortuna conqueri salvo Deo salvis promissionibus Dei because hee is Gods Favourite It tells him that it is not lawful for him to complain while God is his friend and the Promises of God his rich portion and inheritance Though Job lost all hee had yet hee lost nothing because hee lost not his God who is All in All and they who have him have All. My purpose at first was only to have printed the Sermon preached at Mris. Moores Funeral together with her Evidences for Heaven collected by her in the time of her health But the importunity of friends hath overswayed mee and caused mee to adde four more preached immediately afterwards on the same Text. And now Dearly Beloved having this fair opportunity to speak to you in writing give mee leave to propound and lay before you some cautions and admonitions some Rules and Directions for the right ordering of your lives and conversations in these dangerous and divided times that so you may bee able after my decease to have them in perpetual remembrance 1 Take heed of mistaking in the great work of Beleeving and Repenting Faith and Repentance are the two great Gospel-graces And the reason why so many miscarry to all eternity is not for want of them such as they are but upon a pure mistake in thinking they have them when they have but a shadow of them Where one goeth to Hell by desperation hundreds go thither by presumption O! quam multi cum hâc vanâ fide vana spe ad aeternos labores descendunt How many thousands go to hell with a vain faith and hope of Heaven And therefore bee much in examination whether your Faith bee right or no. Examine your selves whether yee bee 2 Cor. 13. 5 in the Faith prove your own selves To bee mistaken in the great work of Beleeving is to bee necessitated to damnation Mark 16 16 For hee that beleeves not shall bee damned Ask your souls often whether your Repentance bee of a right stamp or no whether it bee a Repentance unto life a Repentance never to bee repented on To bee mistaken in purchasing of Lands can but hurt your outward estates but to bee mistaâ—en in the graces of Faith and Repentance will undo your souls to all aetenity What the Characters of a true Faith and true Repentance are you have frequently heard I will not now repeat them Only remember that self-flattery is self-mockery that soul-delusion is soul-damnation Pray unto God to deliver you from that great murderer of souls the sin of Presumption 2 Take heed as I have said of delaying and putting off the great work of providing for Heaven till sickness or oldage The Lord Christ commands you to seek first the Kingdome of God and his
shall wee finde such Saints It is easie to finde out men that can say Eating and drinking is my delight carding and dicing is my delight reading of vain and trifling books is my delight to satisfie the lusts of the flesh is my delight But where is the man that can truly say as David doth The Law of God is my delights and the joy and rejoycing of my heart for ever Austin professeth of himself that before his conversion hee took no pleasure in the word of God His proud heart as hee saith would not stoop to the humble expressions of it After his conversion hee was ravished with the beauty and excellency of the Scriptures but before his conversion hee saw no excellency in them Policarp though a great Schollar yet a notorious Atheist professeth most blasphemously that hee never lost more time than in reading the Scripture And it is reported of Plato that when hee had read the first Chapter of Genesis hee said Hic vir multa dicit sed nihil probat This man saith many things but proveth nothing Where shall wee finde the man that puts a due estimation upon the word of God That prizeth it above gold yea above much fine gold That rejoyeeth in thy word as much as in all riches vers 14. That can appeal to God and say as David vers 159. Consider Oh Lord how I love thy Precepts and verse 97. Oh how do I love thy Law There are some men that can delight in any thing but in God and his Word and his Ordinances They can delight in the creatures of God but cannot delight in the Ordinances of God They can delight in the gifts of God in riches and health and honours But they cannot delight in the God of these gifts They can delight in books of Philosophy and humanity but they cannot delight in the word of God Mark the sad condition that these are in It is a certain sign that there is a vail over their eyes and hearts that they are not yet anointed with Christs eye-salve that the God of the world hath blinded their eyes that they cannot see the glorious excellencies of the Law of God It is certain that they are not born anew for if they were new born babes they would desire the sincere milk of the word It is certain that the Law of God is not yet written in their hearts and that the Spirit of God doth not dwell in them It is certain that they have no part nor portion in the word of God that they never tasted the sweetness that is in it and that they have no true love to God nor to his word It is a true saying Qui regem amat legem amat hee that loves a King will love his Law And I may say Qui Deum amat legem Dei amat Hee that loves God will love the Law of God which is nothing else but his Image and his Picture his last Will and Testament his blessed love-token And therefore if you delight not in the Law of God it is evident you do not delight in the God of this Law And if you delight not in God hee will not delight in you unless it bee to laugh at your destruction as it is Prov. 1.26 Q. But how shall I know whether I do delight in the word of God or no Answ You shall know it by these notes 1 Hee that delights in Gods Law will bee very frequent in meditating and reading of it and very often in speaking of it Thus saith David Psal 1.2 His delight is in the Law of the Lord and therein hee will meditate day and night And Psalm 119.97 Oh how do I love thy Law it is my meditation all the day So also vers 15 16. 