of greatest importance do so sweetly set before our eyes that recompence of reward reserved for us in heaven that I hope many of that brood of travellers the generation of those that seekâ—… Gods face and favour here on earth shall find them a great helpe to the finishing of their course with Ioy and others shall be wakened that are too ready to slumber and forget whither they are going to strive to enter in at the strait gate and not to content themselves with a lazy Balaams wish which Reader let us seeke from him who onely gives the blessing to whose Grace I commenâ—… thee resting still Thine in the hearty desire of thy Spirituall welfare Arthur Jackson THE BEASTS DOMINION over Earthly KINGS A Sermon preached upon the 5th of November in remembrance of Our Deliverance from the Papists Powder-Treason BY The late Learned and Reverend Divine RICH. SIBBS Doctor in Divinity Mr. of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYES-INNE REVEL 16. 14. For they are the Spirits of Devils working Miracles which goe forth to the Kings of the earth LONDON Printed by T. B. for N. Bourne at the Royall Exchange and R. Harford at the Bible in Queenes-head Alley in Pater-noster-Row 1639. THE BEASTS DOMINION over Earthly KINGS REVEL 17. 7. For God hath put into their hearts to fulfill his will and to agree to give up their Kingdomes to the Beast untill the Word of God shall be fulfilled THE occasion of this daies solemnity hath beene long and well known and we have often in this place spoken of it and it were a thing not unseasonable for the day to set out in its lively colours that facinorous act which will scarcely bee credible to posterity it exceeds my conceit to set it out in the right colours I have therefore taken a text tending that way and serving for our present purpose It pleaseth our blessed Saviour out of his love to his Church not only to give directions what to doe and what not to doe what to believe and what not to believe but to foretell likewise al future calamities that so the Church might be fore-armed and might not be surprised with terror upon the sight of some sudden or strange accident as especially the flourishing estate of Antichrist Hee therefore foretels all both the beginning the growth the strength the proceeding and at last the destruction of that Man of Sin The Church in this world is alwayes under some prophesie it is alwayes under somewhat that is unfulfilled for untill wee come to heaven there is not an accomplishment of all prophesies This Booke is a setting downe of prophesies of future events to the end of the world This Chapter sets out in lively colours the state of the Pontificality the state of Rome under the Bishop of Rome the Pope and not the state of Rome under the Heathen Emperours It sets downe likewise the judgement of God in this life upon this Beast and upon the Whore that sits upon the Beast The description is large in the former part of the Chapter it would take up a great deale of time to unfold that but because I have divers other things to speake of I will passe that by The judgement of God upon the Beast and Whore is set downe partly in the verse before the Text The ten Hornes which thou sawest upon the Beast shall hate the Whore and make her desolate and naked and shall eat her flesh and burne her with fire for God hath put into their hearts to fulfill his will and to agree to give up their Kingdomes to the Beast c. Here the Iudgement is set downe what it is and by whom it shall be by the ten Hornes that is the ten Kings and secondly what they shall doe and that is set downe in order First these ten Hornes these ten Kings Western Kings They shall hate the Whore Hatred is the beginning of all actions that are offensive for it is the strongest and stiffest affection of ill as love is the strongest of good affections They shall hate the Whore It is not only anger but hatred They shall make her desolate and naked that is the second degree they shall leave her they shall strip this Strumpet of her ornaments and strength whereby she set out her selfe They shall eat her flesh that 's the third that is what they have given her before to inrich her withall that which made her in such well liking that which commended her that whâ—…ch is her living the riches of the Popes Clergie gotten most of it by ill meanes they shall take from her But that is not all but there is a higher degree then all this They shall burne the Whore with fire So that in the foregoing verse you see is set downe what the Iudgement is and who shall bthe Executioners of this judgement But why must all this come to passe Hee riseth to the highest cause God hath put into their hearts to fulfill his will and to agree with one consent to give their kingdomes to the Beast God afterwards put into their minds to hate the Beast So that in this verse is the severity and the mercy of God his justice and his goodnesse His severity in putting into the hearts of these Kings to agree with one consent to give up their kingdomes to the Beast A great Iudgement so to besot them but here is a limitation of that severity at last till the time come untill the Word of God shall bee fulfilled that is untill they shall cease to be thus deluded by the Bishop of Rome and then they shall begin to hate the Whore as much as ever they were deluded by her and shall eate her flesh and consume her with Fire For the explication of these words they being somewhat hard I will spend a little time to unfold them And first I must shew who is this Beast For God hath put into their hearts to fulfill his will and to agree to give up their Kingdomes to the Beast The Beast is mentioned in three places in the Revelation in the ninth Chapter there is mention of the Beast comming out of the bottomlesse Pit and in the 13. of the Beast that rose out of the Sea and here in this 17. of a scarlet coloured Beast having seven heads and ten hornes The Beast in a word is the state of Rome sometime under the heathenish Emperours sometime under the Pontificality the Question is whether the Beast here spoken of bee the state of Rome under the Roman persecuting Emperours before Christianity prevailed much or the state of Rome under the usurpation of the Bishop of Rome I answer undoubtedly it is here meant of the state of Rome as it is upheld the Whore The Beast that Beast For it is meant here of one that seduced by lying miracles of one that should come in a mysterie of one that should deale with fornication and such courses Now heathenish
the Covenant of grace they are operative and working when he commands us to beleeve and obey he gives us grace to beleeve and obey It is our selves that answere but not from our selves but from grace yet notwithstanding let us make this use of it letus search our selves though it be not from our selves that we answere Gods promise by faith and his command by obedience yet we must have this obedience though from him before we can challenge any thing at Gods hands It is arrogant presumption to hope for Heaven and Salvation before we have grace to answere all Gods promises and commands by a good conscience To come more particularly to the words some will have it the Questioning the Demand of a good Conscience but that followes the other For when wee answere truely the interrogatories in Baptisme when we beleeve and renounce then we may from a good conscience demand of God all the good in Christ we may cal upon him pray unto him hath not Christ died and made peace betweene thee and us And may we not triumph against all enemies when there is the answere of a good Conscience If Sathan lay any thing to our charge Christ died and rose and sits at the right hand of God Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods people We may with a heart sprinkled with the blood of Christ now ascended into heaven answere all objections and triumph against all enemies wee may goe boldly to God and demand the performance of his promises Hence comes all the spirit of boldnesse in prayer from the answere of a good Conscience for that drawes all other after it Now to come more particularly to the words The answere of a good Conscience It would take up all the time to speake of Conscience in generall and it were not to much purpose I will take it as it serves my purpose at this time A good conscience in this place is a Conscience peaceable and gracious peace and purity make up a good Conscience To make this clearer there be three degrees of a good Conscience though the last bee here meant especially There is first a good Conscience that is troubled a troubled good Conscience and then a pacified good Conscience and then a gracious good Conscience A troubled good Conscience is when the spirit by conviction opens to us what we are in our selves he opens our sins and the danger and soulnesse of our sins whereupon our Conscience is terrified and affrighted Therefore this good Conscience whereby we are convinced of our estate by nature in itselfe it is a good Conscience and tends to good for it tends to drive us to Christ. There is a good Conscience therefore that hath terrour with it The second degree of a good conscience is that that comes from the other when we are convinced of sinne and of the Miserie that coms by sinne then that good conscience speakes peace to us when God shines upon the conscience by his spirit from whence there is peace that is a peaceable good conscience For God takes this course after he hath terrified conscience by his spirit and word then he offers in the Gospell and not onely offers but commands us to beleeve he offers all good in Christ and commands us not only so but invites us Come unto me all ye that are wearie c. Nay he beseecheth us We beseech you to be reconciled he takes all courses Now his spirit going with these intreaties he perswades the soule that he is our gracious Father in Christ Iesus Christ hath suffered such great things and he is God and man he is willing and able to save us Considering he is annoynted of God for this purpose hereupon conscience is satisfied and doth willingly yeeld to these gracious promises it yeelds to this command of beleeving to these sweet invitings This is a peaceable good Conscience Hereupon comes in the third place a gracious good conscience which is a conscience after we have beleeved that resolves to please God in all things as the Apostle saith Heb. 13. We have a good Conscience studying to please God in all things we have a good conscience toward God and toward men When the conscience is appeased and quieted then it is fit to serve God as an instrument that is in tune An instrument out of tune yeelds nothing but harsh Musique so when the soule and conscience is distempered and not set at peace it is not gracious So now you see the order there is a troubled good conscience and a peaceable good conscience and then a gracious heart forwhile conscience is not at peace by the blood and resurrection of Iesus Christ by considering him and by application of him there is no grace nor service of God with that heart but the heart shuns God it hates God and murmurs against God men thinke why should they doe good deeds when they beleeve not when they cast not themselves upon Christ and when conscience is not sprinkled with the blood of Christ they are able to doe nothing out of the love of God and whatsoever is not of faith and love it is sinne The heart cannot but be afraid of God and wish there were no God and murmur and repine till it be pacified That is the reason why the Apostles in the latter part of their Epistles they presse conscience of good duties when they had taught Christians before and stablished them in Christ because all duties issue from faith if they come not thence they are nothing if there be first faith in Christ then there will be a good conscience in our lives and conversations And from the gracious conscience comes the increase of a peaceable conscience there must be peace before we can graciously renew our Covenants to please God but when we have both these faith in Christ and a resolution to please God in all things there comes an increase of peace for then there is an argument to satisfie conscience when first of all conscience goes to Christ to the foundation I have answered Gods command I have beleeved and cast my selfe upon Christ I have answered Gods promise he hath promised if I doe so he will give me Christ with all his Benefits I have yeelded the obedience of faith hereupon comes some comfort here is the foundation of this obedience But then when Conscience likewise from this resolves to please God in all things in the duties to God and man hereupon comes another increase of peace when I looke to the life of grace in my owne heart For a working carefull Christian hath a double ground of comfort One in the command to beleeve and in the promise whether he hath evidences of grace or no but when he hath power by the spirit to lead a godly life and to keepe a good conscience in all things then he hath comfort from the evidence of grace in his owne heart from whence
