Instruction and that you may learn all the Lessons which the Rod is sent to teach you You are commanded to hear the Rod Mic. 6. 9. The Lords Voice cryeth unto the City and the Man of Wisdom shall see thy Name hear ye the Rod and who hath appointed it The Rod has a Voice and 't is strong and startling if you will but heed it it will be very articulate and plain to you Chastning is truly beatifical makes the chastized blessed when the Lord does chastize and teach together or gives Instruction with and by Correction Psal 94. 12. Blessed is the man whom thou chastnest O Lord and teachest him out of thy Law When the Schoolmaster has a Rod in his hand has given several Lashes and is ready upon neglects and new faults to give more how does the Scholar mind every Word his Master speaks to him with what Care and Diligence is his Lesson learned The Rod of God should quicken Attention to his Voice and cause a most serious regard to his whole Will and Pleasure Is the Lesson of the Rod concerning thy Pride 1 Pet. 5. 5. Be cloathed with Humility for God resisteth the Proud but giveth Grace to the Humble Is the Lesson of the Rod concerning thy Love to the World 1 Joh. 2. 15. Love not the World neither the things that are in the World if any man love the World the love of the Father is not in him Is the Lesson of the Rod concerning thy Sloth Heb. 6. 12. That ye be not slothful but followers of them who through Faith and Patience inherit the Promises Is the Lesson of the Rod concerning thy foolish fleshly and hurtful Lusts 1 Pet. 2. 11. Dearly beloved I beseech you as Strangers and Pilgrims abstain from fleshly Lusts which war against the Soul Finally Is the Lesson of the Rod concerning thy unruly Passions Prov. 14. 29. He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding but he that is hasty of Spirit exalteth Folly So that 't is very visible and exposed to the view of all Jam. 1. 20. The Wrath of man worketh not the Righteousness of God Eph. 4. 31 32. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice and be ye kind one to another tender-hearted forgiving one another even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you Whatever the Lesson of the Rod be let it be your care to be throughly instructed in it and practise in those who have learned to purpose 5. Under Affliction sincerely turn and seek to that God who smites you A thorough Conversion is the end of Correction Take notice of the false ways in which you have gone astray and how near you were to the brink of Eternal Perdition venture not to take so much as one step farther in Hells Road. But return to God unfeignedly and with your whole Heart Consent to be wholly His that your whole man should be at his Command and have respect to all his Precepts without Exception Psal 119. 5 6. Oh that my ways were directed to keep thy Statutes then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy Commandments Judah is branded for this that they refused to turn to him that smote them No wonder that Gods anger did abide and that his hand was still felt very heavy upon them Isa 9. 12 13. For all this his anger is not turned away but his hand is stretched out still for this People turneth not to him that smiteth them neither do seek the Lord of Hosts The hand that smites you if you will not turn can give worse blows nay it can give a deadly blow that may strike you quite down both into the Grave and Hell together The hand that smites alone can heal therefore it concerns you to humble your selves under it How great is the goodness of God that he gives you leave to turn to him that he requires you to seek him and that for no less than his Favour his Grace and Eternal Glory and Blessedness And all this shall be yours if you seek diligently 6. Under Affliction take heed of despising the chastning of the Lord. Heb. 12. 5. Ye have forgotten the Exhortation that speaketh unto you as unto Children My Son despise not thou the chastning of the Lord. Chastning is despised when the Lords hand in chastning is not taken notice of nor his end in Correcting is Minded or Complied with when neither his displeasure manifested in rebukes is observed nor Sin mourned for which does displease him Thus for a while chastning was despised by him you read of Isa 57. 