23. Hee that takes pleasure in the Law hee will bee often thinking of it as Christ saith Matth. 6.21 Where the treasure is there the heart will bee also If the word of God bee thy treasure thou wilt meditate on it Cogitatione crebrâ longâ profundâ Thou wilt frequently think of it and when thou beginnest to think of it thou wilt dwell upon the thought of it as a Bee dwels as it were upon the flower to suck out the sweetness that is in it and thou wilt think of it with deep and serious meditations and contemplations thou wilt dive into the unsearchable riches and treasures that are in the Word And as thou wilt meditate on it so thou wilt bee often and unwearisome in reading and perusing of it and discoursing about it A man that delights in hunting is never weary of talking of hunting and he that delights in the world of speaking about the world and if you did delight in Gods word you would be very frequent and indefatigable in discoursing of it 2 If you did delight in the Word of God you would delight in the Ministers and Ambassadors of the Word lawfully commissionated by Christ For the great work of the Ministry is to expound and apply the Word and therefore if you dis-respect the godly learned lawful Ministry of the Word you take no delight in the Word 3 They that delight in the Word will bee at any cost to bring the Word to their congregations they will part with thousands of gold and silver rather than with the Word Hee that esteems the VVord above thousands will bee willing to part with hundreds for the Words sake Hee will account a famine of the Word more bitter than a famine of bread by how much the soul is better than the body by so much will hee bee more troubled for a soul-famine than a bodily 4 Hee that delights truely in the Law will sincerely labour to obey it and bee much grieved when it is disobeyed 1 Hee will sincerely labour to obey it hee will make the Word of God the man of his counsel vers 24. Thy Testimonies are my delight but how doth hee prove that in the following words and my counsellers Hee will make the Word a Lamp to his feet and a light to his paths verse 105. In all his undertakings hee will inquire what God would have him to do and hee will make Gods Word his compasse to sail by and pray with David verse 35. Make mee to go in the path of thy Commandements for therein do I delight 2 Hee will bee much grieved when others transgresse the Law of God Thus David vers 53. Horror hath taken hold upon mee because of the wicked that forsake thy Law and vers 136. Rivers of waters run down mine eyes because they keep not thy Law And therefore you that delight in sin you cannot bee said to delight in the Word and you that are not pained and grieved when others sin you are not amongst the number of those that take pleasure in Gods Law or in whom God takes pleasure Use 2 Let us make it appear that wee are Saints indeed and in truth not only Saints in Mans but in Gods Calender by following the
example of holy David set down in the Text. Let us make the Law of God our joyes and our delights Let mee speak to you in the words of the Apostle Col. 3. 16. Let the VVord of God dwell richly in you c. not only with you but in you And in the Words of Christ John 5. 39. Search the Scriptures for therein you hope to finde eternal life The Greek word signifieth to search as men do under ground for treasures or to search as men who dive under water for something that is at the bottom Let us with Job 23. 12. Esteem the VVord of God above our necessary food Let us love it above gold yea above fine gold let it bee dearer to us than thousands of gold and silver sweeter than the hony and the hony-comb You that are Gentlemen remember what Hierom reports of Nepotianus a young Gentleman of Rome qui long â assiduâ meditatione scripturarum pectus suum fecerat bibliothecam Christi who by often and assiduous meditation of the Scriptures made his breast the library of Christ Remember what is said of King Alphonsus that hee read over the Bible fourteen times together with such Commentaries as those times afforded You that are Schollars remember Cranmor and Ridley the former learnt the New Testament by heart in his journey to Rome the latter in Pembrook-hall walks in Cambridge Remember what is said of Thomas a Kempis that he found rest no where nisi in angulo cum libello but in a corner with this book in his hand And what is said of Beza that when hee was above fourscore years old hee could say perfectly by heart any Greek Chapter in Pauls Epistles You that are women consider what Hierom saith of Paula Eustochiam and other Ladies who were singularly vers't in the holy Scriptures Let all men consider that hyperbollical speech of Luther That hee would not live in Paradise without the VVord and with it hee could live well enough in Hell This speech of Luthers must bee understood cum grano salis Qu. May not a wicked man delight in the VVord of God is it not said of Herod Mark 6. 20. that hee heard John Baptist gladly and of the stony ground Luk. 8. 13. that it received the Word with joy Is it not said of the Israelites remaining wicked that they delighted to know Gods waies and took delight in approaching to God Isa 58. 2. and of the Jews Joh. 5. 35. that they were willing for a season to rejoyce in the Light held forth by the preaching of John Baptist Answ There is a wide and vast difference between the joy and delight which a true Saint takes in Gods Word and that which may bee found in an hypocrite 1 The delight of a godly man is orderly and seasonable It is the consequent of conviction and humiliation For though Joy bee the great work of the Spirit yet it is not the first work First The Spirit by the Word convinceth and humbleth and then comforteth therefore Christ saith Mat. 5. 4. Blessed are those that mourn for they shall bee comforted and David saith Psal 126. 5. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy But the joy of an hypocrite is unseasonable and disorderly It is his first work It is said of the stony ground that when they heard the Word they received it immediately with gladnesse Mark 4. 16. It is not said they received it first with sorrow and then with gladnesse Here is mention of joy without any antecedent humiliation Nay the Text saith expresly Luk. 8. 6. it lacked moisture and therefore it withered away There are many Professors in our daies that skip from sin to joy at first that all in an instant are in the highest form of sin and in the highest form of comfort that skip out of the lap of the Devil into the lap of joy These are as the stony ground These are wanton Christians They sow before they plough they know not the bitternesse of sin and therefore in time of temptation fall away 2 The delight that a godly man takes in the Word is a well-rooted delight It is rooted in an humble good and honest heart as is said of the good ground Luk. 8. 15. But the delight of an hypocrite is shallow and superficial as his graces are sleight and formal so are his delights Therefore it is said of the seed that fell upon the stony ground that it had no root Luk. 8. 13. and Matth. 13. 5. it wanted depth of earth and therefore when the Sun arose it was scorched The Apostle hints this Heb. 6. 4. and have tasted the good Word of God The delight of a wicked man in the Word is but a tasting and sipping no soaking a floating aloft in the river of Christs blood no diving down to the bottom A man may taste a thing and not like it taste and like it and yet not come up to the price of it as the young man Matth. 19. 22. Hee was very desirous to injoy eternal life but hee would not part with his possessions for the obtaining of it A Cook tasteth of the meat hee dresseth but they only that are invited eate of it Tasting doth not imply habitual grace A man may taste that which hee never digesteth nor concocteth The Israelites tasted of the first fruits of the Land of Canaan and yet did not enter into Canaan Such is the joy of the hypocrite It is outward and superficial But the delight of a true Saint is inward solid and substantial Jeremy saith that the Word of God was the joy and rejoycing of his heart and that hee did eat it Jer. 15. 16. hee did not only taste it but eate it And Paul saith Rom. 7. 22. I delight in the Law of God after the inward man His delights had depth of earth they were well digested and concocted 3 It is superlative and overtopping A godly man delighteth more in God and his Word than in any worldly thing whatsoever Lord lift thou up saith David Psal 4. 6 7. The light of thy countenance upon us thou hast put gladness in my heart more than in the time that their corn and their wine encreased So also Psal 43. 4. unto God my exceeding Joy Psa 137.6 If I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief Joy And Psal 119.72.127 The delight of a Saint in Gods Word overtoppeth all his creature delights and injoyments and for the joy he findes in it he will fell all hee hath to purchase it Matth. 13. 44. But the joy of a wicked man is of an inferior nature hee rejoyceth more in Corn Wine and Oil c. And when it comes into competition hee will leave his spiritual and heavenly rather than lose his creature and carnal pleasures Thus Herod rejoyced in the word that John Baptist preached but hee rejoyced more in his Herodias and when it came to the tryal hee chose to behead John Baptist rather than to part with Herodâ—as 1
and a Conduit to conveigh God and grace into his soul In a word hee delights in it because it is holy and pure hee can say with David Psal 119.140 Thy word is very pure therefore thy servant loveth it This no wicked man can truly say 8 The delight that a godly man takes in the word is without any reservation or distinction Hee delights in the whole word of God in the commanding and threatning word as well as in the promising word hee beholds God and his wisdome and goodness in every verse and therefore hee can say with Hezekiah Isa 39.8 Good is the Word of the Lord. He hath the whole Law written in his heart and rejoyceth in every tittle of it But a wicked man hath his reservations and distinctions hee may delight in the promising word but hee undervalues the commanding word and turneth a deaf ear to the threatning word It is said of the Jews That they rejoyced in the light of John Baptist but it is not said They rejoyced in his heat Hee was a burning and a shining light they rejoyced in his shining but not in his burning It is hardly possible for a wicked man remaining wicked to rejoyce in the burning zeal holiness and strictness of a John Baptist But a godly man delighteth both in the light and heat of the word 9 It is an abiding delight 2 Thess 2.18 Everlasting consolation Joh. 16. 22. Your joy no man taketh from you It is as a fixed star But the delight of a wicked man in the word is as the crackling of thorns upon the fire and as the Corn that grew on the stony ground which quickly sprung up and as quickly withered Job 27.8 Therefore it is said of the Jews Joh. 5.3 They rejoyced in his light for a season In the Greek it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for an hour A wicked mans delight in the word is but as a blazing star which is quickly extinguished Hee may rejoyce in the word while hee is hearing of it but it quickly vanisheth away Hee is like to a man that comes into a pleasant Garden and is delighted with the smell of it while hee is there But a childe of God makes a Posie of these Flowers to refresh him when hee is out Hee delights to read and to keep the Law of God continually for ever and ever Psalm 119.45 Let us I beseech you labour with all labour for this superlative well-rooted powerful spiritual sin-excluding grace-increasing and abiding delight in the whole word of God Quest What must wee do that wee may be inabled thus to make the Law of God our delights Answ 1. You must seriously study the excellency of Gods word this made David prize it so much and love it so much Psalm 19.7 8 9 10 11. The word of God hath God for its Author and therefore must needs bee full of infinite wisdome and eloquence even the wisdome and eloquence of God There is not a word in it but breathes out God and is breathed out by God It is as Ireneus saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an invariable rule of faith an unerring and infallible guide to heaven It contains glorious revelations and discoveries no where else to bee found It hath a manifesting convincing soul-humbling soul-directing soul-converting and soul-comforting power and efficacy in it as appears by these Scriptures Heb. 4.12 1 Cor. 14.24 25. 