eye of God to see what God commands we should be more serviceable to God It is an argument of the atheisme of our hearts to take more incouragement from a mortall man that can raise us and doe us a pleasure then fâ—…om God himselfe But to let that goe that is the first branch Seeke my face that is observe me Then seeke my face that is depend upon me to seeke Gods face is to depend upon him for all it argues dependance for him that we observe we observe him for something we depend upon him to be our rayser and maker so seeke my face seeke my countenance and favour depend upon me and it shall bee sufficient for you Then in the third place Seeke my face that is seek my favour and grace favour appeares and shines in the face Seeke my face observe me depend on me for what for my favour What is that It is all if we have the grace of God we have all for the grace of God is in every thing that is good to us If we have the graces to salvation they come of free grace every good gift is the grace of God Children are the grace of God So if we have the grace of God we have all for our good we have all in the spring of good which is the grace and favour of God As men if they be graced from a great person they studie not this and that particular thing they think I have his favour and that favour of his is ready for all exigences And therefore in way of complement they say I seeke not this or that but your favour The favour of God it is a store-house and spring and fountaine better than life it selfe as the Psalmist saith The loving kindnesse of the Lord is better than life When life failes the favour of God never failes life will faile and all earthly comforts but the favour of God is better than life it selfe it is everlasting and eternall In Psalme 4. you see how worldly Atheisticall men rejoyce when their Corne and Wine and Oyle increase And who will shew us any good Who It is no matter who any good any hope of preferment it is no matter what way and it is no matter what any good and let them but shew it and wee will woâ—…k it out we have wit enough O saith he but your wit I stand not upon nor your courses but Lord let thy face shine upon me lift up the light of thy countenance and that shall be instead of all honours and preferments So in seeking we must observe God and depend upon him and for what for his favour especially for the face and favour of God let me have a good looke from thee oh Lord let me have thy favour and love for other things I leave them to thy wisdome thou art wise enough only let thy face shine on mee Oh this favour and face of God it is a sweet thing this presence of God What is heaven but the presence of God there Let God be present in a dungeon it will be a paradise let God be absent Paradise it is as a hell or dungeon as it was to Adam after he had sinned he runne to hide himselfe What is hell but the want of Gods presence Gods face and favour is not there What makes hell in the heart of a man God is not there but leaves the heart to its owne darknesse and confusion oh therefore the face and favour of God seeke that especially Againe to seeke the face of God is to pray to him to put this in execution in prayer every where in Scripture it is all one to pray and to seeke Gods face it is called the spirit of prayer which because I have spoken of at large out of another Scripture I will now say nothing of it Likewise in the next place to seeke he face of God is to attend upon the presence of God wheresoever he reveales himselfe to attend upon the word and ordinances is to seeke the face of God It is said that Caine went from the face of God when he went from the worship of God in his fathers house hee went out from God Where God is worshipped there God is present and when we leave the place where God is worshipped we leave Gods presence God is more especially present there therefore seeking the face of God is to attend upon Gods ordinance I will seeke thy face that is wheresoever there is any presence of thee I will seeke thee Christ when hee was lost hee was found in the Temple that hath a literall sence but it is true in a spirituall sence if we loose Christ and have not comfort from Christ we shall find him in the Temple the sweetest presence of his spirit is there His body is in heaven and his spirit is his Vicar in the world if we want comfort and direction from Christ we shall meete him in the Temple there he gives us sweet meetings by his spirit there we have the comfort and direction and spirituall strength that wee wanted before wee came There is the best meeting As in the Canticles Christ goes into the Garden of spices He goes among his children that are as a watred garden and as so many plants of righteousnesse and beddes of spices he delights to be there Christ is in the communion of Saints in the ordinances Therefore Thy face will I seeke especially in the Tabernacle and Temple after especially in the Church and communion of Saints there thy face will I seek Thus we see the unfolding of this promise of a gracious obedient respective heart Thy face will I seeke I will adde no more but come to the use of it And in the first place by way of direction That we may seeke the face of God that is observe him and depend upon him and enjoy his favour and meet with him in his ordinances we must first get The knowledge of God Our selves Get the knowledge of God for they that know him will seeke to him they that know his riches his power his sufficiency in a word his all-sufficiency for all things they will seeke to him And they that know themselves that know their wants their inability to supply those wants and know the greatnesse of those wants and that they must be supplied they will out of themselves They that have nothing at home will seeke abroad The knowledge of these two therefore of the great God the all-sufficient God and of our selves the unsufficiency of our selves every way either for direction or for protection 〈◊〉 for comfort in distresse or for strength in 〈◊〉 tie to goe through businesse or for issue when we are about any thing They that know that the way of man is not in man as Ieremie saith they would certainely out of themselves Therefore let us grow in the knowledge of God and of our selves of our owne wants and necessitie And especially know
as we see in the story And so for particular perswasion the spirit of God may give assurance that may bee shaken I but he recovers himselfe presently the tenour of a Christians life is usually a state of fight and perswasion when he is himselfe and when he remembers his owne principles To come particularly you see here that Spirituall perswasion is necessary Both of the things in generall and of our interest in them It may bee asked whether there may be a perswasion of the truth in generall without a perswasion of our owne particular interest in them I answer no not a sound undoubted spiritual perswasion There is a double conviction a conviction when a man cannot tell what to say against it but spirituall conviction is when a man is convinced of the truth and goodnesse of â—…he thing and this alwayes drawes the other with it first or last A man may be convinced that he cannot tell what to say against the truth but that is not properly perswasion A man is perswaded by divine truth that all the promises aâ—…e true in the Gospell and it draws with it a particular light he sees and is perswaded of his owne interest in it first or last for a strong perswasion of divine truth of Gods word when I know it is Gods word it workes in my flesh it changeth me it lifts me up it casts me down c. So that a Christian knowes that the word of GOD is the word of GOD by a spirituall perswasion wrought by the efficacy of the word from an intrinse call principle in the word it selfe But sometimes it fals out that a Christian may be convinced of the truth of the word in generall that it is Gods word and that the promises of salvation are true and yet notwithstanding he may not feele the particular perswasion of the forgivenesse of his sinnes and of his acceptation to life everlasting and his interest in Christ these two are somtimes separable in regard of feeling A Christian hath alway a perswasion of the truth of GOD of the things but hee hath not alway a like perswasion of his owne interest in them How doe you prove that these are severed sometimes Thus There is the birth and infancy of a Christian when a Christian is in his birth he is not perswaded of his owne good estate as hee is after when hee is growne then hee knowes his estate A soule that is in the state of grace that hungers and thirsts after good things at that time it may be it is not acquainted that it shall be satisfied it is not acquainted of its owne interest but stretcheth it selfe forward for intire satisfaction and it shall be satisfied that is the soule that hungers and thirsts after the perswasion of GODS love in Christ and the forgivenesse of sinnes and life everlasting there is never soule that thus â—…gers and thirsts but God satisfies it at length for the most part in this world or else certainly in the world to come forever But alway where there is this perswasion supernaturall that the word of GOD is true indeed that there is salvation to all true believers when it is wrought by the spirit there is either a perswasion of our interest or somewhat tending to perswasion some hungering and thirsting some desire that God accepts for the deed to shew that such a man is in the state of grace I speake this the rather because some are deceived in their owne estates they doe not conceive aright of themselves they thinke they are not in the state of grace when they find not that particular strong assured perswasion I answer they may be in the state of grace notwithstanding A Christian knowes not his owne estate alway at all times It is one grace to bee in a good estate and another to have the knowledge of it they bee different gifts of God and God suspends the knowledge of a mans being in a good estate for severall ends Sometimes among the rest for this one to humble us to keepe us from security to make us carefull and diligent to make us know that hee hath the keeping of our feeling and perswasion in his owne hands As hee hath the keeping of all our grace so he hath the keeping of the knowledge that we have grace and of our comfortable walking that wee may know we have every thing from him both grace and the feeling of grace and if wee take liberty to our selves hee will take libertie to keepe our feeling at that time to make us humble and to make us seeke reconciliation againe It is one part of Gods dispensation with his children to hinder their perswasion of their particular interest sometimes Sometimes the children of God may be in such a condition as that they may thinke for a time in their judgement that they bee in a contrary estaâ—…e they are misperswaded of themselves not to bee Gods children as it were God may suffer this that they shall not only have a weake staggering perswasion but a perswasion to the contrary though it bee a false perswasion But how shall they know that they are Gods children at that time They say they are so shaken and at a stand they are so conceited that they are none of Gods that God hath left them and forsaken them You may know it by this that at the same time they are conscionable of al heavenly duties at the same time they neglect no meanes of salvation at the same time they complaine against their owne corrupt course of life that hath given God occasion to leave them thus to themselves at the same time they strive against this and labour to be perswaded of GODS truths in generall And though the devill sometimes shake that perswasion that Gods truth is not Gods truth and make them question whether it be the word of God or no and whether there bee such a thing as life everlasting the devill shakes us in principles sometimes but yet a Christian in such temptations though he be shaken in his principles by the force of wickednesse yet he attends upon the meanes and goes on more conscionably he doth not give backe but labours for satisfaction and further setling still and is ashamed of himselfe that hee should have such beastly thoughts as the Psalmist saith so foolish was I and ignorant and as a beast before thee when hee began to stagger in the principle of the providence of God So sometimes a Christian is brought to stagger in principles in the maine generall perswasion of the word of God but he likes not himselfe he accounts himselfe as a beast and labours for satisfaction still in sanctified meanes and never gives over Though he have not particular perswasion he gives not over holy duties but goes on in spirituall duties he labours to obey God in all things he is conscionable to God in feare and trembling in the least
por ion in them and not bee transformed to a spirituall state and frame of soule to love and delight in holy things and to despise that which is contrary And when he is in such a state what is all the world to him What cares he for riches or pleasures or honours when the soule sees incomparable better things Whom have I in heaven but thee and what doe I desire on earth in comparison of thee saith David When hee had a little meditated of the vanity of earthly things and saw the goodnesse of God to his children It is good for mee to draw neere unto God It is a speech of conviction the soule is convinced that it is good and best to draw neare to God in holy meanes and in holy duties to keep close to him and then it cries out whom have I in heaven but thee Therefore let us never rest in such a knowledge of holy things as doth not convince us of the goodnesse of them and of our interest in them so farre as may draw and worke upon our affections to imbrace those things When we finde our hearts and affections wrought on that holy things as they are excellent in themselves so they have an answerable place in our hearts that as they are holy and high and best so they have a high place in our hearts then a man is in the estate of a Christian or else a man may very well doubt of his estate when he can heare of heaven and happinesse and of the excellency of the children of God that they are heires of heaven c. and his heart bee not affected with these things he may well question himselfe doe I believe these things here are rich and precious promises but where is my precious faith to close with and to imbrace these things doe I believe them If Idoe how is it that I am no more affected with them and so let us stand in the meditation of the excellencies of Religion so long till our hearts be affected and warmed with them This will follow affections a desire to thinke oft of them as David joynes both together Oh! how doe I love thy law it is my meditation continually That that a man loves hee oft thinks of that stirres up love and love makes him oft consider of it and when it is thus with a man hee is in such 〈◊〉 condition as these holy Patriarchs fit to live and die by his faith They saw them and were perswad of them and imbraced them Therefore I say we may know whether we have this spirituall light whether wee have true faith or no if we have these imbracings if wee be so perswaded of them that wee imbrace them with delight and desire and love and joy if we make choyse of them and esteeme them highly and cleave constantly to that which is revealed to us then it is a divine light and perswasion because wee imbrace them Certainely there is nothing in religion divine unlesse the affections bee carried with it True faith carries the whole soule to whole Christ out of a mans whole selfe It carries the understanding to see and the will to chuse and to cleave it carries the affections to joy and delight and love it carries all Therefore those that when holy things 〈◊〉 discovered they have not a high esteem of them that they priâ—…e them not above earthly things that they cleave not to them with a disesteeme of other things that they joy not in them as their best portion that they doe not imbrace them there is no true faith at all for where there is true faith there is this imbracing God hath made the soule as I said for these heavenly things and when the soule and they close together there is a sweet imbracing then the soule is raysed above it selfe the soule is quieted and stilled and satisfied There is nothing in the world else will better the soule but the imbracing of these things nothing else will beautifiâ—… and adorne the soule in Godâ—… sight our soules are made forthem our desires are made to imbrace them our love and oâ—… joy to delight in them our wills to cleave to them and â—…ke choyse of them above other things We abuse our soules they are not made 〈◊〉 close and graspe with the world they are noâ—… made for thâ—…se things that are baseâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 selves we abase our soules A coveâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 himselfe wo sethan â—…is 〈◊〉 he is called the world because hee hath nothing in him better than the world If we imbrace Christ and the promises of salvation the things of anotherlife the imbracing of these rayseth the soule to bee excellent like the things and it doth 〈◊〉 and rest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For nothing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but in its 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the heavic 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the middle pâ—…int of the earth and light bodies rest 〈◊〉 to their 〈◊〉 So the soule it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 faith resting in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 soule â—…rying it to the thing it is made for 〈◊〉 these holy men in all the â—…yles and 〈◊〉 bles of tho world in all confusions thâ—… soules of these blessed 〈◊〉 rested in Christ. We may say of all earthly things as 〈◊〉 hath this sentence of them Micah 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hence here is not your rest so we may say to the soule concerning riâ—…hes and honours and friends here is 〈◊〉 yours rest You were not made to imbrace and to cleave to these things Our rest is in Christ and in the good things we have by him These good 〈◊〉 imbraced him with their whole soule This shewes that many men have not faith they know not what it meanes Where there is trâ—…e faith there is alway love and joy and delight in the things believed it carries the soule with it In what measure we apprehend the goodnesse of a thing in that measure our love is to it In what measure wee apprehend the greatnesse and fitnesse of a thing in that measure our affections are carried to it The understanding reports it to the affections of love and liking and they are naturally carried to that which the soule makes report of to bee usefull the understanding makes them follow it therfore it is a signe our understandings are not perswaded our eyes are not opened when wee love not good persons and good things when wee cleave not to them above all things Those that do not imbrace and cleave in their will and affections to good things let them say what they will they doe not believe If there were but a light conjecture in men if there were but a guessing that there were such a happinesse and that there were such horrible â—…orments for sinners that live in sinne they would live otherwise then they doe Therefore deadnesse in the affections discovers Atheisme in the judgment and heart it shewes there is unbeliefe for how is it possible that a man