17. For the Iniquity of his Covetousness was I wroth and smote him I hid me and was wroth and he went frowardly on in the way of his Heart But at last he was brought to a better temper The Lord humbled him and healed the frowardness of his Heart and likewise removed his stroke from him V. 18. I have seen his ways and will heal him I will lead him also and restore Comfort to him and to his Mourners In Affliction take notice of God as the Afflicter else you contemn him take notice of Sin as the cause why you are afflicted for if Sin be not laid to Heart that God whom you Sin against is disregarded Nay Saints in a sense despise chastning if they don't behold that the Rod they feel is in their Fathers hand for the Exhortation the Apostle tells us speaks as unto Children and that it is a token of his Paternal Faithfulness and Love Prov. 3. 12. Whom the Lord loveth he correcteth even as a Father the Son in whom he delighteth To look upon Afflictions meerly as evils is to despise them They ought to be lookt upon as Arguments of Gods Fatherly Wisdom and Care and as Talents improvable to great Spiritual Advantage The Cup is in the hand of a Father and all the Ingredients in it are healing Every Member of Christ therefore should speak that Language which his Head spake before him Joh. 18. 11. The Cup which my Father hath given me shall I not drink it 7. Under Affliction faint not neither be weary of Correction He is infinitely wise who does correct and therefore Correction shall not be excessive but in measure Jer. 30. 11. I am with thee saith the Lord to save thee I will not make a full end of thee but will correct thee in measure and not leave thee wholly unpunished The measure of Affliction is such as he who is best able to judge sees to be needful and no more 1 Pet. 1. 6. Now for a season if need be ye are in heaviness through many Temptations God will lighten your burthen or if he should add to your Load he will proportion Strength that you may be able to bear it Faint not under his hand for when he strikes he also sustains and in Wrath remembers Mercy Be willing that Affliction should remain till 't is sanctified and
beneficial to him because in the School of Affliction he learnt God's Statutes better he learned to prize them for in the following verse he preferred them before thousands of gold and silver And thus looking upon them as an invaluable Treasure here is an intimation that he kept them with a conscientious and affectionate care and diligence I raise two Doctrines from the words The one is That Saints are afflicted for their good The other is That the Rod of God is a means to make his Word to be the better learned Doct. I. I begin with the first of these Doctrines That Saints are afflicted for their good they are the better and happier for being chastened Job 5. 17. Behold happy is the man whom God correcteth therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty Chastening is despised if it be lookt upon only as a misery which has so great a tendency to promote our happiness Jam. 5. 11. Behold we count them happy which endure Ye have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy Both these passages have Behold prefixed to them they seem Paradoxes to carnal reason but if the Eye of the Understanding be opened to look into the matter it will be perceived that Affliction and Happiness are not disparata which never meet in the same subject the Saints are the more blessed the more they are corrected That passage may be called a Threatning because Affliction is a punishment of Iniquity and also a Promise because Correction ends in Amendment Psal 89. 30 31 32 33. If his Childrrn forsake my Law and walk not in my Judgments If they break my Statutes and keep not my Commandments then will I visit their Transgression with a Rod and their Iniquity with Stripes Nevertheless my loving-kindness will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulness to fail In the handling of this Doctrine I shall First Demonstrate the Truth of it by several Arguments Secondly I shall specifie what that good is which accrews to the Saints by Affliction Thirdly Conclude with the Application In the first place I am to demonstrate that Saints are afflicted for their good The Arguments demonstrating this are these 1. Afflictions are of God's own sending whose goodness is manifested in the sending of them The Afflictions which the Saints feel are ordered in Heaven for them Job regards not so much the malice of Satan nor the injustice and violence of Man in that sore Calamity which so suddenly fell upon him but his Eye looks as high as God in it Job 1. 21. The Lord has taken away blessed be the Name of the Lord Well may he be blessed for the Lord ceases not to be good to his People when he takes a Rod into his hand to beat them Afflictions in Scripture are compared to Waters and these Waters come out of Paradise and savour of it Give me leave to search the Springs of these Waters and trace them to the Fountain head and upon due search it will be found that they flow from the truest love the wisest care the greatest faithfulness 1. The Saints Afflictions flow from the truest love Heb. 12. 