1 King 21.29 Psalm 119.105 2 Cor. 3.6 Psalm 119.50 And therefore to delight in the word and the God that made it is not only our duty Psal 37.4 But it is recorded in Scripture as our priviledge and as the great reward that God would bestow upon those that keep holy the Sabbath-day Isa 58. 13 14. Then thou shalt delight thy self in the Lord. This shall bee thy great reward 2 You must fixedly ponder the necessity of practising this duty For if you delight in Gods Law God will delight in you If the Law bee your beloved you are Gods beloved If you take no pleasure in his word his soul will take no pleasure in you 3 You must pray for the grace of Illumination Whensoever you take the Bible in your hand to read in it pray Davids prayer Psal 119.18 Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy Law Philosophers observe that Lumen est vehiculum influentiae Light is the Chariot of influence as it begets the flower in the field the gold in the mineral so the foundation of all regeneration is illumination Pray that God would open your eyes that you may understand the Scriptures as hee did to his Apostles Luke 24. 45. That hee would take away the vail that is upon your hearts 4 Pray that hee that made you creatures would make you new creatures that as new-born babes you may desire the sincere milk of the word 5 Pray that God would fulfil that excellent promise Jer. 31.33 That hee would put his Law in your inward parts and write it in your hearts and then you cannot but heartily delight in it 6 Pray to God to give you the same Spirit that wrote the word to inable you to delight in it 7 Pray for a spiritual palate that you may not onely delight in spiritual things but have a spiritual delight in spiritual things It is said of the Lioness that when shee hath once tasted of the sweetness of mans flesh shee is never satisfied till shee hath more of it Hee that hath tasted of the good word of God and not onely tasted but eaten it and digested it into good nourishment hee will not onely delight in it but he will delight in it above gold yea above fine gold and hee will never bee satisfied till hee bee filled with the fulness of that God that made it The End of the second Sermon THE Excellency and Usefulness OF THE VVORD SERMON III. PSAL. 119. 92. Unless thy Law had been my delights I should then have perished in mine Afflictions NOw I come to speak of the Proposition that is clearly held forth in the Text. Doct. 3 That the VVord of God delighted in is the Afflicted Saints Antidote against ruine and destruction Unless thy Law had been my delights I should c. The Word of God is the sick Sâ—â—â—ts salve the dying Saints cordial a most precious medicine to keep Gods people from perishing in time of affliction This upheld Jacob from sinking when his Brother Esau came furiously marching to destroy him Gen. 32. 12. And thou saidst I will surely do thee good c. The promise of God supported him This also upheld Joshua and inabled him couragiously to fight the Lords battels because God had said Hee would never leave him nor forsake him Josh 1. 5. Melancthon saith that the Lant-grave of Hessen told him at Dresda that it had been impossible for him to have born up under the manifold miseries of so long an imprisonment nisi habuisset consolationem ex Verbo divino in suo corde but
not according to that hee hath not 2 Cor. 8. 12. 3 That though hee cannot in his own person perform all that God commands yet Jesus Christ as his surety and in his stead hath fulfilled the Law for him and that God will accept of Christs perfect as a cover for his imperfect righteousnesse That Christ hath redeemed him from the curse of the Law being made a curse for him That the threatnings of the Law are Serpents without a sting and that Christ hath taken away the power and force of them Did a broken-hearted and wounded sinner ponder and meditate on these things they would fill him full of joy and comfort Hee would flye from the Covenant of works to the Covenant of grace from his own unrighteousness unto the righteousness of Christ and from the commanding and threatning word unto the promising word hee would say Lord Thou commandest mee to walk in thy statutes and to keep thy Laws This I cannot do of my self but thou hast promised to cause mee to walk in thy wayes and to write thy Law in my Domine da quod jubes jube quod vis Aust heart Lord give mee power to do what thou commandest and then command what thou wilt 2 A presumptuous sinner is alwaies The second difference studying the promising Word to bolster up himself in sin but hee never studies his sins and iniquities to repent for them and from them Hee meditates on the Promises to harden his heart in sin but not at all on his sins to humble himself for them and to turn from them But now on the contrary A poor distressed Christian pores upon his iniquities and corruptions but never mindes himself of the Promises and this makes him live so dejectedly and disconsolately A wicked man studieth his corruptions too little A distressed Christian too much If hee did study the Promises as much as hee doth his corruptions hee would not walk so uncomfortably Wherefore if ever you would make the Word of God a conduit of comfort in the day of your distress you must not only meditate on the commanding and threatning Word but on the promising Word The Commandements and threatnings must drive you to the Promises you must not only study your corruptions to humble you but also the Promises to comfort you I do not say you must not study your corruptions but you must joyn the study of the Promises together with them If Abraham had minded only the deadnesse of Sarahs womb and of his own body he had never beleeved c. but hee was strong in Faith and staggered not because hee considered not his own body now dead when hee was about an hundred years old nor the deadness of Sarahs wombe but was fully Rom. 4. 