should not be carried in his affections to a good that he is perswaded of and how is it possible he should not loath ill and dest 〈◊〉 things If he were perswaded that hell were such as it is and that these courses lead to hell and destruction and estrange him from the favour of God whose loving kindnesse is better then life it self if men were perswaded of 〈◊〉 things in any strength their soules would not be affected as they are Therefore if wee would know whether nature be corrupted or no we may do it by this You have some men that are conceited especially when they are in their ruffe and have all things plenty Divines talke much of the corruption of nature and such things they think all is well O! but do but lay these things together the excellency of the things promised and the terrour of the things threaâ—…ed and our â—…ndisposition to these things in regard of perswasion that we live as if we did not think these things to be true What a disposiâ—…on oâ—… soule is that that cals divine truths into question To believe the lies of our owne hearts and the temptations of the devill and the world that lies in mischiefe before the 〈◊〉 ved truth of GOD it selfe that is sealed 〈◊〉 the oath of God And yet the heart of man 〈◊〉 naturally carried to believe these things moâ—… than God himselfe Witnesse the lives of meâ—… who have dead carâ—… base affections 〈◊〉 regard of heavenly things they shew 〈◊〉 they are not perswaded of them notwithstanding all the sweete arguments and perswasions that the Scripture hath They doe not professe that they call them in question yet they live as if they made no doubt that they are all false It is a folly not to believe those things that are sealed by so many evidences as divine things are but it is more desperate folly to live as if wee did not believe them at all If these things were digested they would make us out of love with our owne naturall estate and to labour for a spirit of faith to perswade our soules both that those things are so indeed that God hath revealed and to get assured perswasion of our part and interest in them Indeed a dead faith is no faith at all it is the effect of the whole Epistle of S. Iames that it is no faith that is dead it doth not worke upon the heart and affections nor the life and conversation a dead faith is no faith at all Let us shame our selves therefore Lord doe I professe I see things above nature that I see Christ in heaven and see my selfe there and do I professe that I am perswaded that the word of God is true and am I no more affected where is my love where is my joy where is my comfort doth my heart runne after other things that professe my selfe to bee perswaded of better things Let us never rest but bee angry and wroth with our hearts and affections for they are made for these promises our precious faith is made to imbrace precious promises and to carry the whole soule to them And let us helpe this with complaining of our selves and with prayer Lord thou hast discovered excellent things in thy word and hast perswaded me Lord open my heart the heart is thy throne the heart and will and affections thou dealest with especially Lord incline my heart inlarge my heart The LORD hath promised in the new covenant to teach our bowels to love Lord teach my heart to love thee Thou hast opened my understanding to conceive holy things or else I had never beene able to understand thee and thy truth teach my bowels also to love teach them to cleave to the things take off my love my joy and delight from earthly things and plant them where they should be inlarge them the right way fill my heart with thy selfe as thou hast made it for thy selfe This should be our desire What be the affections wherby the soule imbraceth these good things it is perswaded of The soule imbraceth these things in the affections of faith and hope in the first place for faith is an emptiegrace in it selfe it is carried to somewhat out of it selfe that it imbraceth and layeth hold on and hope is with faith alway Together with the work of faith and hope there is a sanctifyed affection of the imbracing soule there is a love of the things promised which is imbracing and a love of the meanes and likewise joy and delight in them expressed by thankfulnesse As you see the Patriarchs in the story of Genesis when God discovered holy things to them aâ—…resh that he would give them the land of Canaan and the Messias to come and all that happinesse there was thankfulnesse presently they built Altars to God And which alway accompanies thankfulnesse humility As Abraham Genesis 17. 3. downe he falls when God made him such a large promise he fals downe on his face as if he were unworthy of such a thing so this disposition alway accompanies a soule that imbraceth together with faith and hope that leads the affections after them there is love expressed in a constant obedience and care of duty to God many wayes As it is an affection that will not bee concealed And joy and delight with thankfulnesse and humility considering the excellency of the things and our unworthinesse that we cannot but have this disposition alway thankfulnes and humility And likewise contentment to end our dayes a disposition that followes imbracing in faith for where imbracing of faith and love is in an imperfectestate there will be joy when that comes that makes way to full imbracing that is in heaven it selfe as Simeon rejoyced when hee imbraced Christ in his armes what did the old man thinke we when he came to heaven when Christ and he met there And Abraham rejoyced to see CHRISTS day with the eye of faith and likewise imbraced it with faith and that wrought joy What did Abraham then when he came to heaven when he see all ended there I say death that makes way to full enjoyning and imbracing in this very respect it is not only patiently entertained of Gods children but comfortably as letting them in to the good things that they esteeme above all the world besides to the possession of Christ to heaven and happinesse Let us consider of these things To come to direct us a little about this imbracing in faith and hope and love and joy and the whole soule when the soule as it were goes out to the things wee are perswaded of How shall this be wrought upon the soule This imbracing wee see it followes upon perswasion and perswasion followes seeing they saw them farre off and were perswaded of them and thereupon they imbraced them Therefore let us labour for a cleare understanding of divine things That which the eye sees the heart grieves for in ill and that that
the eye sees the heart imbraceth in good And in what measure our eye sight of heavenly things is clearer and our perswasion stronger in that measure our imbracing is lovely and full of joy and delight Therefore let us labour to grow in knowledge in supernaturall spirituall knowledge and that our perswasion may be stronger every day more and more for answerable to that our affections will grow and will be carried to the things discovered And there is nothing more effectuall to commend knowledge to us then this that it is a meanes to work a holy and heavenly disposition and temper in us especially if it be spirituall And let us meditate upon what wee seeme to know and are perswaded of let us dwell upon things still to work them upon the will and affections let us dwell upon them till our hearts bee warmed well with the things knowne and that we professe our selves to be perswaded of And joyne with it an enquiry upon the soule are these things so doe I know these things and am I perswaded of these things that they are so how is my disposition answerable then am I so affected as I should be is my love so hote and my joy so working and spiritly and quicke as it should or no and hereupon take occasion to stirre up our selves and to checke our owne soules Alas that I should have such things discovered and that I should see such things in such a strong perswasion in the booke of God and professe my selfe to be perswaded of these things and yet be so dead at all times And if we find our affections any thing working that wee are disposed to imbrace these things then wee cannot but be in an excellent temper and blesse God that vouchsafed together with the excellency of the things themselves to shew us our portion by his holy spirit to enlighten our understandings and to perswade us let us blesse God for this for it is a worke above nature And withall because the soule cannot close with and imbrace these things but it must let loose other things for you know in imbracing there must bee a letting goe of those things that were formerly within the gripe if we would gripe these things in our affection and will we must have them only we must not think to graspe the world and them together the things here below and them together as wee shall see after in that point they accounted themselves strangers to earthly things Therefore this is one way to come to this imbracing to come to the sight of the vanity and insufficiency of all things in comparison of Christ and the happinesse wee have by Christ. To see in matter of judgment the insufficiencie of workes and merit and such like in the matter of justification the insufficiency of all such trash as the popish religion abuseth the world withall And so in matter of conversation to see the insufficiency and empâ—…nesse and vanity yea the vexation of all things besides these good things here offered the good things that Gods spirit offers to the eye of our soules that he offers to our wills and affections what are all to these and effectually thinke so thinke what should draw a mans affections after it beauty or strength consider what will become of these ere long And then withall consider the excellency of the estate of the body and soule in heaven if we carry our selves as wee should doe and preserve our selves in our spirituall condition let us lay these things together and then wee shall see how infinitely the one is beyond the other If it be for honour and favour of the world consider the vanity of them and how short a time wee may enjoy them and the things themselves are subject to alteration And withall consider the constant excellency of the favour of GOD in Christ Iesus which will comfort us in life in death and for ever And so for riches and possessions in this world consider how soone all here must be left and how the soule is larger then all these things if wee had a thousand times more abundance then we have and that our soules that are more large and more excellent they are not made for these things but for better and what use we shal have of better things when these faile the soule being immortall and eternall This will make us let goe earthly things in our affections and hold them in their place in a secondary place as things serviceable in the way to heaven and not to graspe them in our affections for then they pierce the soule to death and damnation And if we would be affected as we should be to good things let us keepe our affections tender and keepe them cleare from the guilt of any sinne that may work feares and doubts for together with sin goes feares and doubts they are bred in sinne naturally therefore if we would maintaine this imbracing oh let us keepe our soules as we keepe our understandings cleare so keepe our affections tender by all meanes and keepe our consciences unspotted that so our affections of joy and delight and love may bee ready prest to good things even to the best things Another way is in particular to meditate of the love of Christ the love of GOD in Christ and of his imbracing of us For wee must know that our imbracing is upon perswasion of Gods imbracing of us We imbrace not the promises of Christ as a man imbraceth a dead post that cannot returne imbraces to him againe this imbracing of Christ and heaven it is a mutuall imbracing and it is a second reflexive imbracing wee imbrace God and Christ because we find God in Christ imbracing our soules first in the armes of his love therefore we imbrace him again in the armes of our affections because we find Christ imbracing us in the armes of his affections Therefore let us attend upon the meanes upon private reading of the word and upon the ministry for what are the ministers but to contract Christ and the soule together they are friends of the Bridegroome to discove CHRISTS love to us and his lovelinesse his lovelinesse in himselfe his riches in himselfe and his love to us to allure us againe to CHRIST the ministery is for this end especially to draw Christ and the foule together And what is the Scripture in the intent and scope of it but to discover to us the excellen ciâ—… of Christ and the good things we have by him his love good intention to our soules Now hearing these things in the ministery they are effectuall together with the spirit to draw our affections backe againe to him And naturally wee cannot but love those that love us Now when we are perswaded of Gods love tous in Christ and Christs love to us God having made our soules for love to himselfe and friendship with himselfe and the nearest and sweetest conjugall friendship now therefore the more his