6. Whom the Lord loves he chastens and scourgeth every Son whom he receives Now Tokens of Love are to be reckoned among the good things not the evil The Lord chastens his Children whom he delights in that he may make them more lovely and his delight in them may be the greater Indeed in Nature 't is otherwise The same Fountain cannot at the same place send forth sweet Water and bitter Jam. 3. 11. Yet certain it is that all the sweetnesses and bitternesses of a Christian come from one and the same Fountain the Everlasting Love of God in Christ Jesus 2. The Saints Afflictions flow from the wisest care God cares for his People and bids them cast all their care upon him 1 Pet. 5. 7. Casting all your care upon him for he careth for you When Nebuchadnezzar's countenance was full of rage and the three Children were threatned with a fiery Furnace seven times heated they were confident of God's care and had said and stood to it We are not careful to answer thee but be it known to thee we will not serve thy Gods nor worship the Golden Image thou hast set up Dan. 3. 16 18. God's care of them was great in this extreme peril And he cares for all his Saints their life their health their comforts are precious in his Eyes and they shall not be toucht but when necessity and conveniency calls for it 3. The Saints Afflictions slow from the greatest faithfulness The Church in the very depths of trouble cries out Great is thy faithfulness Jer. 3. 23. I know O Lord says the Psalmist that thy Judgments are right and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me Psal 119. 75. The Physicians faithfulness appears in giving very bitter Potions which are a means to save the Patients life Sharp Afflictions are often necessary to recever the health of the Soul divine faithfulness is manifested in this method of recovery This faithfulness of God debates with the Rod when it shoots forth lest it should be too heavy and rather make an end of than mend his Children Isa 27. 8. In measure when it shooteth forth thou wilt debate with it he stayeth his rough Wind in the day of the East Wind For if both these Winds should blow together the Saints might not be able to stand against them That is the first Argument to prove the goodness of Affliction it is of God's sending and in sending of it his love and care and faithfulness is manifested 2. Afflictions are sent with a design that afflicted Saints may be benefited He does not afflict willingly nor grieve the Children of Men The Lord sees they have need of it and therefore they are in heaviness But when Affliction is as it were plowing upon the backs of the Saints and long and deep furrows are made the Lord at that very time is sowing both light and grace and joy and how plentiful will the Harvest be Psal 97. 11. Light is sown for the righteous and joy for the upright in heart Heb. 12. 11. Chastening does yield the peaceable fruits of righteousness to them who are exercised thereby Earthly Parents are oftentimes transported with passion and act after their own humour and pleasure in correcting of their Children and then their Children are rather provoked to anger and discouraged than amended But hereby it most evidently appears 't is good for the Saints that they are afflicted because their Father who is the Father of Spirits does chastize his Children for their profit that is their spiritual profit and advantage that they may be partakers of his holiness Heb. 12. 10. And the truth is we are never more profited than when we are most sanctified 3. The Afflictions of the Saints are dispensed to them through
Christ Jesus therefore they must needs be good for them for nothing comes to them through Him that is otherwise He has born the Saints sins so that they are neither condemned nor commanded by them He unstings death before it seizes upon any of his Members so that the venom and poison of death which is sin is gone and death without a sting is not to be dreaded And Christ has also born the Saints Sicknesses and Infirmities Mat. 8. 17. and so the cause of them is removed God does not demand satisfaction to his Justice in the Afflictions of his People for Christ by his Sufferings has made full Satisfaction He does not exact Law Payment of them for Christ was made under the Law and fulfilled it and bare the Curse due to Believers for transgressing of it The Blood of Jesus Christ how does it alter Afflictions it turns them into profitable and healing Medicines Oh Blessed Troubles in which Christ himself Sympathizes with Souls that are troubled Isa 63. 