19 20 21 perswaded that what God had promised hee was able to perform If Sarah had considered only that shee was past age shee would never have beleeved that shee should have a childe but shee eyed the Promise and judged him faithful who had promised and that Heb. 11. 11 made her beleeve If a Saint of God looks only downwards upon the deadnesse of his heart and meditates only upon his sins and infirmities hee will never bee comforted in the day of his distresse But hee must also look upwards unto the Promises seriously ponder and fixedly study them which will bee as strong Pillars to support him and keep him from falling into despair in the hour of tribulation Q. What are the Meditations which wee must have in reference and relation to the Promises in the day of our distress Ans I will rank them into nine particulars 1 You must meditate upon the three great truths already mentioned The first meditation about the Promises 1 That God commands nothing as our duty which hee hath not promised as his gift 2 That God in the Covenant of grace will accept of lesse than hee requires in the Covenant of works 3 That if wee truly beleeve in Christ God will accept of his righteousness as a satisfaction for our unrighteousness 2 You must meditate upon the excellency and preciousness of the Promises The second Meditation meditate on the preciousness of the Promises 2 Pet. 1.4 The Promises are precious in five respects 2 Cor. 1. 20. they are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exceeding great and precious Promises They are precious in five respects 1 Because they cost a great price even the blood of Christ to purchase them They are all made to us in Christ and for Christ they are in him yea and in him Amen The Covenant which is the Pandecta and Cabinet of all the Promises was sealed with his blood 2 Because they assure us of great and precious things they assure us of our interest in God of our justification reconciliation adoption sanctification and glorification Heaven it self is nothing else but the injoyment of the Promises Heb. 6. 12. The Promises are Heaven folded up Heaven is the Promise unfolded For the Promises are nothing else but the eternal purposes of God towards his children made manifest The purposes of God are his concealed Promises and the Promises are his revealed purposes The Promises are the kisses of Jesus Christ they discover his dear love and when hee discovers to us our interest in them then hee kisses us with the kisses of his mouth and fills us with joy unspeakable and glorious They are made by God and they make over God to us as our portion and Christ as our Saviour and the Spirit as our Sanctifier and all good things both here and hereafter as our inheritance and therefore may well bee called exceeding great and precious Promises 3 Because they put a price upon the New Testament for wherein doth the New Testament exceed the Old unless it bee in this because it is founded upon better Promises Heb. 8. 6. and bringeth in a better hope Heb. 7. 19. 4 Because they put a price upon all the blessings of God A little mercy reached out to us as a fruit of a Promise is more worth than a world of blessings comming to us meerly by way of providence A man may receive blessings from God upon a double account either ex largitate or ex promisso either by way of providence or by way of Promise 1 By way of Providence Thus God gives the earth to the sons of men Psal 115. 16. Thus hee gave one hundred twenty and seven Provinces to Ahashuerosh Thus hee sets up the basest of men to rule over Nations Dan. 4. 17. 2 By way of Promise Thus hee gives health wealth and all outward comforts unto his children For godlinesse hath the Promise of this life and that which is to come 1 Tim. 4. 8. Now you must know that a little blessing comming to us as a fruit of the Promise is more worth than a thousand blessings comming to us only by way of Providence And therefore David saith A little that the righteous man hath is
the promise of Jesus Christ Of God being our God and of the holy Ghost Others are derivative depending and rivolet-promises as the promises of all outward comforts here and of eternal life hereafter Now it is our duty to take notice of every ray of gold to meditate upon all the Promises both spiritual temporal and eternal both conditional and absolute both of grace and to grace both general and particular but especially of the Original and fundamental Promises the Fountain-promises from whence all others as so many streams and rivolets are deduced and derived 8 You must meditate on the usefulness and profitableness of the promimises The eight Meditation meditate on the usefulness of the Promises I have already shewed you that they are the conduits of grace and comfort that they have a soul-sanctifying and a soul-comforting-power Give mee leave to adde That the Promises are 1 The breathings of divine love and affection 2 The life and soul of Faith 3 The Anchor of Hope 4 The Wings of Prayer 5 The Foundation of Industry 6 The Raies and Beams of the Sun of Righteousness and upon all those accounts are very useful and advantageous 1 They are the breathings of divine The Promises are the breathings of divine love love and affection It is an Argument of Gods wonderful love to his children that hee is pleased to enter into a Promise and Covenant to bee their God and to give them Christ and in Christ all blessings here and hereafter Wee read Gen. 17. 