love is discovered to us the more we shall love him Therefore let us be constant in attending upon good meanes we shall alway heare something that will either strengthen our faith in the promises of God or shew us our duty to God againe we shall have something discovered whereby the spirit will bee effectuall to help this imbracing Let us go to reading and hearing with this scope and intention Now I come to heare I come to have my soule wrought on I come to heare some message from heaven to heare some good thing to draw my minde from the world and worldly things and upon hearing our duty to God to walke lowly in thankefulnesse for those good things that wee have and that wee hope for in another world It is no wonder that men lose their affections that are carelesse in the use of meâ—…nes and if they loose them will they not loose all The best man living if he be care lesse in using the meanes of salvation and give himselfe to the world altogether or to his calling things not in themselves unlawfull his affections will be dead he shal loose them for God hath ordained that our affections should be quickned by heavenly meanes and GOD knoweth better than wee our selves that hath sanctified these meanes to this purpose In attending upon the meanes we shall heare a discovery of good things and heare comforts and have our light strengthened by new discovery of new Scripture or by old Scriptures lively applyed something to increase the life of our perswasion at every Sermon and reading good bookes and by every good company and that which increaseth knowledge and perswasion makes our affection and imbracing stronger I beseech you let us take these courses or else all is to no purpose the maine thing in religion is the will and affections and when the wil and affections are wrought on the worke is done in the matter of grace And there is no other way to know whether the former worâ—… of the understanding and perswasion bee effectuall and to purpose or no but this to know whether the will choose and cleave to good things and whether our affections joy and delight in them there is the tryall of the maine worke The worke indeed is especially in the judgment when it heares soundly and supernaturally of the ills that are to bee avoyded and of the good things that are to be imbraced buâ—… where is the tryall of the judgement but when it carries the whole soule with it when it carries the sterne of the soule with it Now that which is immediate to our soules is our affection of joy and delight and the the like Therefore let us take to heart these things and never think we are any thing in religion till our hearts and affections be wrought upon till our knowledge be such as may sway that whole inward man Againe consider the excellency of these good things that we have discovered to us in the Gospell that are the object of our imbracing together with the necessity of them that without them we are wretched creatures there is no hope for us Let us every day consider what ground of hope wee have though the things be not yet possest whether the things be true that we hope for whether they bee confirmed to be true or no and how we rest on them for let things be never so excellent and necessary unlesse the soule conceive of them as things attainable as things belonging to us all is to no purpose this effect of imbracing will not bee wrought in the soule Therefore consider more and more the hopefulnes of them that may help this imbracing A Christian when he believes and hopes for that happines that shall be revealed to him the things promised what a world of grounds of hope hath he for it hee hath the word of God for an inheritance immortall and 〈◊〉 he hath the will of Christ Father I will thâ—… where I am they may bee Ioh. 17. his prayer to his father is his will and his will must be performed for he lives for ever to make good his own legacy to his Church And he is now in heaven preparing that happinesse for us that we so imbrace with faith And he hath left us here his spirit to be a pledge that he will come againe he hath left his spirit and hath taken our flesh to heaven to strengthen our hope that this shall follow Our flesh is in heaven in him already and his spirit is in earth in 〈◊〉 as a mutuall depositum in trust betweene him and us and all to strengthen the hope of that happinesse that is reserved Besides the Seale of the Sacrament the end of which is to cherish hopefulnesse of Christ and of all the good we have by him His oath is added to his promise that all things might be immutable and unchangeable of the forgivenesse of sinnes and life everlasting c. Now especially when we find our hearts 〈◊〉 sinke downward and not to have that life 〈◊〉 they should have by meditating on these things of their excellency and necessitie and to conceive in Scripture the grounds of hope of them it will quicken us Adde likewise for our owne interest what worke of the spirit we have and then what singular promises we have that where GOD hath begun he will make an end For why is the worke of the spirit called an earnest but that God will make good the bargaine Consider what worke of the spirit we have for whatsoever is spirituall is eternall in a man what joy is spirituall what love is spirituall what knowledge is spirituall it shall be made up in perfection it shall never be taken away See then how the spirit seales us by the worke of it and what earnest wee have in peace of conscience and the work of it This will cherrish hope for that is part of this imbracing to imbrace them with faith and hope And this should be a daily course to work upon the affections to estrange them from all things and from the meditation of all things else And as I said before to consider the love of God to us and to love him again And consider likewise the hopefulnesse of good things that nothing in the world is so made good to us as the things of a better life the things of grace and glory And God hath borrowed from all assurance amongst men terms to shew the assurance of the good things we have in hope and faith The pledge of the spirit the earnest of the spirit the seale of the spirit the witnesse of the spirit What termes are there used among men that may confirme any thing that you have not used to strengthen this supernaturall assurance of these supernaturall good things GOD herein succours our weakenesse knowing how prone we are to call these things into question And consider especially our owne unworthinesse our vilenesse and basenesse that we deserve none of
this when conscience is once awaked to know aright our owne unworthinesse then we shall find it a difficult thing to believe these things Therefore it is a worke worthy our daily indeavour to search the Scriptures which applyes it selfe to our capacity and confers al the help in the world to increase our grounds of hope of the best things and then our disposition is as it should be And let us deepely consider of the necessitie of heavenly things and the foulenesse of sinne and the danger of our naturall condition and this will make us imbrace better things He that sees himselfe in danger of drowning will imbrace that that may stay him He that sees himselfe in danger to be pulled away from that that upholds him from sinking he will claspe about it fast Let us consider what a many things we have in this world to pull us away from God and good things and to loose our gripe that wee may not lay such hold of them The devill envies our imbracing of these things and there are many things to loose our affections from them consider the danger and withall the necessitie of these good things that if they be lost we doe not only loose them but we loose them with the losse of our soules with eternall damnation in the world to come we do not simply lose them but we plunge our selves into the contrary Let us consider of this and it will make us claspe fast and keepe our hold by all meanes possible In that measure that we apprehend the danger in that measure we shall imbrace these excellent things Now to answer a doubt and a case or two by the way How happens it then that Gods children sometime when their judgment is convinced yet their affections are not so quick they are somthing flat in their affections As Gods people complaine sometimes alas that I should believe such a happinesse as heaven is and such glory and yet find my affections no more stirred Is it possible that I should be the child of God and believe these things and find my selfe no more affected Indeed this troubles the peace of Gods children sometimes and good reason for we see here after sight comes perswasion then imbracing the will and affections cannot but entertaine that good they are perswaded of and so there is great ground for the objection But there may be some mistake in this for sometimes the judgment may be convinced and yet the affections not bee so quick because there may bee a diversion at the same time there may perhaps bee some present crosse that may be fall thee or some present thing lawfully loved that takes up the affections at that time As for example the presence of Father Mother Wife or children or of other friends may take up the affections for the time now the affections running that way at that time perhaps not sinfully neither they are not so inlarged to heavenly things God knowes our capacity and what our affections can doe Then againe there may bee some present griefe upon them that God to humble a man may take up his affections so that at that time he shall not be so affected with good things though ordinarily he comfort himselfe with the best things and so he doth afterward when he hath given his griefe and his present affections some libertie There is a love of intention of valuing a man may be deceived that way A man values his child more than a stranger that he entertaines yet for the present he may give a stranger better lookes and better entertainment Though he set moâ—… value on his child or his deare friend that 〈◊〉 hath secured himselfe of yet hee will not shew such countenance to them as to a stranger on the sudden So it is here Gods children their constant joy is in the best things and they are judiciously carryed to the best things but on the sudden there may be an entertaining of some other thing and perhaps not unlawful neither perhaps it may be sinfull to humble Gods children but that is but but on the sudden his course is to carry his affections above all earthly things Againe in another case Gods children are deceived this way sometimes for they think they have no affections when they have affections How is that seene in case of opposition let God and Christ and heavenly things be opposed and you shall see then that they have affections Those that for want of stiring up the grace of God in them or for want of good meanes or by indisposition of body seemed to be dull in their affections let religion be disgraced or opposed any way and you shall finde then their affections deepe in their hearts to heavenly things but they appeared not before because there was no opposition These and such like thoughts we may have to content the soule that is disquieted this way But the rule is certaine that a mans affections are as his perswasion is and his perswasion as his light is As he hath a heavenly light discovering heavenly things so is his perswasion of a better estate then the world can yeeld and answerable to his perswasion his soule is raysed up to delight in the best things This is his course if it fall out to be otherwise there be reasons for it which we must discreetly judge of and not trouble the peace of a good conscience To goe on They confessed they were strangers and pilgrims 〈◊〉 earth Theâ—…e words containe what they were in regard of earthly things their disposition and carriage to all things besides the promises to the things below they were strangers and pilgrims in regard of their condition below Itsets downe how they apprehended themselves to be and how they discovered themselves to the world to be They were in regard of heaven indeed heirs of happinesse heirs of a kingdome in regard of the world and earthly things they were strangers and pilgrims And as they were so they made themselves to be no better than they were they confessed it they were not ashamed of it they apprehended themselves to bee as they were and they carried themselves answerable their life and course spake as much as their tongues they confessed both in word and in deed that they were strangers and pilgrims Now in the words I say you have their disposition and their profession their condition and their confession Their disposition and carriage and state and condition they were strangers and pilgrims The discovery of it they confessed they were so And this confession is double Their confession was either verball as Iacob confessed when he came before Pharaoh few and evill have the dayes of the life of my pilgrimage beene saith old Iacob Or it was a reall confession discovered by their carriage that they were strangers their course spake louder then their words Those that in the whole course of their life shew a weaned affection to earthly things though they talke not gloriously
full and our joy shall bee full by Christ who is our life So then we see we have in Christ the second Adam whatsover wee lost in the first roote Whence did we draw sinne and misery by union with the first Adam we have damnation we have the wrath of God we have corruption opposite to sanctification we have terrours and horrour of conscience By the second Adam and union with him we have a spring of life and peace and all that we lost in Adam and more then all we lost he being God-man The sinne of the first Adam was the sinne of a man the obedience of the second Adam was the obedience of God-man which raiseth us to life everlasting Rom. 5. So that there is more comfort in the life we have by Christ then there is discomfort in our death by Adam We see then hence that in all our deadnesse and dulnesse and want of grace there is a spring in our nature God hath given Christ God-man that there should be a treasure in him for all the Church that we may fetch supply out of our nature He is fit to be our life for our nature in him is united to the Godhead therefore Christ is a fit fountaine to derive grace to beleevers because mans nature in him is advanced by being united to the second person he is God-man able to derive all grace and comfort and righteousnes whatsoever Shall the first Adam derive unrighteousnesse discomfort and misery that was a man shall not Christ God-man derive righteousnesse and comfort and joy and peace and whatsoever is good undoubtedly he shall Therefore in all want of grace in all temptations and assaults let us goe to the fountain to the fulnesse of grace to the fulnesse of Gods love in Christ Christ God-man is our life As when we are cold we come to the fire so when we are dull-hearted let us come to this quickening spirit And to this end let us be stirred up to use those meanes wherein Christ will be effectuall whereby as by veines the blood of this spirituall life is conveyed as the Word and Sacraments the Communion of Saints and all sanctified meanes whereby the life of grace and comfort may be conveyed to us let us never be out of such wayes and courses as where by Christ derives this life of grace and let us take heed of those that are contrary But how shall I know saith a weake soule that finds little comfort and peace and little sanctification and is besieged with troubles and is doubtfull and knowes not whether his sinnes be forgiven or no how shall I know whether Christ be my life or no I answer that the