9. In all their Afflictions he was afflicted and the Angel of his Presence saved them 'T is certainâ—y good to be in the Furnace if the Son of God be there with us to mitigate the heat of it and to consume the dross only while the Metal is secured and purified 4. Afflictions make the Saints Conformable to Christ their Head and 't is never better with the Members than when there is the greatest resemblance in them to their Head and Lord. He was perfected as Mediatour through Sufferings At length he suffer'd so much that he cried out It is finished he paid a full Price for his Churches Redemption and made her Everlasting Peace His Members also must be perfected in Mortification and Holiness by Sufferings also these help to pull down Pride and Self-confidence to tame the Flesh and to check and kill the Affections and Lusts of it Happy Afflictions which make afflicted Believers more like to their Lord in whom they do believe In Conformity to Christ lies our Excellency and Safety This Conformity is in a special manner designed Rom. 8. 29. For whom he did foreknow he also did predestinate to be conformed to the Image of his Son that he might be the first born among many Brethren The Image of the Earthly Adam is our Shame the Image of the Heavenly Adam is our Glory 5. The Afflictions of the Saints are under a Promise that they shall work for good The Medicines which the great Physician of Souls gives to Believers do Work well as they are very proper so very Effectual Rom. 8. 28. We know says the Apostle we are assured of it by Faith and we find it true by Experience That all things Work together for good to them that love God who are called according to his purpose God himself will Work along with Calamities and Troubles of all sorts and bring forth much good out of the very worst of them They work upon the Hearts of the Saints and better the frame and temper and Inclinations of them They work upon their Tongues and lay a Bridle upon them and bring them under the Law of Holiness Love and Kindness they work upon the Actions making them more agreeable to that Rule which whosoever walk according to Peace and Mercy shall be upon them Nay Afflictions work no less than Glory and when the Apostle considered the Weight and Eternity of that Glory he made light of the heaviest Afflictions the Benefit is unconceiveably vast that quickly is reaped from them 2 Cor. 4. 17. For our light Affliction which is but for a Moment worketh for us a far more Exceeding and Eternal weight of Glory Not that Affliction and Suffering though for Righteousness sake does deserve this Glory but it makes it the more Minded and Desired and is a means to make us meet for the Enjoyment of it and the Promise is sure that if we suffer according to the Will of God we shall also Reign with him 6. Afflictions must needs be granted to the Saints for they purge out the worst evil of all and that is Sin Oh! 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of measure sinful Sin No Name so bad as thy own No Evil so great as thou art Let all the Calamities of the Earth and all the Miscries of Hell be put into the One Scale together and Sin into the other as Sin is the Cause of them all so it will outweigh them all 'T is the abominable thing which Gods Soul hates 'T is the great Evil and Enemy whereby Mans Soul is ruined How much is Affliction good for since 't is a Soveraign means whereby such an Evil as Sin is purged away Isa 27. 9. By this therefore shall the Iniquity of Jacob be purged and this is all the Fruit to take away his Sin 7. The Afflictions of the Saints are means to prevent their Eternal Sufferings in the other World The Rod is of their Fathers own Appointment to deliver his Childrens Souls from Hell Present Castigation prevents Eternal Condemnation 1 Cor. 11. 32. But when we are judged we are chastned of the Lord that we might not be condemned with the World Not that Sin has not ill demerit enough to make us obnoxious to Sufferings in both Worlds not that Chastizement makes satisfaction for Transgression But it makes the Saints to fly to the Lord Jesus for the making up of all breaches between God and them which Sin has made and 't is effectual to make them truly Humble and Penitent Now Faith and Repentance have the Promise of Life annexed to them Whosoever believes on the Son of God shall not perish but have Everlasting Life Joh. 3. 16. And Repentance is said to be unto Salvation and consequently not be repented of 2 Cor. 7. 10. 8. Afflictions bring the Saints nearer to God and to be near to Him how good is it for them Psal 73. 