2 3. when God told Abraham that hee would make a Covenant with him hee fell on his face as astonished at so great a mercy and as thankfully acknowledging the goodness of God towards him The like wee read of David When God by Nathan made a promise to him hee 2 Sam. 7. 11 18 19. goes into Gods house and prayes Who am I O Lord and what is my house that the Lord my God should do this c. The Promises are the Cabinets of the tender bowels of God they contain the dear and tender love of God towards his elect children God by promising makes himself a debtor to them Now that God who is bound to none no not to the Angels of Heaven should enter into bonds and binde himself to give grace and glory to his elect children this is love above expression And there is nothing moved God to do this but as I have said his free grace and mercy For though God bee now bound out of justice and faithfulness to fulfil his Promises yet nothing moved him to make these promises but his love and mercy as David saith of what God had promised to him 2 Sam. 7. 21. According to thine own heart ex mero motu voluntatis and according to thy Word not for any thing in mee For what am I O Lord c. Thus you see how the promises are the breathings of divine love and affection and upon this account are very useful and profitable For love is loves loadstone therefore the Apostle saith Wee love him because Magnes amoris amor 1 Joh. 4. 19. hee loved us first The sense of Gods love to us will kindle a love in us to God Even as the beams of the Sun reflecting upon a Wall heats those that walk by the Wall So the beams of Gods love shining into our souls warms our hearts with the love of God The love of God constrains us as saith Paul 2 Cor. 5. 14. There is a compulsive and constraining power in love What did not Jacob do for the love of Rachel How was Mephibosheth affected with the love of David 2 Sam. 9. 8. It is our duty to love those that hate us but not to love those that love us is more than heathenish and brutish 2 They are the life and soul of The Promises are the life and soul of Faith Faith Faith without a Promise to act upon is as a body without a soul as a dead flower which hath no beauty or sweetness in it But faith grounded upon the Promises will inable a Christian to advance in all manner of holiness What made Abraham forsake his Country and his Fathers house and go hee knew not whither Nothing moved him to this but because God had promised to make him a great Nation and hee beleeved it Of all graces none so causal of holiness as the grace of Faith It is a world-over-comming heart-purifying life-sanctifying wonder-working grace and therefore the Promises must needs bee very useful because they are the life and foul of Faith 3 They are the Anchor of Hope The Promises are the anchor of Hope Heb. 6. 9. Hope is called an Anchor of the soul both sure and stedfast But the Promises are the Anchor of Hope All Hope of Heaven which is not founded upon a Promise is presumption and not Hope Presumption is when a man hopes to go to Heaven upon no ground or upon an insufficient ground But true Hope is a Hope grounded upon a Scripture-Promise And Hope bottomed upon divine Promises will mightily avail unto purity and holiness Abraham Isaac and Jacob lived as pilgrims and strangers upon earth because they looked and hoped for a City which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God The Old Heb. 11. 9. 10. Heb. 11.35 Testament Saints would not accept deliverance upon sinful termes because they hoped for a better resurrection The Papists and Arminians are much mistaken in teaching that the assurance of salvation is an enemy to godlinesse The Scripture saith the quite contrary 1 Joh. 3. 3. Hee that hath this Hope purifieth himself even as hee is pure The true Hope of Heaven will make us live heavenly 4 They are the Wings of Prayer The Promises are the wings of Prayer Prayer is a divine cordial to convey grace from Heaven into our souls It is a key to unlock the bowels of mercy which are in God The best way to obtain holiness is upon our knees the best posture to fight against the Devil is upon our knees and therefore Prayer is not put as a part of our spiritual armour but added as that which must bee an ingredient in every part Ephes 6. 18. and which will make every part effectual But now The Promises are the Wings of Prayer Prayer without a Promise is as a Bird without Wings And therefore wee read both of Jacob Gen. 32. 12. and Jehoshaphat how they urged 2 Chron. 20. 8 9. God in their prayers with his Promises And certainly the prayers of the Saints winged with divine promises will quickly flye up to Heaven and draw down grace and comfort into their souls And upon this account it is that the Promises are so useful to a Christian because they are so helpful in prayer When wee pray wee must urge God with his Promises and say Lord hast not thou said Thou wilt circumcise our hearts to love thee thou wilt subdue our sins Thou wilt give the