life of Christ is but now begun in us and it is very little at the first There is nothing lesse then grace at the beginning The life of Christ is conveyed to us from Christ voluntarily not by necessity Hee gives the will and the deed according to 〈◊〉 therefore we must know that we have more or lesse comfort and more or lesse grace as he pleaseth He brings all to heaven in all ages that have the true life of grace though he make a difference and give to some more and to some lesse because he is a head that flowes into his members not out of nature but of his owne pleasure And a Christian soule that hath union with Christ that hath a being and station in him may know it there are alway some pulses from this heart as we know there is some life by the beating of the pulses so Christs dwelling in the heart is knowne by these pulses there will be striving against corruption and complayning of it Nature and corruption will not complaine against corruption coâ—…ption will not strive against corruption there will be sighing and groaning which is seconded with a constant indeavour to grow better it is not a flash these pulses beating in the soule of a true Christian shew that there is the life of grace in him that Christs dwells in his heart And this oft times doth more appeare in the greatest temptations Take a Christian at the worst his heart sighs to God to recover him he is sick and yet he hopes in Christ Christ in the greatest desertion is his life who was also our paterne when he was at the lowest My God my God So a Christian at the lowest he hath a spirit of prayer though it may be he cannot pray distinctly yet he can sigh and groane and God heares the sighs of his owne Spirit alwayes Therefore when these pulses beate in him in the greatest temptations hee may know that Christ lives in him Sometimes Christ in respect of this life in this world reserves himselfe to the chiefe occasion as some great affliction of the outward man In 2 Cor. 4. We see there when the body of Saint Paul was afflicted when it was abased by many afflictions The life of Christ was most manifested in him God reserves to poore Christians that now live in peace and quiet the greatest feelings and manifestations of Christs living in them till some great crosse till the houre of death till a time of need The life of Christ is most manifest in the time of abasement By the way therefore let us not avoid crosses for Christs sake avoid not any abasement though it be imprisonment or death the more our outward man is abased if it be for Christs sake the more this life of Christ this blessed life this peace that passeth understanding and this joy in the Holy-ghost is increased we shall feele our absolution and justification the more This life of Christ is most manifested when wee honour him most by suffering for him Therfore let us avoid no crosse for him Christ who is our life Shall appeare There are two appearings wee know of Christ his first appearing and his second appearing His first appearing was to worke our salvation his second shall be to accomplish and finish what he hath begun to worke His first appearing was to redeeme our soules from death his second shall redeeme our bodies from the corruption of the 〈◊〉 so his second appearing shall be to accomplish all the good that he came to doe and to worke by his first As verily therefore as Christ is come in his first appearing so verily and certainly he shall appeare the second time And as it was the description of holy men before his first comming to wayte for him To wayte for the consolation of Isâ—…ael so Christians now those blessed soules that have the report of this they waite for the comming of Christ. There were all kind of witnesses then of his first comming Angels men women shepheards the Devils themselves The Trinitie from heaven witnessed of him so for his second comming there are witnesses Christ himselfe saith hee will come The Angels say This Iesus that ye see goe up shall come againe It is an Article of our faith that he shall come
consists other creatures wanting understanding to discerne a better good out of then in themselves their life being their good desire only the continuance of their owne beeing without society and fellowship with others But man having the knowledge of God the Creator of heaven and earth but especially of God the Redeemer providing for him a second beeing better then his first understandeth that his best and chiefest good dependeth more in him then in himselfe and because his happinesse standeth in acquaintance and fellowship with this God which is the chiefe good he desireth a communion with him that he may partake of his good This communion and fellowship of man with God was first founded on a Covenant of workes made with Adam in Paradise if he did obey and did not eat of the forbidden fruit he should have life both for himselfe and his posterity the which Covenant because God would not have forgotten hee afterward renewed in the delivery of the ten Commandements requiring from man obedience to them in his owne person exactly at all times perpetually promising life on the obedience and threatning death and cursing if hee continued not in every thing the law required to doe But this fellowship being placed in mans owne freedome and having so weake a foundation he lost both himselfe and it so that now by the first Covenant of workes Adam and all his posterity are under a curse for we cannot fulfill the law that requireth personall obedience perfect obedience and exact obedience hee that continueth not in all is cursed The Law then findeth us dead and killeth us it findeth us dead before and not onely leaves us dead still but makes us more dead Now after this fall mans happinesse was to recover againe his communion and fellowship with God and therefore we must have a new Covenant before wee can have life and comfort God must enter into new conditions with us before wee can have any communion with him God therefore loving man doth after the breach of the first agreement and Covenant when Adam had lost himselfe by his sinne and was in a most miserable plight as ever creature was in the world falling from so great a happinesse into wondrous misery hee raysed him up and comforted him by establishing a second a new and better Covenant laying the foundation of it in the blessed seed of the woman Christ the Messiah who is the ground of this new Covenant and so of our communion and fellowship with God without whom there can be no intercourse betweene God and us in love and because this Covenant vvas almost forgotten therefore now in Abrahams time God renewed it to Abraham in this place I will be thy God and the God of thy seed after thee c. There are foure periods of time of renevying this Covenant first from Adam to Abraham and in those first times of the vvorld those that were under the Covenant vvere called the sonnes and daughters of God the children of the promise and the covenant of grace was called a promise of the blessed seed Secondly from Abraham to Moses and then it was called a covenant and they the children of the covenant I will establish my Covenant A covenant is more then a promise and a more solemne thing because there be Ceremonies The third period of renewing the covenant of grace was from Moses to Christ and then it was more cleare when as to the covenant made with Abraham who was sealed with the Sacrament of Circumcision the Sacrament of the Pascall Lambe was added and all the Sacrifices Leviticall and then it was called a Testament that differeth a little from a Covenant for a Testament is established by blood it is established by death so was that but it was onely with the blood and death of Cattle sacrificed as a Type But now to Christs time to the end of the world the covenant of grace is most cleare of all and it is now usually called the new Testament being established by the death of Christ himselfe and it differs from a Covenant in these respects First a Testament indeed is a covenant but something more it is a covenant sealed by death the Testator must die before it can be of force so all the good that is conveyed to us by the Testament it is by the death of the Testator Christ Gods covenant with us now is such a covenant as is a Testament sealed with the death of the Testatour Christ for without blood there is no redemption without the death of Christ there could be no satisfaction and without satisfaction there could be no peace with God Secondly a Testament bequeatheth good things meerely of love it giveth gifts freely A covenant requireth some thing to be done in a Testament there is nothing but receiving the Legacies given In covenants ofttimes it is for the mutuall good one of another but a Testament is meerely for their good for whom the Testament is made to whom the Legacies are bequeathed for when they are dead what can they receive from them Gods Covenant now is such a Testament sealed with the death of Christ made out of love meerely for our good for what can God receive of us all is legacies from him and though hee requireth conditions requireth faith and obedience yet he himselfe fulfilleth what he asketh giveth what he requireth giveth it as a Legacie as we shall see afterward Thus you see that the communion and fellowship of man with God must either be by a covenant of workes or by a covenant of grace And we must distinguish exactly betweene these two covenants and the periods of them When the covenant of workes was disanuled by ours sinnes because we could not fulfill the Law exactly and perpetually God will have a new Covenant if wee beleeve in Christ we shall have everlasting life Now if wee sticke to the one we must renounce the other if it be of faith it is not of workes and if it be of workes it is not of faith This was excellently signified by Ioshua and Moses Ioshua bringeth the people to Canaan and not Moses Moses doth not bring any to heaven it must be Ioshua the Type of the true Jesus that must bring them through Iordan to Canaan This was typified also in the Arke there was the Law the Covenant of workes in the Arke but the propitiatory the Mercy-seate was above the Arke above the Law and from thence God made all his Answers to signifie to us that we can have nothing to doe with the Law without the Propitiatory Christ is the Propitiatory the Mercy-seate in Christ God heareth us he makes all his Answers in the Propitiatory Christ. Therefore when the question is of salvation how wee have title to heaven Not by the merit of workes for then we reverse the Covenant of grace but our title is meerely by Gods mercy in Christ apprehended by faith The evidence indeed to prove our faith to be a true faith is from
workes but the title we have is onely by Christ onely by grace Here we must appeale from Sinai to Sion from the Law to the Gospell from Moses to Christ we must flie with Ioab to the homes of the Altar that must be our refuge flie to Christ in the Covenant of grace and wee shall not be pulled from thence as Ioab was from the Altar there let us live and die Remember I say that the Covenant of grace is distinct in the whole kind from the Covenant of workes yet this They are both in the Church and both taught one subordinate to the other As thus The Covenant of workes is taught to shew us our failing that seeing our owne disability to performe what the Law requireth we may be forced to the new Covenant of grace And therefore saith Paul By the Law I am dead to the Law It is an excellent speech by the Law I am dead to the Law by the Covenant of workes I am dead to the Covenant of workes that is by the Lawes â—…acting of me exact and perpetuall obedience in thought word and deed I come to see that I cannot fulfill it and therefore am dead to the Law that is I looke for no salvation for no title to heaven by that and therefore he saith the Law was added for transgression why was the Law added to the promise of salvation by Christ made here to Abraham why was the Covenant of workes added in the wildernes afterwards it was for transgression to increase the sense of transgression that wee by the Law might see what we should doe and what we have not done and that we are by that come under a curse and so might flie to the promise of grace in Christ. I have stood the longer in the clearing of this because it is a maine point But to come to that which I specially intend the words as I said before containe therenewing of this blessed and gracious agreement betweene God and man to Abraham the father of the faithfull I will establish my Covenant betweene me and thee and thy seed after thee in their Generations for an everlasting Covenant to be thy God and the God of thy seed after thee The words you see containe a Covenant and here are all things all the Articles and circumstances that agree to any Covenant whatsoever Here are the parties both that makes the Covenant and that are covenanted with Here is the substance of the Covenant and the qualities of the Covenant and the condition of the Covenant The party making the Covenant is God I will be thy God God is the party covenanting God indeed is both the party covenanting and the substance of the Covenant I will be a God to thee they fall both together in one It is a most sweet signe of Gods great love that he will stoope so low as to make a Covenant with us to be our God to be himselfe all in all to us For consider but both these parties God and we the Creator and the creature the immortall God and mortall man the glorious God and dust and afhes the holy God and sinfull-man the great King of heaven and earth and Rebels and traytours as wee are For him to condescend so low as to make a Covenant with us to enter into Termes and Articles of agreement with us it is a wondrous signe of his gracious mercy and love what can we but hope for from so gracious a God But I shall have occasion to touch that afterward The parties covenanted with are Abrahamâ—…d â—…d his seed his seede by promise The substance of the Covenant is I will be a God to thee and to thy seed after thee The qualities of the Covenant are first it is a sure Covenant I will establish my Covenant Secondly it is an everlasting Covenant I will establish my Covenant for an everlasting Covenant Thirdly it is a peculiar Covenant I will establish my Covenant betweene me and thee and thy seed that is onely betweene me and thee and thy seed not with the refuse of the world but onely with thy seed by promise onely beleevers whether Iewes or Gentiles Fourthly it is a most free Covenant it was made to Abraham whom God called out of Vr of the Chaldees out of an idolatrous nation out of an idolatrous family Even as it was at the first most freely made to Adam in Paradise when he was in a most desperate estate when he was as low as hell in a manner ready to sinke into de spaire then the Seede of the woman was promised so here it was freely made to good Abraham First the love of God was free to him when he call'd him being an idolatour and then it was freely renewed afterward when hee was good as wee shall see anon And lastly It is a Covenant consisting most of spirituall things it is a spirituall covenant I meane especially promising spirituall favours although the other things as appendices of the maine are likewise meant For after that the covenant was made to Abraham and his posterity they endured many afflictions after the promise was renewed to Iacob wee know hee fled from his brother Esau to whom the Covenant of grace was not made and yet of Esau presently came Duke such a one and Duke such a one and poore Iacob was faine to flie for his life in regard of the promise So that I say it must be specially of spirituall blessings These are the qualities of the Covenant It is a sure an everlasting a peculiar and a most free Covenant ayming specially at spirituall things And then lastly you have the condition of the Covenant and that though it is not exprest yet it is implyed I will be thy God and the God of thy seede therefore thou shalt take me for thy God carry thy selfe to me as to thy God c. It is usuall in other places of Scripture where mention is made of this Covenant to imply the condition required on our parts sometimes both the Covenant and condition are mentioned together as in Zach. 13. last I will say saith God It is my people and they shall say the Lord is my God the one springeth from the other when God is a God to any he makes the heart to answer thou shalt be my God and I will be thine alwayes This is the condition on our part that we make with God in this Covenant to take him for our God to be his people and his pecuilar ones I will be thy God and the God of thy seed Though these words I will be a God to thee and to thy seed be the last words of the Text yet being the substance of the Covenant I thinke it shall be best to speake of that before I speake of the qualities of the Covenant or any thing else I will be thy God This is the Covenant in the Messiah but first what is it to be a God I answer To be a God take it in