28. God expects a more serious seeking and a nearer approach when he afflicts his People Hos 5. 15. I will go and return to my Place till they acknowledge their Offence and seek my Face in their Affliction they will seek me early And his People Answer his Expectation Hos 6. 1. They say Come and let us return to the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal us he has smitten and he will bind us up Afflicted Saints inquire after God they come with their Penitential Acknowledgments and desire more fully to know wherefore it is that he Contends that the ground of the Controversie may be removed It is meet that the Afflicted Saint should say and with his Heart he does say it unto God I have born Chastisement I will not offend any more that which I see not teach thou me if I have done Iniquity I will do no more Job 34. 31 32. All that is within him now yields unto God and being melted in the Furnace of Affliction he desires to be cast into the mould of his Word Happy blows which drive the
Cry for Strength to be vouchsafed continually from above to perform your Resolutions made in the day of your Affliction and Distress If you are not strong in the Lord and in the Power of his might you will be too weak to do what your selves with the greatest firmness have seem'd to purpose And you must pray hard and 't is worth praying for that this Power may rest upon you The Psalmist saw his need of Strength from Heaven he begg'd for it and had it Psal 138. 3. In the day when I cried thou answeredst me and strengthnedst me with strength in my Soul There are two sorts of Resolutions which are most commonly made but neither of them are kept so as the Resolvers thought they would be Resolutions meerly to stop and gag the Mouth of a clamorous Conscience and Resolutions which are made in mens own strength who Question not nor trouble their Heads much about their Ability and Integrity to perform them These Resolutions shews their falshood and fickleness and how bold men are to dissemble with God and how foolish in trusting and cheating themselves But the Religious Purposes of the Psalmist were of another Nature in another manner He is indeed very serious and Peremptory in his Resolution and confirmed it with a Promissory Oath Psal 119. 106. I have sworn and I will perform it that I will keep thy Righteous Judgments But he is sensible that neither his own Power Promise nor Oath were strong enough to hold him and keep him stedfast to these Testimonies of God therefore he prays twice together to be upheld Psal 119. 16 17. Uphold me according to thy Word that I may live and let me not be ashamed of my Hope And again Hold thou me up and I shall be safe so shall I have respect to thy Statutes continually After Affliction take heed of that which your Hearts naturally are most prone to Idolize Whatever has had Gods Room that is to say the highest Room in your Hearts is certainly your Idol Be very strict in the Inquisition to find the Idol out and be sure to depose it let it be at the Footstool while the Lord alone in the Throne and has by far the Preeminence above it in your Affections If any of you Love Pleasure more than God Pleasure is your Idol or if you love Gain more than God or if you love Relations Preferments or Ornaments more than God these things are Idolized now remember how vain the Idol was in your Affliction and Distress and how helpless then it was found The delights of Sense the earthly Treasures the Relations and other things you were so fond of you were forced to see that help was not in them The Heathen Poet notably expresses this Non domus fundus non aeris acervus auri Aegroto domini deduxit corpore febres Non animo curas Horat. Epist 2. l. 1. Which may be thus Englished Nor House nor Lands nor heaps of golden Ore Can feaverish owners unto Health restore Nor ease their Minds of Care Idolatry in a special manner provokes the Lord to Jealousie The bowing of the Knee to Images as Pagans and Papists do displeases the Onely true God But if that leading affection of Love which is one of the highest pieces of Worship is placed principally upon any thing besides God hereby his anger and jealousie is blown up to a great heat and hight and mark what the Apostle says 1 Cor. 10. 22. Do we provoke the Lord to Jealousie are we stronger than he As his Strength is infinitely beyond ours so there is an Infiniteness in the Folly and Madness when any Adventure to provoke him to Jealousie Love is the greatest Grace 1 Cor. 13. 13. Love is the first and great Commandment what ever therefore is most apt to steal away your Love from God keep your Hearts while you live shut against it with an Holy Indignation Hos 14. 