strong and fear not and tells us for our comfort Isa 35. 4 that God will look with an eye of favour upon him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at his word Isa 66. 2 Rule 3. 3 The more sensible thou art of thine The third Rule for the right Application of the Promises own unworthiness to lay hold upon the Promises the more thou art fitted and qualified to lay hold upon them For the Promises are as I have shewed the fruit of Free-grace Nothing moved God to enter into a Covenant with his people and thereby to become their debtor but his free love Free grace brought Christ down from Heaven and it is free grace must carry us up to Heaven Christ himself is Sola misericordia deducit Deum ad homines sola misericordia reducit homines â—d Deum called the gift of God Joh. 4. 10. Moses tells the Israelites Deut. 7. 7 8. The Lord did not set his love upon you nor chuse you because you were more in number than any people c. but because the Lord loved you and because hee would keep the oath which hee had sworn unto your Fathers hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you c. God doth not love us because wee are worthy of his love but because hee loves us therefore hee makes us worthy Wee must not bring worthinesse to Christ but fetch worthinesse from Christ And therefore if thou beest sensible of thine own nothingnesse emptinesse and unworthinesse lay hold upon that excellent Promise Blessed are the poor in Mat. 5. 3 spirit for theirs is the Kingdome of Heaven Blessed are those who are sensible of their spiritual wants for to them belongs the Kingdome of Heaven as certainly as if they were already in it Rule 4. 4 Study thy interest in the main and fundamental Promise and that will The fourth Rule for the right Application of the Promises 2 Cor. 1. 20. help thee to make out thy interest in all the other The main and fundamental Promise is the Promise of Christ For all Promises whether spiritual or temporal are made to us in and thorough him God hath promised never to leave us nor forsake us and that all things shall work together for our good That is if wee bee in Christ God hath said all things are ours whether Paul or Apollos whether life or 1 Cor. 3.2 death whether things present or things to come but it is with this promise If wee bee Christs Whosoever takes any comfort from any temporal promise and is not in Christ doth but delude and cheat himself This then is thy work O Christian study thy interest in Christ make out that and make out all If no interest in Christ no interest in the promises If an interest in Christ an interest in the Promises let this then bee thy daily businesse to make it out to thy soul that Christ is thine Quest How shall I bee able to do Three things to be fludied in order to the making out of our interest in this Answ For this purpose you must diligently study three things 1 The Universality of the Promise of Christ 2 The Freenesse of it 3 The condition upon which hee is tendred 1 The Universality of the promise of First the universality of the Promise of Christ Mark 16. 15 16. Christ Christ Jesus with all his benefits is promised to every one who is willing to lay hold on him as hee is tendred in the Gospel The Apostles are commanded to go into all the world and to preach the Gospel to every creature hee that beleeveth and is baptized shall bee saved c. If thou hast a heart to beleeve bee thy sins never so great it is for the honour of Jesus Christ to pardon them As the Sea covers great Rocks as well as small so the Mercy of God in Christ will pardon great sins as well as little It will cost Christ as little to wash away the guilt of great sins as of small Christ is a great Physitian Magnus de caelo venit medicus quia magnus in terra jacebat aegroms Aug. And David prayeth pardon my iniquity for it is great Psal 25. 11. Though thy sins bee never so bloudily circumstanciated though never so often reiterated though thou beest never so loathsome yet if thou canst beleeve There is a Fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness and therefore let no man exclude himself from a right to Christ who is willing to take Christ upon Christs termes Hee that excludes himself offers the greatest injury imaginable First Unto Jesus Christ for hee makes him a lyar Christ hath said If any man come to mee I will in no wise cast him out and hee saith John 6.37 Christ will cast mee out although I do come to him Secondly Unto his own soul For hee necessitates himself unto damnation For Christ hath said expresly Hee that beleeveth not shall bee damned Object But I am afraid that I am a Reprobate and that God hath excluded mee from having any interest in Christ Ans Who told thee so It is one great sign thou art not because the Devil would perswade thee that thou art But howsoever Secret things belong to God but those things which are revealed to us and our children God hath kept the black book of Reprobation secret Hee openeth the whole book of Election to some of his children but hee keeps his black book unrevealed It is a sin for any man to think himself a Reprobate unlesse he can prove that hee hath sinned the sin against the Holy Ghost for this thought would hinder him from the use of means for his salvation and cause him to despair which is a sin of the first magnitude and therefore take heed of complementing thy self into Hell by a sinful modesty in refusing to beleeve in Christ Take heed of dallying or delaying in the great work of laying hold upon Christ upon Christs termes Remember God excludes none from Christ but such as exclude themselves by unbeleef And remember Whosoever beleeveth not the John 3.36 Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him 2 You must study the Freenesse of Study the freeness of the Promise of Christ Isa 55. 1 the Promise of Christ God promiseth Jesus Christ freely Ho every one that thirsteth come yee to the waters and hee that hath no mony come yee buy and eat yea come buy Wine and Milk without mony and without price c. Christ is offered in the Gospel sine precio sine merito sine motivo without price without merit and without any motive inducing on our parts Therefore the Holy Ghost saith Whosoever will let him take the water of life freely Rev. 22. 17. Let not then thy undeservednesse hinder thee from laying hold upon Christ as thy portion Say