the generall is to give being to the creature that had no being of it selfe and to protect and preserve the creature in its being in a word to be a Creatour for providence is the perpetuity and continuance of creation this is to be a God The office of God as God is a most glorious function to be a King is a great matter but to be a God to give being to the creature to support it when it hath a being to doe all that God should doe this is a most glorious worke but this is but creation this is not intended especially here for thus hee is the God of all his workes thus by creation and preservation he is the God of all the men in the world out of the Church What is then to be thy God I will be thy God I Answer to be a God in a more peculiar manner is to be a God in Covenant that is not onely to be a God to preserve and continue this being of ours in a civill life but it is to be a God in a higher relation to us to be a God in a reference to an eternall supernaturall estate in heaven to be a God here in grace and hereafter in glory and thus God is a God in a gracious covenant onely by Iesus Christ and to those that beleeve in him I will be thy God that is I will be thy God in Christ to give thee a better being then this world can aford to free thee from the cursed estate thou art in by nature to deliver thee from all ill spiritually and eternally especially to bestow on thee all good spiritually and eternally especially as wee have it in the words of the Covenant Gen. 15. 1. I will be thy shield and thy exceeding great reward a shield to keepe off all ill and a reward for all good So in the 84. God will be a Sun and a shield c. a Sun Psal. for all sweet comfort and good and a shield in regard of defence from ill a Sunne and a shield till wee come to the possession of eternall happinesse This is to be a God in a peculiar manner to give all things necessary for grace and life too for this life and for a better to doe all things requisite to bring us to heaven and happinesse through Christ in whom all the promises are yea and Amen to be all in all to direct the protections and provions of this life of our estate here to a supernaturall happinesse hereafter to a state beyond nature for God directs the favours of this life so that he takes them away or hee giveth them as he seeth them advantageous or hinderances to a better estate So is God a God to those that are in convenant with him to doe all this and to doe all this in opposition of all enemies whatsoever to doe all this in weakenes and in the impotency of the creature to doe all this when all second causes are contrary as it were to bring a man to heaven in spite of the Devill of our owne corruptions or all oppositions whatsoever This is to be a God indeed But why doth he say onely I will be thy God why doth he not say I will give thee grace and protection I will give thee heaven and life everlasting Because all is one for all things in the world are in this one promise I will be thy God See the wisedome of heaven how much he speakes in how little there cannot be more spoken then thus I will be thy God for in saying I will be thy God he implies that whatsoever he is or hath or can doe shall be thine too I will be thy God that is my wisedome shall be thine to watch over thee to find out wayes to doe thee good my power shall be thine to keepe thee from danger to defend and rescue thee from all enemies and to subdue them by degrees unto thee my providence shall be thine to turne all things to thy good my mercy shall be thine to forgive thy sins my love shall be thine to bestow on thee all necessary comforts there is no phrase in the Scripture that hath so much in so little as this here I will be thy God if wee could unfold and lay open this excellent promise all other particular promises in the covenant of grace are members of this what is the reason as Saint Paul saith all things are yours because you are Christs and Christ is Gods God is the God of Christ and our God wee are in covenant with the God of Christ Christ is the heire of all and we are members of Christ God who is the God of all things is ours It is a wondrous comprehensive promise I will be thy God and the God of thy seed The substance of thy Covenant then is that God will be a God to us the point to be observed is this That God graciously in the blessed seed the Messiah Christ Iesus he takes â—…pon him to be a God to all those that are in Covenant with him that is to be All-sufficient to bring us to happinesse All-sufficient in this world and in the world to come to be our portion to be all in all This is the first and fundamentall promise of all other indeed it is the life and soule of all the promises and it is the life and soule of all comfort whatsoever for all other relations spoken of God tend to this that hee is our God this is before to be a Father before to be any thing God first is a God and then a Father and then all in all to us As he is first the God of Christ and then the Father of Christ as you have it usually in the beginnings of the Epistles God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ first the God and then the Father to be a God then is the fundamentall and principall favour from thence commeth our Election his chusing of us to eternall salvation before all time his protection and preservation of us in time unto heaven I shall not need to speake more of this having unfolded it before But you will say how shall we know that this Covenant belongeth to us that wee are such as we may say God is our God I answer first to lay this for a ground you must know that to be a God is a relation whosoever God is a God to he perswadeth them by his Spirit that hee is a God to the same Spirit that perswadeth them that there is a God that Spirit telleth them that God is their God and works a qualification and disposition in them as that they may know that they are in covenant with such a gracious God the Spirit as it revealeth to them the love of God and that he is theirs so the Spirit enableth them to claime him for their God to give up themselves to him as to their God And the Spirit doth this because friends cannot be in convenant and
confederate without there be a likenesse or an agreement there must be more word then on to a Covenant though Gods grace doe all yet wee must give our consent and therefore the Covenat is exprest under the title of marriage in marriage there must be a consent of both parties In reconciliation betweene a King and subjects that are fallen out when they are Rebels there must be an accepting of the pardon and a promise of new subjection So then if God be our God there will bee grace given to take him for our God to give him homage as a King to give him our consent as to our Spouse thou shalt be my God and I will cleave to thee as to my Lord and Husband Can two walke together saith the Prophet and not be friends there can bee no friendship with God except there be somewhat wrought in us by his Spirit to make us fit for friendship that we may looke on him as an object of love and delight if wee looke on him as an object of hatred what termes of friendship can there be Now that we may looke on him as an object of love fit for converse with him hee must make us such by consent and yeelding to him by framing the inward man to his likenesse that so there may a peace be maintained with him you see the ground of it of necessity it must be so Well to come to the tryalls but let me first adde this to the former whomsoever God is a God to it is knowne specially by spirituall and eternall favours a man cannot know certainely that God is his God by outward and common things that cast-awayes may have for a cast-away may have Ishmaels blessing and Esaus portion blessings of the left hand common graces To know undoubtedly therefore that God is our God must be by peculiar matters for those whose God God is are a peculiar people a holy nation severed from others First of all then know what the Spirit of God saith to thy soule for they that are Gods have his Spirit to reveale to their spirits the secret and hidden love of God but if the voyce of the Spirit be silent in regard of testimony goe to the worke of the Spirit but goe to the peculiar worke of the Spirit For though the Spirit may be silent in regard of his testimony yet there are some workes or other of the Spirit in a man whereby hee may know that God is his God As the Spirit of God workes in some sort a proportion in him unto God and none can know better what God is to him then by searching of his owne heart what hee is backe againe to God for as God saith to him by his Spirit thou art mine so they say to God thou art mine Let us then come to the tryall by our carrying our selves to God Can we say with David Whom have I in heaven but thee or what is there in earth in comparison of thee when the conscience can tell us that we make God our treasure and our portion above all earthly things then wee make him our God A Christian singleth our God above all things in the world for his happinesse Lord thou art mine whatsoever wealth is mine or riches mine or friends mine I stand not upon that but thou art mine A rich man runneth to his wealth and make flesh his arme he runneth to friends to beare him out in ill causes but a true Christian that hath God for his God he may know it by this he singleth out God for his portion runnes to him in all extremities Lord thou art mine this is a signe that God hath said to his soule first I am thy salvation How can the soule appropriate God to himselfe how can he say as Thomas did My Lord and my God except the Lord have spoken peace to the soule before and have said I am thy salvation It is a signe we have made God our God when wee prize him and value him above all the world and when with Saint Paul Phil. 3. wee count all things dung and drosse in comparison of Jesus Christ our Lord what we will doe most for that is our God if wee will doe most for God he is our God if we doe most for pleasures they are our God if wee doe most for riches breake oâ—…r rests and cracke our consciences for them that is our God In a word whatsoever we value highest that is our God Examine what affections wee have to God for it is affection that makes a Christian single out some few that we are most offending in As first for feare it may shame us all indeed a Christian upon his best resolutions is better but the ordinary carriage of men is they feare men more then God they feare every thing more then him that they should feare above all For instance is the retyred carriage of men to God such as their carryage is to the eye of the world will not they doe that in secret ofttimes that they will not doe openly in secret they will commit this or that sinne and thinke who seeth there are secret abominations in the closet of their hearts they will not feare to doe that in the eye of God that they feare to doe in the eye of a child of sixe yeares old that is of any discretion Is this to make God our God when wee feare the eye of a silly mortall creature more then the eye of God that is tenne thousand times brighter then the Sunne that is our Judge is God our God the whiles undoubtedly when God is made our God there is an awe of the eye of heaven upon a man in all places therefore this is the condition of the Covenant Walke before mee or walke as in my sight how doe wee walke before God as in his sight when there is such a great deale of difference in our carriage secretly and before the eyes of men when wee labour more to approve our carriage to men then we make conscience of our spirits to God This may shame us even the best of us who are in Covenant with God and have made God our God we have cause to be abased for this and surely one of the best wayes to make Gods children abased and humbled is to compare the different proportion of their carriage how they carry themselves to men whom they respect and to outward things in the world and how they carry themselves to God if God be our God there will be an universall feare and care to please God in all times and in all places because hee is every-where darkenesse and light are all one to him Trie your selves therefore by this affection if we make God our God wee will feare him above all for there being such a distance betweene God and us He the mighty God and we creatures whose breath is in our nostrils there can no other way be a Govenant of peace betwixt us but with much reverence