8. Ephraim shall say what have I to do any more with Idols I have heard him and observed him I am like a green Fir-tree from me is thy Fruit found 5. After Affliction be diligent against the Sin which does most easily beset you Heb. 12. 1. Let us lay aside every weight and the Sin which does so easily beset us and let us run with Patience the race which is set before us Every Sin is a Weight and Clog I wish that every one lookt upon it as such But the Sin which by Reason of our Complexions Callings or the general Practice in the Age and Place we live in is most apt to Prevail that is the heavy Weight and the worst Clog of all to hinder us in our running the Christian Race You had need to be watchful against the Corruption of your Nature which though there be the Grace of God in Truth in you is far from being perfectly healed and is ready upon all Occasions and Temptations to break forth to the displeasing of God the wounding of your Consciences the defiling of your Souls and the disturbance of your Peace And whatsoever Iniquity it is which because it pretends your Security from danger or your Pleasure and Gain you find your selves most strongly addicted to verily there is need of the stricter watch and more fervent Prayer that you may not be overcome by nay that you may not so much as enter into Temptation The Sin which does most easily beset you has already done you the greatest mischief and is likely to do you more still and if you should at last fall into Hell This would be one of the heaviest weights to sink you thither 6. After Affliction beware of sloath and Idleness Live the rest of your time in the Flesh not to the Lusts of men but to the Will of God 1 Pet. 4. 2. Let not your own Lusts as so many Cormorants devour your time while you are making Provision for them and fulfilling them And let not the Lusts Humours and Pleasures of others have you and your time at Command And though they think it strange that you run not with them to the same excess of Riot speaking evil of you yet be not discouraged for they shall give an account unto him that is ready to Judge the quick and the dead 1 Pet. 4. 4 5. And that Judge will condemn them and will Approve and Reward your Diligence in seeking him and working for him You have not improved your Afflictions if you have not ceased to wast if you have not learned to improve your time In your Sickness and Distress what a view had you of Eternity and what a trouble was it to you that such a deal of time had been stolen away and lost in Sin and Vanity Perhaps Eternity was so amazing in the vastness and unchangeableness of it that you concluded that if you were to live Methuselahs Age 't would be unreasonable to mispend wilfully one hour of it Now after Affliction is over and so little of your time is
learned the Word who does not believe it to be indeed the Word of God who cannot lie 2 Tim. 3. 16. All Scripture is given by Inspiration of God Mens Contradictions to the Word are audacious and damnable falshoods And if Angels from Heaven should speak contrary to it they must not have our Assent but our Anathema Gal. 1. 8. But though we or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed They who have learned the Word of God perceive the Harmony of all its parts and believe the whole and are influenced by that belief for the certain Truth of the Word makes it most Encouraging and Comfortable to the Saints and with what Sweet Security do they rest upon it And the same Truth should make it very Terrible to all impenitent Sinners 2. Learning the Word implies an observing the Scope and Design of the Word of God now the Design and Scope of it is the Glory of God and Mans Happiness and Salvation God cannot have an higher end in what he does than Himself for he is above all therefore he has made and does all things for Himself and truly since of him and through him are all things he is worthy that all things should be referred to him and that in all things he should always be glorified Rom. 11. 36. For of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be Glory for ever Amen In Subordination to his own Glory the Lord designs mans wellfare Luk. 2. 14. Glory be to God in the Highest on Earth Peace good will towards men When the Word of God is truly learned great notice is taken of its design and the Learners aim is accordingly directed The Glory of God and mans truest good are inseparably conjoined So that this is past doubt when man most Minds Gods Honour he Minds most his own Interest and Happiness 3. Learning the Word implies taking due notice of the Purity and Holiness of the Word of God Psal 12. 