to himself and rule over mee as to bee my High-Priest to make atonement by offering up of himself for mee and washing mee in his blood by which I must bee justified 6 The Lord brought mee to see a soul-satisfaction in the Lord Jesus Christ alone and I think I should bee as fully satisfied with Christ alone as my heart can desire If I know my heart it panteth after Christ and Christ alone None but Christ none but Christ The whole world in comparison or competition with Christ is nothing to mee But in him I see full contentment To see and know my interest in him and to injoy communion with him is that which if the Lord would bestow upon mee I should with Jacob say it is enough and with old Simeon Now let thy servant depart in peace for my eyes have seen thy salvation Now I desire to set down some other Scripture Evidences that I finde upon search and examination of my heart by laying it to the Rule The Word of God My Second Scripture Evidence is Evidence Second taken from Mark 2. 17. Where Christ saith They that are whole have no need of the Physitian but they that are sick and hee came not to call the Righteous but sinners to repentance Now through Gods mercy I can say that I am a sin-sick-sinner the Lord make me more sick I am not righteous in mine own eyes but a Sinner and see my self undone for ever without the righteousness of Christ bee imputed to mee and therefore I hope I am amongst the number of those whom Christ was commissionated by his Father to come to save From Matth. 11. 28 29. I am weary Evidence Third and heavy laden now Christ hath promised to give ease to such And I am willing to take his yoak upon mee and would fain learn of him the lesson of meeknesse and lowlinesse and therefore am invited to come unto him I can say with David that my sins Evidence Fourth are a heavy burden to mee they are too heavy for mee Psal 38. 4. and I can say that I mourn because I cannot mourn no more for my sins now Christ saith Blessed are they that mourn for they shall bee comforted Matth. 5.4 From Matth. 5. 3. I think if my Evidence Fifth heart do not deceive mee I am poor in spirit now theirs is the Kingdome of Heaven saith Christ From Matth. 12 20. I am a bruised reed and smoaking flax and therefore Evidence Sixth Christ hath promised hee will not break such a reed nor quench the smoak of grace if it bee true grace but hee will increase it more and more as hee saith until judgement break forth into victory And hee came to set at liberty them that are bruised Luk. 4. 18. Therefore I hope I am such a one as hee came to binde up and set at liberty yea and that hee was anointed and sent by his Father to mee and such as I am Isa 61. 1. From 1 Tim. 1. 15. This is a faithful Evidence Seventh saying and worthy of all acceptation saith Paul That Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners And so say I too it 's worthy all acceptation that Christ should come from the bosome of his Father who was infinitely glorious and happy that hee should come into the world to save mee mee a sinner mee the chief of sinners mee that if saved I do verily beleeve there is none in Heaven nor any that ever shall come thither that hath or will have the cause to magnifie and adore free grace as I shall have And herein doth God commend his love towards mee For if when wee were enemies wee were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled wee shall bee saved by his life Rom. 5. 10. I can say with Paul that I delight in Evidence Eighth the Law of God after the inward man and I am grieved that I cannot keep it I finde that spiritual war in mee between flesh and spirit which Paul complaineth of and I can say that Paul doth confess over my heart in his confessions Rom. 7. And I can go along with him there from vers 9. to the end of the chapter and from hence I gather that there is some spiritual life in my soul and an indeavour to walk after the spirit and therefore I hope and desire to conclude with him that there shall bee no condemnation to mee but that the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus shall make mee free from the law of sin and death I finde Rom. 8. 1 2. an earnest desire wrought in my soul to bee made like unto Jesus Christ and that it may bee my meat and drink to do and suffer his will as hee would have mee I can say that the Lord hath in Evidence Ninth some measure put his fear into my heart that I fear to offend him out of love to him and I love to fear him I can say with the Church to Christ Evidence Tenth Cant. 1. 7. O thou whom my soul loveth and if I know any thing at all of mine own heart Christ is altogether lovely and most desirable to my soul I think I can truly say with David that I have none in Heaven but thee and there is nothing on earth that I desire besides thee in comparison of thee in competition with thee Though all that is dearest to mee in the world should forsake mee yet if God whom I have chosen for my portion will not forsake mee I have enough 'T is my desire and indeavour more and more to account all things but loss and dung that I may win Christ I can with Peter make my appeal to him and say Lord thou who knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee and that it is the desire of my soul to love thee more and to love thee for thy self because thou art holy and good and gracious and the chiefest amongst ten thousand Yea God in Christ alone is worthy to be beloved and it is my highest priviledge that hee will give mee leave to love him who only can satisfie my soul and redeem it from death eternal who hath justified mee by his blood and sanctified mee by his spirit whom therefore I love with all my heart and all my soul and all my might and all my strength Finding therefore that God hath drawn out my heart to love him and make choice of him alone I from hence gather and ground my hope that God loveth mee according to that Scripture 1 Joh. 4. 19. Wee love him because hee first loved us I finde my heart much inflamed Evidence Eleventh with love to all the children of God because they are Gods children and the more I see or finde or hear of God in them the more I finde my heart cleaving to them and I think I can truly say with David that my delight is in the Saints and those that excel in grace not because they are friends to