miserable creatures are all such when they shall say friends have forsaken me wealth hath forsaken me and health hath forsaken me terrours lay hold upon me the wrath of God hath over-taken me but they cannot say God is my God oh such are in a miserable case in a fearefull estate indeed nay suppose they have all these suppose they could say they have a vvorld of riches they have inheritances they have friends c. yet if they cannot say God is my God all is vanity the whole man is this to have God to be our God this is the whole man to feare God keep his Commandements Eccles. 1â—… lâ—…st If a man have all the world and have not God for his God all is but vanity and vexation of spirit never rest therefore till wee can proove our selves to be in the Covenant of grace till we can say God is my God But secondly when wee have found God to be our God then make this use of it a use of resolution is God my God then I will resolve to please him though all creatures bee against me this was their resolution in the 4. Micah Every Nation walketh in the name of his God but we will walke in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever resolve with Ioshuah and others to please God whosoever saith the contrarie to walke after the Commandements of God whatsoever others do or say In all discouragements from men or Devils let us set this as a buckler God is my God Arme our selves with resolution against all feares and threatnings of men of men of terrour against the Arme of flesh they say they will doe this and this I but God is my God all that they doe they must doe in his strength Arme our selves with this against the power and gates of hell feare not the Devill if wee feare man or Devill more then God feare them so as to doe any thing to displease God we make them God If our conscience rightly tells us that what is to be done by us is the will and command of God and that herein I serve God wee need not feare any opposer but oppose this as an Armour of proofe against all creatures against all discouragements whatsoever And certainely experience telleth us and approoveth it to be true that nothing can dismay a man that doth things in conscience to God and knowes God will beare him out in it though not from danger in this world and yet for the most part he doth that too those that are the stoutest men for God are oftentimes most safe alwayes freed from inward dejection yet God disposeth of it so as that he that keepes a good conscience shall alwayes be a King and rule over the world and therein hee performes his promise whatsoever discouragements hee endureth outwardly yet no discouragement can cast downe that soule that lookes to God In his conscience hee knowes that he takes God to be his that hee serveth him and that it shall goe well with him at last that God will be Alsufficient to him and this rayseth him above all makes him rule and raign over his enemies and be a terror to those that doe him hurt Againe if God be our God then let this stop all base and covetous desires after earthly things if God be our portion why should we grapple too much after the world then what need we cracke our consciences and breake our peace for the mucke of the world is not God our portion is he not rich enough is not hee Lord of heaven and earth hath not hee promised that hee will not faile us nor forsake us I am thy exceeding great reward saith God to Abraham is not this enough what doth Satan for us when hee getteth us to crack our consciences by griplenesse after earthly things hee promiseth thou shalt have this and that but I will take God from thee as he did Adam in Paradise thou shalt have an Apple but thou shalt loose thy God All his solicitations to base and earthly courses tend to nothing else but to take God from us Now when God is our God and he hath promised to be our portion let it be sufficient for us let us not for the displeasing of him take any condition from Satan or the world upon any termes Againe if so be wee know this for a truth that God is our God then let it be a use of exhortation to stir us up to keep and maintaine and cherish acquaintance and familiarity with him as it is in Iob. 22. Acquaint thy self with God if we be acquainted with him now hee will be acquainted with us in time of sorrow in the houre of death therefore cherish acquaintance with him wheresoever wee may meete with God be there much bee much in aring inreceiving the Sacrament in praying to him and making our suits known to him in all our necessities be much in the society of Saints God hath promised to be there therefore cherish the society of all that are good what a friendly course doth God take with us he seekes for our acquaintance and therefore giveth us his Ordinances the Word and Sacraments sendeth his messengers the good motions of his Spirit to our hearts to leave the world and vanities of it to make us out of love with bad courses and joyne with him in friendship and familiarity oh let us make use of these blessed meanes checke not these good motions but yeeld unto them and obey them grieve them not the Spirit is sent to make God and us friends who were enemies grieve not the Spirit entertaine his motions that we may be acquainted with God But doe we doe so truly no indeed if God will be our God to save us and let us live in our swearing and lying and deceiving and in other base courses wee would be content with him upon these tearmes but to be our God so that wee must serve him and love him and feare him and joy in him above all and have nothing in the world without his favour then let him take his favour to himselfe wee will have none of it though men speak it not with their mouths to the world yet the inward speech of their hearts is to this purpose if wee must bee the people of God upon these tearmes to renounce our pleasures and profits let him bee a God to whom he will for us if he will save us then welcome his favour we will bee glad of his acquaintance otherwise we will have none of it what is the speech of the world but this these men when they shall at the day of judgement clayme acquaintance with God and say Lord Lord open to us wee have knowne thee in the streetes c. what will God say depart from me you workers of iniquity I know you not you were acquainted with me indeed outwardly in the ministery of my word but you kept not an inward and spirituall familiarity with me in my
Conscience Upon the preventing of an objection and removing their false confidence hee positively sets downe what that is that doth save in Baptisme saith he it is the answer of a good Conscience The Scope of the words should have moved the holy Apostle to have said thus not the putting off the filth of the Body but the putting off the filth of the soule but instead of that hee sets downe the act of the soule which is an answer of a good Conscience to God by the Resurrection of Iesus Christ. Where first of all you must know this for a ground indeed it is a hard place of Scripture I will only take that that I think fittest and rayse what observations I think fit for you that out of that you must know for a ground that There is a Covenant of Grace Since God and Man brake in the Creation there is a Covenant which we call a Covenant of Grace God hath stooped so low hee hath condescended to enter into tearmes of Covenant with us Now the foundation of this Covenant is that God will bee our God and give us grace and glory and all good in Christ the Mediator of the new Covenant Christ is the foundation of the Covenant the Mediator of the Covenant a friend to both to God as God to man as man God and man in himselfe and by office such is his office as to procure love and agreement betweene God and man He being the foundation of the Covenant there must be agreement in him Now Christ is the foundation of the Covenant by satisfying Gods justice else God and wee could never have come to good tearmes nor conscience could ever have bin satisfyed For God must bee satisfyed before conscience bee satisfied Conscience else would thinke God is angry and he hath not received full satisfaction and conscience will never bee satisfied but with that that God is satisfied with God is satisfied with the Death of the Mediator so conscience being sprinkled with the blood of Christ applying the death of Christ conscience is satisfied too Now what doth shew that the death of the Mediator is a sufficient sacrifice and Satisfaction The Resurrection of Christ for Christ our surety should have laine in the grave to this day if our sinnes had not bin fully satisfied for Christ is the foundation of the Covenant of grace by his humiliation and by his exaltation whereof the resurrection was the first degree Now in this as in other covenants there is the party promising making the Covenant and the parties that answer in the Covenant God promises life everlasting forgivenesse of sins through the death of Christ the Mediator we answer by faith that we relye upon Gods mercy in Christ this is the answer of conscience Now this sound answer of conscience it doth save us because it doth lay hold on Christ that doth save us Christ properly saveth us by his death and passion An argument of the sufficiency of his salvation was his resurrection hee is now in Heaven triumphing but because there is somewhat in us that must lay hold of this salvation it is attributed to that that is the instrument of salvation that is to the answer of a good conscience Now this answer of a good conscience doth afford us this observation that There must bee something in us before wee can make use of what good is in God or Christ. In a Covenant both parties must agree there must bee somewhat wrought in us that must answer or else we cannot clayme any good by the promises in Christ or by any good that Christ hath wrought that is the answer of a good conscience Or else Christ should save all if there were not the answer of a good conscience required that only Gods elect children have But to shew the reasons of this that there must on our part be this answer The reason is partly from the nature of the Covenant there must bee consent on both sides or else the Covenant cannot hold there are Indentures drawn between God and us God promiseth all good if wee believe and rest on Christ we again rest upon Christ and so have interest in all that is good There is a mutuall engagement then in the Covenant God engageth himselfe to us and wee engage our solves to God in Christ and where this mutuall engagement is there the Covenant is perfect as here there is the answer of a good conscience That is the first reason then from the nature of the Covenant there must bee this answer The second reason that there must be somewhat in us is because when two agree there must bee a like disposition Now there must bee a sanctifying of our Nature from whence this blessed answer comes before that God and wee can agree There must bee a correspondency of disposition of necessity this must bee for wee enter into tearmes of friendship with God in the Covenant of Grace Now friends must have the same mind there must be an answering Now this answer is especially faith when we believe and from Faith sanctified obedience that is called the resti pulation or engagement of a good conscience to God when the promise is made wee engage our selves to believe and to live as christians Now from this that there must be an answer in us an engagement on our part I beseech you let us in generall therefore know that wee must search our own hearts for the evidence of our good estate in Religion let us not so much search what Christ hath done but search our owne hearts how wee have engaged our selves to God in Christ that we believe and witnesse our believing that wee lead a life answerable to our Faith renounce all but Christ. This mutuall engagement is in the forme in Baptisme that was used by the Apostles and by the ancient Church for wee know that in the ancient Church that they that were Baptized they were questioned doe you believe I doe believe Doe you renownce the Flesh and the World and the Divell I doe renounce them These two questions were made now when they answered this question from a good conscience truly faithfully and sincerely then they had right in all the good things by Christ. Something alway therefore in the Church was required on our part Not that wee answer by our owne strength for it is the Covenant of grace why is it a Covenant of grace not onely because the things promised are promised of grace but because our part is of grace likewise we beleeve of grace and live holily of grace every good thought is from grace it is by grace that we are that we are All is of grace in the new Covenant meerely of grace God requires not any answering by our strength for then he should require light of darknesse and life of death There is nothing good in us he requires obedience that he may worke it when he requires it For his commands in
an increase of peace comes You see what a good conscience is here in this place the answer of a good conscience I will not speake largely of it To come a little further to the point How know we that a man hath a good conscience a peaceable good conscience when it is troubled For here is the difficultie a conscience is never so peaceable and gracious but there is a principle of rebellion in us the flesh that casts in doubtings and stirres up objections as indeed our flesh is full of objections against Gods divine truth there be seeds of infidelitie to every promise and of rebellion to every command in the word How shall a man know that hee hath a peaceable good Conscience in the middest of this rebellion Let him looke if the conscience answer God in the middest of opposition and rebellion my flesh and blood saith thus my sins are great and Sathan layes it hard to my charge yet notwithstanding because God hath promised and commanded I cast my selfe upon God Let us aske our owne hearts and consciences what they say to God what is the answere to God Wee see what Iob saith Though he kill me yet I will trust in him flesh and blood would have shewed its part in Iob as if God had neither respected nor loved him yet when Iob recovered himselfe Though hee kill me I will trust in him So a man may know though conscience be somewhat troubled yet it is a gracious peaceable conscience if peace get the upper hand and grace subdue corruption when the conscience so farre as it is enlarged by Gods spirit can check it selfe Why art thou disquieted oh my soule why art thou troubled trust in God trust in God reconciled now in Christ when conscience can lay a charge upon it selfe and check it selfe thus it is a signe that conscience hath made this gracious answer Againe one may know though conscience be troubled somewhat yet it is a gracious peaceable conscience when it alwayes allowes of the truth of God in the inward man Whatsoever the flesh say the word is good the commandement is good the promise is good as St. Paul saith I allow the law of God in my inward man by this a man may know though his peace be somewhat troubled that yet notwithstanding there is the answer of a good conscience Againe when a man can breake out of trouble and such an estate as the Divell weakens our faith by for he useth the troubles of the Church and our owne troubles to shake our faith as if God did not regard us now when conscience can rise out of this as in Psal. 73. Yet God is good to Israel yet my soule keepe silence to the Lord though things seeme to goe contrarie to a man as if God were not reconciled as if he had not part in Christ Yet my soule keepe silence and God is good to Israel This conflict shews that there is a gracious part in the soule and that conscience is a gracious conscience It is said here it is the answer of a good conscience Towards God For conscience indeed hath reference to God and that will answer another question for conscience as it performes holie duties as it is a gracious conscience it lookes to God whether may a man know or how shall he know that he doth things of conscience whether he be in the state of grace and doth things graciously He may for why is conscience set in man but to tell him what he doth with what mind he doth it in what state he is this is a power of the soule which conscience shewes A man may know what estate he is in and whether he performe things graciously or no Now how shall a man know whether he doth things of conscience or no First whatsoever the answer of conscience is it is towards God if a man doe things from reasons of Religion if a man be charitable to his neighbour if he be just and good