6. The Words of the Lord are pure Words as Silver tried in a Furnace of Earth purified seven times The Psalmist saw this Purity and did not take offence at it but very much liked it and loved the Word the better for it Psal 119. 140. Thy Word is very pure therefore thy Servant loveth it God the Author of this Word is of Purer Eyes than to behold Iniquity no wonder that the Word is purer than to allow of any Iniquity The Word will not permit Sin in the Tabernacle Job 11. 14. If Iniquity be in thy Hand put it far away and let not wickedness dwell in thy Tabernacle The Word prohibits our contentedly Suffering Sin to ly upon our Brother Levit. 19. 17. Thou shalt not hate thy Brother in thy Heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy Neighbour and not suffer Sin upon him The hands must be cleansed and so must especially the Heart Jam. 4. 8. Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you cleanse your Hands ye Sinners purifie your Hearts ye double minded If Sin commands the Tongue Religion is but vain if Sin be regarded in the Heart Prayer is to no purpose How excellent and pure is this Word of God! and those that learn it see both the Necessity and Excellency of Purity and Holiness and they hunger and thirst and follow after Righteousness and true Holiness 4. Learning the Word implies beholding wondrous things in the Word of God Psal 119. 18. Open thou my Eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy Law And V. 129. Thy Testimonies are wonderful therefore doeth my Soul keep them The Light which shines forth from hence is marvellous 1 Pet. 2. 2. That ye should shew forth the Praises of him who hath called you out of Darkness into marvellous Light The Mercy is amazing which saves from so much Sin prevents no less than endless Misery and brings those to Eternal Life who deserved to die the Eternal Death Jud. v. 21. Keep your selves in the Love of God looking for the Mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto Eternal Life That Wisdom which appears in the contrivance of Mans Redemption by Christ the Mediator is the Admiration of the elect Principalities and Powers Eph. 3. 10. To the intent that now unto thee Principalities and Powers in the Heavenly Places might be known by the Church the manifold Wisdom of God And the Love of God in Christ is most sweetly astonishing 'T is without Motive without Measure without Alteration its height and length and depth and breadth are past our reach and finding out And how highly are those who are interested in this Love advanced 1 Joh. 3. 1. Behold what manner of Love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the Sons of God! and all his Sons are heirs of Everlasting Glory 5. Learning the Word implies knowing the Truth as it is in Jesus Eph. 4. 20 21. But ye have not so learned Christ if so be that ye have heard him and been taught by him as the Truth is in Jesus To know the Truth as it is in Jesus is to know Christ himself and all Divine Truths with respect to Christ He is the Center in which all the Lines in Scripture meet If God be lookt upon without respect to this Mediator the remembrance of the Holy and Righteous and Almighty Jehovah must needs be terrible and confounding to guilty and defiled Sinners But the Knowledge of God in Christ is beneficial and reviving for in Christ he is accessible and a God in Covenant and how encouraging is the Knowledg of Duty when we look to Jesus because in Christ we have assisting Grace to do it sincerely and when 't is thus done in Him we have acceptance 1 Pet. 2. 5. Ye also as lively stones are built up a Spiritual House an Holy Priesthood to offer up Spiritual Sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ Though the House be Spiritual though the Priesthood be Holy though the Sacrifice be Spiritual yet 't is not upon their own but upon the account of Jesus Christ that they are acceptable Looking to Jesus we may look upon Sin and Misery without dismay nay with thankful Hearts for He saves from both and through him an abundant entrance is administred into the Everlasting Kingdom He has not learned the Word to any purpose who does not know that Christ is all in all and fills all in all 6. Learning the Word of God implies feeling the Power and Efficacy of this Word till the Spirit accompanies it and sets it home upon the Heart and there is an experience of its Power the Word is not aright learned 1 Thess 1. 5. Our Gospel came to you not in Word onely but in Power also and in the Holy Ghost and in much Assurance The Holy Ghost made you sensible of the Gospels Efficacy and its Efficacy assured you of its Divinity So 1 Thess 2. 13. Ye