if it be from reasons of Religion because God commands him this is a good conscience A good conscience respects God and his command What we doe for company or for custome is not from a good conscience A good conscience doth things from God with reasons from God because he commands it it is Gods deputie in our hearts Againe what we doe from a good conscience we doe from the inward man from an inward principle from the inward judgement because we thinke it is so and from an inward affection When we have not a right judgement of what we doe and doe it not out of love and from the inward man we doe it not out of a good conscience what is done out of conscience is done from the inner man Therefore in all our performances let us examine our selves not what we doe but upon what ground we doe it in conscience to God to obey him in all things I cannot dwell upon these things The answer of a good conscience that saves us together with Baptisme when there is the answer of a good conscience then Baptisme seales salvation To come more neere to the answer of a good conscience in Baptisme You will object if the answer of a good conscience in Baptisme doe all and not the outward washing of the body why are Children Baptised then they cannot make the answer of a good conscience I answer the place must be understood of those of yeares of discretion For infants that dye in their infancie we have a double ground of comfort concerning them First they are within the Covenant have they not received the seale of the Covenant which is Baptisme And how-ever they actually answer not the Covenant of grace by actuall beleeving yet they have the seed of beleeving the spirit of God in them and God doth comprehend them by his mercie being not able to comprehend him nay we that are at yeares of discretion are saved by Gods comprehending and imbracing us we are comprehended of him as the Child is of the nurse or of the Mother The Child holds the nurse and the nurse the Child the Child is more safe from falling by the nurse and the Mothers holding of it then by its holding of them Those that are at yeares must claspe and graspe about Christ but Christ holds and comprehends them much more doth God comprehend those that are Children that are not able to comprehend him For those that live to yeares of discretion their Baptisme is anngagement and obligation to them to beleev because they have undertaken by those that answered for them to beleeve when they come to yeares and if when they come to yeares they answer not the Covenant of grace and the answer of a good conscience if they doe not beleeve and renounce Sathan all is frustrate their Baptisme doth them no good if they make not good their Covenant by beleeving and renouncing It is
speakes of it as if they had a murderous intention and in the event and issue it is a kind of murther As with a sword in my bones my enemies reproach me c. This sword were but words he is a murtherer in Gods esteeme and so it will prove if hee repent not that wounds another man with his tongue for what doth the Holy Ghost here in David doth he not set out words by swords Is it not oft in the Psalmes Their words are as swords the poyson of Aspes is under their lipps There is an excellent place you have for this in Prov. 12. 18. There is that speakes like the piercing of a sword but the tongue of the wise is health A good man hath a healing tongue hee hath a medicinall salving tongue but a wicked man his words are as swords and as he â—…aith here their speaking is as the piercing of a sword Therefore hence let us learne not to think our selves free from murther when we have killed no body or free from adultery when wee are free from the grosse act this is but a pharisaicall glosse upon the commandements but if wee will understand the commandements of God as they are to bee understood wee must inlarge them as the Scripture inlargeth them he that prejudiceth the life and comfort of any man hec is a murtherer of him in Gods esteeme and he that labours to cut another man to the heart with sharpe piercing words in Gods esteeme he is a murtherer Those that though among men they cannot say blacke is their eye and pride themselves as if they were very religious men yet notwithstanding they are men that are not wanting of their tongues men that care not to speake bitterly and sharpely of others if they did consider of this it would take them downe and make them thinke a little meaner of themselves when indeed in Gods construction they are little better their murtherers As with a sword in my bones mine enemies reproach me while they say to me daily where is thy God So much for these words FINIS The TABLE A Acquaintance ACquaintance with God to be maintained part 2 p. 143 Affection Affections trie our estates 1 264 Affections wanting shew want of faith 1 269 To shame our selves in want of Affections 1 271 To pray for Affections 1 272 Affections to be kept tender 1 278 Affections why sometimes dead 1 285 See Hatred Answer see Conscience Appearing Two appearings of Christ. 2 18 Application Application the ground of obedience 1 149 Necessity of Application 1 151 Principle of Application 1 153 To begge the spirit of Application 1 154 Danger in want of Application 1 156 Arke 〈◊〉 Baptisme Assurance How to know our estate in want of Assurance 1 240 B Baptisme Want of baptisme no prejudice to salvation p. a. pag. 157 Ground of baptising Infants 2 158 Aggravation of sins after Baptisme 2 162 The Arke a figure of Baptisme 2 170 Parts of Baptisme 2 172 Children why Baptised 2 190 Baptisme binds 2 191 Covenant in Baptisme 2 192 What sins renounce baptisme Ibid. How to make use of our baptisme 2 195 Beast The Beast who 1 7 The Beast and Dragon resembled 1 10 State of Rome the Beast why 1 13 Beasts ill carriage towards Kings 1 40 To further the destruction of the Beast 1 49 The Beast shall fall 1 51 See Hatred Body Not to satisfie the lusts of the body 2 44 Our bodyes shall be glorious 2 51 How to use our bodyes 2 52 Glory of the body in sixe things 2 53 To abase our bodyes for Christ. 2 57 How to know our bodyes shall bee glorious 2 60 See Vile God to be sought betimes 1 187 Blessing see Ministers C Man a changeable creature 2 46 God punisheth parents in their children 1 110 God the God of our children 2 157 Parents to bee good for their childrens sake 2 159 Comfort to those that leave little to their children 2 160 All our good first in Christ. 2 32 49 To be thankfull for Christ. 2 50 To make use of what is in Christ. 2 179 To thinke of Gods love in Christ. 1 278 See covenant Difference between Christians and others 1 92 Come To thinke oft of the times to come 2 66 Comfort Double ground of comfort 2 186 See Death Children Communion Mans happinesse in communion with God 2 108 Communicative Gods goodnesse communicative 1 142 Confidence Issue of false confidence dangerous 1 63 False confidence overturned 1 66 Conscience Demand of conscience whence 2 182 Good conscience what 2 183 3. Degrees of a good conscience 2 184 Conscience good that is troubled 2 187 How to know we doe things from a good conscience 2 189 To get the answer of a good conscience 2 193 Comfort from the answer of a good conscience 2 199 Conviction Conviction double 1 236 Corruption How to set against our corruptions 1 8â—… Corruption why not subdued at once Ibid. To strengthen faith in the fall of our corruptions 1 89 Sight of corruptions help faith 〈◊〉 230 Victory over corruptions 2 138 How to know nature is corrupted 1 270 See Iericho Country See Heaven Covenant Covenants to be renewed 2 â—…00 Covenant of workes 2 108 Covenant of grace 2 109 Covenant of grace qualities of it 2 115 Covenant of grace conditions of it 2 116 Comfort from the covenant of grace 2 254 God gives us grace to performe our covenants 2 164 Christ the foundation of the covenant of grace 2 178 Nature of the Covenant 2 180 Covenant of grace why so called 2 182 See Testament works Creature insufficient to teach the knowledge of God 1 139 Not to curse particular persons 1 105 D Death Die Death terrible 1 205 Men die as they live 1 208 A Christian how dead 2 2 Comfort in Death 2 66 Righteous and wicked die 2 74 Difference in their death 2 80 Why men want comfort in death 2 101 See first-borne faith Demand see conscience Dependance Dependance upon God 1 27 Desire To out-strippe the wicked in our desires 2 87 Difference of desires in men Ibid. Desires the best character of a Christian. 2 93 Wicked men desire not heaven aright 2 94 Directions for holy desires 2 96 God leaves not good desires 2 102 Desire of earthly things how abated 2 143 Destruction How to prevent our own destruction 1 86 Dragon see Beast Distemper Distemper hinders not Christians dying in faith 1 206 E Enemies GOD meetes with his Enemies 1 45 GODS Children have Enemies 1 214 Envie No Envie in God 1 144 Everlasting Covenant of grace everlasting 2 251 Evill How GOD hath a hand in evill 1 16 Gods providence in evill 1 19 God keepes us from doing of evill 1 25 Extremity God to bee sought in extremity 1 184 Difference of men in extremity Ibid. Eye To desire God to open our eyes 1 229 See Faith F Face Seeking Gods face what 1 174 Directions to seeke Gods face 1 179 Incouragements
the knowledge of being in a good estate 1 To humble us Quest. Answ. How to know Gods children in losse of assurance Psalme 73. Vsually Gods children have particular perswasion Quest. Answ. If perswasion be not supernaturall 1 There will not be obedience 2 No holding out 3 No fruitfulnes Quest. Answ. Perswasion wrought by the spirit Quest. Answ. How the spirit perswades The manner of working this perswasion 1. Sweetly 2. strongly A strong work to perswade the soule Deut. 29. Use. To labour for spirituall perswasion 2 Cor. 2. 10 11. To begge the spirit Luke 11. Use. To desire God to perswade us God perswades with enlightning Evidence that we are not perswaded Faith makes much of what it hath Imbracing followes perswasion Triall of our estate by imbracing 2. Branches of faith To trie our està te by our affections Faith carries the whole soule The soule made for heavenly things Love of earthly things abaseth the soule What quiets the soule Micah 2. Want of faith scene by want of affections How to know nature is corrupted To shame our selves in want of affections To pray for affections Quest. Answ. What affections imbrace good things Gen. 17. 3. Quest. Answ. How this imbracing is wrought 1. By supernaturall knowledge To let goe other things Keepe the affections tender To meditate of Gods love in Christ. The excellency and necessitie of the good we hope for The hopefulnesse of them Iohn 17. Case Sol. Why the affections of Gods children are somtimes dead Scope of the words Difference betweene pilgrims and strangers Doct. Gods people strangers on earth Christians borne anew from heaven Heaven a Christians Country 1 Chron. 29. 15. August Christ a stranger on earth Iohn 1. We must have affection of strangers The Patriarchs strangers 1. In their owne esteeme Psal. 39. 12. 2. In Gods esteeme 3. In the worlds esteeme Object Answ. Wicked men how strangers here The carriage oâ—… him that is a stranger 1. He is going toward his country 2. Hee is contented Jerem. 45. 3. Patient 4. Thankefull The way to heaven smoother to some 5. He is glad of company 6. They minde their journies end 7. Though he step out of his way he comes in againe 8. He provides for all incumbrances 9. Inquires of the way 10. He useth things as they may help in his journey Indifferent things Apparent sins I Peter 2. 11. Hâ—… values not himselfe by outward things Dependance of the words A Christian dead how Life of a Christian hidden Psal 73. 7. Object Answer Question Answer 2 Cor. 4. Question Answer Iohn 17. 2 Thess. 1. 10. Rom. 8. Quest. Answer 1 Cor. 15. Quest. Answer Simile 1 Tim. 6. 13. 2 1 Pet. 1. 1 Thess. 4. Simile Simile Simile Iohn 14. 1. Quest. Answer Revel 1. Act. 9. 1 Cor. 15. Rom. 5. 1. Quest. Answer Rom. 8. 2 Cor. 5. 1. 1 Thess. 4. Observ. 1. The righteous die as well as the wicked Vse 1. To improoveâ—… the short time of life Vse 2. To use the world moderatly Observ. 2. The soule continues after death Life of the soule double 1 Reason It crosses the desires of the bodie 2 Reason It operates most in the bodies weakenesse 3 Reason It projects for the time to come Vse To use our soules to the end they were given Worldly men out live their happinesse Observ. 3. Great difference between the death of the godly and the wicked 1 The godly happy in life 2 In death 1 In disposition 2 In condition * See the Sermons on Philip 3. 21. 3 After death Three degrees of life Vse Who truly wise Godly mans end what Vse 2. To labour to partake of this happinesse Righteous man who A wicked man may know the happy estate of Gods children Reason 1. To justify God in their condemnation Reason 2. To restraine their malice Degrees of wicked men Vse Not to refuse all that ill men say Vse 2. To go beyond wicked men in our desires Difference of desires in true Christians others 1 They are notâ—… constant 2 They are not from an inward principle 5 They are not growing desires Cant. 1. 6 They are not strong Desires the best character of a christian 7 They desire happines not holinesse Wicked men desire not heaven aright Simile Conviction of such as come short of Balaam Directionshow to have holy desires 1 Beg the spirit of revelation Simile See what hinders good desires To â—…cherish good motions To renewe our covenants Question Answer Quest. Answer Why men want comfort in death Objection Answer When God accepts the will for the deed Objection Answer God leaves not good desires Gal. 2. Zach. 13. Gen 15. 1. Psal. 84. 1. The Arke a figure of Baptism in divers respects 2. Parts of the Text. 2. Parts of Baptisme The Devill carries to extreames Men prone to give too much to outward worship Psal. 50. Isay 1. Isay ult Reason outward performances easie and glorious 2. They dawbe Conscience Vse To performe inward service 2 Tim. 3. Vse 2. Ministers duty Christ the foundation of the Covenant of Grace Observ. There must be somewhat in us to make use of that is in Christ. Reas. 1. From the nature of the Covenant Reas. 2. Where agreement is there is a like disposition Vse To search our hearts for the evidence of our estate Covenant of grace why so called Demand of conscience proceedes from the answer of it Good conscience what Three degrees of a good conscience A troubled good Conscience 2. A peaceable good Conscience 3. A gracious good Conscience Heb. 13. Double ground of comfort Quest. Ans. How to know a good Conscience though troubled 1. If it answer God in trouble 2. By allowing Gods truth 3. By acknowledging Gods goodnesse Psal. 73. Quest. Ans. A man may know when he doth things graciously Ans. How to know what we doe from a good Conscience 1. It answeres towards God 2. From an inward principle Object Ans. Why Children are Baptised Simile Baptisme binds when we come to yeares Covenant in Baptisme Those that live in sins against Conscience renounce their Baptisme Exhortation to get this answer of a good Conscience Marke 9. Cant. 6. Psal. 51. How to get the answer of a good Conscience To make use of our Baptism 1. Against temptations to sin 2. In temptations to discouragment Ier. 3. 2. To distrust Comfort from the answer of a good Conscience Levit. 26. Verse 5. Psal. 41. Gal. 4. Psal. 109. Colos. 3. Simile Prov. 12. 18.